{"id":10094,"date":"2016-10-06T09:18:26","date_gmt":"2016-10-06T13:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mayahoodblog.com\/?p=10094"},"modified":"2016-10-06T11:26:02","modified_gmt":"2016-10-06T15:26:02","slug":"school-back-full-swing-started-saving-childs-post-secondary-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mayahoodblog.com\/school-back-full-swing-started-saving-childs-post-secondary-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun and Free Activities to Enjoy with your Kids Year Round! And a GIVEAWAY"},"content":{"rendered":"
When I chose to became a stay-at-home mom, I gave up a few things; One of them being my sanity! Kidding aside, I did forgo my career (although I’ve somewhat started a new one), interacting with adults regularly (thank goodness for the invention of smart phones to keep in touch with the outside world) and my steady income. It was a personal choice that was completely\u00a0supported and encouraged by my husband but with it came some sacrifices. It meant that I was the sole entertainer for my kids as we would be foregoing putting them in day care and the loss of an income meant that I needed to hone in on my spending.<\/div>\n
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While the latter was more difficult as I’m a spender \/ shopper at heart, finding free and cheap activities for my boys was the easy part. Certainly some activities will always cost money like hockey, swimming lessons and soccer classes, there are a lot of things we do and enjoy that are free. Here are some seasonal and year-round activities that are free.<\/div>\n

Free Activities to do with your kids<\/h3>\n
Library<\/strong> – if you haven’t been to one lately, you don’t know what you’re missing. Libraries are so accommodating for kids and they’re usually sectioned off so you don’t have to “shush” your child every second. They can roam around, explore, take books off the shelves, and of course, enjoy your company while you read to them. We’ve literately spent hours at our local library especially during the winter. Most libraries also offer a variety of free drop-in programs year-round.<\/div>\n
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Arts and Crafts<\/strong> – It’s amazing what you can get at the dollar store these days. My kids rotate between painting, making bead necklaces, drawing in their colouring books, playing with playdoh and decorating with stickers. It’s great for their fine motor skills and gets their creative juices flowing. These activities are also perfect for a rainy day!<\/div>\n
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Skating<\/strong> – This is a favourite family outing for us during the winter! While skates aren’t free, you can buy them second-hand or borrow from family or neighbors. Public\u00a0outdoor rinks have several times when you can take your kids for a family skate. It’s not only free and fun, but a great way to get outside during the winter.<\/div>\n
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Tobogganing<\/strong> – There are so many great hills in and around Toronto, you can find just the right one for your child’s age. I remember doing this on repeat as a kid and I look forward to doing it even now as an adult.<\/div>\n
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Playing in the Sno<\/strong>w – building forts, making a snowman and even having a snow-ball fight. On a cold day, play in\u00a0your backyard so you can run back in quickly to warm up.<\/div>\n
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Playgrounds<\/strong> – Personally, I prefer the ones that don’t have swings so that I can pretty much sit back and relax, but any park is fun for kids. They can run around, use their imagination and get tons of fresh air. There’s even on\u00a0park in Toronto (High Park) that has a free zoo. I easily spent an entire summer’s day there! Riverdale Farm, also located in Toronto, is free and has a great wadding pool just outside the farm with a great big green space for playing sports, running around or having a picnic.<\/p>\n

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Geocaching<\/strong> – if your kids love going on treasure hunts, they will love this activity. Using your smart phone, head outdoors and go treasure hunting! I know this encourages my kids to stay outdoors longer than they would otherwise.<\/div>\n
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Hiking \/ Biking<\/strong> – living in the city you wouldn’t think there are too many options to enjoy nature but luckily, living in Toronto, there are tons! Just this past weekend we went hiking and exploring the nearby Evergreen Brickworks. The boys loved exploring, climbing up steep hills and getting dirty! The weekend before we took them on a bike ride along Leslie Street spits. There’s never a shortage of places to explore and have fun in and around the city that are also free. You might just need to do some research and speak to other savvy parents!<\/div>\n
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Put Your Savings in an RESP through SmartSAVER<\/h3>\n

I hope these ideas free up your wallet so you can put your money to better use, like\u00a0contributing to a\u00a0Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs) through\u00a0SmartSAVER<\/a>. If you think you won’t be able to make a dent in saving for your child’s post secondary education, think again!\u00a0The Canada Learning Bond<\/a><\/strong><\/span> \u00a0is a FREE kick-start contribution of up to $2000 into an eligible child\u2019s RESP account.\u00a0\u00a0To date, less than 40% of eligible families have claimed their Bond. That\u2019s over 1.5 million Canadian children who are missing out on the opportunity to have their education savings started with free money. Click\u00a0HERE<\/a><\/strong> to start your RESP today!!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I have to admit that it was easier to decrease our spending\u00a0and even save when we only had Kyle. With each added child, it became harder as our needs and budgets increased too. However, when we were able to, we always maxed out our children’s yearly RESP contribution and often asked our parents to contribute to the kid’s RESP account in lieu of a birthday gift (especially when they were really young and didn’t really know about presents yet). I’m glad that we took advantage of this when we had the extra savings because I know we won’t be able to max out the contributions every year.<\/div>\n
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Thinking ahead, I know it will save us a lot of headaches and stress when we won’t have to worry about where the money will come from to cover the costs of post-secondary education. Less stress for John and I but also less stress for our kids so they can focus and put all of their energy in succeeding at school! They can ‘pay’ us back later by landing an awesome job that makes them happy (and maybe helping us out a little when we’re old wouldn’t be so bad either).<\/div>\n

ABOUT SmartSAVER<\/h3>\n

SmartSAVER<\/a>\u00a0is a national charity that makes it easier for modest-income families to save for their kids\u2019 future education using no-fee (RESPs) to access federal government grants including the Canada Learning Bond.<\/p>\n

GIVEAWAY<\/h3>\n

To help you save and spend more time with your kids enjoying one of the many free activities I listed above, I’m giving away a $50 gift card to one lucky reader!\u00a0Enter the giveaway via Rafflecopter (please\u00a0give it a\u00a0few seconds to load).\u00a0\u00a0Contest is open to all residents of Canada.\u00a0 Contest ends Saturday October 15, 2016<\/span><\/p>\n

a Rafflecopter giveaway<\/a>
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