First Friday Art Walk, August 4th: Downtown and Old Mill, Free
Home Depot Kids Penske Truck, Saturday, August 5th, 9:00-12:00: Register your child and help them build a wooden truck to take home. They also get an apron, pin and certificate for participating. It's come and go during those three hours. Everything needed is provided.
http://www.homedepot.com/workshops
Home Depot Kids Penske Truck, Saturday, August 5th, 9:00-12:00: Register your child and help them build a wooden truck to take home. They also get an apron, pin and certificate for participating. It's come and go during those three hours. Everything needed is provided.
http://www.homedepot.com/workshops
Michaels Kids' Club, Saturday, August 5th, 10:00-12:00: For $2 your child can make a pencil topper. Registration is required. Or that same day from 1:00-3:00 if you buy school supply type item you can bling it out.
Michaels Slime Sunday, Sunday, August 6th, 1:00-3:00: It does not say that there is a cost. They will provide all the supplies.
http://www.michaels.com/classes-and-events/classesandevents
Perseid Meteor Shower, Friday, August 11th-12th, 12:00 am-4 am: This is the peak time to watch with up to 60-80 meteors and hour! Although feel free to step outside anytime until the 24th. I once woke up to watch this. I was out there what felt like forever and saw a couple and then needed to head back in because I was falling asleep. I had been outside for 15 minutes! :D
Perseid Meteor Shower, Friday, August 11th-12th, 12:00 am-4 am: This is the peak time to watch with up to 60-80 meteors and hour! Although feel free to step outside anytime until the 24th. I once woke up to watch this. I was out there what felt like forever and saw a couple and then needed to head back in because I was falling asleep. I had been outside for 15 minutes! :D
Michaels Kids' Club, Saturday, August 12th, 10:00-12:00: For $2 your child can make a Kawaii Backpack Tag . Registration is required.
http://www.michaels.com/classes-and-events/classesandevents
Vacation Bible School @ Westside Sisters Campus, August 14th-17th, 9:00-12:00: Come join in the Maker Fun Factory. Ages: Kindergarten-5th grade. Register at http://westsidechurch.org/events/vbs/. It looks like there may be a waiting list.
Solar Eclipse, August 21st around 10 am: Now, I'm not advocating driving during this time or spending millions to find a camp spot, but the $2 glasses will make it worthwhile, since most of us won't be here in 2169 when it passes through the Northwest again. Just to know what an impact this will have on your kids...I still remember making a viewing thing and looking at something happening with the sun from when I was in 6th grade. I mean, obviously the details are sketchy, but I remember! And don't forget to stock up on your necessities, whatever that may be for your family. ;) And don't forget your animals in that stocking up process!
Baskin Robbins Celebrate 31, August 31st: All day scoops are just $1.50 each! (This happens on the 31st of each month btw).
Month Long Deals:
Applebees: 2 for $20 deal. Get an appetizer and two entrees for $20. Great deal, especially if you make one of those things to go! Half Price Appetizers in late afternoon (3:00-6:00) and late evening (9:00-close) and all day Wednesday is Happy Hour. Many of their appetizers make great meals! Just ask them to bring them out with everyone's food if you're eating with a crowd.
IHop: Kids eat free with the purchase of an adult entrée every night from 4:00-10:00 p.m. This was a bit tricky when we tried it. Apparently at our IHOP no one was sure about the drink policy (even though their webpage says nothing about it). So we were told we had to purchase the number of drinks we were getting meals free. We wanted two kid meals. We bought an adult drink and took the kids drink home.
Papa Murphy's: $10 Tuesdays (run until the beginning of September). Any size large pizza. Stuffed are the best deal because you save the most money. I am going to try cooking it on the BBQ since I don't use my oven in the summer (it's a personal goal!).
Sonic Happy Hour, 2:00-4:00: Half off Drinks and $.99 corndogs. Find them in Bend, Redmond and Madras.
