Does anyone know of some free (or low priced) activities that my 6 year old twins daughters and I can do now that the weather is cooler. We need to get outside of the house!
Thanks everyone for your response. Yes, they are in school. I was looking for weekend activities. Wow, STL has a lot of things going on for children. I wonder if KC has some of these wonderful things?
Make a leaf collage, go on a scavenger hunt. Play I Spy on a walk, make a wacky relay race with obstacles in the backyard using household items. Paint leaves and stamp them onto newsprint. Make a rock garden, make scare crows using old clothes, use side walk chalk, blow bubbles.
Have fun = ) Having a special tote that you keep special puzzles and craft and hobby projects in for rainy days keeps them special.
Lots of luck
B.
The Johnson County Museum is free (although they accept donations), and they have a great Kidscape exhibit right now. They also sometimes have story times with crafts there. YOu will have to check on times for that.
Cedar Ridge Church (87th and Lackman) has open gym almost every day, and a play area off of their coffee shop that are free.
Ernie Miller Nature Center does story times that are awesome, and often have live animals. Of course, you can always wander around the nature center for free.
Of course, board games/card games are always an affordable activity that my kids love.
Crown Center usually has free children's exhibits, and check at the Legends. They often have free/low cost events as well.
Go to the Public Liberary! There are lots of great activities going on at most libraries. Stop by your nearest one and ask about family activities. The Plaza Library has lots of weekly storytimes and fun things to do every Friday night. www.kclibrary.org
Both are excellent sources of activities- ranging in price from free to pricey! Have fun!!
If you are in the Saint Louis area, the Science Museum is free and is awesome! Also, the Saint Louis Zoo is free and has a lot of great indoor exhibits. You may need to run from building to building, but that should be fun! If you get a membership to a museum or something like that, it may be a larger up-front cost, but it will pay for itself throughout the course of a year.
As far as your six-year-old's boredom... some of my favorite activities at that age were building forts with chairs and blankets, lip-synching and putting together "concerts" for family and friends, helping mom and dad in the kitchen, reading, and doing sports outside (playing catch with my dad, tennis at the park, climbing trees, playing tag, etc). Would something like that interest them?
Try your local library. They may have story time on the evening and weekends. Also check out store like Lowes, Home Depot, and Hobby Lobby for make and take classes. Alot of churchs have kids activites around holidays.
In the Wichita area, try Exploration Place. A family membership is about $60, but you can go as often as you want. We love going there in the winter and really hot part of the summer. Also call Parents-as-Teachers. They have lots of great groups and activities. Check the Wichita Eagle "Go" section on Fridays. Look online at Kansas.com for free.
monkey bizness in the great mall is fairly cheap and lots of fun...don't forget it's not winter yet...going to be 70 today...take them outside!!
Good Morning Sheila, Any park would be great, or a nature walk on a park trail. Looking at leaves, pick some up and make pictures with them. See how creative you can be. When it gets colder some Malls have play area's. Window shop, go for lunch or a matinee movie. Go to a library, book store and browse. I like going to Barnes & Noble, they have a lot of books for kids and some times have special reader's day.
God Bless you
K. Nana of 5
i'm not sure what area you live in , but the independence mall has a fun indoor play area.
We have recently added roller skating to our weeks. It's not free, but it's not too expensive either. In fact, the one we go to has a 99 dollar membership that includes skate and unlimited usage for 1 year. Now my daughter is getting great exercise 2-3 times per week.
Are they not in school?
If you are in STL: To add on to the zoo, you'll have to check their site for specifics but the merry go round and the sting rays are free on certain days, early in the morning. The Science center is always free ... sometimes the Art museum is free, that varies a lot though. There is a cafe in Maplewood called Cooper Ella's, they have a play area full of toys ... it's free unless you want drinks or food. The MO Botanical gardens is free Wed and Sat before noon. The magic house is free on the third Friday of every month from 5:30pm - 9pm. There are other play date places that adults are free and kids have a fee to attend, such as gymboree and once upon a bash. You'll have to check their sites for specific open play times and costs for the kids. I hope you get some good ideas from this ... there really is a lot to do in STL if you know where to find it. Good Luck.
Most local libraries have story time every week....
Sheila, my daughter lives in Independence Mo, not too far from where you live and she finds tons of stuff to do with her toddler. I am sure there are also things available for 6 year olds. Some of the suggestions you have already gotten are wonderful...nature walks, let them gather interesting things and make a collage on paper when they get home. Help them learn their abc's by playing "I see something that begins with...." as you take a walk. There are lots of museums and things in the KC area that are either free or very reasonably priced. Do a google search for "things to do in Kansas City"....you will find tons and tons of things!!! My daughter is involved with a parenting group and they have classes in each others home all of the time. You might do a search for parenting groups in the area and see if there is one that you might be interested in.
Good luck!!
R. Ann
try this website if you're anywhere close to StL.
