When you have children there are many serious challenges you have as a parent.  One of the things that often gets overlooked is how to keep your children entertained.  We all know that kids love to play with each other, but what if you only have one child, or what if all the playmates are busy.  Too many times the de facto solution is to turn on the cartoons and let your child “veg out” in front of the TV, but is this always the answer?  It shouldn’t be.  Besides, who do you want to raise your children - Barney or you?  If you want to find something to do with your kids on that slow weekday or that cloudy and cold Saturday afternoon, try an outing at the museum.

Maybe right about now you’re thinking “I do not want to spend my day looking at a bunch of old dusty books and statues”.  Besides, “museums cost a lot of money”.   Well you might be wrong on both counts.  Today’s museum is not like your father’s museum.  Museums nowadays are pretty interesting places, with updated exhibits and many interactive displays.  Kids can touch and manipulate many of the things they see there and in some cases create their own experiments, making the museum a truly interactive experience.

The other pleasant surprise is that many museums offer days and times where kids can attend the museum for free.  In some cases parents can get free admission as well.  In my book, free entertainment I can share with my kids where they can learn something and we both can have fun is the holy grail of parenthood.

To find out where the free museums are, check out the Freepedia on Heyitsfree.net.  There you will see a listing of free museums grouped by city and state, along with tags next to each museum that depict when the museum is free and for whom.   The nice thing about this free museum list is that each listing has a link to the museum website so you can see what type of exhibits they offer to help you make a good decision for you and your children.

One other added benefit:  Heyitsfree.net has a lot of other free items on the site.  If you have some time you might want to peruse the site and see what other free items you might want!

Return to Fatherhood