The Cure for the "I'm Boreds!"

This is the last week of school. Soon the streets will be filled with children wandering around. The first few weeks will be great but then the dreaded phrase, “I’m bored” will come into regular rotation. Summer activities can be expensive, especially if the price of gas keeps going up. So, I have created a list of fun things you can do with your kids at home or are absolutely free!

1. Photo Scavenger Hunt

These were always a favourite with the kids I would hang out with in the summer. There are several different photo hunts you can do, but the catch is you have to trust at least one of your children to use a camera, but since most kids have cell phones, I think it won’t be an issue.

           The alphabet challenge:

The kids love this and it requires a little bit of brain work. You send them out to photograph things in the neighbourhood that start with each letter of the alphabet. You must make a rule that inside homes are out of bounds, (You know someone will try.) They will get fairly creative and you will be surprised what they come up with. To make it more fun, if there are a bunch of kids, divide them into two teams.

           The object challenge:

For kids who might be too young to know their alphabet or realize how to spell try this list of objects they can find in almost any neighbourhood.

            -Utility Truck                                        -Something Purple

            -Canadian Flag                                    -Garden Gnome

            -The Number 9                                    -A Bell

            -Something that tells time                   -Something Rough

            -A bug                                                  -Glasses

            -Water                                                   -Blue Flower

            -Transportation without wheels            -Source of Light that is not the sun

            -Something reflective                           -a nest

            -an animal                                             -a shadow

2.  Use a Nova Scotia Museum Culture Pass!

From June 1 to September 1, 2016, the Nova Scotia Museum is offering the Culture Pass. This is a Pass that you can sign out of your local library and visit any Nova Scotia Museum site for free!   The catch is that the pass can only be downloaded on a mobile device. If you have a phone or tablet you’re in business! The other part of this is that there are only two Nova Scotia Museum sites in Cape Breton, The Highland Village and Cossit House. If you can plan a trip to Halifax then why not check this pass out? There are several NSM sites there including my favourite the Museum of Natural History! Or you can stay a little closer to home and travel to my other favourite destination Sherbrooke Village! So why not pack a picnic lunch and head to an NSM site for the day!

3.  Make art from Nature

Take the kids on a walk through the neighbourhood or to your local beach. Take a few items home and make some art. There are plenty of ideas you can find on websites like Pinterest. All you will need is a piece of cardboard, some paint and a little glue! Any supplies that you might need, but don’t own can be purchased at the Dollarstore. Whether they are rock bunnies or beach glass pictures, I guarantee you’ll all be having fun creating something that you can keep around forever.

4.  Make a movie

So, a long time ago, I was spending the day babysitting my cousin’s three kids. I liked to keep them busy so, we spent the day making a movie. It was called Mutant Alecians from the Planet Pluto. We used a video camera then, but with phone tech now, you could make a movie using your phone and a laptop. The kids wrote the script and we used odds and ends of stuff we had around the house. (Although we did go to the Dollar Store for an alien mask). We recorded the video and edited it together. Those kids are grown now and in University, but every now and again that video pops up and it always makes me smile.

5.  Going on a Bug Hunt

Kids love this activity and it teaches them not to be scared of bugs. I would give the kids some Tupperware, the clearer the better, or if I was feeling wealthy we would go to the Dollar Store for bug jars. Then I would send them out in the neighbourhood to catch the bugs. (Don’t worry, we release them when we were done!) It was amazing the variety of bugs they would find. Next we would research them and try to identify all the different types.   A final step for old kids, is to determine which bugs are the coolest. The debate can last for hours!

There are so many things you can do with your kids this summer, and not all of them will be expensive. These are my favourites and the ones that the kids really seemed to like. I hope you try them out and have a really great summer vacation!