HOW TO HAVE FUN ALL SUMMER LONG!
In my article, Five Low Cost, Low Tech Summer Activities for Families and Kids, I shared some of the ways families can enjoy time together during the summer without spending a great deal of money. In the past few weeks I've been thinking of ways to entertain the little girl I nanny for and looking forward to her moving to a house with a big back yard. I let my mind wander, and my imagination take over as I planned some summer activities for us. Wow, did I recall some great childhood memories and some great memories of time with my own children when they were small!
Hula Hoops
Hula hoops come in all sizes these days and certainly fall into the low cost, low tech category. I've seen them for sale at the "Dollar Store" in my neighborhood. Teaching a child to hula hoop helps them develop coordination and encourages them to move. If you join in with your child it becomes a sure-fired giggle-fest competing to keep the hula hoops moving and off the ground. All kinds of contest ideas come to mind: See who can twirl the most hula hoops at one time, see who can twirl the hula hoop for the longest time-just use your imagination
Another low tech way to use hula hoops is to make them part of an obstacle course. They can be placed on the ground and with the child standing or sitting within the hula hoop, give them activities to do or instructions to follow. Jump five times, staying inside the hula hoop, or jump from outside the hula hoop to the inside are two easy to follow instructions. You could even have a picnic or snack sitting inside the hula hoop!
Declare the day "Hula Hoop" day and draw pictures or create art work using only circles and round objects for the ultimate low cost, low tech family activity.
Blowing Bubbles
I cannot endorse this low cost, low tech activity too highly! A couple of weeks ago I sat on the patio at the home of the family I work for over an hour, equipped with nothing but a bottle of bubbles. The little girl I care for had trouble actually blowing, so we opted for my blowing the bubbles and her chasing them. I actually had to stop to catch my breath a couple of times, because she kept insisting, "more bubbles, more bubbles."
[UPDATE: I've now worked for my "family" for over a year. The little girl I wrote about is now 3 ½ and is fantastic(!) at blowing bubbles! Her brothers are now 18 mos. And they have each consumed several bubble wands full of bubble liquid! They want to do everything their big sister does and I figure she wasn't much older than they are now when I introduced her to the world of bubbles.)]
To read the rest of my suggestions, please click here to visit Associated Content. Thanks!
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Comments: 17
We had all kinds of bubble machines the neastest one was the string one where you make one huge giant bubble takes practice but is real fun who can make the biggest :)