Kids Skate Free this Summer

May 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Kids Skate Free

Kids Skate Free

Want to go retro with the kids this summer? I can hear the ’80′s music now! Kids Skate Free provides FREE passes to a participating roller skating rink near you. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Find a participating center near you. Here in Northern Virginia, the closest participating center is in Manassas.
  2. Register directly on the skate center’s website. Your passes will only be good at the center you’ve chosen and for the days and times you’ll see listed.
  3. Each Sunday night, you’ll receive an email with that week’s passes for up to four children to skate for FREE. You will have to pay for skate rental unless you bring your own.

The Kids Skate Free program runs through September 30th (for most locations). You’ll see the information and age requirements (most define “child” as age 12 and under) when you click on your local skating center.

Have you done the Kids Skate Free program in your area?

I’d love to hear your experience!

 

For more FREE kid activities this summer, check out these posts from the past month:

Filed Under: Frugal Fun, Kids

Summer Movie Programs 2013

May 15, 2013 By 1 Comment
Summer Movie Programs
Summer Movie ProgramsAre you thinking about how to stay cool and keep the kids entertained this summer? These Summer Movie Programs should fit the bill!

Cinemark Theatres offers Summer Movie Clubhouse for $1.00/show or a $5.00 pass for the whole summer, purchased in advance. The start date varies depending on what part of the country you’re in (what date school gets out).

Classic Cinemas (IL) offers their Wednesday Morning Movie Series for $1.00/show at 9:00am every Wednesday, starting June 12th. You can go early and see costumed characters.

Clearview Cinemas (NY & NJ) has FREE movies every Wednesday and Thursday at 10:30am starting July 10th.

Dickinson Theatres offers a Summer Vacation Movie Series with FREE movies and a $4.50 concession special. You’ll need to click on your local theater to download the schedule.

Harkins Theatres has Summer Movie Fun every weekday at 9:45, and you can purchase Season Tickets for all 10 shows for less than $1/show, or pay as you go for $2/person.

Malco Theatres offers $2.00 movies every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10:00am, with a portion of the proceeds going to local Children’s Hospitals. Click on your local theater to see the schedule.

National Amusements will offer their Bookworm Wednesdays program, starting July 10th. Kids receive FREE admission when they present a completed book report. Children under 6 do not need to complete the book report.

Regal Theatres offers Summer Movie Express all summer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:00am for $1.00/person. Choose from a G or PG movie each morning, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Will Rogers Institute.

 

Click through to your local theater chain to find the closest location. Have fun at the movies!

Original image by atomicjeep at Flickr

Entertainment Book 2010

Filed Under: Favorite, Frugal Fun, Kids

Free Activities for Kids

May 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Lakeshore Crafts

free activities for kidsTime to think about summer! If you’re not already enjoying these free activities for kids at stores nationwide, bookmark the store websites for your summer calendar. They’re an easy way to shake up those long summer days for FREE:

Free Arts & Crafts at ACMoore:

ACMoore holds monthly craft demos and projects, but the schedule varies by location, so check your local store’s calendar. Their next national event is Saturday, May 25th, where kids can purchase and decorate a foam visor.

Free Storytime at Barnes & Noble:

Most Barnes & Noble stores offer a weekly storytime for preschoolers around 10:00am, though the day varies depending on the store. Check out your local store’s website for details.

Free Special Events at Disney Store:

Head to the Disney Store website and down at the bottom, click on Store Locator & Events. There’s nothing this Mother’s Day weekend, but they usually offer 1-2 events per month, so keep an eye out for the next FREE event.

Free Building Projects at Home Depot:

The first Saturday of the month, you’ll find a FREE Kids Workshop at Home Depot. You now need to register (just tell them a number of kids ages 5-12 who are attending), then go anytime between 9:00am-12noon. On their first visit, kids receive a Kids Workshop Apron, and every week they can take home their craft, commemorative pin and certificate of achievement. The next one is a pencil holder on Saturday, June 1st, plus you’ll get a FREE Kids Ticket (with purchase of adult ticket) to LegoLand, Sea Life, or Madam Tussauds.

Free Arts & Crafts at Lakeshore Learning:

Every Saturday from 11:00am-3:00pm, kids 3 and up can make arts & crafts at your local Lakeshore Learning store. This weekend, there’s a cute Mommy’s Memories Photo Frame for Mother’s Day, and you can see the projects ahead for the next two months.

 free activities for kids

Free Building Events at The Lego Store:

At most US Lego Stores, there’s a Monthly Mini Build on the first Tuesday of each month. Check with your local store for start time, since the kit is while supplies last. We’ve shown up 30 minutes in, and the line is so long that they tell us that they’ll run out of kits before we get to the front. It’s a very popular event, so show up early!

