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Road Trip On A Budget

May 12, 2023 By: Sweet Frugal Life2 Comments

How to save money on a family road trip.

My family and I are currently in the process of preparing for a spring break road trip. We are so excited to spend quality time together and look forward to visiting a few sights, like the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and more! Traveling by car can be a very frugal way to sight see, but like any vacation, expenses will add up quickly. Today I’m sharing a few tips to help you road trip on a budget.

Budget Friendly Road Trip Hacks

I am a huge proponent of the fact that you can still have FUN, enjoy life, and live on a BUDGET. It’s possible!! Planning a vacation around a road trip is a great way to have fun without spending a lot of money. However, expenses can add up on, even when traveling by vehicle.

So, here are a few ways you can save money on a family road trip…so that you can spend your hard earned money in other ways.

1. Plan Ahead

One of the most important parts of road tripping on a budget is to plan ahead. I suggest planning for your road trip a few months in advance (or as soon as you decide to travel). There are a lot of factors to consider when making a good road trip plan. Don’t forget to include:

Making a budget (don’t forget to include gas, food, attractions, and miscellaneous)
Researching/planning places to eat, sleep and things to do
Meal planning/prep for foods you will pack and make yourself
Looking over the best route for driving

As you are making your road trip plan be sure you plan as frugally as possible using the tips below. Give yourself enough time to research and plan ahead so that you will be able to find the most affordable options and frugal hacks.

Related: The Best Budget Travel Tips

How To Save Money on Road Trip Food

There are many ways to save money on road trip food. Below are a few of my favorite hacks!

2. Pack Your Own Food

One of my favorite parts of road tripping is the food. There is just nothing better than munching on snacks, while listening to a good audiobook, and watching the scenery go by! To save money on road trip food is important to pack as much as you can from home.

Buying food from gas stations and restaurants will get expensive fast. And most tourist grocery stores will have higher prices than your local grocery store. However, if you plan ahead (remember that little planning tip we already talked about 😉 ) and pack your own food in the car, you will be able to save a lot of money.

Here are a few of our favorite food to pack on a road trip:

Fresh fruit
Carrot sticks
Deli sandwiches
Bagels with cream cheese
Peanut butter sandwich
Granola bars
Muffins
Pita wraps
Nuts
Jerky
Popcorn
Pretzels
Yogurt
Salad

3. Skip Restaurants & Eat At The Grocery Store

Ok, hear me out on this one!

If you don’t love the idea of packing your own food for your budget friendly road trip, then consider stopping at grocery stores along the way to eat your meals, rather than stopping at restaurants to eat.

You can get delicious, high quality food at grocery stores, with much lower prices than you would spend at a restaurant. We love stopping at grocery stores for foods like deli sandwiches, friend chicken, fresh fruit and salads. Try it, you just might like it!

4. Stay At An Airbnb

Staying at an Airbnb is an easy way to save money on food expenses. Most Airbnbs will give you access to a full kitchen, making it possible to cook all of your own meals, instead of eating out.

However, make sure to look at all of the hidden costs when booking an Airbnb to ensure that you really will be saving money. The cleaning and extra fees can really add up, which means that sometimes it isn’t always the cheapest option!

5. Stay In A Hotel With A Microwave/Fridge

You don’t have to book accommodations with a full kitchen to cook your own meals. A hotel room with a microwave and fridge will provide all that you need to whip up a few easy meals.

Here are a some of the meals my family likes to eat in our kitchenette hotel room:

Breakfast:

Muffins
Yogurt parfaits
Fruit
Cereal
Oatmeal

Lunch & Dinner:

Mac and Cheese
Sandwiches
Bagels with Cream Cheese
Fruit
Protein Drink
Salad
Cup of Noodles

6. Bring A Reusable Water Bottle

Avoid spending money on water bottles by packing your own reusable water bottle and filling it up with free water where available!

I personally love this Stanley dupe water bottle. It has a lot of really cute colors and great reviews.

7. Eat Out For Lunch Instead of Dinner

If you do decide to go out to eat for a few meals, make sure to eat out for lunch instead of dinner. Most restaurants will offer a cheaper menu during lunch hours, so that you can get the same product for a better price.

8. Stay somewhere with a free breakfast

Make sure to always book a hotel that offers a free breakfast. A free breakfast will give you one less meal you’ll have to pay for during the day. Take advantage of the free breakfast by filling up so you can eat lighter for your other meals.

9. Split A Meal

A great restaurant hack to save extra money is to order one meal and split it between two people! This gives you two meals for the price of one! You could even decide to eat half of your meal and then save the other half for lunch the next day!

Related: How to Save Money When Eating Out

10. Take Advantage of Happy Hour

Many restaurants offer discount prices during happy hour. It’s easy to do a quick google search to find restaurants nearby that participate in happy hour. Plan your meals around those times and restaurants for the best discounts.

How to Save Money On Sleeping Accommodations

Taking your time and using patience is the best way to book budget friendly sleeping accommodations. There are deals available…but it takes a little bit of searching and research!

11. Shop Around For Sleeping Accommodations

Prices for the same hotel can differ on each website. Make sure to take your time comparing multiple websites to find the best deal.

Next, call the hotel directly to ask if they can offer you an even lower price than what you found on the website. Often if you call the hotel directly they will give you an even better deal than you found online.

Another option for finding good hotel deals is to use a bidding website, such as Priceline. We used Priceline when booking a hotel for our trip to New York City and ended up staying in a beautiful hotel, with a fantastic room and in the perfect location….and it was a great price!

Make sure to book your hotel using the Rakuten cashback app! It will often give you an extra 1-10% cashback on your hotel stay.

Related: The Best Cash Back Apps

12. Consider Camping

If you are really wanting to save money on overnight stays, you might want to consider camping somewhere. Camping can be a much cheaper than a hotel room, especially if you already have your own camping equipment.

You could camp while sleeping in your car, or pack along a tent and sleeping bag to set up. My kids love to camp and any chance we get to do it into a fun family adventure. Camping is a great way to see new places while enjoying the fresh air.

Related: Easy Tin Foil Dinner Recipe

13. Stay With Friends Or Family

Another super cheap way to save money on lodging is to ask friends or family if you could stay with them for a night. They will love being able to catch up and host their loved ones!

Make sure to bring a nice thank you card or fresh flowers to show your gratitude!

How To Save Money On Entertainment

Try to have some fun while on your road trip! My family loves getting to enjoy some of the fun things each of our destinations has to offer. Fortunately, there are so many fun and free things you can do while traveling which makes frugality easy! I’ve listed a few ideas below for your road trip on a budget!

14. Visit Free Attractions

Road trips are a great way to see more of the world, and a lot of that can be done for free! Look for free museums, zoos, or road side attractions that you can stop and visit. Your family might also enjoy going on a hike, picnic, or playing in a nearby lake.

Talk to locals, and do some online research to find the best free attractions in the places you’ll be visiting. You just might be surprised at how many you find!

Related: Free Things To Do In Salt Lake City
Related: 20 Free Things To Do In New York City

15. Get A National Parks Pass

An annual National Parks Pass is only $80! There are so many fun and interesting things to see and do in our national parks, that $80 investment can bring a lot of fun and memories to your road trip.

There are also a few frugal hacks to purchasing a national parks pass, you can read all about them here.

16. Use Coupons

When planning activities for your road trip, be sure to look into any coupons available. I like to find coupons using Groupon, searching on google, or checking local facebook groups.

17. Free Audiobooks

Listening to audiobooks is a great way to pass time while driving. And guess what?!?! You don’t have to spend any money to listen to audiobooks! There are so many free resources out there for your enjoyment! Be sure to check out my full list here: Free Audiobook Resources.

