I have no kids or husband, and my sister asked me to watch two of my nephews (both 12) for most of their spring break. Like starting later today. They are high key addicted to devices so they are only allowed to bring their phones and my sister wants them to “touch grass“ while they are here (I have a small homestead).
I wished I’d had more of a heads up but I agreed. I already spent much of my paycheck on some stuff for the animals and some new livestock. When their younger brother came to visit for a few weeks we went out to eat a lot, took a road trip to the big city where we went to the Lego store, gamestop and the candy store, and I paid him for his help with the homestead chores. We baked brownies and bought candy and snacks and rented a movie he really wanted to see. I spoiled that kid the whole time he was here and now I’m upset I can’t afford to treat his brothers the same way. His mom said he bragged a lot about the trip too so I know they know all about it.
I still plan to pay them for helping with chores and was thinking we can do a bonfire and roast smores, plus we can always play with the baby animals. But I want to do at least one fun thing away from the homestead while they are here and I still have to feed them something. I’m on a weight loss medication so most of the food in the house is protein snacks and stuff, not a lot of food I’d think is appropriate for two pre-teens.
Any ideas for free or cheap things to do in a rural area with kids for fun and/or cheap meal ideas would be super helpful.
ETA: I do have lots of farm fresh eggs and a some beef in the freezer so that should help!
Unexpectedly hosting 2 preteens for a few days, how to entertain and feed them with limited budget?
byu/StarSweeper94 inFrugal
Posted by StarSweeper94
13 Comments
can’t you ask your sister to pitch in for taking care of your nephews and explain the situation? taking care of kids is a big deal and not a small thing, babysitters get paid a lot
I’d hope she’d understand being that this seems like a last minute thing. It’d be courteous of her and not just courteous it should be expected
If you have any sports equipment around, now is the time to break it out. Just a football can be fun.
Plan a scavenger hunt or try geocaching if it’s warmish in your area. I bet there are some around and they usually have small prizes.
Pizza dough isn’t too hard to make, you can do make-your-own pizzas. Nachos with some toppings can also be burritos for lunch the next day. A pitcher of lemonade wouldn’t be too expensive. S’mores is perfect. I bet you could find some mad libs-type activities online to print out to do with the s’mores. You could learn some different card games. Do you have a library? You could probably borrow some movies and comics and maybe even games. Make a fort in the living room and then read the comics in the fort with a flashlight.
12-year-olds are old enough to understand money. So you just be straight up with them and say, hey payday isn’t for another week so we don’t get to do as much town, but we can have fun on the farm instead. Next time when you come over, we can plan it a little better to do some stuff in town. Then let them set up a tent outside and camp out there overnight and build a fire and let them play cowboys. Take the goats for a walk and let them swim in the mud holes lol
Make a omelette buffet, or if you have stuff for mac & cheese, a mac & cheese buffet. Basically, a buffet where you can switch the toppings a lot.
Make it a competition of who make stuff the best, have printed sheets of what other people have done with their dulex omelette or mac and cheese.
Make them stew, or a casserole. Classic Easter dinner of mash potatoes and rolls with main course and candies. Make the boys make deviled eggs and color egg shells, be really hyped about it, take pictures, and asked them to use their phones to figure out how to make cool patterns (have a few suggestion too).
Movies, bowling, roller skating, mini golf, go carts, laser tag, if you live near a cool museum like a car one or airplane or science dicsovery one. You could also go fishing, or if you know a lot about wildlife, a good wildlife spot while pointing out that type of stuff.
Do they have a movie they really want to see? Do board games, go to the library and have them pick something out or play cards. Make it a competion to pick the next activity. I do not know how long they will stay, but impose the schedule on them.
Do you have the basics for baking, flour, oil, yogurt/sour cream, sugar, cocoa powder?
I have a homemade brownie mix that mimics a box of brownies and a recipe for naan that my kids love as flatbread pizza crusts. My go to when I want to do stuff with kids is baking as they tend to enjoy the results a lot and I always have the basics on hand.
Check your local parks department they might have stuff going on if it’s spring break where you are too. Since you mentioned eggs, you can do the rubber egg experiment where you dissolve the eggshell in vinegar.
Got a farmers market? Lots of people 3D print items and have stalls at those, theyre usually pretty cheap. Plus theres snacks they can buy.
Rent a movie for them too. Should be fairly cheap and the mario sequel just came out.
They can meal prep some snacks. Have them bake some brownies or cookies to eat while there.
Also its time to plant, get them some pots and see if you have any seed libraries. Mine was at the library.
The library may have a weekend activity. But usually the local pools and arenas are also pretty cheap to get into. Take them swimming or skating.
As for meals: pancake mix, bacon, homemade pizza (cheese and pepperoni), tacos, rice bowls, burritos. Popcorn is a pretty good snack.
Just be together. Play music. Tell stories. Work hard. Come up with meals where people help and clean up.
Life isn’t always going to be entertainment. The things that we think matter might not and so… I’d ask the kids, “what is one thing you hope to experience while you are here?” Maybe you can do it. Maybe not. It gives them a voice.
Mom of four here. Stock your freezer with popsicles and ice cream and pick up a box of ice cream cones. And buy things like tortilla chips (nachos) and fun easy foods like kraft Mac and cheese and hot dogs. Basically—stuff that’s not exactly “frugal” but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than stopping to get ice cream when you’re out.
Parks are great for kids—pick up a soccer ball or football (or borrow one—or ask their mom to send one) to bring with you when out.
Wherever you go, *always* bring refillable water bottles and snacks. Snacks that travel
Well are things like pretzels and goldfish that won’t be crushed easily.
Check your local movie theater. Ours use cheap but every Tuesday is half price. Stop at Walgreens on the way and let each kid pick out a box of candy to bring with them.
Teenage boys eat a LOT. Get some pizza, pasta, hot dogs, and burgers on hand.
Time outdoors is great. Ask a neighbor if the boys can learn to fish. Check with Mom, but some time with air rifles and other firearms can be fun. Also, you don’t need a permit or license to drive on private property, and the thrill of your first driving lesson is unbeatable. A friend once told me children spell love “TIME”. Kids that age generally don’t like to be across from you, feels like an interview. They like to face the same direction as you. Shoulder to shoulder is the best connection. Good luck!
You could roast hot dogs when you do the smores. You could do a popcorn and movie night. I know it’s unhealthy but kool aid is very cheap. Another fun thing you could do is bake some kind of treats like peanut butter cookies or brownies. Chili is pretty versatile as you could use it to top baked potatoes or make chili dogs. Another thing you can’t go wrong with is Frito pie. You could use Fritos, chili beans, taco meat, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream. They could build their own with whatever toppings they prefer.