Frugal Family Fun

Pixabay CC0 License

Lifelong learning is one of the most important things out there both for an individual’s ability to succeed on just about any given path, and also for their ability to lead a fruitful and fulfilling life.

As a general rule, the learning habits that are acquired in childhood will tend to have a significant influence on how people engage with learning throughout their lives. But, of course, there are also more immediate and direct reasons why it’s a good thing to get your child actively and positively engaged with their education from an early age.

Perhaps one of the best things that anyone can do in order to help a child adopt a more positive attitude to learning, in general, is to take steps to make the learning process more fun in and of itself.

Here are a handful of different ways that you might be able to make learning more fun for your kids.

Use well put together worksheets that your kids can feel accomplished for completing

Worksheets, if done right, can be an excellent source of motivation and a sense of accomplishment for your child, compared to many other forms of learning.

With an interesting and well constructed worksheet such as those offered by Studentreasures Publishing, your child can benefit from having a clear outline of what they need to tackle at any given moment, while additionally always being able to “see the finish line” as well.

Kids will naturally tend to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when they have completed a worksheet and can see the evidence of their progress right there in front of their eyes. It’s also straightforward to come up with ways to reward your kids for completing a set number of worksheets as well.

Help to nurture and encourage their natural interests

Every child will tend to have certain natural interests – things that they find fascinating, and they want to find out more about, without having to be told to by a teacher.

Unfortunately, these natural interests can be squashed or subverted by imposing too much structure, rigidity, and formality on the overall learning process. If your child is naturally fascinated by outer space, you should do what you can to nurture and encourage that interest by – for example – providing them with the resources to investigate more about the topic on their own time, in a way they are likely to enjoy and find natural.

Educational novels, picture books, encyclopedias, and so on, can all be very positive in this regard. And if your kids develop a set of positive associations with the learning process in one domain, there’s a good chance that this will carry over to a more general interest in learning.

Make sure they get a good grasp of the fundamentals

Perhaps one of the most important things you can do in order to ensure that your kids are able to enjoy the general learning process – and even to have fun with it – is to make sure that they get a good grasp of the fundamentals.

A lot of frustration in education comes about because the fundamentals, in any particular subject, weren’t properly grasped or understood – meaning that there is a constant confusing game of “catch up” that has to be played down the line.

On the other hand, if your child understands the fundamentals and basic concepts behind anything well, then the learning process will likely be more fascinating and less stressful and confusing as a whole.

There simply won’t be the same sense of wild desperation when it comes to trying to figure out what’s going on.

Look for ways to make the learning process more active and engaged

It’s always  worth keeping in mind that, as human beings, we are meant to be active and engaged – both physically and otherwise – when it comes to navigating everyday life.

There’s good evidence that regular physical exercise actually makes us better at learning and incorporating information on the one hand, and many great writers and scientists over the ages have reported that some of their best insights have come to them when walking, or otherwise being physically active.

If the learning process for your child involves essentially sitting in a room and trying to memorise lists of facts by rote, it’s quite unlikely that they will find the process very fun.

Instead, look for ways to make the learning process more active and engaged – both physically, and also in terms of more practical exercises and experiments.

Whether you are throwing a party or updating your playlist, there are so many options for modern music and electronic music for celebrations and weddings. Music from Indie labels and even podcasts, including Benjy Grinberg, that share so many ways to find the right genre of music for your next event. Here are four great dance music styles to consider:

Techno

‘Techno’ is a music genre all of us tend to know of and hence dance beginners frequently presume it’s among the very most dominant dance music genres. Truth be told, that is not really true. Techno is a little sub-genre. It’s hardly any mainstream popularity and is challenging to break into. But this definitely does not mean you cannot appreciate it! 

Jeff Mills and Carl Craig are a couple of examples of celebrated techno artists. But, what is it that makes this type of dance so unusual? Well, if you are not really into techno, you may turn a song on and believe it sounds all the same. This is because it’s literally the same sound over and over, as it’s based on loops, but modest continuous alterations are added to be able to move the track along. It really is a love it or loathe it music genre, that is for certain, so it is probably better for your playlist than a party. But people who adore it really adore it.

