We’re always looking for ways to make more memories with our families and just have some plain ol’ fun together! Especially on weekends, plan to set aside a few hours for more fun with your family. It doesn’t have to be complicated! So many simple and fun family projects are easy and affordable, even downright cheap! Sign up for MealEssence.com today and get more ideas for fun family time. Use our meal planning tools to make it quick and easy every day!

Here’s a variety of fun ideas that will bring more fun to almost any family, no matter the age group or interests. Some early teens may balk at doing things they’d call “little kid stuff,” but remember there’s a child—who wants to have more fun—in all of us! Use MealEssence.com as your easy source for good-for-you recipes to go with family fun!

I’m not talking cross-country...take a mini trip on a city bus. This can be a real adventure and an inexpensive outing. Most city bus services have websites packed with information about routes, fares, how to ride the bus, and lots more.

Here’s a tip: a quick online search shows inexpensive day passes are often available for only $2.00, so check about day passes in your locality.

Choose a route past public monuments, historic neighborhoods, the library, a farmers market, a city park—even a city college or university. If you don’t live along a bus route, find the location of a convenient bus stop and plan to walk or drive to the starting point. Earlier in the week, take 10 minutes and write out the “itinerary.” Then let the kids decorate one for each family member to take along on your adventure.
 
I urge you to go online for easy access to your city’s bus service and choose a route for some fun! Take along a homemade treat or two (you’ll find something quick on MealEssence.com, of course!) to share together at your destination.

Invite a family over for an afternoon or evening to cook up a huge batch of salsa, granola, brownies, or whatever appeals to your “foodie” hearts. This is a fun night to include older kids. Everyone gets involved!

Plan ahead for Foodie Night. Simply click and add the recipes you’ll use to your Meal Essence meal planner, or include the items directly to the interactive shopping list to print for your trip to the grocery.

More about Foodie Night...Get goofy! Someone can take the roll of a favorite food program personality and be head chef for the night! Serve the just-made treat as the main attraction to go with a fast card game, sharing a fun movie with your guests, or just kick back and relax.

Icing on the cake? Be sure to make plenty so you can divvy up the main attraction with your friends, “to go.” Look for a recipe on MealEssence.com to star for Foodie Fun Night!

Pick a small, sunny garden spot close to the kitchen—or use 3 or 4 medium pots (recycle and mismatch are fine). Oregano, basil, and parsley are super-simple to grow and will sprout quickly. You can find seed packets for as little as 10 cents each at almost any store in the spring at the start of planting season.

Or instead of buying seeds, save a stem from fresh herbs bought at the grocery store...I rarely use the whole sprig. Make a fresh cut at the bottom of the stem and place in a small glass of water and place in bright, indirect sunlight for a few weeks. (Be sure to remove any leaves below the water line, and watch that it doesn’t dry out!) Plant the “starts” when you see roots about 1 to 2 inches long.

A kitchen garden is a fun project to do with the family, and the results mean more savings and more fresh flavor at the dinner table. There’s no comparison between fresh, growing herbs just steps from the kitchen and what you pay for a tiny sprig at the grocery. So start your kitchen garden today for months of fresh flavor! Now’s the time to select some flavorful recipes featuring fresh herbs on MealEssence.com!

Do you have a budding chemist at your house? You can prepare more than food in the kitchen!

Finger paints and other homemade concoctions are fun to make and use. Here’s a link to 9 recipes, including water colors, scratch and sniff paints, puff paints, and more.

Source for Cook Up Some Fun: http://www.betterbudgeting.com/articles/frugalfun/fingerpaint.htm
Accessed 4.13.10

At MealEssence.com, you’ll find links to help make family time  more fun time. Sign up today for full access to our site full of good ideas and deliciously easy recipes!