It doesn't have to break the bank

Even on a tight budget we can set aside a little to have fun with our grandkids. One on one or in a group there are a lot of activities to find in your communities. The key is when you do these activities don't just sit and watch, PARTICIPATE! From building sand castles to playing hide and seek, joining in the activity helps build those relationships.

• Along the coast, a day at the beach. Get creative and get your feet wet.
• Museums. My grands loved seeing the shuttle at the museum of science and industry
• A Planetarium show
• A day at the zoo
• Botanical gardens
• A metro train ride with a picnic at a stop along the way
• Miniature golf
• A Trampoline Park
• An ice-cream cone
• A Minor League sports games
• A home town Theater production
• Take them to local places of interest. We have the Graber Olive house and it is interesting to take a tour and see how the olives are processed
• Shop at a thrift shop
• Make and fly kites
• Build a Rocket from a kit and go launch it
• Go bowling
• Go deep sea fishing
• Take a boat ride around the bay
• Explore your local area experiencing fun along the way like an alpine slide or a zipline.
• Take the ski lift in the summer and see the view
• Buy and pick fruit at a local farm and make homemade jam
• Make your own homemade ice-cream and have an ice-cream sundae party
• A Movie at a low-cost movie theater
• The $1 bins at Target or Dollar Tree. They love to find things to buy. Make a contest out of it if you have several kids together and see who can get the most for their money
• Go to a large, fun mall and window shop making sure to stop for a treat along the way
• Start a tradition of Pizza and rootbeer floats on the last day of school. Add a fun DVD to the mix for a great afternoon or evening.
• Glow Stick Hide and Seek. Wear glow sticks on your wrists and play hide and seek in the dark house or back yard. Glow in the dark games can be great fun. Be creative.
• Paint the patio. Make paint with cornstarch, water and food color. It paints on and dries up like sidewalk chalk and sure is fun, especially if you have multiple colors and bare feet!

If there is nothing that sparks your imagination here, surf the internet on sites like Pinterest or Google and don't forget to share your good ideas. We haven't even scratched the surface.