Day by Day: Free/Low Cost Spring Break ideas for Philly Kids

    Breaks on a stage, breaks on a screen/ Breaks to make your wallet lean/ Breaks run cold and breaks run hot/ Some folks got ’em and some have not/ But these are the breaks…. break it up, break it up, break it up….

    Go watch Kurtis Blow’s classic hip hop anthem “The Breaks” with the kids and start your spring break with a short lesson in hip hop history. Then continue on your journey with G-town Avenue Parent’s free and low-cost ideas for every day of spring break with your young ones.

     

    Monday, March 25, 2013: Volunteer for the SHARE Food Program and receive a box of low cost fresh vegetables and fruits. SHARE works with local farms, food distributors and other organizations to provide healthy and wholesome food to Philadelphia and surrounding communities. You and your kids can volunteer two hours of time packing groceries for SHARE, or volunteer two hours of time choosing your own neighborhood work. Your involvement equals a box of fresh produce and dairy at half the cost of your regular grocery store. Check their website for more details, and for their own local farming programs.

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    Tuesday, March 26: Dress your kids in Phillies gear and get into Please Touch Museum completely free from 9:00am to 12:00pm today only! Go Phils!  Dance Party with the Phillie Phanatic at 11am!

     

    Wednesday , March 27: Wednesday nights are pay-what-you-wish at the Philadelphia Art Museum. Drop in a few bucks, and have a night art journey with your family. I like to pretend we are part of the sibling crew in the story From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and dreaming of ways to live in an art museum. Also check out the Outsider Art exhibit with the kids, who already know that art can come from anyone!

     

    Thursday, March 28: Smith Playground is free every day, and the outside area is almost open (reopens on April 2nd). This week, the open playhouse is a nice stop for a middle of the day block building and basement vehicle driving session.

     

    Friday, March 29: Head over to the Central Free Library branch and peruse the Rare Books exhibit from children’s book illustrator Robert Lawson. Lawson is known for some of his famous work in The Story of Ferdinand and Mr. Popper’s Penguins. The library has first editions of books, and lots of his etchings of fantastical creatures. While you’re there, you can do work on a family research project (see below).

     

    All week:

    Spells Writing Lab and CRED Magazine is having a Spring Break Writing Camp called Magazine Madness. They’ll be planning, writing, and designing an entire magazine in only five day, teaching kids all about the magazine business — writing feature articles, creating visuals, and designing the layout. They’ll work with staff from the CRED magazine as well as other local experts. They’re still accepting registration!Monday, March 25–Friday, March 29, 9 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. at Spells Writing LabFor ages 7–14

    – Express yourselves with all kinds of painting. Paint with cars, paint with cups, mix paint with sand, paint with mud. Take painting to a whole new level on break.

    – Check out the classes and activities at your local recreation center. Kroc Center in Germantown has a Family Rec Night, and the YMCA in Roxborough has a steady schedule of classes and workshops.

    – Go on a worm hunt. Self-explanatory. Down in the dirt.

    – Have a mud puddle party. While you’re down in the dirt, you might as well have a mud party. Take the kids to the Wissahickon trails in their rain boots and let them stomp around in the puddles. Check out the book I Love Dirt! for more ideas of fun in mud.

    – Do a family research project. I know, I know, school’s out. But what about researching your own family topics of choice? Get the family together and figure out what you all want to learn more about. In a family of mixed ages this could be challenging, but there could also be overlapping. Mama Maleka wants to do a research project about economic justice. Ha! How do you get a three-year-old interested in that? Involve counting pennies! They love pennies! Figure out a way to involve places in the Philadelphia area to be included in your family research. Now go!

     

    Northwest Philly Parents is a partnership between Newsworks and Germantown Avenue Parents

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