Free Building Projects at Lowe’s:

The Lowe’s Build & Grow Workshops require registration, and they fill up quickly, so keep a note on your calendar to register online weeks ahead of time. Workshops are typically at 10:00am on every other Saturday, but last year they offered extra workshops during the summer on Sunday afternoons at 2:00pm, so keep an eye out for that. Check the full schedule for upcoming projects. This Saturday, May 12th, kids can make a Sweetheart Frame for Mother’s Day.

Free (and Low Cost) Arts & Crafts at Michael’s:

Michael’s has changed up their craft offerings for kids; while they still offer a few freebies each month, they now also have a Kids’ Club where you pay $2/child and they create crafts while you shop. Kids Club is every Saturday from 10-noon, so check your local store for the schedule and type of craft.

Free Storytime & Other Events at Pottery Barn Kids:

This Saturday, attend a Mother’s Day Doll Tea Party at your local Pottery Barn Kids; in June, they’re hosting a National Geographic Kids event for World Oceans Day. Some events are FREE while others have a fee; all require an RSVP.

The PBK Storytime is every Tuesday at 11:00am. Each week has a different theme and often includes a small art project and stickers; there’s also a gift after five visits.

Free Kids Club Events at Whole Foods Market:

Some Whole Foods locations offer a Kids Club, including FREE events like Cooking with Kids! and craft projects. Each store has a different schedule, so you’ll need to locate your store and check their calendar for details.

Let me know if you find other FREE activities for kids at stores near you!

 

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. Thanks for supporting MoneywiseMoms at no cost to you!

Filed Under: Favorite, Frugal Fun, Kids

National Gallery of Art–Washington DC

May 8, 2013 By 2 Comments
National Gallery of Art

National Gallery of Art

Living in the DC area or planning to visit? One of benefits here are the many FREE museums owned by the Smithsonian Institution, like the National Gallery of Art. My kids like art museums, so we were excited to visit. My son had just completed an artist biography project on Georges Seurat, so we checked out the NGA website ahead of time to find the gallery that had the Seurat pointillism paintings.

National Gallery of Art

Compared to other museums we’ve visited (like the Walters in Baltimore and the Delaware Art Museum), the National Gallery seemed very old fashioned. It’s perfectly laid out for the large throngs of tourists that visit daily, but not so good for three active kids. Room after room are laid out the same way, with a couch and many paintings to look at.  After the 25th room, my kids took to sitting on every single couch they could find, sighing heavily. There was no kids’ room or anything hands-on to engage them. There was one nice surprise–to me, anyway–I didn’t know that the only Leonardo daVinci painting in America is at the National Gallery, Ginevra de’ Benci, and it was incredible to see.

National Gallery of Art

Outdoors–we did a little better. The Sculpture Garden houses 17 works, all of which my kids found interesting. They especially liked the stainless steel tree, “Graft,” by artist Roxy Paine.

National Gallery of Art

I love the optical illusion “House” by Roy Lichtenstein. Once you’re outside, there’s room for the kids to run and stretch, and make a little more noise than inside the museum. Unfortunately, this art museum wasn’t a big hit with my family as other, smaller museums have been. We did only see the West Building with the older works of art. We’ll need to give the modern art in the East Building a try before it closes for a three-year renovation.

What art museums does your family like?

 

Whether you’re local or just planning to visit the DC area this summer, find more posts on Day Trips from DC:

Filed Under: Frugal Fun, Kids

Summer Reading Programs 2013

May 6, 2013 By 5 Comments
Summer Reading Programs

Summer Reading ProgramsSome parts of the country are already talking about summer vacation–we go well into June here in the mid-Atlantic–but it’s never too early to think about how to encourage the kids to read over the summer. Every summer, we find a balance of family reading (we’re on book 3 of the Harry Potter series right now), independent reading (my kids like to come home from the library and curl up on pillows and blankets together on the floor), and the summer reading programs at our local library as well as around town:

Summer Reading ProgramsBarnes and Noble
Kids who read 8 books and keep track on this printable Reading Journal can head to a Barnes & Noble store to pick out a FREE book from their selection (you’ll see it on the journal). The program runs May 21st through September 3rd, and the limit is one FREE book per child.