Dubstep

Next up we’ve dubstep, a dance music genre that’s just existed for a comparatively limited time, but has made a gigantic impact! Some famous artists encompass the likes of Joker, Caspa, Skream, Hatcha, and Benga. However, where did this genre come from? 

Dubstep has just existed since the late 1990s, with the earliest ever track being traced back to 1998, although these usually featured as B sides of 2-step garage single releases. It was basically a reaction to the United Kingdom garage scene getting more commercial and radio-friendly. Producers, including Oris Jay and El-B, began to create experimental instrumental remixes, and dubstep was created. 

Dubstep is characterized by a great deal of bass, a tempo of 140 beats per minute, a shuffling feel as well as a syncopated beat. In the early days, dubstep was sparse and dark, nevertheless now you can locate much more rhythmic variants and colorful synths when trying to add dubstep to your dance music playlist. But do be mindful of listening to loud volumes continually. You can learn more about hearing loss online and the impact of this. 

Electro

Now on to electro… arguably one of the most confusing music genres! Why is this? Well, it has transformed over the years. It existed in one form and then transformed into another one. This is not unusual for the world of dance. 

In the late 1970s electro referred to the usage of a sample, the breakbeats, or the electronic drum patterns. Yet, now it’s far simpler to spot what electro is, and that’s mainly because it comes down to using full-bodied synths as its foreground. Lately, there has been plenty of innovation in this genre and it’s likely we’ll see this continue. Artists including Dada Life, Rxxy, and DeepSea supply a terrific place to begin. 

Nu Disco

Finally, we’ve Nu Disco, and this is basically an upgraded disco in fundamental terms. Famous artists contain the likes of Re Dupre, Sterling, Wusel, and July Child. Everybody has heard of good old disco music, exceptionally popular since the 1970s! Therefore, where did the ‘Nu’ originate from? 

It is straightforward… Nu Disco is essentially the old genre with a revamp. Changes have been made to make a disco suitable to today’s dance marketplace. Usually, nu disco has a tempo of anything between 120 and 130 beats per minute. It features vocals, horns, strings, and pianos. If you’re seeking some funky kinds of dance music downloads, nu disco is the go-to music genre. It is a fantastic choice if you’re looking to cater to all ages; it contains that old fashioned vibe but with a sprinkle of the new!

Image Source

Shopping online is a fantastic way to save money. There are many different techniques you can use to save when you’re shopping online, and you could save yourself a lot of money. One thing to remember is that not all advice for saving money is as good as the next piece of advice. Some methods for saving might seem like a good idea but they can turn out to be a bit of a disaster in hindsight. There are some things you should do and some that you shouldn’t if you want to save online. Take a look at just a few of them.

Do Look for Vouchers and Discounts

Most online stores will allow you to input a voucher code to help you save money. In fact, they will often send these codes straight to your inbox if you sign up for their newsletter. Some of them will also tell you which codes to use on the website itself. If you’re not sure if any discount codes are available, you can use a browser plug-in that lets you search for any that you can use. It will ensure you’re not missing out on any discounts so you can save the maximum amount possible.

Don’t Buy from Sketchy Sellers

If you search for a product online, you can compare prices from different stores. This will sometimes come up with sellers that have the item you want at a much cheaper price than elsewhere. However, buying from a seller you’re unfamiliar with may not be such a great idea. The availability of gray market watches means you can save money on big brands, but it also means you’re buying from a seller that’s not approved by the watch designer. The best thing to do is to choose trustworthy online stores with secure payment processes and reliable delivery.

Do Compare In-store and Online Prices

Is it always cheaper to buy online instead of going to a store? It can be, but it’s not always the case. If you want to make sure you’re getting a better price online than you are in a brick-and-mortar store, you should visit the store so that you can compare. A great trick to use is to tell a customer service representative that you have found a cheaper price either in-store or online. Many brands will promise to match or beat prices so you can save money this way.

Don’t Buy Too Cheap

You have probably heard the phrase “buy cheap, buy twice”. While a cheap offer on a product can be tempting, it can also mean that you receive an inferior product or poor service. If you want to get it right the first time, it’s usually better to spend a little bit more money. It will help you to ensure that you receive a quality product, and it can be useful if you need any extra help from customer support.

You can choose many ways to save online, but not all methods are equal. Before you buy anything, consider your saving methods carefully.

