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20 Ideas for Summer Fun with Preschool Kids

20 Ideas for Summer Fun with Preschool KidsSummer is here and we are ready to play! Are you looking for fresh ideas to keep your little ones entertained this summer? Here are 20 ideas for summer fun with preschool kids to help you have fun with your family during the hot months ahead. Need ideas for your toddler? You’ll find five fun ideas to entertain your toddler this summer here. I’ve joined with my favorite kid bloggers to share our favorite summer ideas for kids and families, so be sure to hop around to the links at the bottom of this post.

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Five Free Field Trips for Kids Under 5 + Fabulously Frugal

5 fun free field trips for kids under 5Sometimes you just need to get the kids out of the house, right?! With 2 little ones, cabin fever set in with this winter weather and our usual neighborhood walks and nature hikes become slightly less appealing. We have to get creative to get the kids out and doing something fun without the budget taking a hit. Here are five of our favorite free field trips for kids under 5 to give you some inspiration and get you out of the house. Bonus: If you are a blogger, link up your latest frugal post to the Fabulously Frugal Link Party at the bottom of this page. You can find more of our frugal living ideas here, and our fun for preschool kids here.

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Five Easy Ways to Entertain Toddlers in the Summer

Summer is officially here and our regular week day events during the school year have slowed down or stopped completely until September and we are constantly looking for ways to keep the Bear entertained.  Today I’m breaking down my favorite toddler entertaining ideas for you that are all free or super cheap ways to beat the heat and keep that kiddo happy.

#1 Fill up a Kiddie Pool in your yard.  We actually have 2, one from Amazon and one from a consignment sale and he LOVES them.  He will splash and play for hours in both of them.  Give a toddler a hose and a few buckets and he will be happy all day.  At the end of the day we take his buckets and water the plants and trees with whatever is left in the pools, so nothing goes to waste.
#2 Visit you neighborhood pool.  Our city has 5 neighborhood pools and membership is super cheap ($60 for the whole family for all 5 pools all summer).  We visit a different pool every few days and swim our hearts out.  The Bear has a great little Puddlejumper life jacket and is already jumping off the wall into the water.  We love it and he always eats and sleeps well after a big swim.  As a former pool rat (shout out to my Leawood pool peeps) there is no better summer getaway than the neighborhood pool.  We use cloth swim diapers in both our backyard and our neighborhood pool.  You can read all about swim diapers here and shop for them here.
#3 Go to Story Time at the Library. Air conditioning + free = awesome.  Our local library has story times for every age group as well as one for the whole family.  We signed up for the toddler class and are so excited to have an air conditioned, fun, educational, and FREE place to get out of the sun all summer long.
#4 Find a free Splash Park in your area.  We are so lucky to have several free splash parks near our house and will be spending lots of time there this summer when the playground equipment is too hot to touch. Check out your city’s Parks and Recreation website to find splash parks in your area.  They typically have several water elements and a soft pad underneath for kids to run on barefoot.
#5 Mall walk and play at the indoor playground.  Several of our local malls have great indoor, air conditioned play spaces perfect for toddlers.  We pack up the fam and a picnic lunch and head to the mall in the morning to mall walk like champs getting a little exercise for mama and then hit the mall play ground to get a work out for the Bear.  Everybody wins and nobody sweats.
How do you entertain yourself and/or your kids in the summer?

Family Fun in DFW: Amazing Jake’s Plano

Family Fun with GoKarts at Amazing Jakes

Summer days are long and hot in Texas, and we are always looking for a way to beat the heat and have fun as a family. Recently we had the opportunity to visit Amazing Jake’s in Plano, and it was a blast for the whole family. Located close to 75/North Central Expressway in Collin Creek Mall, Amazing Jake’s is worth the drive from all over the metroplex. Read on to find what we thought about the entertainment at Amazing Jake’s for toddlers, preschoolers, and adults.

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Gifts for Toddlers ~ Educational, Active, & Fun Ideas

The Best Gifts for Toddlers Educational Active Fun Ideas

Toddlers are fun all year round, but especially during the holidays. They can be a handful, but fill my heart with joy as well. Their eyes aglow with wonder at the lights on the tree, singing carols with the words all wrong, throwing a fit during that visit with Santa, caring more about the gift wrap than the present itself… all of it makes for a special holiday season. If you are looking to be strategic with your toddler gift giving this year by choosing gifts that will grow with your child and benefit them throughout the year, I’ve got the list for the best gifts for toddlers with options for every budget. With an 18 month old and 3 year old in our house, we are not looking to pile a bunch of stuff under the tree, but want to give our kids meaningful, useful gifts they’ll love. At this age you get to choose the gifts you want them to have rather than the latest toy they’re obsessed with, because they don’t really know any better. Read on to find our ideas and share your own in the comments section.

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Family Travel: Our Smoky Mountain Family Vacation at Hidden Mountain Resort

hiddenmountaincabinfront2

Our family loves to spend the summer traveling, and this year we were blessed to spend a few days of our family vacation in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee at Hidden Mountain Resort. The family owned resort features luxury cabin rentals and villas, as well as a motor coach resort. Located in Sevierville, Tennessee, Hidden Mountain is close to all of the action in The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg, but feels tucked away and secluded. We stayed at Hidden Mountain at no cost in exchange for this review, but all opinions are strictly my own. Read on to find out why we love cabin rentals for frugal family vacations, what we thought about Hidden Mountain Resort, and how you can win a trip of your own to the Smoky Mountains.

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