Cheap Ideas for Keeping Your Kids Entertained This Summer
I think fondly back to those mythic summers I spent complaining about how bored I was. Can you imagine such a thing? Now that we’ve got a tight budget and kid of our own to entertain through the summer doldrums, I’ve been digging for kid-friendly past-times that only require a little jingle.
Richmondbargains.com provides an extensive list of cheap and free kid things to do this summer. One of my favorites is the link to Historic Richmond Region’s 50 free activities. Our 5 year old has been clamoring for a visit to a cemetery. I can’t really explain why she’s so eager, but a trip to Hollywood Cemetery would perfectly fit the bill and would allow me the opportunity to grab the DSLR and click away at the awesome statuary.
And I’ll also nab Richmond Bargain’s list for free movies. Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Bowtie theaters offers a movie for the kids for FREE. If only nearby Buzz & Ned’s offered a lunch deal!
- 7/14 & 7/15 – Madagascar: Escape to Africa
- 7/21 & 7/22 – Space Chimps
- 7/28 & 7/29 – Horton Hears a Who
- 8/4 & 8/5 – Kung Fu Panda
- 8/11 & 8/12 – Hoodwinked
- 8/18 & 8/19 – Open Season
Children’s Museum of Richmond
Free days August 1st and 2nd, 2009
With all the bad news about Bank of America, you wouldn’t expect that they’d pay your way into this popular destination for the enchilded (yeah, I made up that word). Two days a month, BofA cardholders can get one free general admission!
For full program rules go here
Ditto Kiddo Back-to-School Sale
August 15 9:30a.m. – 5p.m.
More for parents than for kids, get gently used children’s clothing to start the school year without your wallet taking a big hit.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The galleries are closed while construction on the expansion continues but there’s still lots going on at VMFA.
Young@Art On-Site
Children enjoy a story, hands-on art activities, and a VMFA gallery visit. Themes change each month with new lessons introduced weekly.
Ages 2-5, accompanied by an adult
$5 (VMFA members $4); adults free
Registration: 804.340.1405
Meet in VMFA’s Pauley Center Educational Resource Room.
July’s Theme: Water, Water, Everywhere
Wed 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Thurs 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
10-11 am; 11:30 am -12:30 pm
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Here’s just a small sampling of available classes. These one-day workshops make for an affordable option to the longer classes they offer.
Short Take: Cool Collage
Ages 7-9
Aug 18, Tues, 9 am-noon
Studio B
$25 ($22 VMFA members)
Crumple, layer, and glue to produce textural collages. Experiment with a wide variety of materials, from fabric to leaves and grass, to push the limits of creativity.
Mini Camp: Is It Art?
Ages 5-6
Aug 19, Wed, 9 am-4 pm (Please bring a bag lunch.)
Studio B
$50 ($45 VMFA members)
Creating art is always fun when you think outside the box! This class introduces beginners to new and exciting ways to express yourself and embrace your creativity using unexpected materials and approaches to painting and drawing.
Mini Camp: Are You Sure It’s Art?
Ages 7-9
Aug 20, Thurs, 9 am-4 pm ?(Please bring a bag lunch.)
Studio B
$50 ($45 VMFA members)
No paintbrushes allowed here! This class explores alternative ways of making abstract art using nontraditional techniques for drawing and painting. Students will expand their creativity and the way they approach art.
Maymont
Lions in the Library Recurring event
Fri, 10 Jul, 2009 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
(repeating event)
Have you ever slept on a swan? Does a lion live in your fireplace? Designed to engage young visitors, this special tour offers 5—11 year olds and their grown up friends an opportunity to discover all the wonderful animals that inhabit Maymont Mansion.
Location: Maymont Mansion
Fees: $5 per person
J and I made a trip up to Hollywood a few weeks back – it’s pretty cool. Take your dollar into the visitors’ center and pick up a map before you get too far into it, though.
We just got back from a sweaty trip to Hollywood Cemetery. Such neat statues and a whole lot of questions from a 5 year old trying to figure out the whole death and coffin deal. The river view from James Monroe’s fancy-pants memorial was stunning. We got the dollar map which is helpful now that I can look up some more of these notable people!
Don’t forget Sunday, July 19th, 12p-4p, Day in the Park with Friends right here in our own Forest Hill Park. I took my nephews last year and it was a blast. (Not to mention the culinary joy of David’s free hot dogs!)
Oh we haven’t forgotten. That event is getting it’s very own post in the near future, today or tomorrow.