Summer Long Deals:
Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program (May 16th-September 5th): Kids in Grades 1-6 can earn a free book (they pick from a selected list) after reading 8 books. They fill out a reading journal and take it to the store (ours is in Bend in the Forum Shopping Center) to get their free book. Nothing says they can't pair this with other reading programs they are doing this summer. :)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/summer-reading-for-kids
Bend Parks & Rec Days of Play: Free crafts, water play, field games, sports activities and more for kids ages 4-10 at a local park. Days and times vary by park locations. They also made all the sites part of the Summer Lunch Program! See link page 68.
http://www.bendparksandrec.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/BPRD-Playbook-Summer-2017-Online.pdf
Bend Parks & Rec Family Swim (June 23-September 3): Held in the outdoor pool. All children must be accompanied by an adult. $5/person. Days and times vary. See link page 18.
http://www.bendparksandrec.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/BPRD-Playbook-Summer-2017-Online.pdf
Bend Parks: Try a different park each week! Some are the sites for the Summer Lunch Program and other programs. See the link (page 110-111) for a list of parks and their amenities.
http://www.bendparksandrec.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/BPRD-Playbook-Summer-2017-Online.pdf
Birding for Preschoolers, Mondays, 10:00-11:00: All ages are welcome although it is geared towards preschoolers. Meet at Drake Park near the restrooms. Caregivers are required to stay.
http://www.ecaudubon.org/birding-for-preschoolers
Children's Forest of Central Oregon Tiny Explorers: Free drop-in program to get families with children ages newborn-2 outdoors. Also includes free baby carriers for families that qualify through OHP. Dates, times and locations vary. See link page 61.
http://www.bendparksandrec.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/BPRD-Playbook-Summer-2017-Online.pdf
Discover Nature Days (Thursdays, July 13-August 17, 11:00-12:00): Interactive family experience to learn, play and have fun in nature. Ages 5-10. Location and topic varies by week. See link page 43.
http://www.bendparksandrec.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/BPRD-Playbook-Summer-2017-Online.pdf
Kids Bowl Free: Sign your kids up for two free games of bowling every day (times are specified). Some sites have shoe rental passes so you don't have to pay each time but can get a better deal for the whole season if you plan on going often. There is also the option of buying games for adults to play with the kids. This looks like it's nationwide so just put in your state to see if there is one near you. Lava Lanes (May 22-August 31, ages 12 and under, in Bend on Greenwood), and Madras Bowl (April 15-September 15, ages 15 and under) are the only participating bowling alleys in Central Oregon.
http://kidsbowlfree.com
Library Summer Reading Program, June 17th-September 1st: For reading 10 books your kids can earn a free book and a packet of goodies. Last year in Bend ours included a free mini-Murph coupon from Papa Murphy's, a free ice cream cone from Goody's, and a free personal pizza from Round Table Pizza just to name a few. Plus they get entered to win cool prizes. And you don't have to go every week. Plus there are such fun programs they put on to go along with the theme. And there is something for all ages 0-adult! Yep, you can get prizes too!
http://www.deschuteslibrary.org/calendar/summerreading
Redmond Parks: Try a different park each week! Some are the sites for the Summer Lunch Program. See the link (page 30) for a list of parks and their amenities.
http://www.raprd.org/Summer%20Guide%202017/Summer%202017%20Activity%20Guide%20final.pdf
Summer Lunch Program: Free lunch for kids up to 18 years. At various locations. Follow the link and input your zip code to find one near you or near where you may be traveling. Some of them even have fun programs to go along with them like a visiting librarian or a park location. http://www.summerfoodoregon.orgSummer Movie Express @ Regal Theaters (June 20th-August 16th): Each week Regal Theaters plays two different movies at 10:00 a.m. for $1/ticket! Ours are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Each movie is played each day so technically you could see every movie they are showing. If you're not sure if a movie will be good or not, check out http://pluggedin.com for great reviews to see if the movie aligns with your family's standards. Every review I have used from them has been right on and kept us from those moments we're not prepared for the boys to see.
https://www.regmovies.com/movies/summer-movie-express
All the Time:
Dutch Bros.: Buy a $20 gift card, get a free drink. The best use of this free drink is to get the biggest size available. Their blended drinks (Frosts, Freezes and Smoothies) come in a gigantic 32 oz. size. I get one and share with the whole family (unless it's coffee of course and then I recommend sharing with another adult in your life. ;) )!
Coffee Republic (corner of Greenwood & 8th by The Dough Nut Eastside): $2 Tuesdays for a 16 oz. drink or $3 for a smoothie. And they have a punch card too!
For more deals outside of Central Oregon check out this post from The Suburban Mom:
http://www.thesuburbanmom.com/2012/06/11/15-free-summer-activities-for-kids/
Or this one from Red Tricycle
http://redtri.com/national-summer-programs-for-families/
What deals do you know of? Post them in the comments so I can keep our list updated! :)