Please note, this post is sponsored by CreationCrate.com. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you.

If you’ve had the opportunity to scout out many STEM-based subscription boxes online you will have noticed one glaring similarity. Most of these subscriptions are geared towards younger children. But what about STEM-focused activities for tweens and teens? The market until recently has been pretty abysmal.

Which was why I’m again excited to have been asked to review another subscriptions box from Creation Crate, a STEM-based service geared towards kids aged 12 and up. This time the Bluetooth Boombox kit.

What’s the service all about

Creation Crate is geared towards bringing experiential learning to tech-education methods for students and educators alike, in a learning curriculum geared towards helping students learn the basics of engineering, robotics, and computer programing strategies.

Creation Crate includes monthly boxed crates that contain both the hardware of electronics and the programming for each specific project. Like with many other services, because of the programming required, you will also need a computer or laptop to download and use the Arduino software, the software that runs each programming grid. Projects are sent on a relatively simple start and as time goes on students will receive harder boxes as their subscriptions continue.

Each box includes an instruction pamphlet to help guide you through the initial hardware setup, programming instruction, common errors suggestions, and exercises to utilize your finished programming project. You’re also given the URL to their online project support page, extra parts for your kit, and diagrams and instructions for downloading the software for each kit.

Creation Crate Bluetooth Boombox Kit Review

The Creation Crate curriculum kit that we received was Bluetooth Boombox! Which is such a fun project because, in the end, you have speakers that you can play music from your phone, tablet, pc, or other applicable devices. What I liked most about this kit was that all of the necessary components were sent in was the boombox. That allowed for all of the assembled components to fit back neatly into.

Putting this kit together was as simple following the online site curriculum guide, and then simply placing all the jumper wires and terminal blocks together. Which went rather quickly as within minutes its simple to follow the enclosed instructions, as well as the coordinating YouTube videos online, cut out the coordinating sections (using an Exacto knife), and to then attach the components.

Once all of the pieces were assembled correctly, we connected the boombox to various devices, and, of course, the music started playing from the boombox.

This kit was simple to put together, would be great for middle school-aged students and homeschoolers alike, and would also make an awesome summer break project too.

Creation Crate is a great project to keep your children and students learning throughout the warm weather season in new ways that help perpetuate cognitive thought, problem-solving strategies, give insight into consumer electronic creation, and learn about the applied science of sound engineering.

The Creation Crate subscription box is a wonderful gift or project for an older child or student wanting to learn more about electrical engineering and electronics as well. More sophisticated than something like Snap Circuits and Vex kits, learning with these kits will help lay a foundation for future study.

If you have a budding Arduino or electronics master in your house, try Creation Crate to encourage your kids’ interests. If your kiddo is a beginner, come back to this service once they have a new other vex kits under their belt first!

With costs starting at $30.00 each month to teaching kits starting at $200.00 for numerous projects, there’s an affordable price point for everyone on your list! So be sure to check this service out as with Creation Crate projects, you’re putting together a real project – not theory, but an actual working lamp! And I think that’s pretty great!

Friends, now I want to ask, have you tried Creation Crate? If so, please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Connect with Creation Crate

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest

Summer may be the ultimate time of year to a time to relax and get away, but tell that to kids who are bouncing off the walls. Or espousing the dreaded I’m bored eighteen hundred times a day.

As parents, we want each summer to be more memorable than the next but its often hard to come up with ideas for activities that are family-focused, sensory-prone, yet fresh and new each year. Ideas that are both fun and frugal too. Especially if your child is too young to for ye ole’ summer camp this season.

It’s also important to remember that there are only eighteen summers that we as parents can take advantage of the course of our children’s lives. So we need to be able to make the most of each and every bright sunny day and warm summer nights each week with our children.

