20 things to do for spring break

My kids have been coming home for the past week telling me everything that their friends will be doing for spring break.  "My friend is going to horse camp!"  "My friend is going to Puerto Rico!"  Other kids were taking off for Mexico, Florida, and other fun trips.  We aren't going anywhere.  We are also on a tight budget right now so I couldn't just take everyone to the mall and go crazy.  We needed to get creative and decide what to do on a budget in a small town without a lot of activities.  I mapped out a plan that included a formula of one outing, one activity or craft, and one project (code word for chore) per day.  At the end of their break when they head back to school, they'd have some stories to tell, some art to show off, and a clean house to come home to.  Perfect!

Here's my game plan for the week:

Outings
Public Library
Matinee Movie (and yes, I sneak in my own fruit snacks)
Free concert at college
County History Museum
Humane Society
Mall of America (Free: window shopping and Lego World. Cheap: bead store and scoop of ice cream)
Movie theme night (Think "Bug's Life" with Dirt Dessert)
Hometown Bingo

Activities/Crafts
Make your own watercolors
Make a hand mold and remember this time
Have a homemade toy car race
Picasso Party (everyone gets a huge blank canvas, they draw their picture, then paint it!)
Make your own movie
Barbie doll fashion show with homemade dresses
Bleach-Pen T-shirts
Put on a puppet show with photo puppets

Projects
Organize closet, switch over clothes for new season
Match all socks
De-clutter dressers
Garbage hunt (everyone gets a Target bag and fills it up with any scraps of garbage, broken toys, junk mail, torn and damaged books, old magazines, etc.)
Everyone fills up one bag or box of toys, books, and clothes to donate to the thrift store

Want more craft ideas for kids? Click here!

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