This is a guest post by Danielle! Learn more about the family friendly fun in Northeast Ohio at her site, Find Time for Fun.

Summer is here! With the kiddos out of school and the long warm summer days ahead of us, there are plenty of opportunities to spend quality time with your friends and family. Check out these fun, free and frugal ideas for Summertime fun at Home!

Water Balloons

Add balloons to your shopping list so you and the kids can try out some of these fun water balloon games. Look for a water balloon bag that has a plastic “water balloon filler” inside (we got ours at Marcs). It that attaches to a hose and makes filling the balloons so much easier! Now if only I could find an easy way to tie them…

Water Balloon Piñata – Fill your balloons, tie them from a tree limb and let the kids start swinging.
Water Balloon Obstacle Course – Create a water balloon filled course and see who can make it through without getting wet!
Water Balloon Batting Practice– Grab your bats, water balloons and start swinging! Kids can bat on their own or you can get into the fun by pitching the balloons to them.

Sidewalk Chalk

A pack of sidewalk chalk can go a long way. My kids can spend hours decorating the driveway with their artwork. Need some additional inspiration, try out these ideas.

Sidewalk Chalk City – Turn your driveway into a village with roads, houses, buildings and more! Then let your kids use their cars, trucks and imaginations!
Squeeze Bottle Sidewalk Chalk – Try out this unique twist on sidewalk chalk. Requires cornstarch, food coloring and water bottles.
Duck, Duck, GOOSE – Draw a large circle using sidewalk chalk and then sit around the perimeter playing Duck, Duck, Goose. Make it educational by having each person name different animals as they tap people on the head (not just Duck).
Target Practice – Draw a bulls-eye on the sidewalk and take turns tossing a quarter toward the center to see who gets closest.

Bubbles

Most young children start squealing when you pull out the bubbles. Just using the little plastic wand will result in enjoyment, but adding in these little extras and fun games make it even more exciting.
Homemade Bubble Wand – Drinking straws and a little tape turn into an amazing multiple bubble blowing wand.
Rainbow Bubble Snakes – Now here is a use for those socks that you are missing a match for.
Bubble Painting – Just be sure your kids are old enough to remember to blow out of the straw!
Make Giant Bubbles – Find a wire clothes hanger and bend it into a wand to make bubbles larger than your kids heads!

More Outdoor Fun & Games

Arguably the best part about summer is being outdoors so be sure to soak up the sun while you can.

Kickball – No special equipment or skills required! Grab a rubber ball a few bases (cardboard boxes work just fine) and you are all set. It’s a game the entire family can enjoy together
Relay Races – Map out a course in your backyard and add a few obstacles to make it even more challenging. Use a stop watch or your cell phone to time each child.
Go on a Walk or Bike Ride – Get some fresh air, a little exercise and say hi to a few neighbors while you are enjoying the beautiful summer day.

These are just a few of the fun and inexpensive ways you can have fun this summer without leaving the comfort of your own back yard.

What about you? What are your favorite things to do at home with your kids on summer days?

Don’t forget to find more fun tips and family events at Find Time for Fun

Check out my other Frugal Summer Fun Ideas:
Local Vacation Bible Schools
Frugal Summer Fun in Northeast Ohio
Frugal Summer Fun Idea: Library Summer Reading Program
Frugal Summer Fun Idea: Kids Summer Movie Program

   Frugal Summer Fun Idea: Cool Off At YourCity Pool

Whew!  It sure was hot this past weekend and we took advantage of it!  On Saturday, my mom and I took my kiddos down to the Elyria City Pool where admission is cheap and the water cool.  I love that our pool is large but never packed and that it has many lifeguards watching the kids.

The diving board, small water slide is more than enough to keep my kids happy for quite a few hours and I can even can even catch a few rays while they frolic in the kiddie wading pool.  If you are hungry, the North Pool has a small concession stand so be sure to bring a few dollars.  I thought the prices were very reasonable.

I’d encourage all of my readers to check out their local pool!  It really is a frugal way to spend the day!  If you are a reader who lives in the Cleveland area,  then you’ll be happy to hear that it’s a REALLY frugal activity.  All Cleveland city pools are FREE to Cleveland residents!  How cool is that?

If you’re local, here are the Elyria City Pools open swim times at both the East and North pool:

Whether you are a new or veteran “couponer”, knowing your store’s coupon policy is very important.  To make it easier to find you store’s policy, I’ve created a list of many local stores in our area.  Know of a store that has an online policy that is not on the list?  Email me and I’ll add it.

—————>    Check out these Northeast Ohio store’s coupon policies.

** Find more Frugal Summer Fun in Northeast Ohio!  **
** Find a Vacation Bible School for your kids – frugal and FUN!
** Frugal Summer Fun:  Check out the City Pool

I hope you’re enjoying your summer as much as we are!  Lazy days, sleeping in, and lots of frugal summer fun!

Last week I shared how we enjoyed signing up for our Library Summer Reading Program and what a fun time we had!  My boys are really enjoying reading their books and learning new things and I love watching my oldest read to his younger brothers.

To beat the heat, a few days ago I took my boys to another frugal summer fun activity, Regal Cinema’s Kid’s Summer Movie Program.  For nine weeks, participating locations offer $1 kids movies on Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 10am.  Portion of the proceeds will benefit the Will Rogers Institute.

If you are a Regal Crown Club member (it’s FREE), don’t forget to scan your card when you buy your tickets.  While you don’t get many points because you are paying very little, you can score a $2 small popcorn every Tuesday when you show your card.  Please note, some movies will fill up fast so you may want to be there about 15 minutes early.

If you don’t live by a Regal Cinema, you can also check out Cinemark’s Kids Summer Movie Program.

** If you live in Huron County, check out the Summer Movie Program in Norwalk, Ohio.

Join the Library Summer Reading Program!

**Find me on Facebook!**

Find more Frugal Summer Fun in Northeast Ohio!

With us being on vacation last week we missed the first week of our local libraries, Summer Reading Program.  No worries, though we signed up yesterday!

After signing up each one of my boys were able to pick a dinosaur egg with a suggested book to read such as “Read a book about the stars”.  The picture above is my littlest one putting in his entry in for a Kalahari gift card since he wanted to read his suggested book about summer right there in the library!  I was even able to enter to win a gift card to Target for checking out 5 or more children’s book.  You know how much I LOVE Target!

The Summer Reading Program is one of our favorite frugal activities to do as a family.  Since most libraries programs are already underway and run an average of 4-6 weeks, you’ll want to sign up soon.  What’s great is that most libraries usually open this program up to all members of the family from baby to adult. Even before our oldest was able to read, our library allowed my son to earn points for the books that I read to him.  Many libraries even offer a teen and adult summer reading program which will also offer drawings, prizes and more. Depending on your library you may be offered weekly reading rewards, chances to win prizes, or even an end of the season party.

Of course, don’t forget to sign up for the FREE classes, programs, and story times that your local library offers too.  While we were at our library yesterday, my boys we so excited to participate in a dinosaur search all around the children’s area.  Once they found each dinosaur’s picture they were able to snag a sucker!

To stay up-to-date on all of of your libraries events be sure to check out their websites and Facebook pages.