How To Save Money On Gasoline When Road Tripping

One of the bigger expenses when it comes to a road trip is paying for gas. As fuel prices keep climbing, consumers continue to look for new ways to save money. Here are a few tips that might help.

18. Drive Smart

The first way to save money on fuel is to drive smart! Smart driving will help you get the most out of your car mileage.

Slightly changing the way you drive can make a big difference on your fuel consumption. Slamming on your breaks or speeding up quickly will hurt your gas mileage. Instead, try to get into the habit of accelerating and braking slowly and gradually. It really does make a difference!

You’ll also find yourself saving money by driving at a decreased speed. Driving at a speed of 65 mph is a good rule of thumb to get the best gas mileage.

Related: More Ways To Save Money On Gas

19. Use Upside Cashback App When Getting Gas

I’ve recently started using the free GetUpside app and loving it! All you have to do is download the app and you will be able to see the gas offers in your area. Choose the offer you want, the offers I’ve received have been anywhere from 15 cents/gallon – 1 cent/gallon cashback. After you select the offer you want to redeem, just go fill up with gas and scan your receipt into the GetUpside app. It’s all really easy! I’ve been using it for about a month and have earned $10 already! Yay!

20. Use the Gas Buddy App

The best way to find which gas station will be the best deal is to download and start using the free Gas Buddy app to help you find the cheapest gas in your area.

It’s really easy to use! Just download the app and enter in your location. The app will then search to find the gas prices near you. Scroll through your options until you find the best deal and use that station to fill up!

The prices will change and vary day to day, so check the app each time you need gas.

Other Ways To Save Money On Your Road Trip

Here are a few other ways you can cut costs on your next family road trip.

21. Avoid Traveling During Holidays

Holiday travel tends to make prices in all areas increase. If you can, try to plan your trips over non-holiday weekends. This will save you money on gas, activities, and lodging.

22. Pack instead of buy

Reduce the amount of items you will have to buy on your road trip by planning ahead and packing as much as you can. Don’t forget to pack medication, band aids, all of the shoes you will need, jackets, and any other gear you think will be useful.

There is nothing worst than getting to your destination to realize you have to go to the store and buy something that you forgot to pack.

23. Avoid Toll Roads

Toll roads are often an unexpected expense. Make sure to plan your driving route to avoid having to pay these tolls.

Use google maps to find the best non-toll road route. This is easily done by clicking on the “avoid tolls” button in the “plan route” section.

24. Invite A Friend

Inviting a friend on your frugal road trip is another great way to reduce costs. Together you can split the cost of gasoline, lodging, and even meals at restaurants! Plus, you’ll make countless memories!

In Conclusion

Don’t let frugality stop you from exploring and having fun. Instead, have fun in a frugal way! I hope these ideas help you to have an incredibly fun road trip on a budget!

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A road trip on a budget is possible!

Easy Valentine Day Crafts For Kids

December 19, 2022 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Check out these easy Valentine crafts!

Valentines day is such a fun time of year. I love showing my loved ones how much I care about them. And it’s even more fun to teach my kids to show love to others! These easy Valentine day crafts for kids are the perfect activities for a fun February day.

Consider helping your kids make a few crafts to give to their friends and family. Or they can make some to help decorate the house with a little bit of festivity. Whichever you choose, make sure to enjoy this fun time together making easy Valentines crafts!

Fun Valentine Day Craft Ideas

Have fun making these easy Valentine Day crafts! Let me know which one is your favorite!

1. Clay Valentine Magnets

Check out these adorable Clay Valentine Magnets! You only need three ingredients and some paint to make them! They are the perfect craft for kids both young and old. I can’t wait to make some and hang them on our fridge.

2. Panda Valentine Craft

This Panda Valentine craft is not only the cutest thing ever, but it also comes with a free template! Which for someone like me (non-expert crafter), a template is a must! Your kids will have so much fun making this craft to give away or keep for themselves, and they will be able to work on their fine motor skills at the same time!

3. Conversation Heart Bookmarks

I’m in love with this next easy Valentine day craft! These conversation heart corner bookmarks are so fun and make a great gift for book lovers! All it takes is a little bit of folding and glue and you have the cutest bookmark ever! This is a craft that anyone can do!

4. Valentines Foam Pencil Toppers

Here’s another fun craft for Valentines, Foam Pencil Toppers. This tutorial comes with a template to help your kids make a hedgehog, owl, penguin and racoon pencil toppers. The instructions are easy to follow and the results are absolutely darling!

Related: Chocolate Dipped Valentine Cookie Recipe

5. Valentine Yarn Hearts

My kids love making these easy valentine yarn hearts each year. They are quick, cheap and so cute! All you need is some cardboard (thank you leftover Amazon box!) and some yarn. The colors are so fun to customize and mix and match. They make cute decorations and gifts.

6. Heart Paint Chip Garland

If you want simple and cheap Valentine decor, I have the thing for you! You can quickly make this Heart Paint Chip Garland. It’s very easy to customize and make with your favorite love-day colors.

My kids love having a few holiday decorations in their rooms, and this would be the perfect craft for them to make and hang over their bead.

7. Heart Suncatcher

I love hanging crafted suncatchers in my windows. The light that comes through is so pretty.

Your kids will love making their own heart suncatcher following this tutorial.

Related: Easy Easter Craft for Preschoolers: Egg Sun Catcher

8. Valentines Day Toilet Paper Roll Vase

Crafts that repurpose are just my favorite type of crafts! They are frugal through and through!

That is one of the reasons why I love this Valentines Day Toilet Paper Roll Vase craft. It turns something that would have been tossed into the trash, a toilet paper roll, into something beautiful and useful. Your kids will love making these vases and placing pretty flowers inside!

Related: Easy Toilet Paper Roll Crafts

9. Valentines Pom Pom Painting

Here’s the perfect Valentines day craft for toddlers and preschoolers, Valentines Day Pom Pom painting. The activity introduces a new way to paint, using pom poms and a clothespin! This method results in a fun, easy to create heart art!

10. DIY Valentine Felt Heart

If you are looking for an easy Valentines Day craft for older kids, try this DIY Valentine Felt Heart!

Felt is very budget friendly, making this craft a perfect option for the frugal conscious. The hearts are perfect for giving to others or to use as a decoration around your home.

11. Love Bug Toilet Paper Roll Craft

Your kids will love making this adorable love bug….and again…I love that it’s repurposing something that would have been thrown away! This is a very easy and cute project, perfect for young kids!

12. Origami Heart

Folding origami is so fun, and with the right instructions can be very simple. Here is a great tutorial for folding an easy origami heart that make great corner bookmarks! Make your corner bookmarks in a variety of colors to giveaway and use in all of your favorite books.

13. Valentines Day Frame

Alright, I have the perfect craft for any non crafters out there! Seriously, anyone can make this Valentines Day frame craft….and it’s the cutest thing ever! So, basically a win-win all around!

I love the idea of using this frame as a decoration, you can put a picture of your family inside of it. Or, it can be a great gift with a picture of you and your loved one together.

Related: Fun Family Valentine Traditions

14. Gnome Paper Craft

Another fun valentine paper craft is to make this darling gnome. It comes with a free template, for easy cutting and designing and it is just so cute! I want to make one just for me!

15. Love You To Pieces Wreath

I’m so in love with this fun puzzle piece wreath! It’s so creative and simple to make!

Related: 25 Free Things To Do In Winter

16. DIY Heart Crayons

My kids use to make these heart crayons all the time. It’s a great way to use up half used crayons, and create something new and fun. The silicone molds come in a lot of different shapes and designs too!

17. Tissue Paper Heart Craft

Crafting with tissue paper is always affordable and kid friendly. The tissue paper heart craft is perfect for helping young ones work on their fine motor skills while creating something new.

