Cheaper and fun things to do with kids during the summer?

Question

We live out in the middle no where and there are aren’t a lot of options unless we drive. We are doing two vacations this year but wondering some fun activities to do that aren’t super pricey. I have a 9 year old and a 1 year old

Answer

Beach, lake, hiking, nature trails, zoo type of things...

Answer

We go exploring a lot.  We’ll take the kids over to the state gamelands when it’s not hunting season and let them hike, play in the creek, look for bones (they’re always finding skeletons out there).  They also like looking for different animal prints in the mud and figuring out what they are.  We do daily family walks as well, usually after dinner when the suns not as scorching hot.

Answer

Things we do in the summer —
We play "beach" in the backyard with the plastic kiddy pool and the sandbox. 
I bought tempera paint markers on amazon and they draw on the sliding glass doors then use dollar store spray bottles with water and rags to clean the glass … and get into water fights. 
We got an inexpensive pop-up tent and lanterns and play "camping" in the backyard. 
We make sandwiches and put together snacks to pack a picnic then eat outside. 
Collect dandelions and weave them into bracelets and crowns. 
Go to nearby u-pick farms to pick fruit. 
I look up different playgrounds and parks and we drive out to them (usually pack a picnic and bubbles). 
We go fishing in ponds. 
We also go to the library which has weekly scheduled activities.

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One might be small, but in our strategy there is a summer bowling thing that you can sign up for and certain bowling alleys allow kids (and there is a family pass) where you get two free games, all you need to pay is for shoes. A bunch of bowling alleys participate, maybe see if you have something like that? I paid about $35 it starts this month and goes until September

Answer

I'm due in August, so we are just at home with our 3 year old this summer. We're just gonna have a lot of chill time. Do you have a garden or park near by? Water play is usually fun for all ages if that's possible.
We have a garden, so we have been planting peas and strawberries and we might try a few other. My dusghter thinks it's very fun to keep an eye on things she's been a part of planting.
We might visit some family also.
Take a day at a near by zoo.
But other than that we're just gonna chill at home. It's boring, but clearly the thing that makes our daughter the happiest. Play time and attention 😊