 

Chuck E. Cheese
Not just a summer program, Chuck E. Cheese is offering 10 FREE tokens to kids each time they read for 2 weeks in a row. Kids can earn 10 FREE tokens every time they read for 2 weeks in a row. Download a Reading Rewards Calendar (there are others if you’d like to reward another activity). Limit is one of any FREE token offer per child, per day. Food purchase is required.

Summer Reading ProgramsScholastic Summer Challenge
Scholastic has a FREE online program this summer, where kids can sign up and log their reading minutes to win rewards. You can download suggested book lists for all age groups, and you can download a FREE Reading Timer App so kids can track their reading no matter where they are.

Summer Reading Programs

Showcase Cinemas
Starting July 10th, kids receive FREE admission to Bookworm Wednesdays morning movies when they present a completed book report. Children under 6 do not need to complete the book report, and accompanying adults also get FREE admission. No food purchase is necessary.

I’ve started a new board on Pinterest called Summer Fun 2013 where I’m collecting ideas for the kids–science projects, outdoor games, simple art projects, and more. Hope you’ll follow me there (I follow back!).

 

Original image by FutUndBeidl at Flickr

Filed Under: Favorite, Frugal Fun, Kids

Free Busch Gardens Preschool Pass 2013

March 6, 2013 By 5 Comments
Preschool Pass 2013

free busch gardens preschool pass 2013

Get your FREE Busch Gardens Preschool Pass for children ages 3-5* when you register via email. Your child will get unlimited FREE admission to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA through September 2, 2013. A regular children’s one-day pass is $60, so this is a significant savings. Busch Gardens Williamsburg opens for the season on Sunday, March 17th. For parents accompanying your little ones to the park, you can purchase a Fun Card for $70 (same price as a one-day ticket) that gives the named passholder unlimited admission through September 2, 2013. You’ll see that option after you register for the Preschool Passes, or you can buy one here.

Note–if you did this offer last year, be aware of some big changes to the program this year–like having to redeem your pass at the park by May 31st. There is also an earlier expiration date of September 2nd, but you also get admission to Water Country USA for extra value.

 free busch gardens preschool pass 2013

Attention California residents!

Get FREE admission for SeaWorld San Diego by registering your child(ren)* for their own Preschool Pass by March 31, 2013. Again, you need to register via email, and be sure to do so by March 31st for your FREE Preschool Pass. Your child will get Sea World admission through December 31, and there are just a few blackout dates.

 

*For both of these offers, as long as your child is 5 when you register for the pass, they’re eligible. I checked with a Busch Gardens rep, so if your child is turning 6 this summer, they can still have the Preschool Pass.

Filed Under: Frugal Fun

Game Night with Blue Orange Games

December 31, 2012 By
Sketch It

Happy New Year! We’re hosting our annual Game Night here for New Year’s Eve, and it’s great having a few new games to play with friends and family. Playing board games is one of our favorite ways to spend time together. Many thanks to Blue Orange Games for sharing two new games for my family to review.

Playing Gobblet

Gobblet
Gobblet has been a challenging game for two players! We’ve played it so many times now, and we’re still testing out strategies. It’s a fair game between kids and adults, which means it will last us for years. You have to balance between offense or defense, or your opponent will get 4 in a row and win when you’re not looking (that’s how I lose most times!). The wooden pieces nestle together and fit neatly inside the clever box, which doubles as the playing surface. You place your wooden pieces on the grid, and you can “swallow up” the smaller pieces with the larger ones. My 6-year-olds and 9-year-old are playing this easily, and it’s great for those ages through adult. If you have younger children, try Gobblet Gobblers, a version for preschoolers.

Sketch It

Sketch It!
Sketch It! is a fast, fun party game that we tested out with our neighbors over brunch one weekend. The kids were in the basement, but they kept coming up to say, “Why are you laughing so hard? What’s going on?” It was an absolute blast! Even those who said they don’t like drawing games had a fun time guessing, since you can earn points guessing the right answers even if you don’t feel you draw well. Each player gets a card, paper, and pencil. Someone rolls the die, and everyone draws the object listed under that number. When you’re done drawing, you grab the highest number token from the center of the table, so the faster you draw, the higher number you’ll get. Then you mix up the papers and each player guesses one. If it’s guessed correctly, both guesser and drawer get that number of points. It was a tricky balance between drawing well and being fast. I can’t wait to play it again tonight for New Year’s Eve. Sketch It! is for ages 8 and up, and we found that to be true since the younger kids didn’t know what many of the objects on the cards were, so they wouldn’t be able to draw or guess them.

