My favorite time of the year is upon us, SUMMER TIME!!! I know for many parents they are left scratching their heads "What I am going to do with my kids all summer??" Well, I have complied a list of FREE and Frugal Summer Fun Ideas!!
National Programs for All:
Check your area
Movie Theatres for more Deals and Summer Movies!
FREE
or Frugal Bowling:
Kids
Bowl Free is a wonderful site that lists many "Independent"
Bowling Alleys in all 50 states. Sign your child up and they get 2
FREE games a day. Shoe rental is not included, but usually
inexpensive.
AMF
Bowling and Brunswick Bowl are now a combined company, although
they keep separate names. The Summer
Bowling program for both can be found here. Summer Bowling Games
does have a one time cost per child,the cost does include Shoe Rental
for the entire summer. Sign your child(ren) up and they receive 3
games a day through Sept 7th. AMF Bowling also has an Adult Bowling
Pass, cost and rules vary by area.
Free
Roller Skating:
Kids
Skate Free is FREE Roller Skating and is gaining in popularity,
like the Summer Bowling Program. You can register at the location
nearest you and each facility runs the program independently.
Half
Price Books:
Feed Your Brain is the Half
Price Books Reading program Children need to read at least 15 minutes
a day and 300 minutes per month during June and July, turn in form
and receive Half Price Book Bucks. Each child can earn Book Bucks
each month.
Check your
local Library to see if they have a Reading Program going for the
summer. Most libraries have a FUN program each year!
Apple
Stores: Apple stores offer FREE workshops for Kids 8-12. The kids
will learn how to use iMovie and how to make their own films. Sign
up HERE!
Windows
Stores: Microsoft offers FREE SummerCamps for kids ages 8-13.
Kids are divided into 2 age groups 8-10 and 11-13. The "camps"
offered include Coding. Sign
up HERE!
FREE
Family Fun Festival at Millennium
Park
begins
June 22-August 23. Check out the info and Schedule HERE.
We went to this a couple summers ago and it was soo much fun! My boys
LOVED it!
Zoo
Fun:
Lincoln
Park Zoo is FREE year round, although parking can cost a "pretty
penny". GREAT zoo to visit and have fun at.
Brookfield
Zoo has a cost associated with it. You can visit your library in
the City of Chicago and in the Suburbs and get a Pass that allows for
FREE admission for a limited number of people in the family. Our
family buys a yearly membership which not only allows for unlimited
FREE admission but also FREE parking. We live only 5 minutes from the
Zoo, so the cost is worth it because it pays for itself in 2 visits.
The
Cosley Zoo is a small
Zoo located in Wheaton, IL. The cost is FREE for kids 17 and under,
$5 for Adults and FREE for residents of Wheaton.
Museums
around the City:
Museums
very rarely have FREE days in the summer. Residents of the City of
Chicago can get FREE admission to most of the City Museums using the
Kids
Museum Passport. Each pass generally admits 4 people FREE and one
must be an adult over 18. Some passes have different restrictions.
Suburban
residents can visit their local library to see if they are a
participant in the Museum
Adventure Pass. Many different Museums are included and most
passes are valid for Buy 2 get 2 FREE admissions.
The
Chicago LakeFront has many Beaches and
FREE swimming available. For a listing of Chicago Beaches and
locations check HERE.
The
Cook County Forest Preserves have 3 Aquatic Centers. There is a small
FEE for these attractions, but it is very inexpensive. Adults (12 and
up) are $6, and kids 4-12 are $4, 3 and under are FREE. Check out the
locations and more info HERE.
I
found a really nice listing of Aquatic Centers all around Chicagoland
HERE.
The Aquatic Centers do have an admission price and each varies by
location. The listing covers many areas of Chicagoland! Many Suburban
Park Districts have turned their "Pool" into AWESOME
Aquatic
Centers, so check the Park District websites.
Our favorite
Park District Aquatic Center is The Oasis in Bloomingdale. The summer
of 2015 the Oasis will have 3 “Discount Days” where admission is
only $1 per person ALL DAY. The Discount Days are June 26th,
July 15th
and August 5th.
Also, if you are looking for an indoor Pool fun there are a
few around Chicagoland. A favorite of my family is the Oak
Brook Park District Aquatic Center. Also, Splash Landings AquaticCenter in Glenview and Pelican Harbor in Bolingbrook.
The only time I
went to the Forest Preserves growing up, was for Picnics. I was so
excited, a few years ago, to discover there is SOO much more to the
Forest Preserves then just “picnics”. I have since discovered the
Nature Centers and Programs the Forest Preserves have to offer.
Events that I have seen listed: Astronomy Nights, Campfire Nights,
Butterflies, Family Fishing Days, and MUCH more!
NEW for 2015
at Cook County Forest Preserves: Camping for Families and
Individuals. The Cook County Forest Preserves have 5 campgrounds that
will be open for Families and Individuals to rent for a night or 2 or
however long you want to. The prices are very reasonable. Tent and RV
sites and also cabins are available for rent. Check it out HERE.
Here are the
websites for the different Forest Preserves in and near Chicagoland.
Check them out
for FREE or Frugal Family Fun for the summer.
LakeView
Nature Center is
bringing back Wild
Wednesdays. The event is FREE and on a drop in basis, No
registration required. Check out the websites for more details on the
program. Summer Time Nature Fun is a wonderful thing!!
Check
your local Library for FUN
activities
like Movie Days, Story Time, Arts and Craft time and much more.
Libraries are a GREAT
resource
for FREE
family
fun, including Family Game Night a couple times a month.
Park
Districts all over offer Movies in the Park at least once a month
during Summer Months. Our family enjoys going to Movies in the Park.
