Looking for some creative ways to fill the last few weeks of summer? I shared a while back that I am not a "fun mom" (but I'm working on it!) My friend Tauna, however, is all about fun, and I asked her a while back to share some of her ideas for creative, inexpensive fun. (She has a super-fun blog, too...be sure to check out her Summer Iced Tea Party post!) I'm so excited to have her guest posting here today!
It’s the middle of summer and you are running out of
ideas to keep everyone occupied. “Go play outside,” doesn’t work like it did
when we were kids, and one more, “I’m bored,” and you’re likely to jump from
the roof.
Take heart. There’s a lot you can do to supplement your summertime
library visits, which are a must!
Summer
Arts Schedule - Several
cities, large and small, offer concerts and movies in the park for free. Just be sure to take your bug repellant if
you plan on an evening outside.
Movies – Obvious
but fun, especially if it’s a $1.00 movie. These movies are usually on their
second run, but they’re good for a re-watch if it was a good show or it could
be a chance to catch one you missed. If your city doesn’t have a cheapo theater
there’s always the matinee option. This is an economical choice, especially if
you belong to a loyalty club that earns free treats and tickets. Check out the Regal Crown Club for an example.
Wax
Lips & Moustaches - If you don’t have definite plans, you can
still make any afternoon more exciting by adding a little silliness to your
day. One thing that my niece, Caitie, and I like is to don silly facial
attachments as we drive to wherever it is we’re going.
We get a kick out of people’s reaction
when they see us. Of course we act as if nothing is out of the ordinary.
Shopping –
Not your typical style of shopping. Find a fun store and try on unusual items.
Accessory stores are perfect for this
type of shopping. Try on hats, and ridiculous high heels or boots. Discount
stores are great too. We have a contest in which we find the ugliest outfit for
the other person to try on and take pictures! We typically end up gasping for
air because we laugh so much.
Umbrellas
& Crazy Straws - Simple ways to ratchet up the fun factor
during a meal. Caitie and I love to eat at one spot where the dishes are large,
sharing is encouraged, and $10 feeds us both! We add to our experience by
adding drink umbrellas and crazy straws to our water glasses. How fun is that?
Web
Cams
- During Spring break, Caitie and I went to Eureka Springs, AR. As we
researched places to visit, we discovered the town had several webcams! It took
all of 10 minutes to find the exact locations of the cameras using Google
Earth. We got up early one morning,
before the shops were open, and stood in front of a camera. My sister, Mary,
was waiting in front of her computer with the camera website streaming live.
She captured a screen shot of the two of us acting goofy. It’s a grainy picture,
but it represents a vivid memory of a great trip.
Maybe your town has a webcam, so you can strike a pose.
If not, be sure to look for any live streaming cameras in towns you plan to
visit. There’s a great site that lets you look up webcams around the world. If
you plan to visit Dealy Plaza in Dallas, Boothbay Harbor, Maine, or the St.
Louis capitol building, you could wave hello to someone back home. Don’t forget
to take a silly sign or ridiculous paper faces like we did.
Speaking of paper faces…
The
faces were made for a long ago TaterBug Day. (Tauna=Tater, Caitie=Bug) We spent
the day using sidewalk chalk and putting the silly faces in unusual places. If
you want to read more you can link to that post
HERE.
(NOTE:
The paper faces, wax lips, sticker moustaches, drink umbrellas, and crazy
straws are kept in a gift bag we’ve named The Frivolous Bag-o-Fun. Most items
cost $2 or under!)
Treasure
Boxes - Most recently, Caitie and I decided to spread a little
cheer on a hot summer day. We stuffed notes into small boxes and dropped them
around downtown. You can find the story HERE.
As you can tell, boredom isn’t a big issue for us. My
mom, sister, niece and I make it a practice to come up with creative ways to
make average activities extraordinary. Give it a try. Let your imagination take
form and enjoy!
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Tauna is a Southern girl who loves sweet tea with lime, dark chocolate, all things creative, and Jesus. creative confetti
is her miscellaneous musing on family, friends, photography, faith and
fun.
Share in the stories of her cah-razy family, watch as she tries to
learn how to use her first big-girl camera, learn a new craft trick or
share a prayer request. Join her on her clumsy trip through life as she
chases God's whisper.
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Do you have some great ideas for creative, inexpensive summer fun? Please share them with us in the comments! And speaking of sharing...we'd love for you to share this post (or any others here) with your friends. It's super-easy with the share buttons below, or the Pin-It buttons above.
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Ponderings of an Elect Exile is currently doing a series of Creativity Thursdays. Check out Teaching Creativity When You Don't Feel Creative (Or Why Do I Need to Teach Creativity, Anyway?) and Teaching Creativity: Where Do We Start?, and then come back Thursday for a new post on resources for teaching creativity!
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Linking up with Family Fun Friday today!
Linking up with Family Fun Friday today!
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