Frugal Fridays!

Nifty Thrifty Summer Fun

Create some of those wonderful summer moments for your children without leaving your home!

Here are some old Fashioned ideas to get you started!

Sleep outside and do some stargazing

The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Psalm 19:1 Sleeping outside is and adventure in itself. Plan your outing for a clear night with moderate temperatures. New Moon days are the best times to stargaze. If you'd like to take in a meteor shower, this year's peak of the Perseids meteor shower will fall on August 12-13 2009. October 20-22 is the best time to observe the Orionids meteor shower. You may want to do a little homework ahead of time in case your children have questions. It is especially fun to listen to night sounds. Who knows what you might hear. Yes, you might miss your comfy bed, but sleeping outside is and experience your children will long remember.

Make Crayon Rubbings

All you'll need is paper and some crayons- old broken ones will work just fine. Simply place a leaf under a sheet of paper on a hard surface, and rub with the crayon over the paper to see the leaf pattern appear. You don't have to stop with leaves. Children can do bark rubbings and make a scrapbook showing the bark and leaves of different trees on each page. Coins brick patterns or other textures make for fascinating crayon rubbings. Another project, is to print out a simple coloring picture, then fill each blank area by crayon rubbing different textures. You'll have some interesting results!

Catch Fireflies

This is a turly timeless summertime pursuit. All you'll need is a jar with a litd. Punch a few small holes in the lid, and drop a few leaves in the bottom to provide a cushioning. Fireflies are fairly slow-moving and are easy to catch by hand. They don't bite or sting and are non-toxic. The best time to catch fireflies is around dusk and an hour or so afterwards. Be sure to release your catch the next morning, after you've had a chance to enjoy your firefly lantern. Did you know that fireflies are neither bugs nor flies? They're actually beetles!

Blow some Bubbles

Even older children can't seem to resist blowing bubbles. Make a big batch of bubble solution by mixing 6 C. of water 2 C. joy dishwashing liquid and 1/4 c. of corn syrup.Plain straws can be used to blow bubbles, but experiment with coat hanger loops and other "wands" to creat giant bubbles.

Press Flowers

This activity can be as simple as pressing daisies in a heavy book or as elaborate as cataloging a collection of flowers dried in a home-built flower press. Simply place the flower inside a tissue and then put the tissue inside a thick book ( I buy these from rummage sales for around 50 cents) Placing something heavy on thop will help. Set aside for two to four weeks, or until completely dried. These are lovely pressed into a homemade beeswax candle! (a project I might post about in the winter time)

Of course there are many backyard activities you can do with you children at little cost. Papier-mache projects are fun for outside and so are tie-dye projects. How about building a bird house? Making a windsock or windchimes, or painting a giant mural on a roll of craft paper? The important thing is to just get out there!.........and don't forget your camera.

Keeping our children active and creative at home will keep their hearts at home as well, and strengthen family ties.

Happy Summer!!!