The movies are mainly from the summer before or a couple years back,
but being outdoors, after dusk, watching movies with the family and
neighbors is FUN. The really cool thing is that since Movie in the
Parks are FREE and open to the Public, you can visit other parks, not
just those from your town.
City
of Chicago: Millennium
Park will be hosting the Chicago Summer Film Series on Tuesday
evenings from June 23- August 25th. FREE Admission and the movie
begins at 6:30pm. The listing for the entire SUMMER
FILM SERIES.
Surrounding
Suburbs:
Bensenville: June
5th:
Frozen Bensenville Water Park
July 10th- The Lego Movie Diorio
Field
August 14th- Monsters University Veterans Park
Berwyn:
Kriz Park, 15th
& Maple
June 18th-
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
July 16th-
Paddington
August 20st-
Cinderella
Proska Park,
31st & Wisconsin
June 12th-
Frozen
July 10th- The
Lego Movie
August 14th-
The Incredibles
Brookfield:
Jaycee/Ehlert
Park, 4315 Park Avenue
June 19th- The
Amazing Spiderman
August
7th- The Lego Movie
Downers
Grove:
Fischel Park
July
16th- The Goonies (30th Anniversary of Release)
August 20th- Toy Story (20th Anniversary of Release)
September 17th- Back
to the Future (30th Anniversary of Release)
Elmhurst:
Wilder Park
June 12th- Big Hero 6
July 10th- Homeward
Bound
August 14th- Monsters University
Forest
Park:
Park District
of Forest Park, 7501 Harrison
June 5th- Book
of Life
June 19th- West
Side Story
July 17th- Cars
August 7th-
Captain America
August
21th- Despicable Me
Joliet
Park District:
June 19th- Maleficent Hartman Rec
July 10th- Box Trolls
Theodore Crossing
July 24th- Big Hero 6 Preservation Park
August
7th- Frozen Inwood Park
LaGrange
Park:
June
12th- Big Hero 6 Sedgewick Park
July 10th-Box Trolls
August
7th- Annie (new version)
Lombard:
Lilicia Park,
150 S. Park Ave.
June 24th-
Muppets Most Wanted
July 15th-
Paddington
July 22rd- Box
Trolls
July 29th- Big
Hero 6
OakBrook
Terrace:
Hertiage Park,
1S325 Ardmore Ave.
June 24th- Into
the Woods
August 4th- Big
Hero 6
Oak
Forest:
Central Park,
15601 S. Central Ave.
June 26th- Lego
Movie
July 24th-
Penguins of Madagascar
August 21st-
Big Hero 6
Oak Lawn:
"On the Green", 9446 S. Raymond Ave.
June 19th- Lego
Movie
July 17th- Big
Hero 6
August 14th-
Muppets Most Wanted
Palos
Heights:
Memorial Park
June 18th- Alexander and the
Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
July 23rd- Big Hero
6
August 6th- Monsters University
WestMont:
Ty Warner Park,
Plaza Drive and Blackhawk Dr. 8:30pm
July 24th-Big
Hero 6
August 7th- Wizard of Oz
Willowbrook:
July
17th Big Hero 6 Borse Park
Woodridge Park
District:
June 5th-Muppets Most Wanted Westminister Park
June
12th- Frozen Ide's Grove East Park
July 17th- Planes: Fire &
Rescue Windy Point Park
July 24th- The
Goonies Castaldo Park
Check your
local Park District, as I only searched and found a few suburbs. Park
Districts are a wonderful place to have a Family Movie night and it
is FREE!
More
places to find ideas for Family Fun and Family Activities:
Pinterest:
Ohhh,
the wonderful resources you can find on Pinterest.
Do a search for “summer fun _____” and you can find resources for
your city or town or idea. I have found many great ideas on
Pinterest. I even have a Summer Fun Board.
A
GREAT resource for Chicagoland parents is Chicago
Parent Magazine. The magazine comes out monthly in libraries in
both the City and Suburbs. The magazine publishes a calendar in the
back of each monthly edition with Family Fun activities all around
Chicagoland. 4x a year(one for every season) they put a special
edition called Going Places. It is a BIG
listing
of their monthly calendar of events. Check out the website and pick
up a copy of the monthly magazine and the Summer Edition of Going
Places for some GREAT listings of Family Fun. (not all events listed
are FREE, but many are). I LOVE
Chicago
Parent magazine, it is a GREAT resource year round! Do a google
search if you live in another state, near a BIG city. I know cities
like Dallas, New York and others have a "Parent Magazine",
like the sister magazine to Chicago Parent.
Chicago
Kids is a GREAT online Resource to find fun and activities for
Kids and Families.
KidWinks
is another WONDERFUL resource for Family Fun Activities. KidWinks has
a weekly email that they send out year round, just sign up for it.
OakLees
Family Guide is yet another Family Fun Resource. OakLee Family
Guides are available in Libraries and other places all over
Chicagoland. Their website is also filled with VALUABLE
info!
KidList
is a “new to me” site that I just discovered this month. The site
has lots of great ideas, links and info about events in the Western
Suburbs.
Our family also
loves Summer Time Fairs and Festivals. Neighborhoods, Towns, Cities
and more have some fun Fairs and Festivals. We really like some of
those that "take us back in time" like Old Fashioned Days,
Cival War Days, etc. Make sure to check local towns, cities and
neighborhoods for local Festivals and Fairs. Also, many towns and
villages have "Downtown Fun" nights once a week. Check your
own neighborhood for Family Fun events.
I wish EVERYONE
an AMAZING, WONDERFUL, FUN FILLED Summer! The
BUDGET doesn't have to go BROKE for Family FUN.
Time Spent with your children and/or as a family is the important
thing, Enjoy your SUMMER 2015!!
2015 FREE and Frugal Summer Fun
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