When my son got his first wheelchair, I Googled all the handicapped-accessible activities I could find for every season of the year. There were horse-drawn carriage rides in our small historic downtown every Christmas and botanical gardens in the spring and gondolas in Colorado in summer and hay rides at the local pumpkin patch in the fall. But you know what? All these things cost money. And sometimes you want to do something that is both fun and free. If you are looking to save some money while thoroughly enjoying your summer, here a few ideas for you from me.
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Outdoor Movie
Our local park shows kid-friendly films every Friday night from June through September. The only requirement? Bring your own blanket and bug spray. So far we have seen “Sandlot,” “Up,” and “Inside Out.”
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Farmer’s Market
I say this is free with the caveat that I always leave with whatever’s in my wallet’s worth of strawberries and organic chicken and local goat cheese. But you can spend nothing and still have a great time strolling up and down the aisles, eating free samples, and listening to the live music.
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Homemade Ice Cream
Look up a good no-churn recipe and you don’t even need an ice cream maker to pull off the best summer treat that ever was. Our favorite thing to do is make classic vanilla and then everybody gets to pick their toppings to create sundaes to suit their preference.
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Picnic
The great thing about a wheelchair at a picnic is that ants can’t get you! Uncrustables and watermelon just taste better when you are in your backyard under the shade of a big oak tree.
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Street Festival
This harkens back to the Farmer’s Market tip. Music festivals can be expensive, but if your area has any kind of summer street festival, you can absolutely enjoy it for free without spending twenty dollars on a Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich from the fancy food truck. Best tip: hunt out the stages where the live music is playing, pack snacks and handheld fans, and enjoy people-watching at its finest.
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Local Library
If you need some air-conditioning, might I recommend the local library? When my son was little, we’d hit up story hour. But now we simply enjoy strolling the aisles for new releases. Fun suggestion: Go without a wish list and pick from one of the library’s current displays. It encourages you to branch out with something you might never have found.
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Bonfire
S’mores, flames dancing in the night-air, crickets chirping, stories shared and memories made – need I say more?
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Star-Gazing
You don’t even need a telescope for this one. We print out diagrams of the different constellations and play star-bingo. Whoever finds the constellations on their card first wins.
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Foster an Animal
One of the best things we ever did during the pandemic was foster baby chickens. It taught my son how to care for another creature. Summer is when the shelters fill with animals in need of temporary care until they get old enough to be adopted or recover from an injury. Call your local pet rescue for more information.
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Photography
Once upon a time, I thought I would go into photography. I bought the fancy camera and fancy film and then time passed and I wasn’t that good and also…film is expensive! But now with iPads and smartphones, anyone can be a photographer. What I love about this is that it teaches my son to see the world from different angles.
Whether you choose any or none of these activities to do this summer, I hope they inspire you. We all deserve to have a little free fun wherever we can get it!
Jamie Sumner is a special needs mom and author.
Jamie-Sumner.com
Author of the middle-grade novels:
