Summer 2019 Bucket List FREE things to do in KC

27 FREE THINGS TO DO IN AND AROUND KANSAS CITY THIS SUMMER WITH THE KIDS, especially if you’re a SAHM {stay at home mom}

Ahhhh summer! As a mom of 4 I know it can be super difficult to plan a summer on a really tight budget. And when I say a tight budget I mean spending ZERO dollars. I know it sounds like it’s impossible but with a little bit of planning it can be done. But after reading this you won’t be asking yourself or googling “what is there to do in Kansas City with kids”.

Before school let out I was on the hunt for all kinds of amazing adventures to take our girls on during our days while my husband was at work. But not just fun, I was specifically looking for FREE things. It was actually a little more difficult than I thought. I thought I could just google FREE THINGS TO DO IN KANSAS CITY and a magical list would pop up, I’d hit print and away we’d go. Nope, it didn’t happen like that. While there are great lists out there none were exactly what I was looking for for our family. The more I dug into these lists the more I found that a lot of the things listed weren’t open during the weekdays, they weren’t actually free {free with a membership doesn’t count if you have to buy the membership}, the places were way too far for us to drive, or they weren’t in operation anymore.

So my husband and I brain stormed and thanks to google we came up with a pretty decent list of things I could take the girls to during the weekdays. I promised them 2 days of fun each week and so far it is going great! And we thought how fun would it be to just explore the historic downtown areas of some local towns?! So we put that on our list too!

GRAB YOUR FREE PRINTABLE FOR KANSAS CITY SUMMER FUN

Be sure to check out other ways to get in some family time without breaking the bank .

So, here’s our list. 27 totally FREE things to do with kids in and around Kansas City.

DEANNA ROSE FARMSTEAD

Deanna Rose Farmstead is one I hear people talking about a lot. It is FREE when you attend M-TH after 2pm. Otherwise it is $3

KALEIDOSCOPE

Is always FREE. It is a magical place that lets kids create to their heart’s content. I advise you go early in the day, the earlier the better, and just a warning it can get a little crazy with field trips. But their staff does a great job at handling it all.

CHILDREN’S PEACE PAVILION

General public tours are held on Wednesdays & Fridays 9-4. While it is technically FREE they do accept donations.

BURR OAKS NATURE CENTER

It is open T-S 8-5 and has so much to offer families. Kids and grown up of all ages are sure to enjoy this if they are a nature lover. They have numerous trails, and outdoor kid’s discovery area, indoor kid’s discovery area, bird watching, snake feedings and so much more.

THE SPLASH PAD AT BURRUS OLD MILL PARK

This splash pad is new to Blue Springs and is something our girls can’t wait to enjoy. It is totally free unless you would like to rent a shelter house.

FREE PASS AT THE KANSAS CITY ZOO

If you live in JACKSON or CLAY counties the KC zoo MAILS out FREE passes for the residents in those counties to use during certain months. During the summer months they send out a FREE pass for JULY and AUGUST. Be sure to make your trip the best it can be with my tips for a stress free trip to the zoo

KANSAS CITY STREET CAR

The Kansas City street car is a wonderful addition to KC! It’s a FREE 2 mile ride through the heart of downtown. Definitely a must do in KC!

CROWN CENTER

While we don’t visit Crown Center for it’s shopping, it does offer some great things for families to do for free. Be sure you get your FREE 3 hour parking pass by getting a merchant to validate it, no purchase necessary.

NATIVE HOOVED ANIMAL ENCLOSURE {FEEDING THE BUFFALO}

This one is tucked away so be sure you use GPS to help get you there. Also, bring fresh veggies like carrots as there isn’t a place to buy feed once you’re there.

EXPLORE DOWNTOWN INDEPENDENCE

The historic Independence Square has SO much history to explore. This is truly one of our favorite historic places. Aside from Harry S Truman’s home there are so many things to see in such a small area. AND there are lots of unique photo ops too! Take your time and really explore this area.

FEDERAL NATIONAL BANK

This museum is FREE 9:30-4 M-F. Be sure to bring your photo ID. It is located right by Crown Center so make a day of it and visit all the things that area has to offer.

KANSAS CITY FOUNTAINS

Spend the day driving around looking at all the wonderful fountains that Kansas City has to offer. With over 200 fountains this is sure to keep you busy all day. Be sure to get this Kansas City Fountain Guide to assist you on your adventure.

EXPLORE DOWNTOWN LIBERTY

Downtown Liberty is truly a beautiful place. With so much history you’re sure to learn something new.

