• It may not be free, but many times, the local high schools put on an end of the year play with a title that even small children would even recognize. Wizard of Oz and Annie are popular ones that schools perform and children would love.

• In a nearby town, the small city is funding a professional theatre company to come in to the town's amphitheatre and perform a few plays for the city's residents, all for free. This is a good time of year to scour your town's paper and websites to see if anything similar is happening.

• Lastly, this is not free either, but if you think your child might be interested in dance or taking music lessons, many places offer summer lessons and day camps. These are wonderful ways for your children to experience their interest without you having to make a commitment for more than a summer. This is especially great if you or your child are unsure of how long the interest will last or to gain some first-hand experience with the studio before committing. We tried out a dance company this way and found it was a perfect fit for our daughter and then signed up for the following fall.

Labels: Frugal Family Fun Series, fun with the kids

# posted by Heather@justdoingmybest @ Friday, April 24, 2009