Bean Bag Frogs

Cute little, easy to sew bean bag frogs. Your little kids can pick out the fabric and fill them yup with beans. You can help the older kids actually cut out the pattern and sew it together.
For pattern and directions click here and look the the part of the post labeled Pattern Pieces. (about half way through the post)

(http://www.purlbee.com/)

Ghost In A Bottle

We used to do this science project as kids. All you need is a quarter and a glass bottle (we used to use the Clearly Canadian drink bottles but I don't know if that drink is around anymore. Any glass bottle will do as long as the opening is small enough that a quarter won't fall in). Place the empty glass bottle in the freezer for an hour or so. Take the bottle out of the freezer and place the quarter over the bottle opening. The cold air starts to warm up, causing the air in the bottle to expand. As the air expands, it tries to escape. This causes the quarter to rattle around, just like if there was a ghost in the bottle trying to escape. Easy science project for kids.

Olympics

Since the Olympics are coming this summer, why not have a Family Olympics. There are activities you could use on the following links.

Family Super Star
Let's Go Fly A Kite
Family Olympics

You can google a lot of other ideas. These are just a few. If you get really ambitious, you have have an Olympics with will your kids and their cousins. Or if you are really ambitious, have a Neighborhood Olympics with all the neighbor kids. Or use it as a FHE activity and teach about good sportsmanship or the importance of exercise.

Vacation Fund

I found this idea at www.cafetraditions.com.

The "Vacation Fund" is a tradition that started soon after we got married. We didn't have a lot of money, but we wanted to be able to make an annual vacation part of our marriage. I suggested that we start to save our loose change and also to supplement with an extra dollar (or ten) when we had some money to spare. We bought a piggy bank to put the money in and we made a routine of bringing it to the bank once a month so we wouldn't be tempted to use the money for other things. The first year (12 years ago) we saved $197, enough to pay for gas and two nights hotel in Chicago. In the years to follow we've continued the vacation fund and even saved enough to take the kids to Disney World last year.

~Meg L., Cedar Rapids, IA

Russ and I decided to start doing this. We figure that by the time we have all our children and they are old enough to enjoy a big vacation, we will have the money to take them without having to come up with a lot of money at one time.

Family Vacations At Home

Summer is coming, which means family vacation time. But if you are poor like us, you have no money for a family vacation. Why not set dates on your calender to travel to different countries at home. Have your children pick different countries before hand. The day before (or week before if you are the plan ahead type) look up customs, culture and food from that country. On your "vacation day" have to kids decorate and dress up. Teach them about the country and how kids from that country live. Learn a few words in the native language. Cook a meal from that country. Play games from that country. With the internet you can learn all sorts of things. Have fun without leaving your home.

You could also make this a FHE activity. Teach your children that we are all God's children no matter where we live and what country we are from. If anyone from you family has served a mission in a foreign country, they could come and talk about what it was like. Have fun with the idea. There is no wrong way.

No Sew Tutu

You will need:
Crinoline - in a few colors

Scissors

Elastic band - i used a large hair band in pink but you could always sew one from elastic just a little smaller than the child’s waist.

Cut the pieces of fabric into strips. They can vary on width and on length as this will work well for the tutu when completed. My strips were approximately 3 inches wide by 20 inches long.

Loosely knot a strip of fabric onto the elastic band - make sure that the knot is in the middle of the strip so you have approximately the same amount of fabric on either side of the knot. Do this many times, alternating colors, until the elastic is covered. It is better to overcrowd as the tutu elastic will grow once it is worn.

Do a little trimming if pieces are too long or too uneven.

(http://lovemonkey.wordpress.com/)

Coupon Website

Try Pinching Your Pennies Website. They have had meetings at Macey's (at least they had a few when I lived there). GOOD LUCK!

KALI