I remember those days!

Here are some Inexpensive ways to keep kids occupied:

There are 10 different ideas listed on the web site, here is one from Laura Leigh Fields:

http://www.helium.com/items/787594-inexp...

"Fun kid activities aren't hard to provide on a tight budget. In fact, you don't have to have a whole lot of money to entertain your kids and have fun too. The activity is only half the fun. The other half is spending the time together and making the memories.

Go to the park and have fun together. Push each other on the swings. Build a castle in the sandbox. Play on the monkey bars and slide down the slide. Be a kid with your kid. This is priceless.

Have a picnic. Let your child help you pack sandwiches and treats from home. Pack up and go on an adventure. You can go anywhere, even in your own yard. Spread a blanket, sit down, eat lunch, and enjoy the outdoors.

Go to a museum or a nature resort. In most cases, admission is free or very cheap to visit local attractions. Let your child learn while they explore animals, art, nature, and many other things.

Take a nature walk or go camping. Build a fire outside and sleep in a tent. Teach your child about enjoying the simple things. Relax and have fun. Teach your child to hunt and fish. Show them basic survival skills for outdoors.

Go to sports events together. You don't have to have tickets to the major league games to go to the ballpark and watch a local team play. You can throw the ball around in the yard. Sign your child up for a sports league. This is generally inexpensive and your children can learn a lot from extra curricular activities.

Take your child swimming. If you don't have a pool at home, visit the one in your community. Go to a nearby lake, creek, or river and swim. Watch children carefully, even if they can swim, remember that accidents happen.

Offer arts and crafts ideas. Supply your kids with paper, crayons, and glue. Let their imagination take control. Encourage them to create. Praise them when they complete a project.

Many places offer group rates, discounts, and coupons. If you can find a group of people willing to go to a particular activity such as a zoo or theme park, you can get a better deal. Ask a few family members or friends to go on the trip with you and split the bill among you. This is often a great way to budget, have fun, and spend time with people you are close to.

Ask your child for ideas. When in doubt, a child will let you know. As parents, we tend to overcomplicate things for our children. Monetary value means nothing until we say it does. Encourage your child to be happy with the toys and things they do have and the activities they have done rather than having nothing at all.

Children love new things and adventure. Anything you offer will be a great idea if you do it with the right amount of excitement. Regardless of what you choose, have fun with it. Having fun is all that matters."

the other Inexpensive ways to keep kids occupied can be found at:

http://www.helium.com/knowledge/2854-ine...