18. Popsicle Stick Heart Garland

This popsicle stick heart garland is so cute and unique! It’s something that I haven’t ever seen before, and that just makes me love it even more! I love trying new projects like this with my kids.

19. Mess Free Smush Painting

Want to craft with your kids, but hate the mess?? Try the mesh free smush painting method!

All of the painting is done within a contained plastic bag! This is especially a great craft idea for toddlers!

20. Love Code Bracelet

How cute is this love code bracelet?! I think it’s the perfect craft for kids who love coding….but also need a break from a screen!

21. Crystal Hearts Science Experiment

There just isn’t much better than turning a craft into a science experiment! It will get your kids fingers and creativity working, all while helping them learn!

The Crystal Hearts Science Experiment is the perfect Valentine craft turned experiment to do with your kids this year!

22. Valentine Hugs

I use to make these Valentine Hug crafts all the time when I was young, and they always made me so happy! It’s a very easy craft to make, and this tutorial even provides a free template you can use! I love free templates!

23. Pom Pom Love Bug Craft

Here’s another super cute and easy Valentines day craft idea that kids can do, make a Pom Pom Love Bug! It will only take a few minutes to whip up a few of these darling bugs, and they are super easy to customize just the way your child wants them!

Have Fun With These Easy Valentine Day Crafts for Kids!

I hope this articled helped you to find a few fun crafts to do with your kiddos this year. Crafting with kids is one of the best ways to make memories and build bonds. And, with the ideas listed here you won’t need to spend hardly any money at all!

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There are so many easy Valentine day crafts for kids to make!

25 Free Things To Do In Winter

December 11, 2022 By: Sweet Frugal Life21 Comments

Fun winter activities for families!

I absolutely love the snow! There is nothing better than waking up to a fresh blanket of new snow and seeing it sparkle in the sunlight. The only negative thing about the snow is that it’s so cold!! Unfortunately, I live in an area where it stays cold for many, many months! We all get a little stir crazy around here being cooped up for so long. Because of this, I’ve learned to get creative during these cold months to help us stay sane and stay in budget! Here are my favorite free things to do in winter.

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Snow Winter Activities For Families

Do you live in a place that gets a lot of snow? Use it to your advantage and plan some fun winter activities for families! There are so many fun ways to enjoy fresh snow!

1. Build A Snow Cave

You might enjoy spending the day outside building a snow cave as a family. Turn it into a competition to see who can build the best cave. You could even get extra creative and turn your cave into a castle. Add some stairs, windows, or any other fancy feature you come up with!

2. Make Snow Candy

Have you ever read the book Little House in the Big Woods? It’s one of our favorites! In this book Laura Ingalls grandmother made the kids snow candy, and we have been making it every year since then!

To make snow candy, just place an empty bowl outside while it’s snowing. The bowl will collect fresh, clean snow. Once it’s full, bring it inside and immediately pour pure maple syrup on top. The syrup will harden to make a sweet treat!

Related: Easy Cinnamon Candy Recipe For Christmas

3. Sledding

Sledding is one of my kids favorite free winter activity. Sleds are fairly cheap and most sledding hills are free to enjoy!

Try a few sledding hills around town and see if you can find a new favorite. This is a fun way to enjoy spending the day laughing with friends and family.

4. Winter Walk and Scavenger Hunt

Get outside and enjoy the snow with a winter walk and scavenger hunt. You can turn the scavenger hunt into a game by putting together a list of different items to find while on the walk. A few ideas for the hunt might be: a pine cone, icicle, boot tracks, animal tracks, a snowman, etc.

5. Snowball Fight

Another free thing to do in winter is to have a snowball fight with your friends or family. Keep it light and fun so that everyone can enjoy it. This activity is guaranteed to bring a lot of laughs and memories!

6. Build a Snowman

Spend some time with your family outside building a snowman. You could even go a step further and build a family of snowmen! All you have to do is ask everyone to build the snowman that fits their unique personality! Make it the same height that you are, and give it your scarf and gloves, or anything else that fits your personality.

7. Snow Ice Cream

You might enjoy making snow ice cream with your kids. Here is a simple recipe to try it out. This is a fun way to enjoy the snow…while staying indoors!

Winter Indoor Activities

Don’t like going outside in the snow??? I get it! Here are a few winter indoor activities for families!

8. Movie Night

Snuggle up together, pop some popcorn and have a family movie night. Watch a few old classics or try something new. All that matters is that you are spending time together.

Not sure where to stream? Try Paramount+ for free for one week!

9. Bake Bread

I love spending cold winter days in my kitchen baking something warm. It’s the perfect season for baking bread.

After you’re done with the bread lather it with homemade butter and eat it together as a family.

10. Homemade Cocoa

There is nothing better than a hot mug of cocoa on a cold winters day. It only takes a couple of minutes and a few ingredients to make a big batch homemade hot chocolate mix. Make the hot chocolate together as a family and enjoy sipping it next to a warm cozy fire.

11. Family Slumber Party

Haul blankets, pillows and sleeping bags onto the living room floor and have a large family slumber party together. You can watch movies, play games and eat treats before falling asleep. This will be a night your kids will always remember!

12. Read a Novel as a Family

My family loves to read a novel together every winter. I usually pick a classic and read it to the kids for 20-30 minutes in the evenings. A few favorites have been Little House on the Prairie, Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little.

13. Make Paper Snowflakes

You might enjoy spending an afternoon cutting out paper snowflakes and hanging them around your home. We like to tape a few to the windows and use invisible thread to hang some from the ceiling. You can find countless Youtube video tutorials about how to make snowflakes. This is such a fun, cheap and easy craft!

14. Make Play Dough

Make some homemade play dough at home! You can use your homemade playdough to build snowmen or other fun creations. Check out my favorite playdough recipe here.

15. Have An Indoor Picnic

You don’t have to have warm weather for a picnic, have one at home in your living room! All you have to do is spread a blanket out on the floor, bring a few of your favorite picnic foods and enjoy a picnic indoors!

16. Make a Fort

Gather all the blankets and chairs in your house and build a gigantic blanket fort. Play games, read stories and spend the day hiding out in the fort.

Related: Fun activities to do at home

17. Make a Sock Snowman

Sock snowmen are a fun, easy winter craft! All it takes is a little creativity and a few random items found around the house to turn an ordinary sock into a snowman!

18. Play Board Games

We love board games in our family and they are perfect to play when you are stuck inside! You can find some cheap board games at your local thrift store, but there are plenty of fun games played with just a deck of cards or dice.

Related: 20 Family Board Games, all Under $20

19. Make Friendship Bracelets

Spend a few hours with your kids making friendship bracelets. Just braid three threads together and tie in a circle. Be sure to make two bracelets! One to give away to a friend and one to keep.

20. Have A Family Dance Party

Sometimes our family (or maybe just this tired mom! 😉 ) just needs a good old fashioned dance party! We crank up a few of our fave dance tunes and dance the grumpy faces away! It’s the perfect way to turn a bad day into a great day!

Winter Activities In Town

Need to get out of the house, but don’t want to spend a lot of money? Try one of the activities below!

21. Visit the Library

The library offers a lot of free activities for everyone in the family. Take advantage of all the many free programs and be sure to check out a book or movie while you are there!

22. Serve a Meal at a Homeless Shelter

There is nothing better for a child to learn than how to care for others. Pick a day as a family to help serve a meal at the local homeless shelter. This is such a humbling experience!

Related: 101 Frugal Ideas To Light The World

23. Visit a Pet Store

Visiting a pet store is a great way to spend an afternoon. We love walking around the local pet store and visiting the cats, dogs, and birds. My kids ask to go regularly and I never complain!