So with this in mind, I’d like to share with you 101 free fun family-focused ideas for the summer:

1. Go to the Library: Most libraries around the country offer free summer reading programs that encourage kids of all ages to read, and often host other activities like, parties, storytelling events, children’s book clubs, and puppet shows. Check out libraries in neighboring towns too – they might offer something your regular branch doesn’t. Click here to find local libraries.
2. Tour a Local Business: Local restaurants are often open to giving kids a behind-the-scenes look at a working kitchen during slow times if you stay for lunch. Many factories offer tours, which can come with freebies to take home. Call ahead to find out this summer!
3. Free Museum Passes: Many museums and cultural institutions, like botanical gardens, children’s museums, zoos, and aquariums, that offer free programs to children, parents, and educators (and homeschoolers) before noon weekdays. But even the ones that charge admission often offer free or reduced-rate days or hours weekly or monthly. Also, check Children’s Science and Art Museum calendars for special summer activities – many offer classes, concerts, and tours just for kids. Bank of America offers such free passes too!
4. IKEA: Ikea has supervised playrooms for potty-trained kids. Take turns with other moms shopping while the kiddos get a play date on the cheap!
5. Home Depot: Home Depot runs free weekend project workshops for kids ages 5-12 for Home Depot every third Saturday of the month. Book your free project today!
6. Michaels: Micheals holds free and $2.00 project demos and classes that will keep creative kids happy, ages are craft-specific.
7. Apple stores: Apple Stores run free 3-day Apple Camp where kids ages 8-12 learn how to make films. Check out these programs here.
8. Whole Foods: Whole Foods offers free in-store kid’s summer cooking classes; check your local store for details.
9. Barnes & Noble: Barnes & Noble offer free storytime. Check with stores in your area to see what they have planned here.
10. Visit a Farm: Check with farms in your area to see if they offer tours for your pint-size volunteer.
11. Volunteer: Develop the spirit of service in your kiddos by plugging you both into a great non-profit or volunteer opportunity this summer. Whether it’s cleaning up a local park, walking dogs at an animal shelter, or visiting residents at a nursing home, summer is a great time to introduce children to the joys of giving back. Search for opportunities in your area here.
12. Catch a Movie: Beat the heat this summer with a free movie from your local library. Or if your willing to pay a little, Regal Cinemas’ Summer Movie Express offers $1.00 movies on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings each summer, and Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse movies are only $0.50 per movie, per child. Check theaters in your area for similar deals.
13. Take a Hike: The great outdoors is always open and waiting for little explorers with REI’s free Kids’ Adventure Journal, where young hikers (ages 6-12) can log notes and draw pictures about their experiences.
14. Tour National Parks: Each national holiday, America’s National Parks offer free or reduced admittance to families all summer long. Click here to check out dates for parks in your area.
15. Geocaching: Allow your pint-sized anthropologist to explore, find and log adventures this summer with geocaching. Your only one app and a car ride away from finding your family’s next hidden treasure. Click here to find out more today!
16. Bake cookies: Celebrate National Ice Cream Cookie day by baking your own cookies and making ice cream at home this coming August 2nd!
17. Volunteer at a nature center:  Invest your kiddos talents and skills to make a difference in helping wildlife this summer by volunteering at a local nature center. Contact your state’s forestry department for opportunities for your family this season!
18. Make a family yearbook: Get a jump-start on holiday year-in-review cards by going to Canva to create free family yearbook e-cards for friends and family this coming holiday season!
19. Have a luau in the backyard: Learn about Hawaiian and Polynesian culture this summer by throwing your own luau this summer. The Dollar Tree also hosts plenty of low-cost items to get you started.
20. Visit the beach and collect shells: Connect a day at the beach with prehistoric history with just a few seashells and free worksheets for kids! Click here for more details.
21. Make a fort out of cardboard boxes: Explorer early American westward expansion and the Oregon Trail by making your own cardboard forts. Click here to learn more.
22. Visit a farmer’s market: Give your kiddos a true appreciation for the unsung heroes that are local farmers with a trip to your local Farmer’s Market this summer!
23. Stage a neighborhood scavenger hunt: Develop your kiddos sense of awareness with a DIY neighborhood scavenger hunt. Click here for free idea sheets!
24. Pick berries: Check with your local co-op to find local organic berry picking dates in your area. Keep the fun going by introducing kids to the skills needed for zero-waste canning.
25. Pack a picnic: Pack a zero-waste picnic with nothing more than mason jars and great treats. Then head out with your kiddos for a free summer playdate at the park!
26. Sit under a tree: Nothing beats sitting under the shade of a tree in summer. Especially while listening to free e-books for kids from Guttenburg Press!
27. Learn a language: Introduce the kiddos to foreign languages with the free Dualingo app for kids this summer. Available for both ios and Android.
28. Go canoeing at a local lake: Many public lakes offer free canoeing days for kids each summer. Check your local parks and recreation department for dates and times in your area.
29. Build sandcastles: Head out to the beach and practice your engineering skills while building sand castles this summer. Also, see if your area hosts professional sandcastle building festivals to give kiddos inspiration for future beach builds too!
