Category: Fun-activities

30 things to do at home this summer!

6/6/2015

Big thank you to all free clear for sponsoring this post and encouraging us to be #freetobe a kid this summer!

School is almost out in our neck of the woods, and I couldn't be more excited! We've waited so long for this glorious summer season here in Maine, and we plan to embrace every minute of it! While I like our routine during the school year, summer will be a nice change of pace and a great time for my guys to be #freetobe a kid with lots of unstructured play and time outdoors before my oldest heads off to full-day kindergarten in the fall. While we have a blast exploring our great state, some days it's nice just to have fun at home. Here is our list of fun things to do at home summer:

1. Build a garden or even do a few potted plants and let the kids water and tend to them everyday

2. Do a car wash

3. Collect items in nature i.e. sticks, leaves, pine cones, and create fairy houses

4. Set up an at home water park with a kiddie pool, a sprinkler, and maybe a slip and slide!

5. Make shift water tables and sand box with plastic bins

6. Make your own popsicles and eat them often

7. Buy a treat from the ice cream truck when it comes around the neighborhood

8. Sidewalk chalk fun

9. Set up your own golf course in the yard

10. Make your own bubbles with 1 cup of distilled water, 2 tablespoons of Dawn dish soap and 1 tablespoon of glycerin

11. Set up a lemonade stand

12. Nature rubbings

13. Set up a bike obstacle course in the driveway or a traditional obstacle course is in the yard

14. Camp "out" in the yard

15. Have a camp fire and set up a s'more bar with creative fillings

16. Invite friends over

17. Dig in the dirt

18. Street hockey game in the driveway

19. Do a bubble paint project

20. Spray bottle chalk paint

21. Water balloons

22. Create a scavenger hunt for the kids

23. Have a picnic

and on rainy days......

24. Make an at home movie theatre

25. Play card games like go fish or board games like candyland

26. Sensory bins

27. Build a fort with sheets blankets and other items around the house

28. Bake or cook something with the fruit & veggies from your garden- we love to make this zucchini bread (note we add dark chocolate chips)

29. Make your own play dough and play with it

30. Make milk carton bird feeders

The end of a fun and messy day requires a bath, and usually several loads of laundry! The NEW all Free Clear works wonders on all of our grass, chalk, lemonade, paint and others stains of the day. The great part is that it is safe for sensitive skin (like my little Calvin), it's free of perfumes & dyes, it's cheaper than other leading brands, and its super versatile (use it on your upholstery, carpet, patio furtniture, and anything else that takes an extra beating with the kids home this summer :-)

If you want to put all free clear to the test with your summer stains, be sure to print this $1 off coupon!

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February Vacation Fun In Maine!

2/17/2015

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It's Tuesday of February vacation week here in Maine, if you're going a little stir crazy, here are some ideas for family fun and great events happening in the area!

Open Skate at Family Ice Center in Falmouth - Indoors Wed, Thur, Sat. & Sun., outdoors everyday. Check schedule for times.

2 for 1 Studio Fees at Clay Play in Yarmouth- check website for hours

Snow Tubing at Seacoast Adventures- Open daily

Triple Jump Fitness, Tumble Tikes Open Gym- Wednesday 10am-11:30, and Friday 4pm-5:30pm

Children's Museum of Maine's Presentation of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory- various showings through out the week

Drop in hours at Smudge Art Studio- Wed., Thurs., & Friday 10am-12pm

Chatty Chickens program at Pineland Farms- Wednesday 10-11:30am

Family Fun Day at Shawnee Peak- Thursday, 9am-2:30pm

Live Wildlife Show at the Maine Audubon in Falmouth - Friday, 10:30 am

Old Orchard Winter Carnival- Thursday- Saturday

Junior Chef Class at William Sonoma (ages 5-13) - Saturday 10am

For more ideas for indoor fun, check out my full post with lots of ideas for indoor fun in Maine!!

Have a blast and enjoy February vacation!! Thanks as always for stopping by!

xx
Rebecca

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Snow Day Shenanigans!

1/26/2015

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You've probably already heard, a BIG storm is expected to hit the northeast very soon! In our neck of the woods school has already been cancelled for tomorrow! Yay for a snow day!! (I Think).. Without a doubt we'll be outside playing in the white fluffy stuff, but that surely won't last all day and the roads are going to be bad, so we won't be going anywhere! Here's a list of simple fun that keeps us busy at home on snow days:

Building Forts - we use blankets, sheets, pillows, anything we can get our hands on to build a make shift hideout.. good news is once this is up the boys will be occupied for a little while :-)

Make your own sensory bins- these are great and highly recommended by my son's Occupational Therapist.. simply take a small white plastic bin (whatever you have) and load it up with some rice, beans, or pasta.. something fun for the kids to dig around in.. throw in your measuring cups or spoons, or hide items at the bottom. My 4.5 y/o likes me to put in our Melissa and Doug wood letters and he digs the letters out and tries to spell words..