24. Donate to a Thrift Store

As a family go through all of the toys, clutter, and household items. Fill up a large box of items to donate to a thrift store. It feels so good to start the new year fresh and clutter free!

25. Visit a Neighbor

Do you have an elderly neighbor who might need a visit? Or maybe someone new to the neighborhood? As a family pay a special visit to someone needing company. It’s a great way to brighten their day and get to know someone new!

In Conclusion

There are some many free things to do in winter! I hope that you are able to pick a few off of this list and have a budget friendly, magical winter spent with the ones you love!

Fun At Home Activities For Teens

15 Free At Home Spring Break Activities for Kids

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What are your favorite free things to do in winter?

How To Make Cloud Dough

November 11, 2022 By: Sweet Frugal Life2 Comments

Easy two ingredient cloud dough recipe.

I recently learned how to make cloud dough and am so in love with how easy and quick it is to mix together!

If you are looking for a fun, cheap activity for your kids to do at home, then I highly recommend you try this two ingredient cloud dough recipe. It takes about 5 minutes to mix together, only requires two ingredients, and will provide hours of fun for your little ones.

The dough is soft, smooth, silky, and moldable. And addicting…seriously! I love squishing it through my fingers for hours and hours.

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How To Make Cloud Dough

One of the best parts of this recipe is the fact that it only requires two ingredients….and they are both cheap ingredients…..in fact you probably already have them in your house right now! Win, win and win!

Ingredients Needed:

To make this quick cloud dough you will need:

Supplies Needed:

You will also need these two basic supplies:

Small Bowl
Spoon

Homemade Cloud Dough Recipe

In a small bowl mix together:

1/2 cup hair conditioner
1 cup cornstarch

Use a spoon to stir the conditioner and cornstarch together. You might need to add a little more corn starch or a little more hair conditioner, you’ll just have to use a little bit of trial and error as you find the best consistency for you. It’s better to have the dough a little more dry than wet.

Once the cloud dough is mostly completely mixed together you will need to knead it with your hands together to make it nice and smooth.

If you would like to add a few drops of food coloring at this point, you are welcome to. I usually just let the color of the hair conditioner be the color of the cloud dough. But using food coloring will give it a much more vibrant color.

It only takes a few minutes of kneading before your dough is ready to play with. You’ll know it’s ready once you a soft, silky, and smooth dough.

Feel free to get out a few cookie cutters, knives, spoons, forks, rolling pins, and anything else you think sounds fun to let your kids cut and smooth and imagine with the homemade cloud dough.

After you’ve made this cloud dough recipe you might enjoy a couple of my other favorite play dough recipes:

Peanut Butter Play Dough
Classic Play Dough (best recipe I’ve ever tried….and I’ve tried a lot of recipes!!!)

Cloud Dough

A quick and fun play dough recipe for kids to play with at home.

3 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Ingredients

1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup hair conditioner
2-4 drops food coloring optional

Instructions

Stir hair conditioner and cornstarch together in a small bowl.
Once mixed begin kneading the dough with your hands until it becomes soft and smooth.
If desired, add a few drops of food coloring to finished dough and mix through.

Have fun!

Now that you know how to make cloud dough it’s time for you to have fun playing with it with your little ones. I love cheap and quick activities for kids to do at home. They are some of the best ways to make memories, while on a small budget.

More Cheap Kids Activities

Easy Rock Painting Ideas For Kids

Easy Science Activity For Preschoolers

Yarn Hearts: An Easy Valentine Craft for Kids

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I hope this helped you learn how to make cloud dough at home!

Free Self Care Ideas

October 4, 2022 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

How to self care without spending a lot of money.

It’s no secret that self care is important! If our physical, mental and emotional needs aren’t being met, then we won’t be able to feel or perform our best in all of the many responsibilities in our lives. Often times we might feel like the only way to self care is to spend a lot of money….you know, more of a treat-yo-self mentality. But, I’m here to remind you that you do not have to spend any money at all to take care of your needs! Below are some free self care ideas to help you feel more renewed and content.

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Cheap Ways To Self Care

You do not need to go out and buy all of the newest and greatest objects in order to self care. You can self care for cheap using the ideas below.

1. Take A Bath

One of my favorite ways to self care for free is to take a nice, long, hot bath (emphasis on hot). There is just nothing better than soaking all of your worries and stresses away from the comfort of your own bathtub.

If you want to splurge a little, buy some inexpensive bubble bath or a bath salts.

2. Go For A Walk

Fresh air and exercise are both so important for our mental health. If you are feeling down, make sure to take some time out of your day to go outside and walk. Even if it’s just a short walk down the road, it will do you good!

3. Take A Break From Social Media

I love social media and think it’s a great way to connect with others….I mean my entire business started from instagram! But! I also know that social media can begin to affect our mental health in a negative way if used excessively.

If you are ever feeling low mentally or emotionally, I recommend taking a break from social media. The break could be anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. I always feel awesome after taking these breaks! It’s the best time to focus on being present with my surroundings.

4. Have A Dance Party To Your Favorite Music

A good old fashioned dance party is one of the best ways to boost our mood. So, crank up your favorite music and move your body! You don’t even need to be in a group, some of the best dance parties can happen all by yourself in your home or car!

Related: How To Listen To Audiobooks For Free

5. Declutter Something

I know that cleaning and decluttering are not the first things that come to mind when thinking of free self-care ideas. However, tidying a space in your home can truly help clear your mind.

6. Read A Book

There just isn’t anything better than getting lost in a good book (where are my fellow book nerds at?!?!). Take some time to relax with one of your favorite books, or try a new one. Let your worries drift away as you focus on the story. Don’t forget that you can check out books for free at your public library!

Some of my favorite books are: The Orphan Keeper, Pride and Prejudice, The Secret Keeper, Before We Were Yours, Listening For Lions, and Little Women.

7. Keep A Journal

Have you ever tried journaling? It can be a very therapeutic way to release stress and worries. Start a journal and write about all of your fun memories, your favorite activities, things you are looking forward to, your feelings about the day, goals for the future, etc.

There are so many ways to keep a journal. You can start one online, use your Notes App from your phone, or buy a pretty journal to write in.

8. Take A Nap

Sometimes all our body needs is some extra rest to feel ready to tackle the day. Give yourself an hour or two of peace and quiet and take a power nap. It’s ok if you don’t even fall asleep, laying and resting in a quiet place is often enough to give us the self care we need.

Related: How To Exercise For Free (or crazy cheap!)

9. Watch The Sunset

Take a drive or walk to a place where you can watch the sunset. Enjoy being in nature and set your worries aside for a few minutes.

10. Try A New Workout

Get your endorphins up with an at home workout. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s hard for me to make time for working out, but whenever I do, I feel so much better mentally! There are so many free workouts you can find on YouTube. I love Grow With Jo, Yoga With Adrienne, and Pop Sugar Fitness.

11. Meditate

I’ll be the first to admit that I use to not like the idea of meditation. But, that was before I actually understood it. Now, I love resting my eyes and mind for 10-20 minutes of meditation. It can make a huge difference in my mood for the day. You can find free meditation exercises on youtube that will guide you through the process.

12. Drink A Large Glass of Water

Self care also includes taking care of our bodies, and drinking enough water is one of the best things we can do for our bodies. When we drink plenty of water we will have much more energy and feel better for the rest of the day. If you are feeling down, pour yourself a large glass of water and take care of your body!

13. Watch Your Favorite Movie

One of my favorite free self care ideas is to watch your favorite movie or tv show. There is nothing better than snuggling up on the couch, or in your bed, and let your mind turn off as you enjoy some on screen entertainment.

