Getting Out of the House

I don't know about you, but for our family it is a no-good day when we don't have at least one activity outside the house. It's not that we run out of things to do indoors. We have a lot of art supplies, a puppet theater, shelves full of books, games like Candyland, and even kids' yoga on OnDemand programming. But if we don't leave the house all day then by 4:30pm, everyone is cranky, no one can cooperate, and I feel like I've taken off my Mommy hat to put on the Referee one. Running errands is, of course, a necessity, and there are days when our "outings" mean going to the grocery store, Target, and the Post Office. It's not exactly a laugh-riot for the kids, but even this level of getting out of the seems to help.

When the weather is good, of course, we play outside. We take walks with the dog, climb the trees in the cul-de-sac, fish in the pond, play soccer and bat balls in the front yard.

But now it's starting to get cooler out, and while it's not yet cold enough to prohibit playing outside, I can see the raw rainy days of late fall just around the corner. And, even though plain old playing outside is good fun -- and something we do even in winter months -- I do love a good outing, where we go someplace for an out-of-the-ordinary activity. I started making a mental list for myself the other day of outings for Son and Daughter, so that I would have a plan in hand when the stir-crazies start this fall.

Then I realized: I forget pretty much anything that I don't write down.

So this is me, turning my mental list into an actual one, and sharing my ideas for fun activities that get the kids out of the house. I've divided it up into three sections: Free, Low Cost, and The Occasional Splurge. I'd love it if you would add your suggestions in the comments, so that come November, when we're pining for something new and exciting to try, I'll have even more ideas.

Free Outings Kids Love

* The local library. We go there nearly once a week. Son likes to choose a theme for the week's books. (Tigers, robots, juggling, the jungle, and astronauts have been recent favorites.) We use the computer catalogue to find stories that focus on our theme, and we go into the non-fiction section for at least a book or two also. Once we have a big stack of books, we play with their giant puppet theater, curl up on couches to read, drag out their puzzles, and Son gets 15 minutes to play computer games (it's the only computer game time he gets each week). They LOVE the library, and I like to think that in addition to being a good outing, they are beginning to learn the value and excitement not just of reading but of finding information about things that interest you. I am sowing the seeds for a love of learning. (I hope.)

* The Local Firehouse. Did you know that you can call and request a firehouse tour, and they're almost always free? What a fun thing to do on a cold winter day. Get a group of friends together, make a reservation for your day/time, and then let the kids climb on the trucks and learn all about what real fire fighters do. (We did this for Son's third birthday party, and everyone had a great time.)

* Author readings or story-times at area bookstores.

* Farmer's Markets. Free to browse. And any money you spend goes to local farmers. There are often flowers, crafts, and sometimes children's activities. Plus, you get the added benefit of being outdoors, eating local, perhaps motivating your children to eat vegetables if they helped choose them.

* Free museum days. Many museums have one day a week where they have free admission for the last two hours before closing time, for example.

* For local events (free and paid), my favorite resource is Go City Kids -- a website that lists everything from small library story times to area festivals and parades to major holiday theater productions. We've gone to many fun, free activities that we otherwise would never have known about, thanks to Go City Kids.

Low Cost Outings

* Visit a Cider Mill/Pumpkin Patch/Corn Maze/Local Farm. Take a tour. Pick a seasonal fruit or vegetable. Ride a hay wagon. Eat a doughnut. Learn about baby animals. Drink some cider. Typically, it's free to park. There are often picnic areas and some free activities. Our local cider mill charges $1.50 for hayrides; doughnuts are 60 cents each.

* Get memberships at the zoo or science center near you. While a single visit can easily cost $4-10 per person to these places, annual family memberships around us are $60-80. This may seem steep. But our $60 science center membership gets us into three local museums, all geared towards kids. We use the membership at least 10 times a year. And it's gotten us free or reduced tickets to museums while on vacations as well. $60 for 10 days of outings for a family of four is a GREAT deal. If you'll use the membership regularly, it is more than worth it. (This is a big IF. If you have any kinds of hands-on museum nearby, though, the kids will love going back over and over. We go about twice a month in winter.)

* Amateur musicals or children's theater productions. Since he was two, we have taken Son to the theater. Not 8pm, fancy dress type theater. We've gone to musicals put on by the local university and children's plays put on by small theater groups. Tickets are typically about $4-8 each -- so for all of us to go, it's not super cheap, but it's not terribly expensive. Assuming you choose a child-friendly show, the productions are high energy, the music is fun, and the quality is often surprisingly good.

The Occasional Splurge

* Professional children's theater or puppet theater. Although tickets are typically more expensive than those of amateur performances, there are often matinees with lower prices. And because the productions are meant for children, the tickets are generally less than for adult theater.

* Traveling national shows. We just saw Disney on Ice last week and had a fantastic time. We're looking forward to the circus in November. We only do things like these once or twice a year, but Son and Daughter both love them.

* Parent-child cooking classes.

So, those are the best ideas I can come up with. I would love to know what you do for outings -- indoor or outdoor -- when you're looking to make a day out of the ordinary. Ideas, please.

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