Cooking/Baking- this is probably their favorite activity because they love to help with the process and love to eat the end result! A great one to try is my Energy Ball Recipe- this is quick and easy, (no hot over required), pretty healthy, and one they can get their hands dirty with rolling out the balls :-)

Bath Tub Painting- this is so much fun, and the great part is that the mess is all contained to the bath tub, and when its all over it's really easy to clean up :-) Check out my post with the details on this!

Make something out of nothing- seriously I'm always surprised how much fun the boys have creating something out of the simplest things... i.e. costumes out of paper bags (just cut a circular hole in the bottom), paper plate masks, or the old standby favorite cardboard box houses or airplanes!

Messy art- I'm not the craftiest of moms, so we keep it fairly simple in the art department :-) But I find snow days the perfect day to let the kids do finger paint, play dough and messy art.. we have nowhere to be and plenty of time to clean up :-) Our favorite supplies are Maine Made Eco-Kids!

Movie Time- Yup, may not be for everyone, but we love a little movie time especially after we've got outside and rolled in the snow. The kids pull up their Nod Chairs, and we put in a favorite movie.. lately it's Curious George or Planes Fire & Rescue, and we pop some popcorn and chill out!

If you're in the northeast, stay safe and enjoy the snow!! Excited to hear what your favorite snow day (or home day) activities are!! Thanks as always for stopping by!

xx
Rebecca

Please note that this post contains a couple of affiliate links. When you shop through these links, I am compensated, which helps keep the blog running, and I greatly appreciate the support. Thank you!

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New Years Family Fun in Maine

12/31/2014

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If you're ringing in the new year with your little ones here in Maine, check out these fun and family friendly events!

New Years at Noon- PJ Party at the Chilidren's Museum of Maine - starts at 10am

Last Blast 2014 at Old Orchard Beach- starts at 5pm, Fireworks at 7:30pm

New Years Eve at LL Bean- 11am-6pm, Culminating with Rick Charette & fireworks

Yarmouth Clam Drop- Countdown and clam drop at 7pm

New Year Gorham- Fun family activities all day & night starting at noon

Portland Pirates Skating Celebration at FIC in Falmouth- 2:30pm-3:50pm

NYE continues with the Portland Pirates- 5:30pm game & fireworks to follow

However you choose to ring in the new year, I hope it's a blast!! Wishing you a happy day full of cheer & a bright and wonderful new year!!

xx
Rebecca

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Free Summer Fun in Greater Portland

8/12/2014

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We still have a few good weeks of summer left in Maine, and I plan to take full advantage of it and pack in as much fun as possible with the boys. But, we've had a lot going lately to say the least and with school and sports starting the change of seasons means even more expenses and I've started to feel the pressure on our budget, so I've been looking for cheap fun in the area. Here's our list of the free/cheap fun and places to explore in the Greater Portland area for the rest of summer:

Willard Beach in South Portland (great beach and playground)
Storywalk at Pineland in New Gloucester (Mondays until Labor Day)
Farm to Table Kids (10:30am Tuesdays in Freeport and other locations)
Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth (great tidal pools to explore at low tide)
Sandy Point Beach on Cousins Island in Yarmouth (best at low tide)
Mackworth Island in Falmouth (take a walk, explore, hang out at the little beach)
Fishing at the dock- Town Landing in Falmouth, Royal River Boat Yard in Yarmouth (free once you have the gear)
Madeline Point in Yarmouth (swim at the rocky beach, and watch the boats)
Kite Flying at Bug Light in South Portland (free once you have a kite)
Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth (great for kite flying, swinging, & exploring)
Payson Park Playground and Splash Pad in Portland
Deering Oaks Park Playground and Splash Pad in Portland
Bickford Collection- Truck Park in Yarmouth (open 1-4pm)
LL Bean Summer Events and Concerts in Freeport (a few left!)
Bradybury Mountain in Pownal (NOT free, but adult are $3 and kids under 5 are free & only $1 for kids 5-11)
Smitty's Cimena Summer Movie Series ($2 for everyone over 3- this is the last week, but they offer free mom and me movies once a month throughout the year)