Related: Cheap At Home Date Night Ideas

14. Call A Friend

Don’t forget to make time for your relationships, it does wonder for our mood. I love calling up my sister and discussing the things that are on my mind, letting her ease my worries and listening to her advice. It’s a vital form of self care!

15. Pick Wildflowers

Bring nature indoors with some beautiful wildflowers! Maybe you have flowers in your yard, or can pick some from the side of the road. Either way, try to pick a big bouquet of flowers to bring inside. Put them in a vase or a jar and place them somewhere you can see them regularly. There is just something about nature that renews my soul!

16. Invite Friends Over

Give yourself some self care by inviting over a few close friends. You could host a game night, clothing swap, movie night, BBQ, book club, or just get together to chat and munch on some snacks! Taking the time out of our day to spend quality time with others is really good for our mental health.

17. Give Yourself An At Home Mani or Pedi

Give your hands and feet a nice soak and then paint your nails with a fresh new color. We love using this UV light nail dryer for fresh gel nails!

18. Light A Candle

Candles are such a great way to change the mood of your living space. I instantly feel happier when I smell the crisp pumpkin spice scent from my candle and can watch the beautiful light of the candle flicker in the dark. This is such an easy, but wonderful way to self care!

19. Get Dressed Up

There is just something about looking our best, that makes us feel our best! So, take an hour or so to dress in the clothes that make you feel amazing, fix your hair, and give yourself some glam makeup. Even if you are just running errands or sitting around at home, you will feel amazing!

Self Care On A Budget Is Possible

You can give yourself the self care and treatment you deserve, without spending a lot of money. I hope you try a few of these ideas today. And, don’t forget that you are loved, you are important and you matter! Tell yourself that 3 times every day!

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Christmas Gift Ideas For College Students Under $25

September 23, 2022 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Budget Friendly Gifts For Young Adults

Are you looking for Christmas gift ideas for college students under $25? Well I have the list for you! I’ve searched the internet and found the perfect list of gifts for young adults. And do you want to know what the best part is???? Everything on this list is budget friendly! You can buy your loved one something that they will need, love and enjoy….without having to break the bank! Yay!

I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Essential Oil Diffuser

Alright, it’s no secret that dorm rooms can get a little smelly, so help a young college student out with an essential oil diffuser. Not only will this make their room smell amazing, it will also help to alleviate a lot of their stress and other ailments. This essential oil diffuser has great reviews and a great price!

Cell Phone Stand

Here’s a great budget friendly gift idea for college students under $25; a cell phone stand! This is the perfect item for them to place on their desk while they are studying, or next to their bed when they just want to relax.

Laundry Basket

Most college students will need a laundry hamper to haul their laundry back and forth to the laundry mat. This one is really cute and affordable, it comes in a lot of different colors and has great reviews!

Sleep Mask

Sharing a room isn’t easy, especially if you’re not use to it or have different sleep patterns from your roommate. A sleep mask is the perfect gift to help your college student relax and get a good nights rest. The entire dormitory will be jealous of this one!

Makeup Brushes

Honestly, a girl can never have to many makeup brushes! I am absolutely in love with these rose gold brushes. The set comes with 14 different brushes and has over 100,000 positive reviews! This is a perfect gift for a young college girl.

Cell Phone Armband

If you are shopping for someone that likes to run, you might want to consider gifting them a cell phone armband. This one even comes with an adjustable strap, key pocket and holes for headphones.

Adult Coloring Book

Coloring is one of the best ways to alleviate stress and pass the time. You might want to gift your college student an adult coloring book and a pack of markers. They’ll love getting to sit, color and relax during their free time. You’re never to old for a coloring book and some markers!

College Cookbook

Most young adults are still learning how to cook and figure out how to care for themselves. This is a great cookbook for college students! All of the recipes can be made with 5 ingredients or less and are really easy to throw together. The perfect gift for college students!

Wristlet Keychain

Here’s a trendy way for college kids to keep track of their room keys and school IDs. I love the wristlet keychain and all of the many colors and designs you can choose from. There is something for everyone!

Water Bottle

Another great gift idea for young adults is a water bottle. They can carry it with them to class, to the gym, or wherever. I love this water bottle because it does an excellent job at keeping the perfect temperature inside of the water bottle for hours and hours. If you need to keep your drink hot-it can do that! But, if you want your drink to stay cold….it will do that too!

Bluetooth Key Tracker

They will never lose their keys again with the Tile Mate Bluetooth tracker. This tracker can easily attach it to their key ring to make sure they are never lost! It’s a great gift for anyone, but especially those learning more about responsibility.

Sewing Kit

You might consider giving the gift of a sewing kit! This will help them mend their clothes and learn how to be self sufficient in small repairs. Here is the perfect sewing kit for emergencies.

Portable Charger

College students are often on the go, so buying them a portable charger will help them keep their electronics fully charged, no matter where they are. This 2 pack portable charger has great reviews!

What Do You Meme Game

My friends and I loved to play big group games when we were in college. The What Do You Meme Game is the perfect group game for this age group! It’s seriously so funny!

Related: Best Family Games Under $20

Stress Balls

These stress balls are another great gift option to help alleviate stress. They come in a three pack and I absolutely love that each ball includes a motivational saying.

Tool Set

I was given a small tool set when I was going to college and I LOVED it so much! My roommates and I used it all the time around our apartment. It was so handy. I found a fantastic 39 piece tool set with great reviews and under $25 here!

Pillow Slippers

Most college students need some type of sandal to wear around the dorm and in the showers. These pillow slippers are super popular right now and perfect for dorm life!

Throw Blanket

I love getting throw blankets for Christmas. It’s such a fun way to brighten up a room, and you can really never have to many blankets around! Here is a beautiful throw with multiple colors and styles to choose from.

Dart Board

What’s a dorm room without a dart board?!?!? This is the perfect gift ideas to help young adults have fun with their friends and roommates while away at school. I found a fun magnetic dart board from Amazon and it is sure to provide hours of fun and entertainment!

Personal Finance Books

Young adulthood is an important time to learn how to be responsible, care for yourself and prepare for a successful future. I highly recommend gifting anyone at this age a personal finance book to help them get a jumpstart on their finances. The Infographic Guide to Personal Finance is the perfect book to help anyone just starting out in life to understand personal finance better. The graphics explains personal finance in very simple and easy to understand terms. You can grab it here!

Related: 9 Best Books About Money For Beginners

Portable Safe

Beings how most college dorms and apartments are public areas, with many people coming and going, it’s smart to have some type of protection from any potential theft. This portable safe is the perfect gift to help keep their valuables safe while living away from home. The reviews are great, and it’s portable…so perfect for bringing wherever they need to go.

Snack Care Package

You can never go wrong giving a college student food! Consider buying them this food care package to help alleviate their late night snack cravings!

Toiletry Bag

Another frugal gift idea for college students is a toiletry bag. It will help them carry their toiletries to and from the bathrooms and for traveling back and forth between home and college. I found a great toiletry bag you can get here, and it’s under $25!

Amazon Prime Student Membership

Give the gift that just keeps on giving! I’m talking about an Amazon Prime Student Membership. With this gift subscription your student will get: free 2-day shipping, access to Prime music and video, unlimited photo storage and so much more!

Clip On Fan

I loved having a small fan in my bedroom while at college. It helped me sleep better by giving some white noise and keeping the air moving. Here are some budget friendly fans college students can clip on their beds. You can even choose from a variety of fun colors!

In Conclusion

There are so many gift ideas for college students under $25! In all honesty….money is usually tight for a young adult, so they are happy to receive ANYTHING! You could even just give them a gift card or two! Those were always some of my fave gifts when I was in college. Remember, it is the thought that counts….not the price tag!

