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Fun On the Cheap
By Lissa Carter
The desire to give our kids the best life possible is not limited (fortunately) to those in the higher income brackets. It can be frustrating to page through parenting books and magazines filled with incredible ideas for educating, enlightening and entertaining your children only to find that none of them fits your budget. Yet no matter how straitened your circumstances, this incredible city offers a cornucopia of activities that will delight your children, unite your family and even instill some moral fiber, all for free.
In the past month, my 3-year-old has:
• Taken a guided walk through a park, learning about edible wild plants and how to make his own toys from natural materials
• Studied the Chinese language with audio and visual aids
• Visited an aquarium and learned about the importance of the ocean ecosystem and how to keep it clean
• Listened to incredible bluegrass and old-time musicians play, and learned about their instruments
• Had a few lessons in Irish step-dancing and traditional Appalachian clogging
• Received a delicious breakfast, bicycle light and yoyo (complete with sound effects) while learning about the environmental benefits of biking
• Sampled the cuisine of several local restaurants and learned about the importance of community involvement
• Watched a documentary about life in the ocean on a large screen
• Visited the Children’s Garden and the new Chinese Garden at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens.
None of these activities cost a thing, and my son is still talking about them, asking about what he has learned and using his experiences to develop new ideas about the world around him.
I discovered some of these opportunities simply by reading the calendar in L.A. Parent and at www.LAParent.com and circling everything with the lovely word “free.” I also regularly check the calendar in local papers like the Argonaut and the Santa Monica Daily Press.
I created others by calling and offering to volunteer for an event in exchange for free admission. By participating in a beach cleanup, for example, my son gained free aquarium admission; by helping set up for the event, my family attended the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest for free.
Some events, like the Huntington’s Free Day or free concerts at the Disney Hall, require advance planning and reservations (and tickets are snapped up quickly). Check the Web sites of museums, concert halls and parks that interest you to find out when and where to get free tickets.
And finally, I have become the public library’s biggest fan. They sponsor free play groups, craft days, concerts and movie screenings (often complete with refreshments), not to mention their incredible educational resources. And don’t stop at books: the libraries have language-learning tapes, free Internet access, videos on every topic from dancing to learning the alphabet, and CDs of wonderful children’s music. I’ve learned how to hula dance, sew my own clothing, speak basic Spanish, identify animal tracks and make dim sum, thanks to the library’s video collection.
Those of us who are scraping by on slim budgets need some extra flexibility and determination, but there are hidden rewards. Not being able to pick and choose forces us to broaden our horizons, engages us more completely in our children’s lives, and helps us demonstrate to our children that money is not the be-all and end-all of human existence.
Here are some additional places to find great opportunities for your family:
• Check the Web sites of places you’d like to go (the arboretum, concert halls, museums) to find out about upcoming free events. As soon as you hear of one, reserve a space – they go fast!
• Look into the schedule of free lectures and events at your local university or community college.
• Pick up a copy of OUTDOORS, the magazine of the Santa Monica Mountains park system. They have free campfires, guided walks, concerts, lectures, astronomy lessons and crafts.
• Check out www.metro.net and www.bikewalk.org for information on getting around without a car. As a bonus, you can often find great educational events and giveaways related to car-free living. Metro has a trip planner tool that takes a lot of the guesswork out of getting where you need to go.
I promise you, all of this homework pays off. Yesterday morning my son and I gathered some edible wild plants for lunch, rolled back the carpet and had a wild Irish dancing session, identified birds along the bike trail, and conversed together in Mandarin. And it didn’t cost a dime.
Lissa Carter is a budget-minded L.A. mom.
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