Spring Break Family Fun "Stay-cation" Ideas from A to Z!

Photo courtesy of the Grand Rapids Press

Hey friends! :)

Happy "almost Spring Break" to you! :)

Last year, our local newspaper shared a fun article on my family and some of our Spring Break "Stay-cation" ideas. You can check out the newspaper article here.

(And yes, that's the front of my house being colored in chalk while I watch. What fun! :) )

In case your spring break plans include a lot of "down-time at home" ~ no worries! I've come up with a Spring Break "Stay-cation" plan.
I believe with some advance planning and creativity, we can make Spring Break as much fun as a week at Disneyworld (but for a lot less $$)!! Woo Hoo!!

(A quick disclaimer....I've tried to think of things that you could participate in regardless of the city you live in. For my Grand Rapids friends, many of the ideas have links that will lead you to more specific times and information. For all of the ideas, I tried to think of inexpensive ideas ~ if it costs more than $5 per person, I did not include it on the list).

Here are some Spring Break ideas from A to Z....

A - Apple Orchard ~ Head to the Apple Orchard in the morning, and then spend the afternoon making some yummy homemade apple goodies OR turn your backyard/garage into your own Art Camp (ideas here)

B- Bowling; Bike rides

C - Camp-out in the Family Room. Grab your sleeping bags, flashlights, and smores, and get ready for fun! (more camping ideas here)

D - Dance Party ~ Find some fun 70's or 80's music, crank it up, and let the fun begin!

E - Earth Day (celebrate Earth Day early this year, ideas here) OR Eat out (the food court at the mall is always a fun experience for kids)

F- Family Fun Night ~ Invite over another family for food, fun, and fellowship!

G - Game Night ~ Have everyone pick a favorite board game to play. (More Game Night ideas here)

H - Hawaiian party ~ Host your own indoor luau! Grab a beach towel, bathing suit, beach ball, and any leis you might have around your house ~ and let the fun begin! You can even play Hawaii Bingo (More Hawaii ideas here)

I - Indoor picnic (don't forget your plastic ants ~ smile)

J - Jump rope (complete with your favorite jump rope songs here)

K - Krispy Kreme doughnuts ~ wait until the Krispy Kreme light is on, and then go in for your free doughnut!

L - Letterboxing ~ If you haven't tried Letterboxing before, you must! (Get started here or our family's letterboxing fun here)

M - Movie Night ~ Fun FamilyMovie Night ideas here or here

N - Nature Walk ~ Enjoy the beautiful weather with a Nature Walk! Give each of the kids a brown lunch bag with items listed on it to collect and/or discover.

O - Opposite Day ~ Do everything backwards! Eat breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast!

P - Pizza Party ~ Let the kids make their own pizza ~ more ideas here!

Q - Quiet time ~ head to your local library for some quiet reading and/or story time activities. (The link for Kent District Library events ~ here)

R - Road trip ~ Let the kids help plan a Road Trip! Depending on your financial situation and the ages of your children, you can plan a Road Trip near or far. Do you have a relative or friend you could visit? A park you've always wanted to experience? Maybe it's time for a Road Trip! Remember, part of the fun is in the planning ~ so let everyone look at the maps, write out the itnerary, pack the snacks, bring activities for the car, and more!

S - Sundae Night (our family's Sundae Night ideas here) OR Spring Scavenger Hunt (ideas here)

T - Treasure Hunt or host a Tea Party (ideas here)

U - Underwater activities ~ Find a local indoor swimming pool and swim, swim, swim! Another idea...we sometimes go to priceline.com to bid on a hotel for the night. In Grand Rapids, you can stay at a nice 3 star hotel for $40. The kids love it ~ they swim for hours and hours!!

V - Volunteer. I usually invite a friend's 3 kids over for the day to provide free child care while she works. Or you could rake some leaves. Walk a neighbor's dog. Pick up trash. The ideas are endless...

W - Walk! Walk to the nearest park. Or walk around the block backwards. Get some fresh air :)

X - eXercise. Set up a family exercise experience! (Get started here)

Y - YMCA. Go to the YMCA or another local gym. Many will let you try their facility for free for the day.

Z - Head to the Zoo! :) (John Ball Park link here)

Woo Hoo!! I'm excited for my Spring Break "Stay-cation" already....and our Spring Break doesn't start until April 1st!!

What a perfect opportunity to enjoy our children and participate in many of the outings and activities we can’t fit into our school-day schedule.

Let's make our ordinary spring break days "extraordinary"!! :)

So, what do you have planned for Spring Break?? Any fun ideas you'd like to share?? I can't wait to hear more about your "stay-vacation" ideas!

Thanks for stopping by *She Sparkles*!
May your day be filled to the brim with much joy, laughter, and fun, family moments!!

P.S. A special thanks to Family Fun, Kaboose, Chocolate Cake Moments, and Parents Magazine for letting me share some of your fun family ideas!

P.S.S. Today I'm linking up with Works for Me Wednesday and Women Living Well . If you have a moment, hop on over and check out some of the great blog links! Please tell them Cindy says, "Hi!" :)