30. Write and illustrate your own book: Check out Mystorybook.com and have your kiddo publish their own free e-book this summer.
31. Campout at home: Create a campsite in your back yard. Cook outdoors. Sleep under the stars. All without leaving working toilets behind!
32. Clean up trash at a local park: Contact your local parks and recreation department for kid-specific trash pick-up days and help your kids develop a sense of civic pride this summer!
33. S’more competition: Create a backyard smores competition. See who in your family can create the most imaginative smores recipe this summer!
34. Make homemade pizza: Create homemade pizzas at home with the kiddos while learning about Neopolitan pizza history this summer. Click here for ideas.
35. Create summer collages: Go for a walk and then make a collage from nature objects you find along the way. Click here for ideas.
36. Wetland Conservation: Head to a creek and look at the ducks. Explore wetlands and learn about wetland conservation too. Click here for more ideas.
37. Set up a lemonade stand: Teach proprietary skills and a strong worth ethic by helping your kiddos set up and run a lemonade stand this summer. Click here for more ideas!
38. Teach Multiculturalism: Introduce issues of multiculturalism, ethnicity, worker’s rights, human rights, and compassion from the Education for Students video series on Youtube!
39. Practice your origami skills: Pick up origami paper at the Dollar Tree and create DIY origami installations while learning about Japanese origami culture at home. Click here for an awesome video series to get you started!
40. Go biking on a trail: Learn useful navigational skills while biking with your kiddos this summer. Click here to find trails in your neck of the woods!
41. Learn your family history: Interview an older relative about what life was like when they were young. Take this information and create a family tree.
42. Mini-Chef Monday’s: Get your kiddos into the kitchen with you developing kitchen skills while watching other littles and their parents online too! Click here for more information!
43. Create a summer reading list: Print out a list of children’s books that have won Caldecott Medals. Visit the local library and read as many of these titles as you can this summer.
44. Create salad spinner art: Learn about basic physics, prisms, and modern art all with just a salad spinner, tempera paint, and paper this summer. Click here for more information!
45. Create shadow puppets: Create a shadow puppet theater and then put on a show with your characters with items sitting around your home.
46. Plant a garden of herbs and veggies: Teach kids about germination and photosynthesis by planting an at-home kids garden at home. Click here to request free seed packets by mail!
47. Make a sidewalk chalk mural: Learn about Amerian mural art by making your own sidewalk murals at home. Click here for lesson sheets.
48. Learn about engineering: Teach your kids about engineering with free games, articles, worksheets, movies, apps, and activities on Engineering.com.
49. Free kids learning classes: Keep the school year going on a budget with free summer school learning classes from Khan Academy online.
50. Teach your kids typing: Teach your kids valuable typing and computer science skills online for free from NitroType.com this summer! Teach your kids f
51. Teach your kids how to budget: Start your children on the part of debt-free living early in life by creating a kids-friendly budget this summer. Click here for more ideas!
52. Visit a fish hatchery: Teach kids about fish and water safety with a free trip to a fish hatchery. Contact your state forestry department for locations.
53. Plant a butterfly garden: Teach kids about metamorphosis up close and personal by planting a butterfly garden at home.
54. Pretend to be pirates for a day: Dress up in costumes, plan a treasure hunt, and challenge your kiddos to walk the plank. Then learn about the real Blackbeard, colonialism, and Carribean pirate culture here. Later you can recreate your summer fun on September 16th this year for Pirate Day at your local Krispy Kreme, where when you dress up like a pirate you get a free doughnut!
55. Cow Appreciation Day: Raid your closets and play chests for your best DIY cow costumes. Then mosey on over to your local Chick-Fil-A restaurants on July 11th for a free meal on Cow Appreciation Day!
56. Free Behind-the-Scenes Tours: Make communication and multimedia come alive this summer by contacting your local tv station to set up a free kid-friendly tour this summer!
57. Microsoft Youth Camps: Check your local Microsoft Store for free in-store Youth Spirit kids computer science camps this summer!
58. Free Bowling: Strike up two free games of bowling every day of the summer with free bowling pass coupons from KidsBowlFree.com.
59. Reward your kids for reading: Reward your kids reading this summer by enrolling them in the Pizza Hut Book-It Summer Reading Program!
60. Go to college: Many colleges and universities hold free overnight, week-long dorm-style summer learning camps for middle-school aged kids each year. Camps designed to prepare tweens for college live. Contact schools in your area to find participating institutions this summer.
61. Free Camps for Military Families: Click here to see listings for free all-expenses-paid camps for children of active military and veterans this summer.
62. Tour historic homes: Check with your state’s historic league to find free historic home tour dates in your area this summer.
63. Kids Skate Free: Treat your kiddos to a day of free skating this summer at participating Kids Skate Free rinks. Click here for more information.
64. Free AMF Bowling: Register your kids for the Summer Games program at AMF so they can enjoy free bowling every weekday this summer from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. and weekends from until 4 p.m. The Summer Games program runs May 22nd through September 4th. Click here for more information.
