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El Cheapo
Summer
Dateline: 7/18/00
By Annette Berlin and Ann Zeise (links)
No money for camp? Not a penny for vacation? How will you
and the kids ever survive the summer?
Very well actually, if you're willing to get creative. You
can treat your kids to a fun, educational and el cheapo summer
if you learn to look first at the resources you already have
access to before taking out your checkbook.
Start with your library.
Libraries often have wonderful music, nature and reading programs
running from June through August. Most of the programs are free
but they do require you to reserve a place ahead of time, so
call early to avoid a last minute disappointment.
Next, work your way over to the new book section. Harry
Potter is on every library's most wanted list but maybe you'll
be lucky enough to be the next to find a copy. If not, dig into
some good mysteries, historical fiction and how-to books instead.
Then, see what's available in the crafts section. Our local
library has half a dozen books on making "treasure from
trash." Also search for titles on dough crafts, paper crafts
and scrap fabric crafts.
Before you leave, be sure to read the "what's happening"
section of your local newspaper (Discounted newspaper subscriptions ).
Most big cities have free outdoor concerts, puppet shows and
art fairs throughout the summer months. See what's in your neck
of the woods.
Here are some of the projects our family came up with to while
away the summer. Use them as a starting point for your own creative
ideas:
Ideas
Keep a nature
journal of your own backyard
Write to an email pen pal
Make nature crafts - painted rock, wreathes,
dried
flowers
Design a quiz-type
game show on history
Study cartooning
Build
from cardboard
Cook an authentic Chinese dinner
Keep a diary
Create a historically
accurate diorama from scrap materials
Read, read, read
Arrange a neighborhood
yard or garage sale
Get
a job walking dogs, cleaning or doing errands for a neighbor
Make
a food pyramid from old magazines
Learn to comparison
shop for groceries
Plant
a vegetable garden
Draw
original mazes
Create a birthday card
Design a web page
Make
a quilt from recycled materials
Volunteer at the library
Invent something
Observe
your pet and record your findings
Grow an indoor
terrarium
Learn origami
Learn a foreign language
Build with scrap
materials
Make
your own holiday presents
Compose
new, science-based lyrics for popular tunes
Participate in online
projects
Write a script for a puppet
show
Learn to use a word processor
Attend local museums on free
days
Learn
to sew
Design
a variation on the game checkers
Borrow educational videos off the internet.
Participate in a nature scavenger hunt
Learn to paint
with watercolors
Practice cake
decorating
Obedience train
your dog
Create paper mache bowls from old newspapers
Make
handmade paper
Buy and learn to play the recorder
or harmonica
Enter all kinds of contests
Solve word problems
Make
and observe a bird feeder
Play scrabble and other board
games
Do low cost science projects
By Annette Berlin
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- Resources for Tight Budget Homeschoolers
Homeschool
Your Child for Free
More Than 1,200 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources
for Home Education on the Internet and Beyond
by Gold, LauraMaery and Joan M. Zielinski
The majority of homeschoolers are single-income families who
consequently look for simple, inexpensive resources to use in
teaching their children. 2000 Paperback.
Home Schooling from Scratch
Simple Living - Super Learning
by Kenyon, Mary Potter
Organizing your homeschooling to stay within a budget. 1996 Paperback
Homeschooling on a Shoestring
A Jam-Packed Guide
by Morgan, Melissa L., Judith Waite Allee, Jonni McCoy
This book is essential for all home schoolers that desire to
or must watch the budget. 1998 Paperback.
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