It’s summer and before you know it, the kids are going to be yelling, “I’M BORED!” Here are a few ways to combat summer boredom.

Summer break can get spendy if you’re sending your kids to different classes and off to camps and activities. Here are a few different and fun ways to keep the kids occupied and on the cheap.


Feed Your Face

Ice cream is one of my favorite things about summer. I hate shelling out money for ice cream when I know we could make it at home. All you need is an ice cream maker like the one from YayLabs. It’s called the Play and Freeze and it’s so cool, no pun intended. Put in cream, ice cubes, rock salt and whatever flavor you want. I like fresh strawberries. Put everything in the Play and Freeze and send the kids outside with it for a 15 minute game of catch. When they’re done tossing and rolling it around, the ice cream is done. Just scoop and serve. If you can’t do dairy like me, another fun thing is to chop up bananas and stick them in the freezer for a couple of hours. Let them thaw for about 10 minutes on the counter, then toss them in the blender or food processor and let them go until they’re smooth and creamy. It tastes like banana soft serve and it’s just bananas and it’s about 80 calories for two scoops.


Feed the Birds

Don’t spend $20 on a bird feeder. That’s boring. Instead, buy some bird seed and gelatin. Gather cookie sheets, cookie cutters, straws, string and waxed paper. In a saucepan heat 2/3 cup of water, stir in the gelatin and when that’s dissolved, add 2 cups of bird seed. Mix well and place the cookie cutters on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Press mixture into a cookie cutter. Poke a hole in the top with a straw and when the seed is set, remove from the cookie cutter. Put some string or ribbon through the hole and hang in your favorite tree.


Make Some Art

Whenever I’m out and about on walks, I make sure I never, ever step on any sidewalk chalk art. It’s very big in my neighborhood. Buying your own is boring. Making your own sidewalk chalk is far more fun. You’ll need plaster of paris, water, tempera paint, an old bowl, Popsicle sticks and molds. In a bowl, mix the plaster of paris with water according to the directions. Add the paint and with the popsicle sticks, stir and pour into the molds and when it’s dry, send the kids outside to create their own sidewalk chalk masterpiece. If the kids want to make their own with different colors, pour the plaster of paris into paper cups and let them make their own colors.


What fun things do you like to do with your kids?

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