We have several parks here in Ohio, including a couple giants, King’s Island, and Cedar Point. Most amusement parks offer discounted tickets if you look around. You can find even better deals toward the end of the summer.

Here are a few more tips for saving money at an amusement park:

• You can pack your lunch or breakfast and have a picnic before you enter the park. Have a little tailgate party at your car, or find some parks even have a family picnic area you can use.
• Bring a refillable water bottle you can strap to a belt or belt loop. Load it with ice a the beginning of the day.
• Stay away from the high cost souvenirs, you can probably find the same thing for less outside the park, or online.

Amusement parks can be fun without breaking the bank. Have a good time and enjoy your family. Go with the flow, even if the day doesn’t turn out exactly as you planned you can still have fun, quality family time.

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• Go fishing! Fishing is a wonderful family activity, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to spend some time quietly talking one on one with your child while you’re waiting on the next bite. The kids will have fun catching “the big one,” playing with worms, and tangling their pole in anything they can find.
• Take a hike! We have several parks, and trails in our area to walk and hike on. Take along a field guide for birds, flowers, or trees in your area and spend some time identifying them with your child.
• Teach your child a summer sport. Head to the park, or driving range and work with your child on their baseball, basketball, tennis, or golf skills.
• Find a quiet spot to do a little nature journaling with your child. Find a beautiful quiet spot while you’re hiking, fishing, or just out and about. Bring along some pencils and a drawing tablet. Take a little time to write about what you are experiencing, and draw the scenery around you. Write a story about a person or  the animals you see around you.
• Take a bike ride with your children. There are several bike trails in our area, most have beautiful scenery. Even if you don’t have a local bike trail, if your children are old enough take a bike ride to the library, ice cream shop, or to pick up a few things at the grocery instead of driving the car. It will be great exercise and bonding time for you and your child, and it’s good for the environment when you leave the car at home.
• Do some gardening with the kids. Teach them about the plant varieties they are growing, and talk about where their food is coming from and how to care for our Earth. Let them dig in the dirt and enjoy their time in the garden, don’t make it all about work.
• Get outside and blow some bubbles, or play tag, play on the swing or in the sandbox with your kids. Get down on their level to play, and they will be totally thrilled to have you!
• Have a water fight, or break out the hose and sprinklers.

What kinds of activities do you have planned with your children over summer break?

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Post from: Play Library

Mary Emma Allen at One Book Two Book reminds you to check our your local library for their summer reading programs which can be great fun for youngsters, parents, and grandparents.

Noreen Crone-Findlay at Hankering for Yarn designed a crocheted fake wasp nest to trick the wasps and yellow jackets into staying away from her home. 

Elizabeth at Career and Kids shares tips for those busy potluck and picnic days at work and home.  And on GenBetween she also shares 10 warm weather tips for aging adults.

Kadi Prescott of Supernanny Rules discusses the importance of continued learning during those long summer breaks from school.

Deborah Ng at Simply Thrifty paints a portrait of life as a kid in the 70’s in Queens with Dining Al Fresco in the Summers of My Youth.

Cyndi Lavin of Jewelry and Beading wants her readers to win a beautiful medallion, just in time for some summertime beading fun.  On Layers Upon Layers you’ll learn some digital effects for your summertime pictures!  Busy Family Meals has a special salad dressing giveaway.

Christine Gooding at MadCropper While she is about to enter her own winter months, she joins in our project with memories of her own summers as a child.

Heather at Chocolate Bytes has two recipes that say “summertime” to her first, chocolate zucchini cake and how about whipping up some Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream to top it off?  If you hop over to The Food Bowl, she offers tips on heat stroke prevention for your pets.

Sherry at Inside Motherhood discusses taking her daughter to the market and explaining to her how it’s better to support locally grown farm foods rather than importing food as a bit of an educational field trip.

Christina at Solo Mother share’s a bit of a then and now as she discusses Sunday rituals as a child and those of today with her own child.

Maricar at Keeping the Castle shares a guest post by Jeff Wilson of the DIY Network where he discusses simple steps to an amazing deck makeover.

Karen at Thrifty Mommy shares two very popular classic posts – 15 Summer Cooking Tips and 10 Thrifty Ways to Deal with Mosquitos

Peggy at Junk Creation shares how to make a Vacation Scrapbook Planter from a Sour Cream Container.

Tracee at BlogFabulous shares a rather memorable experience during potty training.  Any mother of boys will be able to relate to this one.

Katelyn from Stamping Mad has created a mixed media collage to remind herself to take time to enjoy the wonderful summer weather.

Farley at Behind the Vines is preparing for some summertime wine tasting.  The only thing left to do is decide on a destination.

Sandy Mitchell at Robust Cooking shares 9 Quick Vegetable Grilling Tricks and if you hop over to her other blog All Holiday Cafe, she shares 10 Ways to Save Money on Summer Holiday Travel

Susan Gunelius at Play Library shares fond memories of her younger days spending hours in the family pool and flashes forward to today and the fun and affordable pool toys that are available.

Chloe Findlay-Harder at Tangled Thread shares a tutorial on how to make a cooling bandana to help relieve those super hot dog days of summer.

Linette Gerlach at Mother Earth’s Garden shares tips on Creating an Outdoor Space to escape to for relaxation and at She Knows Parties, Linette shares a Party Punch Decorative Ice Ring for a cool refreshing treat on a hot summer day.

Noel Bautista at Unplugged Living enlightens us on solar cooking options as an alternative to traditional grilling methods.

Gayla McCord at MomGadget, takes a stroll down memory lane as she lists some of my personal favorite dishes and flavors of summertime. 

Check out the summertime posts around the b5media Lifestyles Channel when you get a chance!

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Post from: Play Library