Friday, July 1, 2016

Thinking Outside the Box: Kids Activities You Never Thought of!

You know that episode of I Love Lucy? The iconic one that everyone has seen where Lucy stomps grapes? Yeah, that’s my favorite episode too! This morning I dragged my kids out of bed, loaded them in the car and drove to a winery where they stomped grapes and had a blast doing it!
My goal is to provide other families out there ideas on keeping your kids active and entertained while not losing your sanity or breaking the bank. I can only hear, the now infamous line, “Paw patrol is on a roll!” so many times before I want to throw the television set out the window! So lets talk about a few places you might not have thought of for inexpensive activities.
This morning we headed to Lakeridge Winery for their 26th annual Harvest Festival. They had a craft fair, greasy food, wine tasting, winery tours, and the kids new favorite activity: grape stomping! We browsed jewelry and artwork while munching on kettle corn. There was a live band that performed everything from Prince to Tim McGraw. People set up their lawn chairs under massive shade trees and enjoyed a wine sample (or two) while listening. No one was overly intoxicated and the kids had a vineyard to run through when they got bored. The event was absolutely kid friendly! So follow a local winery on facebook or twitter and pay attention to their festival events!




Another of our favorite child friendly places is Bass Pro Shops. You already know that Bass Pro sells outdoor equipment: hunting, fishing, and camping gear line their shelves. What you may not know is that several times a year they host child friendly events that encourage kids to get outside. At Christmas they offer free photos with Santa and build a wild animal carousel for the little ones to ride. At Easter, a big white rabbit greats children while they search the store for hidden eggs. My girls have fired BB guns, made arts and crafts projects, learned how to aim a bow and arrow, and next weekend they are taking a free fishing lesson. There is always an art project offered and a free photo with a cool backdrop.
After you’ve had a glass of wine and learned to fire a BB gun it might be time for a trip to the hospital! (insert laugh here). Our local hospital opened up a new children’s ward about two weeks ago. For their grand opening they invited area children to bring their favorite stuffed animals for a check up! There were doctors and nurses on call to put band-aids on teddy bear’s skinned knees and update Hello Kitty’s tetanus booster. They had balloon animals and face painting and it not only let the community know that there was a new children’s ward in town but it also taught the kids that the hospital isn’t a scary place. It is a place for help. In that same category of helpers, you should pay attention to local police and fire stations. They occasionally offer open houses for area kids to come tour the stations. If you are in the Orlando area, there is actually a new fire house hosting an open house next weekend (6/18/16)! I’ll post information at the bottom along with links to everything else I have mentioned.
Next time you are grocery shopping check out the message board at the store. Wegmans in the northern states offers low-cost children’s cooking classes. Whole foods is a national food chain that offers kids cooking, yoga, and other free events throughout the year. Most grocery stores have events posted inside the store and on their webpages.
Our absolute favorite, not usually for children place is Lowe’s! Yup. The home improvement store offers free children’s clinics. Children learn to use basic tools while making a toy. These clinics are offered once a month (once every two weeks over the summer months) and are absolutely free of charge. You do have to sign your children up in advance and sign a waiver to participate. I know that a lot of you already know about this one but just in case you needed reminding, I’m including it. Home Depot offers a similar program but be prepared, they give kids paint instead of stickers to put the final touches on their projects.

No comments:

Post a Comment