LIBERTY JAIL

The Liberty Jail is ran by the LDS Church. I’m going to be honest I had a hard time finding info on this one but we think it will be interesting to see.

LAKESIDE NATURE CENTER

Open to the public TUES-SAT 9-4. It is one of Missouri’s largest wildlife rehabilitation facilities and provides educational and recreational opportunities that focus on the environment.

EXPLORING LEXINGTON MISSOURI

Take a day and explore this beautiful town. There is a ton of history and beautiful houses galore.

PENGUIN PARK

Penguin Park is located in Kansas City and is one unlike any others around.

LEE'S SUMMIT HISTORY MUSEUM

It is open Thursdays & Fridays from 10-2 and Saturdays 10-4 and admission is totally FREE. Learn about the early days of Lee’s Summit.

EXPLORING DOWNTOWN LEE'S SUMMIT

While you’re at the Lee’s Summit History Museum explore the rest of what downtown Lee’s Summit has to offer.

WATERFALL PARK

Waterfall Park is located in Independence right off of Bass Pro. It features a pond, playground, small rock climbing wall, picnic area, and a walking trail. This park is very shaded which makes it nice on super hot and sunny days.

LIBERTY MEMORIAL

The Liberty Memorial is a MUST to take your kiddos to. While there is a museum you can pay to see, just visiting the FREE outdoor attraction is pretty amazing.

EXPLORE DOWNTOWN KANSAS CITY

See the fun sites of big city life in downtown Kansas City. Park the car and take a walk around.

UNION STATION

Such a wonderful place to take your kids! While Science City and other attractions aren’t free walking around and seeing all the amazing beauty and it’s history is enough reason to take a trip there.

HALLMARK VISITORS CENTER

The Hallmark Visitors Center is located right next to Kaleidoscope. It is open 9:30-4 M-Sat and is completely FREE.

MARBLE MOON COMPANY

Visit the Marble Moon Company M-Sat 10-5. Catch a marble making demo on Tuesdays, Fridays & Saturdays from 10:30-3.

WATKINS MILL

Take a trip back to the 1800’s and visit Watkins Mill. While the guided tours do cost money just driving through and looking around is FREE.

LEGACY PARK

Legacy Park is located in Lee’s Summit on 692 acres. The kiddos will love their destination playground.

I hope you enjoy this list our family put together. Everything I shared here is completely FREE unless you opt for the extras, those do cost money and I’ve listed them where they are applicable. Fill up the gas tank, pack a lunch and get ready explore the Greater Kansas City area. Let me know what else we should add to our list:)!

12 tips to make your trip to the zoo even better and stress free

I love watching my girl’s faces light up when they see all the animals at the zoo. But to tell you the truth, I haven’t always loved actually going. I know all moms everywhere can relate. It can be so much work and STRESS to take your kids places like this by yourself. But it can be fun for you too you just have to change a few things up. For more fun stress free adventures with the kids check out my backyard camping tips.

Here are my top 12 tips to make your zoo trip even better.

1. Go to the zoo when it’s not crazy hot. When I’m hot I get grumpy, which really just means that I’m not enjoyable to be around lol! So we always go on days when this crazy Midwest weather isn’t scorching.

2. If you’re taking multiples have them wear the same color. I have four girls so I bought larger pink shirts from Walmart, so they could grow in to them each year, and those were our zoo shirts. This way it’s super easy to pick them out in the crowd.

3. Take a backpack. this is a must! Anytime we are going to be out walking around for extended periods I ALWAYS wear my backpack. I’m not a fashion forward kind of girl so this does not intrude on my style one bit. Comfort over fashion, that’s how I roll lol!

4. Don’t over pack. I know you’ll want to take everything but the kitchen sink but the truth is you don’t need everything. I used to be that mom and I learned that I don’t need to be prepared for EVERYTHING. The zoo is equipped with Band-Aids if one of my precious girls falls and skins her knee. So keep the load light and if you absolutely need something you didn’t pack it’s not the end of the world, the zoo will likely have what you need.

5. Pack the essentials. I’m talking wet wipes, ibuprofen for both you and the kids, Benadryl for the kids {this is a must with us because we’ve been in situations where we needed it asap for a yellow jacket sting and now I don’t go on trips like this without it}. These items are small and will fit easily and weightlessly in your backpack. Trust me, these are items you don’t want to buy once you get there. Talk about a convenience fee.

6. Pack a lunch. I don’t think we’ve ever bought lunch at the zoo. The prices there are crazy high so we pack one. If you choose to pack a lunch keep it simple. We usually take a sandwich, cut up veggies, chips, and something sweet for everyone. I’ve found if I keep my kids busy they don’t want to snack all day. So keep pointing out those animals and talking about them, they’ll likely not ask for a snack.

