Archives for February 17, 2019

Vacation from home! Check out the 20 best staycation ideas to enjoy a Spring Break Staycation. We’ve included staycation ideas you can easily drive to and ways to have fun on vacation right from the comfort of your home. Have fun!

Spring Break Staycation Ideas

You don’t need to shell out money to create a fun spring break vacation for the kids! This year and last year showed us that it’s important to learn how to have fun from the comfort of our homes. While we didn’t have much of a choice, we now know that it’s totally possible to have a blast without jet setting anywhere.

Whether you’re looking for creative ideas for your child’s spring break, activities for the summer, or just a few fun ideas for a long weekend, you’ll love these easy and frugal staycation ideas. Enjoy a holistay within your hometown and browse these 20 kid-approved activities!

From stargazing, to camping out in your backyard, to museum scavenger hunts and more, these Spring Break Staycation ideas are the best ways to make a vacation from home special!

What is a staycation?

Not all of us have the budget or willingness to take the family on a vacation every spring. Staycations bring all the fun of a great vacation into your very own home or hometown. They typically involve extra special activities that you might do when you’re on a real vacation, like camping in your own backyard or setting up a kiddie pool in the backyard.

Whatever your reason for enjoying these staycation ideas, let us know how much you love them in the comments!

Family Staycation Kit Digital Download

Looking for some fun ideas for a staycation at home? Grab this free Staycation Printable Pack to make it FEEL like your family is on a real vacation! Play tourist in your own town with these stay at home vacation ideas including a bucket list, menu planner, printable postcards, room keys, room numbers & more.

Add in the Science

Staycation ideas can be educational, too! During the week, have a day at home. Add in as many five minute science experiments as you can. The kids will have tons of fun getting to play scientist for the day!

Backyard Movie Theater

Pop some popcorn, plop together some pillows, put up a tent, string some lights… whatever it takes to make the coolest at home movie theater in your yard. Follow this DIY Backyard Movie Screen (from Simply Sprout) or pick up an outdoor movie screen for your evening.

Play Tourist

Play tourist in your hometown. Start by visiting your city’s visitor center and get creative with what new activities can fill your day. What new things do you want to see? Where haven’t you explored before? To really make your staycation fancy, book a hotel room for the night! Search places like Groupon for discounts and savings.

Baking Championship

Host a kids baking championship! Invite your kids’ friends or neighborhood pals to up the ante. Fill a basket with interesting ingredients for them to use or let them search the web for a recipe they want to make. You judge, determine the winner, and get to eat the food all at the same time… sounds like you’re winning! Adorable ideas for a baking party or championship from ikatbag.

Backyard Fire Pit

Make your entire dinner with just your fire pit! Can you tell we love food-related staycation ideas? Find camping recipes and make everything without using your kitchen. Two recipes we recommend are Camping Hot Dogs and Campfire S’mores Cones.

Go Geocaching

This activity is so fun, it will fill your whole day! Geocaching is the act of hunting for and finding hidden objects using GPS coordinates. Download the app and find hidden “treasure” in your town’s area. Learn more about how to geocache as a family on Frugal Mom, Eh.

Arts & Crafts Day

Host a whole day dedicated to arts and crafts! Take a look at some of these ideas – upcycled cereal box crafts, paint chip crafts, and  rainy day activities.  You also could pick up a craft supply set for a bunch of resources to help you get creative.

Picnic and a Discussion

Deepen relationships and learn a new fun fact about your loved ones! Have an Instagram-worthy picnic in your favorite grassy park. Picnics are a great opportunity to escape those everyday distractions like the doorbell, phone ringing, dog barking, and all the other things that interrupt quality time. Bring dinner conversation cards to start discussion and help you get to know your child and/or spouse better.

Backyard Campout

No need to venture into the woods — camp out in your own backyard! At night, you and your family can study the sky. Download the Sky Map App and study planets, stars, and constellations. Frugal Mom Eh has some creative ideas for backyard camping, as well.

Travel Abroad

Host an international vacation from home — no flight required! Choose a country you have always wanted to travel to. Eat food, plan activities, listen to music, and watch a movie. Of course, all of the eats and activities will be based on that country’s culture! Pick up a DVD from the library or watch something on Amazon Prime that relates to the country of your choice. Rick Steves has some great movies. Live, Life and Learning has a free printable passport you can use for your adventure with the kids. Every night of the week can be a different country!

Sleep Outdoors

Fill a truck or trampoline with pillows and blankets and have an outdoor campout under the stars! You can also see this idea in our Visual Summer Bucket List for Kids.  Source and Source

Memories

Tired of keepsakes piling up? Get Marie Kondo inspired and get organized. This can be organized by school year or can just be a place you toss in old mementos, concert tickets, photos, and more. You’ll spend the whole night reminiscing over special moments with your family. A Bowl Full of Lemons can help you get started.

Family Game Night

Have a family game night or even a family game day! You can play many of these fun Minute to Win It Game Ideas. Craft a trophy for the winner, come up with some tasty Family Game Snacks, and let everyone choose a game to play!

Take a Hike

Go explore the great outdoors! Do some research and find a great trail in your area. You can carry along this nature scavenger hunt. You can collect what you find and make natural art with your all your treasures. Also check out our Hiking Trail Bucket List in our outdoor camping hacks and tips.

Enjoy a Scavenger Hunt

Speaking of scavenger hunts, take a look at our dozens of Scavenger Hunt Ideas. We love this outdoor Flashlight Scavenger Hunt, perfect for staying up late and doing something memorable.

My Town Rocks

Rock hunting is the newest community adventure since Pokemon Go! Search your local town and area for rocks hidden by citizens just like you. Join local community boards to see places where rocks might be hidden and discover areas of your town you might not be familiar with. You and your family can paint rocks together to “hide” around your town and surrounding area to spread joy and brighten people’s day! More ideas on My Town Rocks.

Visit a Museum

Have you ever played a scavenger hunt in a museum? Kids can get bored with museums, especially ones they’ve visited before. Make your local museums exciting again and play a museum scavenger hunt game. Consider it a treasure hunt of portraits and paintings!

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Visit the Library

You can have SO much fun in your local library! Take a look at these 10 Quiet Library Games from Book Shark.

Virtual Museum Tour

Did you know many major museums offer virtual tours online? That means you can visit famous museums without ever leaving your home. Popular virtual tours include…

• The Louvre Museum
• The Vatican Museum
• The National Air Force Museum
• The National Gallery of Art
• The Spy Museum
• The British Museum
• See more museums

Be a Summer Travel Agent

Now that it’s spring break, summer break is just around the corner! Think ahead and hash out your summer activities and bucket list while everyone is home. Research itineraries, daily activities, and more just as if you were a travel agent. Check out our Visual Summer Bucket List for some ideas. Pick up this free travel planning kit from Pinch a Little, Save a Lot.

Painting Projects

Get the whole family in on that painting project you’ve been putting off! Paint your dining room table, redo your dresser, or spruce up a chair. Tackle a family project or redo an entire bedroom. We love these farmhouse weekend projects that can done in a few days. Not only will you get things done, you’ll have so much fun bonding and treasure the memories for years to come.

Get ready for summer! Take a look at these Visual Summer Bucket List Ideas for the Kids. Pin to Pinterest.

No more moans of “I’m bored mom” when you prepare for your summer with these Summer Boredom Busters and Activities for Kids! Pin to Pinterest.

WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Themed Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter & more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next party.

Last Updated on May 15, 2021 by