Spending Spring Break At Home: Family Activities That Won't Break The Bank
Posted: Monday, March 02, 2009
by Asher Ricard
With the economy in deep trouble, families are finding themselves not looking forward to spring break this year. It doesn't have to be all doom and gloom with a little extra planning.
"Staycations" are quick becoming the end thing for families and often times are providing more family quality time. Staying at home can actually take away the stress of traveling and provide kids with secure comfort of their own bed at night.
Go to the beach
Of course, this is impossible if you don't live within driving distance. Why not make the beach come to you. Check out your local hardware store for a bag of sand. Usually runs between $10 and $15. Put on the sun suits, sunscreen and hats. Visit the dollar store for fun pails and shovels. Then create a beach in your backyard. You can get the little $10 plastic pools from the store and fill with the sand and water. Pack a picnic lunch, bring out the volleyball and have a fun family day at home.
Be a tourist
Every town has something to offer. It could be an old historical marker or a museum or even a zoo. Our local science museum lets the kids dig for dinosaur bones. Or you could check out the special programs at your local library. Often times, when you live in a spot for so long, you forget about the area attractions. Take a day or two to check them out.
Look into buying yearly memberships to one of these attractions so you can also enjoy it all year long. Most times, it is not much more to enjoy a whole year of fun.
Camping
I have heard adults talk about their fondest memories growing up were camping in their own backyard. This is a great bonding activity. Set up a tent, buy the Smores and have fun! Don't forget to bring a jar for catching lightning bugs. Or check out the local park for fishing and playground fun.
Game Day
Create a family tournament day with multiple competitions. Have each family member submit a game to the competition for the day. It can be a Wii game, a board game, a sport, etc. The rules are that every family member must participate without complaining at each game. In the end, you will be amazed at how much fun all of the kids have.
Spa Day
The girls in the house might enjoy a spa day. Check out the local department store for some cheaper spa treatments or create your own homemade masks. Stock up on cucumbers, tea, little sandwiches, etc. Have fun spending the day soaking your feet, painting nails and doing hair. The boys will have to find something to do that day.
These are just a few suggestions. Spring Break can be fun even when you are at home. Enjoy the time you have together as a family. Your kids will be grown and out of the house in no time.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Another option is to watch TV. I'm somewhat of an on the go kind of person so I'm not at home 80% of the time so I tend to miss some of my favorite episodes. Sometimes if I'm out on the town and I hear about a show and I don't neccessarily want to record it to my DVR, I just want to see what it's about first, I log into my DISH Network account from the DISH Remote Access app and I watch it live on my iPad or iPhone. I work at DISH, so as soon as it was released, I was all over it and I haven't looked back since!
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