Review: The family that plays together stays together
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 22, 2013
"Frugal" - now there's a word I haven't heard very often in the last few decades. But I'm hearing it more and more nowadays, as the weak economy has forced many families to cut back on expenses. I have two nieces whose parents took them to Disney World four times before they were eleven years old. But not last year or this year. Now they're staying closer to home and doing less expensive outings and activities. Author Kaylee Cole has addressed this more frugal lifestyle in "101 Frugal Family Activities for the Busy Parent," which is loaded with free or inexpensive activities for the whole family. She rates each activity for cost, duration, parental effort, and kid fun potential. There are both indoor and outdoor activities, although some activities could be done either way.Some of the activities are reminiscent of what my siblings and I were doing 50-60 years ago, but they're still fun. We just freelanced our paper airplane designs, but the author notes that today's kids (and grownups) can find really cool designs on the internet. And why not create your own bowling alley from those ubiquitous 2-liter soft drink bottles (or for a smaller scale, use toilet paper rolls) and a ball of some kind. Or let your kids rediscover the board games and card games that their grandparents used to play.Even if your kids have never baked anything, let them have a go at making gingerbread houses. They'll learn a bit about cooking and decorating art, and afterward, they can eat their creations. Reading, of course, has never gone out of style, but with ebook readers and audio books, it's a new adventure in technology that appeals to kids who routinely use digital devices. The same goes for family movie watching, which is easier and cheaper than ever before. And hey, let the kids make their own movies with a camera or cellphone.I won't give it all away, but the book is chock full of ideas for inexpensive family fun. And who knows, your family just might come a little closer together when they play together.A review copy of the book was provided by the author.