Things to do with Children that don't break your bank!

         My boyfriend has a daughter who always wants to do things. But sometimes there just isn't anything to do. We have played every board game in our house multiple time, watched every episode of Wizards of Waverly Place and Spongebob, and every age appropriate movie there is out there, so those are no longer as fun as they used to be. Not only that, but I would rather we don't sit in front of the tv all day watching kids shows and movies. We live very close to the beach and have a pool, but when it's winter going to the beach and to a pool with no jacuzzi isn't really an option. So arts and crafts are really the best options.

Go to Michael's, Wal-Mart, or Target for some craft ideas.

1. Wooden Boxes (Prices based on Michael's)
          - $2 for a wooden box that had a drawer and a flip up mirror, like a jewelry box. (Boxes range from $1-3)
          - Stickers $1.50 (range from $.90 - $5)
          - 2 Glitter paint bottles $1.50 each
          - Sponge brush $.37
          =Total= $6.87 w/o tax

2. Homemade play-doh 
Most people have all the ingredients you need at home.
          Basic ingredient ratios:
2 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1 cup salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity)



*items below not necessary, but fun*
food coloring (liquid, powder, or unsweetened drink mix)
scented oils

Put all that in a pot over low heat and stir until it clumps together in the middle and pulls away from the sides of the pot. Then you can knead in some color.

3. (For Girls 7+) Bead work
Get a beginners bead kit at Michael's (they have the best deal) ~$15-20
The kit will have plenty of different beads, wire (2), fasteners, and a fastener tool, and a piece of fabric to do your bead work on.
This will usually be a very time consuming project for children. Parents will need to help with the end fastenings.

4. Paint
Water paint is always fun, but some kids don't find it as great as acrylic paint that comes in bottles. Find things around your house that you don't mind being painted that they can show their creativity on. Michael's sells acrylic paints from $1-5 a bottle. Sometimes they also have deals on them. I just recently purchased 6 bottles of acrylic paint for $2 because they had a deal.

You can also do old household item painting.

Save cooking utensils you don't want to use anymore for art projects. Potato mashers make cool designs on paper, as well as sponges (best to buy cheap unused ones from 99 cent store), forks, and whisks. You can also cut sponges into different shapes like hearts, stars, circles, triangles, small squares, lightening bolts, or clouds.

5. Decorate old pillow cases and/or sheets

Get a Tie-Dye kit or some fabric paints and markers.

Let your child go nuts on the pillow case or sheets that you would throw away because they are old and faded, have a hole, or are stained. This project will excite your child because they will be allowed to mess up something they usually aren't allowed to get dirty.

You can also cut up the sheet into smaller squares to save for other projects, or the same project at a later date.



Walk around Michael's, you will be surprised how many things you can get for all sorts for projects without breaking your bank. I recently went to Michael's and spent about $24 on stickers ($1 and $3), paints($2 for 6 and $1.50 for a metallic), brushes ($2) , beads ($6), wire ($3), fasteners ($3), a pencil box for paint bottles and brushes ($1), and a felt coloring poster ($1). We already have a beginners bead kit, but we ran out of wire and fasteners, and she wanted some pearl beads.