Children can often get bored during the summer, especially if you have a low budget that prevents you from taking your children to fun events. As a parent to 3, I have to try to think of new and interesting things for my kids to do or they’ll drive ME crazy. Everything we do in my family has to be on a low budget. Not something I’m happy with, but hey what can you do? You have to *make the most with what you’ve got* and find the resources that fit your situation. Below are some ideas that everyone can take advantage of but especially are aimed at people who really don’t have a lot of extra cash to spend.
Cheap Summer Activities for Children in Bakersfield, California#1 Library:
Many Bakersfield libraries have activities for children such as story time. Call the library in your area for more information. For information online, visit this link: http://www.kerncountylibrary.org/HTML/news/events.html . It gives a list of local Bakersfield libraries with what events the libraries are having. (FREE ACTIVITY)
Cheap Summer Activities for Children in Bakersfield, California#2 Mall:
The Valley Plaza Mall has a special time for younger kids aged 3-6 to do crafts, etc. It is sponsored by Noggin. It’s a perfect way to escape the hot summer heat and watch your child to cute projects indoors. For more information, visit the Valley Plaza web page at: http://www.valleyplazamall.com/html/Index2.asp . (FREE ACTIVITY)
Cheap Summer Activities for Children in Bakersfield, California#3 Vacation Bible Schools:
Singing, dancing, crafts and more! Some churches have Vacation Bible School for free while some others charge (usually) between $10 -$15 dollars. If you don’t think you can swing paying the fee, ask the church if they will either lower it or allow your kids to go without paying it (some churches have a no child is turned away at VBS motto). OR if you have a family member that can afford it and probably wouldn’t mind, ask if they would pay for it. There is no shame for asking for something like that once in a while. Sometimes the fee even includes a T-shirt and a special dinner at the end of VBS. My children loved going to different Vacation Bible schools and if you have a child that is going into Kindergarten this year and they don’t have any experience being around lots of other kids, it’s a good way to see how they may handle being in school. (FREE or SMALL FEE)
A web site that I found helpful is Bakersfield’s Just For Kids ( http://www.ci.bakersfield.ca.us/kids/bakersfieldfun.htm ). The web site offers links and lists of fun activities your child could take part in.
Some of the information listed is:
Fun & Educational
FACT, Facility for Animal Care and Treatment,
Wildlife Education,
California State University, Bakersfield, CA 93311
Telephone:664-3167
http://www.csub.edu/fact/
Museums
Bakersfield Museum of Art
1930 R Street
Bakersfield, CA 93301
661-323-7219
http://www.bmoa.org/
Buena Vista Museum of Natural History
2018 Chester Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93301
661-324-6350
http://www.sharktoothhill.com/
Buck Owens Crystal Palace Museum
2800 Buck Owens Boulevard
Bakersfield, CA 93308
661-328-7560
http://www.buckowens.com/museum.html
California Living Museum (CALM)
10500 Alfred Harrell Highway
Bakersfield, CA 93306
661-872-2256
Kern County Museum
3801 Chester Avenue
Bakersfield, California 93301
Telephone: (661) 852-5000
Fax: (661) 322-6415
http://www.kcmuseum.org/info
You can also look into having your child join a club. Many clubs have pool parties or other activities during summer.
Fun Clubs & Organizations
4-H Clubs of Kern County
1031 S. Mount Vernon Ave., 661-328-6216. Provides a variety of programs, including arts and crafts, sports in both tradition club setting and outreach programs, as well as involvement with raising animals.
http://www.co.kern.ca.us./farm/farm.htm
Bakersfield Police Activities League:
301 E. Fourth St. 661 283-8880
Provides programs for children at no cost. Includes computer classes, several sports, community service, art programs, aerobics classes and more!
http://www.bakersfieldpal.org
Boys and Girls Clubs of Bakersfield
801 Niles Street
Bakersfield, California 93385
Telephone: (661) 325-3730
Boy Scouts:
Southern Sierracouncil: 2417 M Street., 661 325-9036.
http://www.southernsierrabsa.org
Girl Scouts: Joshua Tree Council:
1831 Brundage Lane, 661-327-1409
http://www.girlsfirst.org
YMCA of Kern County
1920 F Street
Bakersfield, California 93301
Telephone: (661) 328-9622
These are examples of places in Bakersfield, but many towns & cities have the similar things. I used google to look these up, you can too! Fun is only a click away! 🙂 A lot of people think that if you don’t have the dough, you can’t have the fun. I know this because I used to think like that but the older my kids got, the more I became aware. Also, check your newspaper consistently, often organzations/businesses put on events for kids that are free or low cost.
