Cheap Fun with a Toddler

Around these parts, we try to get out of the house and do fun things, but has anyone else noticed how EXPENSIVE it is to go do fun stuff with kids? The Minnesota Zoo... cha-ching! Trampoline world... cha-ching! Target... cha-ching! Pretty soon, you find yourself gazing down at the toddler asking if he would prefer to go on the ferris wheel one more time or if he would like a pack of diapers for bedtime next month. And since he isn't the one changing the sheets at two in the morning, you know which one he's going to choose.

So in order to save ourselves an early-morning headache and a few bucks on laundry, we've been trying to find some good fun to have around our neighborhood. We've made multiple trips to a local park, we've broken out the garden hose, and on the days where it's just too hot and humid to venture out, we get extra creative.

Because all a toddler really needs for fun is a bullhorn, we spent no less than two hours playing with this one.

It also doubled as a spyglass, which made it extra fun.

And when all else fails, you can always teach your toddler how to use your camera and serve as his muse.

And if you're really lucky along the way, he might even capture a really sweet picture of his sister... along with about six hundred shots of your knees.

But all of these make for an excellent afternoon of fun, provided that you remind your toddler not to drop the camera and that you have an army of snacks at the ready to distract him from deleting all the pictures on your photo card.