Check out my other gift guides:

Gift Ideas for Toddlers Under $25

Gift Ideas For 5-7 Year Old Girls Under $25

Cheap Gift Ideas for Teen Boys All Under $25!

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Harry Potter Theme Party Ideas

September 15, 2022 By: Sweet Frugal Life4 Comments

Fun ideas for a Harry Potter birthday party!

My youngest turned 10 last week and he really wanted a Harry Potter themed birthday party. As a huge Harry Potter fan myself, I was so excited to make his dreams become a reality! One of the best things about throwing a Harry Potter birthday party is that there are just SO many fun activities you can do. We had so much fun looking up ideas, planning the party together. and making “magic” happen.

The party was a huge success and I’m so excited to share all the nitty gritty details with you today!

I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Harry Potter Party Decorations

The decorations for this party were very simple. Basically all I did was splurge on a Platform 9 3/4 sign for our front door, and placed a few candles on the table (easy peasy is my jam). The kids loved walking through the platform curtain and I’m so happy I bought it! My son now has it hanging in his bedroom doorway. It’s so cute!

Sorting Hat Cupcakes

The party started with our Sorting Hat Cupcakes. This was probably my favorite part of the entire party! I knew I wanted to sort everyone into a house, but I wasn’t sure exactly how to do that. But, then I came across the idea to use Sorting Hat Cupcakes.

These were a huge hit and I’m so glad we went this direction.

But, I have to give a little disclaimer! I am by no means a professional cake decorator or baker! But, I do like trying to find budget friendly ways to make my kids dreams come true! And fortunately, even though these cupcakes did not look perfect….my Harry Potter fan LOVED them….and that’s really all that mattered.

How To Make Sorting Hat Cupcakes

Sorting hat cupcakes are so easy to make! Just bake cupcakes according to your favorite cake recipe instructions.

Once the cupcakes are baked and cooled, take a spoon and gently spoon out some of the middle of the cupcake.

Next, mix up 4 different colors of frosting. One will be blue (for Ravenclaw house), one red (for Gryffindor house), another yellow (for Hufflepuff house), and the last green (for Slytherin house). Which are, obviously, the different colors of the four houses in Harry Potter. I really like this frosting recipe and then I used food coloring to make the different colors.

After you’ve made your frosting it’s time to fill the cupcakes. Put a different color of frosting into the middle of each cupcake.

Frost the cupcake with white frosting, making sure to cover the colored frosting. Then, put half an Oreo on top of the frosting. This will be the first part of your sorting hat.

Lastly, add a Hershey kiss on top of the Oreo half. I had to put a little bit of frosting on the bottom of the kiss to make sure it stuck to the oreo. And ta-dah! Your sorting hat cupcakes are done!

After singing Happy Birthday I let each of the kids randomly choose a cupcake. Whichever color of frosting was inside their cupcake was the house that they would be in. They loved getting to take off the sorting hat to see which house they were in. It was such a fun activity!

I forgot to take a picture of the kids finding out what house they are in, but here is a picture of the Great Hall before our guests arrived.

Harry Potter Party Activities

After the kids were sorted into their houses and finished eating their cupcakes we started the activities. Each activity was in a different room and represented a different Hogwarts Class. I pinned our class schedule onto a bulletin board to display and the kids loved looking to see the different classes for the day. If you want this class schedule, you can grab it for free here: Harry Potter Class Schedule Printable

History of Magic

Our first class was the History of Magic. In the History of Magic class we learned about the famous wizard who defeated Voldemort….I’m talking about Harry Potter of course!

After learning about Harry Potter we played the game, Pin the Scar on Harry. My husband drew the poster for me (because he is much more artistic than I am) and I printed out some lightning bolt scars. Yay for team effort! This game was a lot of fun, you just can’t beat the tried and true classic!

Potions

Next up on the schedule was Potions. The kids absolutely LOVED this class and it turned out even better than I had imagined!

I wanted to do a simple science experiment, but with big results. So, I decided to do an old favorite of mixing vinegar and baking soda together. When you combine the vinegar and baking soda together it bubbles up really big. The dish soap makes it more bubbly, and the rest of the ingredients are just for fun! I printed up a potions card to display, and you can print it out for free here: Harry Potter Growth Potion.

Unicorn Potion: Vinegar

Dragons Blood: Food Coloring

Spider Venom: Dish Soap

Gillyweed: Oregano (although the kids all let me know gillyweed is suppose to be slimy…you win some and you lose some)

Crushed Bones: Baking Soda

To set up potions class, I bought these science mixing cups from Amazon. Then I printed out labels for each of the ingredients and taped them to the cups.

Potions class was outside (because I knew it would be messy!). Each party guest started with a small mason jar and a stirring stick (the stirring sticks came with the science mixing cups I had bought).

Then, we brought out a new ingredient one by one as they stirred it all together. Make sure to add the baking soda last for the big surprise. The entire solution will foam over the mason jars. The kids were all shocked and surprised at the result! It was a huge hit and fun to see their reactions!

Related: Budget Friendly Birthday Traditions for Kids

Divinations

Next up was Divinations class. This class was another huge hit!

To prepare in advance I made this fortune teller guide.

The night before the party I put a small drop of food coloring into 8 different plastic cups, one for each child coming. The food coloring needs to dry completely before adding anything else to the cup, so doing this the night before is necessary. Then, right before divination class began I filled the cups up with ice to hide the food coloring at the bottom.

I wanted to make this experience really fun for the kids. So, I poured some sprite into a large bowl and then added a dry ice block to make it foggy. The kids LOVED this!

I handed each of the kids one of the cups I had prepped earlier. Then one by one I spooned sprite into each cup. We had to wait a few minutes for the fog to clear but once it did the sprite had changed colors (thanks to the dried food coloring). We were able to use the color in the cup and fortune teller guide to tell each of the kids their fortunes. It was so fun!

Charms Class

After divination we went to charms class. Earlier in the week my son had made wands for each of the party guests and we let everyone choose a wand for charms class. I found a Wand Motion Chart from The Scrap Shoppe Blog and gave one to each kid. Together we practiced a few charms and spells, and the kids had fun practicing the different wand motions.

Related: DIY Harry Potter Wand

Defense Against The Dark Arts

Last, but not least we went to Defense Against The Dark Arts class. I thought it would be fun to have a pinata in this class for the kids to “battle.” I found this spider pinata on Amazon and decided it would be perfect! After coloring in the face (to make it more spooky) and filling it with candy we were ready to go!

Everyone got a turn to hit the spider with a bat, and then we let the birthday boy finish it off. The kids loved grabbing the candy with their Harry Potter goody bag.

The Party Was A Hit

The kids had so much fun at our Harry Potter themed party. I couldn’t have asked for it to go any better! Let me know if any of these ideas helped you plan your own party! I’d love to hear how they worked out.

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I hope you enjoyed these Harry Potter Theme Party ideas!

DIY Harry Potter Wand

August 31, 2022 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Easy Homemade Harry Potter Wand With Chopsticks

Last month my youngest turned ten (I can’t believe how fast he is growing up!). He asked for a Harry Potter themed birthday party. I’m pretty sure he decided on this idea from our recent Universal Studios trip….but I wasn’t complaining! Once we decided on the theme I knew we couldn’t have a Harry Potter themed party without having wands (amiright??). So, with a little bit of DIYing and patience we whipped up a few budget friendly wands! My son and I had so much fun making these DIY Harry Potter Wands! They are SO easy and addicting to make! I seriously didn’t want to stop creating!

These homemade Harry Potter wands with chopsticks are the perfect craft for any Harry Potter lover, including kids and adults! And, do you want to know the best part???? They were also really cheap! The only thing I had to buy were the chopsticks and some hot glue! Fortunately, I had paint and paintbrushes at home, but luckily they are both really cheap to buy if you need some!