7. Take refillable water bottles. We usually take two and I keep them in the side pockets of my backpack. Our zoo has water refill stations everywhere there is a bathroom so we usually refill every time we stop to use the facilities. And with four kids we stop often.

8. Everyone NEEDS to wear comfortable walking shoes. We don’t ever wear sandals or flipflops, always tennis shoes because again, comfort over fashion ;)! Not having your kiddos complain that their feet are hurting from wearing uncomfortable shoes is a glorious thing! You might have to stand your ground before you leave the house but you’ll be SO thankful at the end of the day bc the jelly shoes little Susie wanted to wear won’t be giving her blisters today 🙌!

9. Pack sunscreen. Our family is full of fair skinned faces so we apply this a lot throughout the day. If your sunscreen bottle is a little too big to carry around all day get a small travel sized shampoo bottle from the Dollar Tree and fill that with your sunscreen.

10. Bug spray. If you live in an area with little flying evil blood suckers, in other words mosquitos, you will probably need this. Even on days when it’s not typical prime mosquito weather we’ve still encountered them at the zoo. I always take this just to be on the safe side. For some reason they REALLY love us.

11. Take quarters, enough for all your kiddos, to feed the animals. Our zoo has several areas that kids can feed the animals and sure enough the times when I forget quarters the change machine is down. So take enough for each of your children to get their own to feed for the animals.

12. Don’t feel like you have to see everything. The times when my girls and I have had the most fun at the zoo is when we go in without a plan. These are the days when I’m not stressing over making it in time for them to watch the birds get fed, or rushing through the animals so fast so we can see them all and we end up not really SEEING them because we rushed. Take your time and enjoy it. And if your kids want to stop and play let them play. Granted you’re there to see the animals but you’re also there to enjoy the day with your kids and if stopping for 20 minutes will make them happy, let them play.

As a mom of four this list has helped me tremendously enjoy our trips to the zoo. The important thing to remember is tip #12. It’s all about enjoying the day with those precious little souls.

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Stress free backyard camping

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Camping is such a fun experience that every family should have at least once. Our family tries to go every year but this spring it has been a little difficult to plan a trip. With flooding, tornadoes, and the temperature not making up it’s mind if it wants to stay cold or move on to warmer weather…oh the good ole Midwest lol!

Since our girls have been asking for months to go on our camping trip we decided to bring the camping trip to us. And I have to say I can’t believe we haven’t done this sooner! The girls loved it because it was something new and we loved it because we didn’t have to pack half our house up for an over night trip. And a bonus because our toddler has been super cranky lately she spent a lot of the time watching Disney Junior, thank you home wifi {no judgements please, we all parent in different ways and if Disney Junior will keep her happy then so be it}.

We wanted to keep our camping stress free so we didn’t plan any fun games or fancy Pinterest worthy foods. We put up our massive 10 person tent {we are a big family and this tent is sized perfectly for us}, added some tiki torches, moved the fire pit, and started the fun!

I guess you could say we got a tad bit fancy. My husband grilled up something different than the typical burgers and hotdogs that we would have had if we were camping on a campground. He is the grilling king and made us all the most delicious grilled chicken sandwiches.

My tips for stress free backyard camping

• Keep it simple, don’t over plan.

• Make sure you have all the pieces to your tent before you tell the kids. The last thing you want are sad little faces looking at you when you realize you don’t have everything there to put their tent up.

• Let your kids dig and really explore the backyard. Our girls pretended they were lost in the wilderness and the tent was their new home.

• Air mattresses, they may not be a must but I completely enjoy a good nights sleep even when I’m sleeping in a tent. These are the exact ones we use and trust me, if they can withstand our rowdy chaotic bunch they must be good!

• Fresh batteries for all the things

• Bug spray

• Fire wood

• Comfy clothes you can get messy for everyone

• Let loose and have fun with your family.

And the best part…if you forget something it’s ok! Your home is just a few steps away. Our whole family, aside from our toddler, had a great time! Being a family of 6 with 3 of the 4 daughters within 4 years of one another, we tend to have bickering. I think because we were in our own element we didn’t have any of that, which also made it stress free!

I hope these tips help you to create your own stress free backyard camping with your own family.

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50 activities to do as a family that won't break the bank when you're on a budget

50 Budget friendly activities to do as a family, affordable family fun

Having a big family is expensive. From the cost of living to healthcare, it’s definitely not cheap. But having fun as a family doesn’t have to break the bank. There are so many free and inexpensive activities you can do and honestly some are way more fun than blowing a whole paycheck at the theme park.

