My family and I just spent this last weekend at the Royal Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining, a few cumulus clouds here and there and a slight breeze that cut down on the heat of the day. The flowers just added to the enjoyment and with the long pathways, wide open spaces and hidden forest gardens, my boys were able to enjoy it as well.

This isn’t to say that they were thrilled when I suggested the trip. “Ewww, flowers. That’s for girls,” they groaned and I saw two chins jutting out in defiance when I said, “Tough, we’re going to do something that I want to do for a change.”

When they got there, both were amazed. First, they were able to see a little informative clip on a tree that was found that can be traced back to the age of the dinosaurs. This tree is only found in one remote area in Australia, which is such a closely guarded secret that everyone who goes to the valley is blindfolded to protect it. Second, there was so much to see, so many places to run, and the rock garden provide so many paths to scramble up that it quickly became a favorite garden.

I was able to enjoy a more feminine outing, trust me, those are few and far between, while we hiked, yep couldn’t avoid that, and I gathered ideas for my own garden.

We packed a picnic lunch and ate it in a garden terrace filled with tons of greenery. That is one thing that I always stress for keeping costs down, don’t buy your food at the tourist spot. Pack a lunch or pick up a meal when you leave. The price of food can often drive up the cost of any trip when you buy it at the location.

At one point, my three year old shouted, “Look mamma, (my children call me mamma, despite the fact that I never use the word) this garden has a hibiscus.” To my surprise, he was right and we laughed at how well he could point out many of the plants around us.

When it comes to the overall expense of a trip, gardens rarely cost the exorbitant fees that other tourist attractions charge. For a day trip, with access to 4 gardens and a free shuttle between each one, we spent a total of 25 dollars for 4 people. So if you are looking for a nice way to spend a family outing, I would strongly suggest visiting a garden center.

You might be surprised at how many memories you can gain from the trip and as my husband, who used to make a yearly trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens as a kid, said, “This brings back some great memories.”

Sirena Van Schaik

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It was a quiet place that was occasionally interrupted by the shouts and flurry of reeling in the “big one.” Of course, the big one was never that big but in my mind, as I held up a fish bigger than my two hands were wide, I had a sense of pride that I had set records in the size of fish that I caught.

Now a days, I’m not as big about fishing as when I was younger. I seemed to have grown squeamish over the years and shudder at the practice of inserting a hook through a worm. My kids, on the other hand, rejoice when we plan a fishing trip and it is a great way to spend the day without having to worry about too much money.

Okay, before I go into anything, yes fishing can cost a lot of money but if you do it properly than it should cost too much. You will of course need a rod, reel and the other equipment for fishing but you don’t need to go top of the line for these things. A cheap kids fishing rod is perfect for a whole season or two of fishing. My kids have a fishing rod that cost 14.99 and it has lasted several years already. Adult rods can also be inexpensive so if you are looking for a rod simply for the enjoyment of taking your kids out, then by all means, go with a cheap rod.

After that, all you really need are hooks, weights, bobbers and some bait. You can get the first three things in kits for under 20 dollars and the last one can cost as little as 2.50. When I fish with my kids, we get very small fish, that do not require a net.

Lastly, a fishing liscence for the adult taking the kids on the fishing trip and for any children over 12 and you are all set.

When you first start up with this cheap summer activity, you often wonder if it is cheap after all. There are a number of items that you need but they can be reused several times. For instance, now when I take my kids out fishing, it costs us about $20 to $30 per trip. This includes gas, a picnic lunch, some worms and a quick stop at a local ice cream shop at the end of the day.

With the rising cost of everything, this is a very cheap day for four and we have a lot of fun. Since I despise fish, we toss everything we catch back and the only thing that we capture are photographs. I am sure the fish are relieved as I gently release them back into the water and I know I am overjoyed that I don’t have to scale and gut a bunch of fish.

So if you are looking for a cheap activity that is a lot of fun, try a day going fishing and don’t forget to pack some sunscreen, bug repellent and a nice picnic.

If you want some great tips on fishing and fly fishing in particular, visit Fly Fishing Dish.

Sirena Van Schaik

*The photos are of me on some river in British Columbia when I was about 5.*

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This is probably an easy summer activity to figure out and I probably don’t need to go too much into it but I will anyway.

I guess the main point before I launch into this cheap summer activity is that you need to have a beach near you to make this work. Whether this is an ocean beach or a lake front beach doesn’t matter, you simply need some nice place to prop a blanket, some cool water to play in and a nice warm day to make the whole package enjoyable.

This is actually a common activity for me and my family every summer. We start as soon as the days are warm enough and try to get out to the beach two or three times a month. We find that it is rather inexpensive and you can enjoy a full day of activities.

Generally, I like to mix in some hiking with this activity since I’m not a big fan of sitting on a beach and tanning. The hike works up a sweat and then the afternoon is spent frolicking in the cool waves and enjoying a nice picnic that always seems to evolve into a feeding frenzy and photo opp with the gulls.

If you are planning a day at the beach, here are a few suggestions of things to bring along:

• Sun Screen: Don’t forget to bring some good sunscreen and to reapply every time you get out of the water. For more on sunscreen safety read this post.
• A Great Picnic: Good food, sunshine, great conversations, laughter, sand, angry sea gulls screeching at you because you didn’t toss them a cheesy…ah, heaven. Okay, maybe not the sea gulls but everything else is great. Pack foods that don’t have a lot of packaging and something that can be eaten easily without too much worry over sand. Also, never pack anything with mayonnaise since it can spoil very quickly in a picnic basket and cause food poisoning.
• Handy Wet Naps: Never leave home without them, especially when you are at the beach. Clean off little fingers before they are licking chips and whatever else they have picked up at the beach.
• Sand Toys: I have forgotten these several times and although we made due with exploring, we missed out on the all important sand castle building during the trip.

And bring whatever else that you feel you need. We have a beach umbrella but find it more of a hindrance than anything and we occasionally bring a wagon to pull our gear down to the beach (something that’s seemed to multiply with each child).

Lastly, enjoy the spontaneity that a beach trip can create. Explore the tidal pools, dig up clams, and climb up sand dunes to simply see what was on the other side. One of the best trips to the beach for me was a spontaneous trip after a hiking trip. I hadn’t brought any swimsuits but that didn’t stop the kids and my husband from going in with only their shorts on. After watching them from the shore for about a half hour, I had finally had enough, threw off my running shoes, socks and then waded into the cool water to dive beneath the waves. Others on the beach looked at me like I was a lunatic but my kid’s laughed, splashed me with water and said, “You are so cool, Mom.”

Definitely a memory worth keeping.

Sirena Van Schaik

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