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Now that you know about strewing, where and what to strew, and how NOT to strew, the first thing you need to do is go out and buy a bunch of cool stuff right?
Strewing doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Let’s talk about strewing on a budget.
Join me on the journey through The Art of Strewing.
How To Strew Inexpensively
Visiting the free section of our local historical museum
You are going to want to invest a little money into strewing for your kids. And don’t get me wrong – I’m not advocating being cheap in that you just spend the bare minimum.
We want to be wise with our money - strewing frugally and spending where it counts.
I think we can learn to understand when our kids need more of a curiosity or passion that requires us to invest time and dollars vs those things that don’t require quite as much.
I spend more of our budget on art supplies and opportunities for Raven to pursue art than any other resource. She has shown an interest and a talent in art pretty much since she was born. Other things have come and gone, or stayed for a while but never had the main focus. Those things I tend to try to be more frugal about.
So what are some ways you can be thrifty while looking for material to strew?
Utilize Public Services
Make the most of your local community services like the library, park, nature preserves, and museums. Our military post even has a middle/high school teen center where they offer free classes like hip hop dance, swimming, and basic home economics.
Libraries are not just for books anymore. You can find all kinds of interesting materials at the library. And if they don’t have what you are looking for, they can usually do an inter-library loan to get it for you.
Some of the strewing ideas in our library:
- Movies
- Science discovery backpacks
- Craft classes
- Teen events
- Online foreign language lessons
- A teen volunteer program
- Art and coloring contests
Check in your area for free museums and nature centers. These places are great to just go hang out and strew like crazy. The historical museum in our area has a free children’s section in the front, so we can go and learn about Kansas history without paying the pricey admission to go into the more adult section.
Playing on the giant spider at the nature center
Our nature center is also free and has a playground, walking trails, butterfly garden, fish hatchery, indoor and outdoor animal displays, and a hands-on area with books and activities.
Shop Thrift Stores And Sales
We are always amazed at the cool stuff we can find shopping at the thrift stores, garage sales, and other sale events.
Thrift Store:
Look for magazines, craft supplies, dress-up clothes (or just clothes that could be used for dress-up), jewelry, interesting toys, kitchen utensils for outdoor and indoor play, socks for puppets, cards and stationary, and other interesting trinkets.
Garage Sales:
The possibilities are endless! We have found puzzles, games, electronics, gaming systems, bikes, dolls, and more.
You could even use garage sale-ing as a form of strewing! Give your kids each an amount of money and let them find things that entice them.
Other Sales:
Whatever hobbies or interests your kids have, there is probably a store that has sales and coupons that you can use to make the most from your moolah.
I shop Joann’s for clearance and sale beads so Raven can make her jewelry. I buy art supplies online in bulk to save money and keep things stocked.
Media And Technology
I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat myself – the internet is wonderful for strewing.
We have so many fun and interactive tools at our fingertips. It would be a waste not to use the many free resources available to us for strewing.
I don’t have the money to give my kids a trip around the world to see all the places they are interested in – but I can connect them to other cultures, languages, and customs through technology.
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Strewing some do-a-dots
There will be times when you find something awesome and splurge a little money to get it for your kids. I see no problem in the occasional “geeked out” purchase. For the most part, however, strewing doesn’t have to be about spending.
If you find yourself spending a lot of money to strew things, you should re-evaluate what your kids are getting out of those “things” and whether you could focus your efforts more frugally and mindfully. Our society is especially caught up in buying and owning so much more than we really need and can process.
Join me tomorrow as I explore how Strewing Less Is More.
This post is part of the iHomeschool Network Hopscotch – go check out some of the other series that are being featured (and check out the giveaways that are being hosted there)!
Here are the lovely ladies that are participating in the Autumn 2012 Hopscotch:
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