65. Scholastic Summer Challenge: From May 8th to September 8th, kids can log their minutes spent reading and unlock online activities, earn rewards, and even enter to win books from Scholastic online. Click here for more information.
66. TD Bank Summer Reading Program: By reading 10 books and recording them in the TD Summer Reading Form, your kiddos can earn $10.00, which is deposited into a Young Saver account. Kids in kindergarten through 5th grade are eligible for this program.
67. Pottery Barn Kids Book Club: Every Tuesday from 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., join other local parents and kiddos at Pottery Barn for free story time sessions this summer! In addition, kids will receive a special free gift after attending five sessions. Click here for more information!
68. Free App Friday’s: SmartAppsForKids lists free educational and art learning apps for kids, for both ios and Android, each Friday at 8 am EST. Also, check out their list of the 100 best free apps for toddlers, preschoolers, multilingual, and special needs students too!
69. Youtube Videos: Check out this list of the best YouTube family-friendly children’s learning channels!
70. Kindle e-Books: Check out this list of awesome free Kindle e-books, learning games, videos, and learning software this summer!
71. Lego Magazine: Click here to score a free 2-year subscription to LEGO Club or LEGO Club Jr. Magazine for your child!
72. Turn the backyard into a carnival: Create a carnival at some with DIY face painting and DIY Palette games.
73. Create Totem Poles: Create DIY Totem Poles and introduce your kiddos this summer to awesome Native American history!
74. Perform Shakespearean Play: Learn about Shakespeare, the Globe, and all things Elizabethan and then put on your own kid’s Globe-style play! Click here for more information!
75. Learn about Bollywood: Check out this list of some of the best Bollywood family-friendly movies for kids. Also, check out this Bollywood dance routine video for kids and then create your own Bollywood-style dance number at home this summer!
76. Learn about the Hispanic Culture: Learn about the Hispanic culture, music, art, language, and cuisine this summer at home! Click here for free lesson plans!
77. Learn about the African American Experience: Teach your kids about the rich cultural heritage of the African-American experience, created by several renounced African-American professors, and NPR and PBS personalities this summer with resources found here.
78. Learn Riverdance: Teach your kiddos about Irish Culture and then try your hand at traditional Irish Riverdance this summer at home!
79. Introduce your kids to Opera: Introduce your kids to opera, learn about famous composers such as Verdi, and then watch Hansel and Gretel the Opera!
80. Stargazing: Learn about stargazing and identify as many constellations as possible. See if there are any local astronomy groups for kids in your local homeschool co-op or public school central offices.
81. Learn with Starwars: Bring the Force into your home this summer with free, fun Star Wars-themed learning materials online here.
82. Puppeteering: Teach your kids how to create and mastering puppeteering at home this summer. Click here for more information!
83. Kabuki Theatre: Learn about Kabuki Theatre history and then throw your own performance at home this summer!
84. Learn about Aesop Tales: Teach your children valuable moral tales by learning about Aesop this summer!
85. Norse Mythology: Teach your children about Norse mythology, culture, religion, and history. Click here for free online lesson plans!
86. Free Piano Lessons: Receive free online piano lessons for kids from the Hoffman Academy of Music, here.
87. Splash Pad Fun: Check your local parks and recreation department for times and dates of free summer splash pad activities this summer.
88. Free Cooking Lessons: Cook with your kiddos this summer with free interactive online cooking lessons from the Chop Chop Cooking Club!
89. Free Vocal Lessons: Receive free beginner vocal lessons for kids online from the Pitch Perfect Media.
90. Learn about baseball: Teach your kids the history of America’s best-loved sport and then break out your baseball gloves and start a game, Sandlot style.
91. Go fossil hunting: Bring out your inner archeologist and try your hand at a public archeological dig in your area this summer.
92. Learn about Women’s History: Teach your kiddos about women’s history this summer with these free online lesson plans.
93. Learn Civics: Schedule a tour of your local courthouse and municipal building to teach your kiddos hands-on examples of civics and local politics this summer!
94. Visit a fire station: Help your kiddos learn about fire safety by scheduling a tour of your local firehouse. Then reward your local firefighters by bringing them a homemade meal you and your kids make at home!
95. Game night: Take in a family game night at home or challenge other families online on the Hasbro Family Game Night site!
96. Online Family Talent Show: Bring the whole family online with Google Hangouts, Skype, or Facetime. Then have each family member perform a 2-minute skill or talent. Take turns enjoying the fun with friends and family far and near for free this summer!
97. Visit a police station: Visit a police station. Familiarize your family with your neighborhood precinct. Also, learn at home about ways to prevent police brutality, racism, and create dialogues for positive cultural tolerance for others in your own community. Then create a family police interaction strategy with your family this summer.
98. Teach kids about voting: Teach your kids about voting and create your own mock-family election at home!
99. Host a debate: Teach your kids about open dialogue and positive communication skills by learning about the history of the Lincoln-Douglas debates and then throwing your own debate at home this summer!
100. Make a comic: Click here to learn basic comic book drawing techniques for kids and then have your kiddos try their hand at making a comic book this summer!
101. Become an Olympiad: Teach your kids all about the Olympic games and they have your hand at creating a DIY Olympic games at home with your kids this summer!

