You work hard all week, so when your leisure time starts on Friday night you may be keen to slide under the comforter and spend the whole weekend correcting your sleep deficit. But if you have kids this probably isn’t an option. Not only will they refuse to let you sleep; you likely want to squeeze in some quality time with them (after all, what else are you working so hard for?). But conjuring up the mental energy to plan out activities may be beyond you at this point. So here are just a few fun possibilities that everyone will enjoy.
A day (or night) at the museum. Fine art may not be your style and it’s bound to bore the kids to tears. So look for other types of institutions in your area that are geared towards family fun, such as natural history, science, or aeronautics museums (just to name a few). Many host some kind of discount family day each week or each month (although sadly, these don’t tend to fall on weekends) and they nearly always have interactive exhibits and even classes for kids to attend. Plus, you could learn something new yourself and end up having a great time. You may also want to ask about special nighttime exhibits.
Camping. Nothing will give you a more relaxing and energizing weekend than a short family camping trip. So leave the cell phones and other electronics at home, load up the camping gear, and head to your nearest national forest or beachside KOA for a couple days of hiking, fishing, throwing the pigskin, or simply lounging by the campfire. This fun trip is cheap, easy, and within driving distance, even if you happen to live in a major urban area. Can’t camp because of winter weather? Unplug electronics, pitch a tent in the living room, and light up the fireplace to toast some marshmallows.
Movie night. Taking the entire family to the movie theater may be a bit out of your price range these days thanks to the combination of a poor economy and rising ticket prices. Instead, rent a couple flicks on-demand (or check out the freebies on your Netflix online account), pop some corn, and snuggle up under your favorite lumpy quilt for a night (in) at the movies.
Stargazing. You don’t need a telescope to scour the heavens for planets, constellations, and shooting stars. But you can find easy how-to articles online to get crafty with the kids making amateur versions from paper towel rolls. And if you want to ensure a spectacular show, check in with seasky.org for a calendar of events that includes all kinds of celestial happenings (meteor showers, planetary sightings, etc.).
Treasure hunting. Whether you live in Seattle, Saskatchewan, or Sarasota garage sales can be a fun way to get the family out of the house on the weekend and come home with a new treasure or even a project piece. So pick up your local paper, circle a few sales that sound promising, and take the troops out for an inexpensive, treasure-hunting adventure.
I love the ideas here especially about the museum and camping. Those are a couple of my favorite things to do. Also going to the beach be it at the ocean or the local river or lake. Also if you are in a college town a lot of colleges have a planetarium that is open to the public and my nephews love going to the planetarium.