Blue Orange Games

Connect with Blue Orange Games

You’ll find family games, party games, and more at the newly revamped Blue Orange website. You may have seen their best-selling family game, Spot It!, in stores this holiday season. It’s a Toy of the Year Nominee. Many of their games come in neat tins (you know I love when game pieces are organized), and others are well-built wooden pieces and boards. You can follow BlueOrange on Facebook and Twitter as well.

 

Disclosure: I received these two games from BlueOrange Games to review.

Filed Under: Board Games, Frugal Fun, Gift Buying

Walk the Dogs {Board Game Gift Guide}

December 20, 2012 By
Walk the Dogs Game 2

Winter break is finally here, and I’m so excited to have lots of time to relax and play with the kids. One of our favorite family activities is playing board games together. Every holiday season, we love trying out new games.

I was eager to test out a SimplyFun game with my family. SimplyFun is a direct sales company that sells its games through local consultants as well as through the SimplyFun website. They sent me the  Walk the Dogs board game to try–and my kids were so excited to see the 63 little dogs that come in the box! I always appreciate a game that packs up well–there’s a bag to contain all those dogs, then a nice slot for the cards.

Set-up takes a little bit of time, but the kids are glad to help. You put all 63 dogs into a line facing the same way, twisting around the table. Each player is dealt two cards to start, with the deck put in the center to draw/discard. The cards allow you to collect 1, 2 or 3 dogs from the front or the back of the line. Your goal is to make sets of dogs of the same breed–with more points for more dogs–and there are a few special cards that let you steal from another player, get extra points, etc. As you collect dogs, you line them up in front of you. If anyone gets five of the same dog in a row, they win instantly; otherwise, you tally the points at the end of the game.

My kids are 6, 6 and 8, and this was very easy to learn (the box says ages 8+). With a bunch of games played, they’re figuring out the different strategies to try to gain the most points. Adding up the points is a little tricky for my younger two, but it’s great math practice. I can see this game lasting us several years since the game plays differently depending on how many players you have (the more players there are, the harder it is to collect multiple dogs of the same breed).

I appreciate that Walk the Dogs plays up to five players; so many games have a max of four players, and then we can’t all play at the same time. I knew the dog figurines would be a big hit with my daughters–they’ve taken them out of the box several times to play with them. They’ve learned the names of all 9 dog breeds, too.

Connect with SimplyFun Games to learn more and find a consultant in your area:

 website // facebook // twitter // pinterest

Disclosure: I received this game from SimplyFun to review.

Filed Under: Board Games, Frugal Fun Tagged With: , ,

Family Movies under $5 from Amazon

December 10, 2012 By
The Iron Giant

If you’re putting together a family gift for relatives–consider a selection of family movies under $5. You can package them up with some popcorn and boxed candy and make a very frugal gift!  All of these family movies are currently under $5 at Amazon:

The Iron Giant is one of my family’s favorite movies, and I think most people have never heard of it. It’s animated but is not a typical children’s animated movie; instead it’s a complex story that plays out narratively just as a live-action film would. Set in the late ’50′s, it’s the story of a young boy who befriends a giant robot that crashes onto Earth and has to protect him from the government and military. Warning–you will cry at the end.

We love everything from the Aardman Animations studio, and Wallace & Gromit shorts are our favorites. This short film, Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers, won an Academy Award and is done in old-school clay animation (they don’t do that anymore!). It’s amazing how much communication there is between the dog (Gromit) and his person (Wallace), just by facial expression. The story is hilarious, and you’ll watch it over and over.

We’re reading Tolkien’s The Hobbit to the kids right now, and it’s making me want to re-watch all three of the Lord of the Rings films again–they’re under $4 each on DVD! I think these are too scary for my kids, but if you have tweens or teens, it’s a great film series. Start with The Fellowship of the Ring, then move on to The Two Towers and The Return of the King.

It’s old-school, it’s the original, and it’s the one I love the best. Not only is Gene Wilder wonderful in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, but this is the musical version! You get “The Candy Man,” Wilder singing “Pure Imagination,” and my kids’ favorite–the “Oompa Loompa Song.” This is such a fun movie to watch together. If you prefer the recent remake by Tim Burton version starring Johnny Depp, that Charlie & the Chocolate Factory is just $3.99 as well.