So those are my 101 suggestions for free, fun, and frugal family-friendly summer activities for kids! I hope this list will inspire you to think outside the box when it comes to planning fun and frugal activities for your kiddos this summer at home! So now, I have to ask, how do you and your kiddos plan to have fun this summer? I’d love to hear about it below!

Disclosure: The reviewer has been sponsored by Best Buy. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you.

There are few things I love more than spending time in the outdoor spaces around my home. In fact, if I could have my bedroom out there I would. Because I love spending time outdoors in my home’s Florida room, its one of the places entertainment at home happens the most. And because I’m so passionate about entertainment options, especially new tech!

I recently discovered the SunBrite Veranda Series at Best Buy, a family of weatherproof televisions designed for full-shade outdoor applications. Truly the best of both worlds, am I right? Products designed to bring the convenience of home entertainment with you to your favorite outdoor hangout spots.

The SunBriteTV Veranda Series is a family of weatherproof televisions designed for full-shade outdoor spaces, like covered patios, screened-in porches, breezeways, and Florida rooms, as I mentioned above. They are engineered to withstand just about any climate in North America, resisting the harsh effects of rain, snow, dust, insects, and extreme temperatures.

No more having to choose between enjoying the weather or binging your favorite shows. As it goes without saying that indoor TVs don’t belong outside but SunBriteTVs are high-performance and specifically made for the outdoors and engineered for permanent outdoor installation.

Veranda comes standard with a direct-lit 4K UHD screen with HDR, which is up to 50% brighter than indoor TVs for improved viewing in brighter outdoor environments. It’s more durable, safer, and a better experience than using an indoor TV outdoors.

Imagine spending this warm weather season with family and friends watching your favorite movie with the entire family outside, a romantic evening with your significant other, or having all your friends over to watch the game! Such a great gift idea for Father’s Day too!

Outdoor living trends are big this season, and all-weather TVs can really enhance the outdoor lifestyle. In fact, creating an outdoor home theater is the most affordable room addition you can make to spaces at home.

Now you can grill, eat outside and watch your favorite show while enjoying the fresh air and nature’s beauty. Just be sure to save me a seat, friends!