I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

How to Make DIY Harry Potter Wands

The first thing you need to do before making these homemade wands is to gather your supplies. You will need:

1. Squeeze Hot Glue Onto Chopstick

The first thing you will need to do to make your DIY Harry Potter wand is to warm up your hot glue. I like to place the hot glue gun over a paper plate, so that the melty glue will drip onto the plate as it warms. This makes for easy clean up!

Once your hot glue is warm and melty, it’s time to make the design of your homemade wand. I love this part!!

All you have to do is take your hot glue gun and slowly squirt hot glue onto the handle part of one chopstick.

This is the part when you can let your creativity shine! You can put a lot of hot glue on the end for a nice, thick handle. Or, you might choose to only put on a small amount of glue. Feel free to add some swirly glue designs too. I tried to cover about 1/3-1/4 of the chopstick with glue, just depending on the design I was going for. Whatever you think will look good!

One of my favorite things about these homemade wands is that no matter how your glue comes onto your chopstick, the finished product will still look good! I worried a few times that I had messed up a wand with clumps of hot glue, but once I was done, it always looked just as good as all of the other wands!

2. Let The Hot Glue Dry

Next, you will need to set your chopstick onto a paper plate and let the glue dry. Hot glue dries fairly fast, so it shouldn’t take very long before being able to move to the next stop.

3. Paint Chopstick

Once the hot glue is dry, you can start painting your chopstick/wand! We all decided we preferred the dark and moody colors for the wands, but really anything goes! It was so fun to mix colors together and make something magical and unique!

This step is so easy, just dab a little bit of glue onto your paintbrush and paint the wand!

Once you are done painting your wand set it onto a paper plate to dry.

Most of our wands needed two coats of paint. So, make sure to check the wand once the paint is dry to see if it will need to be painted again.

Enjoy!

That’s it! Your DIY Harry Potter wand is complete! See how easy that was??? It’s the perfect craft for adults and kids and everyone in between! All that’s left to do is to spend hours casting magical spells (Acio wand!).

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Have fun making your own DIY Harry Potter wand!

Free Summer Reading Programs For Kids 2022

May 26, 2022 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

The best kids summer reading programs.

Summer is just around the corner and I can’t wait for the lazy days of summer. I love the BBQs, the late nights, the snow cones (ohhhh the snow cones) and the lack of schedule. However, I do NOT like when the kids are bored (because….that usually leads to complaining…and I REALLY don’t like complaining!). One of the things that I have found to help curb the summer boredom (and complaining) is to sign my kids up for free summer reading programs.

These fun kids summer reading programs are the perfect way to keep kids busy, learning, entertained and to help prevent the summer slump. Most of these reading programs offers incentives and prizes which encourages my kids to keep reading throughout the summer months. They love accomplishing their goals and receiving a fun reward at the end!

I have been searching for a few free summer reading programs to sign my kids up for this year and wanted to share them with each of you!

2022 Free Summer Reading Programs

If you are looking for some good reading programs for your kids this summer, make sure to check out each of these!

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program

Another fun summer reading program for kids is from Barnes and Noble. All they have to do is print out this reading journal, read 8 books and fill out the journal during the summer, and then bring the completed journal into a Barnes and Noble store. Your child will then be able to choose a free book from the free book lists (which always has lots of fun book choices!). This is one of our favorite programs and have been participating in it for years!

Books-A-Million

Earn a free “Because of Winn-Dixie” notepad from Books-A-Million after completing their reading challenge. All you have to do is read 4 books from their Summer Reading Adventure picks in store or online. Track your reading progress in the provided reading guide book and then show your completed book to a Books-A-Million store associate to get your prize! Easy peasy!

Related: How To Listen To Audiobooks For Free

Camp Book-It

Sign your kids up for Camp Book-It through Pizza Hut. This is a fantastic summer reading program for your kids. All they have to do is set up a monthly reading goal and track their progress digitally. Once they reach their goal they will be sent a gift certificate for a free personal pan pizza!

Chuck-E-Cheese

Chuck-E-Cheese offers multiple reward charts for your kids to use to help them meet their goals. We like to print off this reading chart to encourage the kids to read during summer. All they have to do is read every day for two weeks and mark it on their chart. Once their chart is completed they can turn it in to Chuck-E-Cheese for 10 free play points! (Note: Food purchase is required to redeem play points).

Half Price Books

Half Price Books offers a fantastic summer reading program. Sign up here to receive a reward map for your child to use when reading. If they fill out the map they can redeem it for $5 Bookworms bucks to use at Half Price Books in June or July.

Public Library

Check your local library to see if they offer a free summer reading program for kids. My library has a great reading program each summer that my kids always look forward to! They always provide a lot of fun coupons, toys and other incentives.

Related: 10 Free Things At The Library

Scholastic

Kids can join the Scholastic reading program to earn digital rewards for their reading. One of the things I love about the Scholastic summer reading is that the more your kids read, the more books Scholastic will donate to kids in need. So cool, right!!! It makes reading fun for kids, and gives them the opportunity to help give to others.

Showcase Cinemas

If you live near a Showcase Cinemas you will want to look into their Bookworm Wednesdays reading program. Your child can receive free admission to a movie on Wednesdays when they bring in a book report written off of one of the books they recently read.

Another thing that makes this deal even sweeter is that accompanying parents/guardians, and siblings under 6 years of age will ALSO get free admission to a movie.

Sync

Teens can get two free audiobooks from Sync each week during the summer months. This program doesn’t have rewards or charts, but it is a fun way to help teenagers get free books and keep reading!

TD Bank

And last, but certainly not least is the kids summer reading program from TD Bank. They will deposit $10 into an existing bank account of a child who reads 10 or more books during the summer months!

In Conclusion

Encouraging your kids to participate in these free summer reading programs is one of the best ways to help keep their brains active and literary skills sharp during the summer months.

You can even turn your summer reading challenges into fun family time. Reading books together and meeting a goal is a great way to build memories as a family!

50 Fun Summer Activities For Kids

How To Save Money On Kids Clothes

At Home Preschool Activities

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I hope you enjoy these free summer reading programs as much as we do!

Free Virtual Field Trips for Kids

April 13, 2022 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Free Online Field Trips For Elementary School Kids!

Are you looking for some fun, free virtual field trips for kids? I’ve got you covered with this list of free online field trips perfect for elementary school kids, preschool aged kids, or anyone who loves to look at awesome places!

I can’t be the only person with bored kids at home??? I’m constantly being asked, “What can I do? There’s NOTHING to do!” Those poor darlings just think they live in the most boring house ever!

Well, one of the ideas I’ve started giving my kids is to take a free virtual field trip! This way they can experience the world, without even having to leave home! It’s educational and FUN, making mom happy and kiddos happy. Don’t we just love a double win??? Yes, yes we do!

Virtual Field Trips For Kids

I’ve scoured the internet to find the best free online field trips for elementary school kids! I hope your family and students enjoy them as much as we have!

Animal Field Trips

If you have animal lovers, then they are sure to love a few of the virtual animal field trips below.

AfriCam

Have you ever wanted to go on an African safari???? Try a virtual one with the live cameras in the African bush. AfriCam offers multiple camera views so you can enjoy all that Africa has to offer.

Dairy Farm

Learn all about the Dairy Farm with this fun virtual field trip. Kids will be able to tour a real dairy farm and learn all of the behind the scenes that goes on at the farm.

Hen Cam

Get a peek into life with chickens with the Hen Cam. It shows the day to day life of hens living in a backyard outside of Boston. Hens are so funny, I could watch them for hours!