Here’s my list of 50 fun things to do with your family if you’re on a budget.

1. Park

2. Library

3. Walks around the neighborhood

4. Free days at the zoo

5. Local state conservation park

6. Explore a small historic town nearby

7. take a tour of the local fire or police station

8. Bonfire

9. Bike ride

10. Visit a local farm

11. Botanical garden

12. Small local museum

13. YMCA {this does require a membership but it’s super affordable and you’ll definitely get your monies worth}

14. Skating rink

15. Local pool

16. Picnic

17. Make a meal from scratch

18. Do a family craft

19. Play a game of cards

20. Family yoga in the backyard

21. Bird watching

22. Go on a hike

23. Clean up a local park or school yard

24. Make a fort in the living room

25. Camp in the backyard

26. Stargaze

27. Feed the ducks

28. Play charades

29. Play a game of kickball

30. Roast marshmallows

31. Jump in the leaves

32. Find a local creek and look for arrowheads

33. Make cards and deliver them to the local nursing home

34. Find a dollar movie at the theatre

35. Go to a local high school play

36. Plan and make dinner all together

37. Paint rocks and hide them around your town

38. Visit a local flea market

39. Make a family dream board

40. Wash the family car together

41. Have water balloon fight

42. Go fishing

43. Research your town’s history and then go out and see the sites

44. Bird watching

45. Visit a local spray park

46. Make a bird feeder using recycled materials from home.

47. Take goofing family pics at the park using your phone and a tripod

48. Volunteer at the local pet shelter

49. Find a local festival with free activities

50. Have a karaoke night

I hope you get some fun ideas from this list and even add more of your own.

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Our family trip to the pumpkin patch, 5 reasons why we support small local farms each and every fall

Here in the Midwest EVERYONE with kids visits the pumpkin patch every single fall. It’s like our own little way of officially welcoming in the fall season.

If you’ve never been to a pumpkin patch you are surely missing out. It’s a whole experience that you will look back on and remember fondly. And you’ll get some really great pictures because pumpkins make all fall pictures 100% better!

This year we visited a fairly new pumpkin patch, The Pumpkin Pad, and I have to say it was even better than we expected! This was their second year being open so we were expecting them to have a few activities for the kids but we were so wrong! They had an inflatable jumping pad, bounce house, super awesome round swings made from sturdy netting, tractor rides, giant slide, a huge corn pit to dig in, bean bag toss, a tall grass maze {which my husband and I weren’t totally accepting of but the girls LOVED it} and so much more! All for $10/person, they let our 2 yr old in for free and their pumpkins were SUPER AFFORDABLE…say what!

Here are my top 5 reasons why we choose to support a small local farm each year vs a big oversized money maker

1. Owning our own brick & mortar shop we know the importance of supporting small local business. We try to shop small as much and often as we can. At the end of the day I would rather our hard earned money go to supporting a family rather than some super rich person, whenever we can.

2. When you visit a big name patch, especially if you go on a weekend, it will likely be crowded. But at a small family owned pumpkin patch the people come in much lower numbers. You have room to roam and enjoy your time there without your anxiety going through the roof {or the clouds because you are outside ;) }

3. The prices are usually WAY more affordable overall. We have a bigger family so anytime we do anything like this it usually puts a small dent in the wallet. The small farm we visited this year had GREAT prices on their admission and their pumpkins! We were pleasantly surprised! Everyone got pumpkins, our two year old got a few, all for $20! We couldn’t have gone to Walmart and got everyone a pumpkin for that price.

4. They are usually a TRUE PUMPKIN PATCH! Meaning the pumpkins are still on the vine and you cut them off yourself. This is a fun experience for everyone. We’ve been to other big name patches with our girl’s school field trips that have already precut ALL the pumpkins and leave them in the fields or they don’t have the patch at all and have the pumpkins ready for “picking” on bales of straw all around the farm. There’s nothing wrong with either of those ways but we enjoy picking them straight off the vine.

We’ve found that the small farms are usually the true YOU PICK farm. Which for our family never gets old!

5. The owners put so much love and their own hard work into their farms! As soon as you walk up you are welcomed with a big smile from likely the owner of the farm. They are so proud of what they have created for your family to come and enjoy and make endless memories.

I hope this encourages you to support your own local farms. Knowing you are supporting another family is something so special! Each and every local farmer we’ve met has been genuinely kind and grateful to all in the community that supports their small business.