Finding new and exciting things to do with your kids on the weekend, week after week, can be hard. Not to mention expensive. When planning your next weekend outing don’t overlook the many free or low-cost activities available to you. No matter what city you live in, there will probably be a host of free child-friendly activities you can delight in. I’m constantly on the prowl, checking the newspaper or listening to the radio or watching TV for news of what’s happening here in Mobile.
During the summer months there were many special free events like storytime, which was not only held at all branch locations of our local library, but several of the major bookstores also hosted storytime events. Another great freebie was several weeks of free music, face painting and other kids activities at a downtown park every Thursday.
Our local library sponsors weekly family films and many are current. This week, for instance, they are showing Curious George. The movies start at 6:30 and kids are encouraged to bring sleeping bags or blankets and sprawl on the floor and enjoy themselves.
The City of Mobile along with the Mobile Recreation Department have on-going classes throughout the year. Although the classes are not free they are very inexpensive. A four week class will run you about $12-20. They have everything from ceramics to karate, to art classes. So check with the recreation department in your city to find out what they offer.
This weekend there was a lot of different free activities taking place. Since both Tyler and I are bibliophiles, it wasn’t hard for me to choose the grand re-opening of one of the branches of our local library, which had suffered storm damage last year. On Friday, the official ribbon cutting ceremony took place, but Saturday was the grand celebration. The event drew a large crowd and we were treated to face painting, a huge selection of breakfast goodies, pizza for lunch, special activities for the kids like bead making, and coloring. Balloon animals were made for anyone willing to stand in the long line to get one. There was a special storytime with an appearance by the mouse from If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, and a giant raindrop from the Mobile Water Works dropped by to hug kids and pass out an activity/coloring book. There was also this neat scavenger hunt where everyone basically won. The prize was a free movie rental (we normally pay $1.00 for non-educational movies). And finally all kids were given their choice of one free book. Not bad for a four hour event and it didn’t cost me a penny.
So if you are looking for something fun and free to do on the weekends, you may need to look no further than your local library or city recreation department. Upcoming events in Mobile, include trick or treating at all branches. Kids get to don their favorite costume, and trick or treat in the safety of the library where they will not only get candy and other goodies but there will be lots of fun activities for the whole family. So you know Tyler and I will be there.