Houston Zoo

Another fun animal virtual field trip is to the Houston Zoo. They have live webcams available to watch the elephants, flamingos, river otters and more!

Marineland Dolphin Adventure

For any dolphin or marine animal lovers out there, you must attend the virtual Marineland Dolphin Adventure for an up close look at a variety of sea animals.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Take a trip to the aquarium without leaving home! The Monterey Bay Aquarium offers multiple cams for your viewing pleasure. You can watch the moon jelly, penguins, sea otters, sharks and more.

San Diego Zoo Cam

Another fun animal cam you can watch is the San Diego Zoo Cam. The San Diego Zoo has multiple animal cams available for you and your kiddos to enjoy. You can watch the apes, baboons, elephants, giraffes, hippos and more!

Zoo Atlanta Panda Cam

Watch the PandaCam on Zoo Atlanta’s YouTube Channel for a fun treat! You can tune in live whenever and wherever to watch the panda play, eat, and sleep.

Related: Free Summer Reading Programs For Kids 2021

Historical Field Trips

Teaching your students a lesson about an historical event or place? Use one of the virtual field trips below to help bring that history to life.

9/11 Memorial Museum

Take a walk through the 9/11 Memorial Museum with this interactive virtual tour. This tour does an amazing job of making you feel like you are actually at the memorial museum, viewing the exhibits up close and personal. It was very moving to go through.

Anne Frank Secret Annex

Tour the Secret Annex where Anne Frank and her family lived in hiding from 1942-1944. This is a great virtual tour to see exactly where the Frank family and others lived during WW2 and to learn more about their stories.

Buckingham Palace

Take a peek inside Buckingham Palace here! You can virtually tour the throne room, grand staircase and white drawing room.

Colonial Williamsburg

Another fun history virtual field trip is to Colonial Williamsburg. It’s a great look into what was life during colonial times.

Ellis Island

I love this interactive tour of Ellis Island. They have audio, pictures, and video from passengers arrive on Ellis Island. The tour takes you step by step through the immigration process into the United States. It’s very informative and interesting.

Ford’s Theater

Ford’s Theater virtual tour is a great way to learn more about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the events that took place that fateful night. Through images of the restored theater, students will learn more about the timeline and experiences of the night Lincoln died.

Great Wall of China

Go on a field trip to the Great Wall of China from the comfort of your own home with this virtual tour!

Mount Vernon

George Washingtons home, Mount Vernon, is a beautifully restored home. This virtual tour will take you through each room of Mount Vernon so that you can get a view of what it looked like when George and Martha lived there.

Museum of the American Revolution

If you or your students are studying about the American Revolution, be sure to check out this field trip to the Museum of the American Revolution. Lauren Tarshie, author of the I Survived series, guides the field trip, with a deeper look to the revolution, with a kid friendly twist.

National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center offers multiple free virtual tours for elementary kids. Each video teaches kids about the signing of the constitution, the civil war and founding of America.

National Museum of Natural History

Check out all of the rooms of the National Museum of Natural History. This is a self guided tour allowing you to view your favorite areas however and whenever you want!

Plimoth Plantation

Visit the Plimoth Plantation with this virtual field trip to learn more about the early settlers of the United States. The tour includes multiple videos and a slideshow.

Statue of Liberty

Tour the Statue of Liberty with this online field trip. It’s a great way to see what it looks like from the inside and to learn more about it’s history.

Titanic Wreckage

Have you ever wanted to see what the Titanic looks under water? Now you can with this Titanic virtual tour. It’s a fun way to teach kids about a historical event and give them a look at what happens to an object under water.

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Great Outdoors Field Trips

Want to see all of the beauty the great outdoors has to offer without leaving your house? Well you can with these outdoors virtual field trips!

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon Virtual Tour is a an amazing tour along the Grand Canyon Rim to the Colorado River. You’ll be able to join a 2 hour tour of the Grand Canyon to see all of the sights it has to offer!

Hawaii Volcanos

Check out these amazing Webcams of Hawaiian Volcanoes! I had so much fun viewing all of the volcano images and can’t wait to show them to my kids. It’s a great educational virtual field trip!

Mount Rushmore

Get a birds eye view of Mount Rushmore with this virtual field trip. You’ll get to explore the monument up close and personal, for a little taste of what it would be like to actually be there.

Son Doong Cave

Travel to Vietnam and tour the largest cave in the world, with the Son Doong Cave virtual tour. The calming sounds and pictures transports you straight into this beautiful cave.

Yellowstone

Take a virtual field trip to Yellowstone National Park. You can view Mammoth Hot Springs, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Mud Volcano and more! It’s such a fun way to see all of the unique beauty Yellowstone has to offer, without ever leaving your house!

Yosemite

Yosemite is such a beautiful park and I had so much fun visiting it virtually with this field trip.

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Space Field Trips

Take a trip to space with these fun virtual field trips.

Mars

I absolutely love this virtual field trip to Mars. You’ll get to tour the real surface of Mars that was previously recorded by NASAS Curiosity Rover.

Slime in Space

You must check out this fun slime in space virtual field trip. Here students will get to learn how slime acts when it’s in space. This is a really fun field trip and experiment!

Space Station

I’m always curious about life in space, and every kid I’ve met is too! Here’s a fun virtual field trip to the international space station. Get a peek into how astronauts live in space and what it’s like working at the space station.

Stellarium

Take a fun field trip to the stars. Check out Stallarium Web to view the constellations, stars and planets. You can even input your location to locate the stars right above your backyard.

Sun

I love this virtual tour to the sun. It’s really well made and even makes stops to the moon, Venus and Mercury.

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Educational Virtual Field Trips

Below are some of my favorite educational online field trips.

Bright Farms

Learn more about how food is grown with the BrightFarms Virtual Field Trip. You’ll get to peek inside of a greenhouse and watch how indoor farming works!

M&M Candy Factory Tour

Here’s a really fun virtual tour of the M&M Candy Factory. Watch the entire process of what it takes to make M&Ms. It’s a really fun video and tour!

Memphis Fire Department

Here is a fun virtual field trip of a Memphis Fire Department. Learn all about fire stations and get a look at a fire engine up close and personal.

Mount Olive Pickles Tour

Another fun educational virtual field trip is the Mount Olive Pickles Tour. It’s an interesting tour showing the entire process of taking a cucumber and turning it into multiple types of pickles.

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Learn more about aviation with a tour of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. With this virtual tour you’ll be able to see different aircrafts and missiles on display, and learn a few interesting facts about aviation history.

Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy offers multiple virtual field trips for students to take right from the comfort of their home or classroom. You can choose from multiple topics covered including, climate change, coral, ecosystems and more, there is something for everyone!

Recycling Center

Teach your kids all about recycling with this recycling center virtual tour. They will learn all about the importance of recycling, and get to watch the big equipment sorting and packing the recycled materials.

Sawmill Tour

Tour the Collum’s Lumber Yard and learn how pine trees are turned into lumber. It’s a really fun behind the scenes video!

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Art Field Trips

Do you have an art lover in your classroom? Take a few of these fun virtual art field trips below!

Frida Kahlo Museum

Virtually explore the beautiful home of famed artist, Frida Kahlo. Her home, Casa Azul, is full of so much beauty and original art. It is a masterpiece that is so fun to view from the comfort of your own home.

National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art has multiple video tours and lessons for elementary school kids to take to help them learn more about art. This is a great resource for teachers and parents!

Vatican Museums

Virtually visit the Vatican Museums and get a close up look of the beautiful art and architecture in each one. Your students will be able look inside the Sistine Chapel, Raphaels Rooms, and more!

In Conclusion

We are so lucky to live during a time when we can travel the world as a family or class, without even having to leave our house. I hope you enjoy some of these free virtual field trips for kids!