I’m now flying my nerd flag nice and high. I love this version of Annie. I love Carol Burnett, I love Tim Curry, and I love Albert Finney. I know the “Tomorrow” song is annoying, but all the others are great. My sisters and I reenacted all the song & dance numbers from this movie many times when we were young. It’s part of my childhood, and I will force my children to watch it with me many times while I sing along under my breath.

Have you read the Harry Potter books as a family yet? If so, start into the fabulous film series with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which is just $3.99. Several others in the series are $3.99 as well.

 

Oh, there are so many good ones under $5! I also like The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Tale of Despereaux, and Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who!

Inexpensive movies also make a nice stocking stuffer–if you’re shopping for teens or adults, find more movies under $5 at Amazon.

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting MoneywiseMoms at no additional cost to you!

Filed Under: Frugal Fun, Online Shopping Tagged With:

4 Favorite Card Games for Families

November 13, 2012 By
No Thanks

One of the ways we connect and spend time together as a family is by playing games. As much as I love board games, there’s a special place in my heart for card games. Card games are quick, easy to learn and play, and easy to pack (which I appreciate for road trips or waiting rooms!). With Thanksgiving weekend coming up soon, I thought I’d share my family’s favorite card games. We’re packing these games next week on our trip to visit the aunts, uncles, and cousins!

Uno

Uno by Mattel is an oldie-but-a-goodie, and there’s a good reason. Everyone can play it! I’ve played it with every age from 3 year olds to 80 year olds. I’ve played it with ESL students and non-English-speaking adults. It’s easy to teach and easy to learn, and it’s especially fun with a big group. If you don’t have Uno at home yet, give it a try. When my girls were preschoolers, I even used the cards for activities like color recognition, number order, and counting. Now that my kids are older, I appreciate that they can play it unassisted with their friends.

Rat a Tat Cat

Rat a Tat Cat by Gamewright has been a favorite in my family for over two years now, which is why I did a full review of it last year (so read if you want to learn how to play). I’m mentioning it again because of its longevity and because it’s what I love to give as a birthday gift to kids ages 6-10. That’s a great age to start, but it’s fun for adults as well. It was a huge hit at our family reunion (ages 3 to 60+) last summer. The lowest score wins, so you hide your low-value cards and keep them from being stolen by the other players.

Sleeping Queens

Sleeping Queens by Gamewright is another family favorite over the past 3-4 years. Although the box says ages 8 and up, my son started playing this at 4 1/2, and my daughters learned it around the same age. The Pancake Queen, Cat Queen, and all the others are asleep face-down on the table. With the help of number cards, knights, and jesters, you can “wake them up,” trying to get to the winning score (depending on the number of players). My kids have learned a lot of math playing this game, without even realizing that they were matching numbers, counting and adding. The art on the cards is beautiful, and we love that the game was invented by a 6-year-old!

 

No Thanks

No Thanks by ZMan Games is a new addition to our collection, and it’s quickly become one of the most-requested games by our three kids (ages 6, 6 and 9). Each player starts with 11 little discs (included), and you need to put one in the center to avoid taking the face-up card. My kids have really enjoyed learning when they should take a chance and when they should sit back and see what others do. Again, the box suggests ages 8+, but my girls have been playing it all year. Since it’s a short 15-minute game, it’s easy to play another hand if you end up winning too many high numbers (since the lowest score wins). It’s certainly a level playing field between kids and adults, which is a lot more fun than traditional kids’ games.

Looking for more recommended games for kids? See my Board Games Gift Guide.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon (because it’s so easy to find these games there, but you’ll also find Uno at Target/Walmart and the others at independent toy stores). Thanks for supporting MoneywiseMoms at no additional cost to you!

Filed Under: Frugal Fun, Gift Buying, Kids

Free Admission to National Parks this Weekend

November 6, 2012 By
National Parks
Manassas National Battlefield Park–Manassas, Virginia

This weekend, November 10-12, get FREE admission at national parks across the country, perfect for a family outing. While many national parks offer free admission regularly, this special applies to the over 100 parks that normally charge fees. In addition, park concessioners are advertising special offers like reduced rates on horseback riding and tram tours.

Your kids can get ready by joining the Webrangers website and learning about the parks near you. Some parks offer FREE activity booklets at the ranger stations as part of the Junior Ranger program. Kids of any age enjoy hiking, watching for animals and birds, and exploring nature (just remember that you cannot take anything out of a national park). Older children can experience the history of people and places they’ve only read about.

Filed Under: Frugal Fun
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