3 Inexpensive But Magical Ways To Spend Time With Your Toddler

How much time do you spend with your family? How much money do you spend each time you go out? Well, it does not have to be extravagant! Spending time with the people you love should always be special but it does not have to cost you a fortune. My family often tries to find ways to make fun and memorable ways to spend together without dishing out too much cash. What we found out is simply next to amazing.

Living in the city makes it hard to find a spot to relax and enjoy the day minus the pollution. But fortunately, I live in Quezon City where the city government takes eco-friendliness seriously. Here, we have several parks to enjoy ourselves. What even great is that these parks feature many activities fro the family. Some of the parks that you can visit in Quezon City includes

• Quezon City Circle – this is park to commemorate the First President of the Philippines, President Manuel Quezon. A monument to commemorate his life and his death stands here. This park is famous for jogging and exercise buffs. They even made a special circuit where exercise equipment is available for anyone to use. Also, there is an amusement park right in the Q.C. Circle. You can rent bicycles, gop boating, enjoy the zip line, play soccer, baseball or just hang around under the shade of trees.
• Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wild Life – Named after the late senator Benigno Aquino Jr., the father of President Noynoy Aquino, this park hosts eco-friendly activities in Quezon City. Just across the Quezon City Circle, you can be treated to tour of wild life from birds, to four-legged creatures. Moreover they have a mini zoo where you can see birds, tigers, and other animals found all over the Philippines. This park has many activity centers where you can celebrate special occasions like your birthday.
• La Mesa Eco Park – situated near the La Mesa dam, this park plays host to an environmentally friendly way enjoy your day. This park showcases beautiful orchids and plants native to the Philippines. Likewise, they have a fishing area where pros and newbies can enjoy the fun of fishing. Also, they have an exercise course that is suited for different levels of expertise. But one favorite part of this park is their swimming pools. My daughter just enjoys this part.

Some think that going to the zoo is a little too tacky. But it’s a great way to enjoy nature up close. Likewise, it is a fantastic way to teach children the value of taking care of our wildlife and of nature. We bring our daughter to zoos and she loves it. She gets to see animals in person and not just on TV. Some zoos offer petting, feeding and interaction with the animals.

• Manila Zoo – I used to go here when I was young. Now, it’s my daughter’s turn to enjoy it. She loves going here. Her favorites include the crocodile, the hippo, lion, tigers, birds…well, pretty much everything here.
• Kinder Zoo – This is a special attraction inside manila Zoo. This is a petting zoo where guests can interact with the animals. Of course it’s additional payment but it’s just around $2.00 for some extra fun. Here, they can feed the animals, touch them and play with them.
• Ark Avelon Zoo – This zoo is much like the Kinder Zoo. But there are more animals to feed.

Another magical way to spend the day with your family is to have a cooking activity right in your home. This is a wonderful experience especially for your child. We of start with simple cooking activities like ready-mix cakes and brownies. Sometimes we have hotcakes with different toppings. Sometimes just cooking popcorn and enjoying it in front of a movie is great enough.

Some reminders when cooking with your kids:

• Keep the activity simple – depending on the skill of your child, choose activities that are simple but fun. This includes mixing ingredients, pouring liquids and the like.
• Prepare the materials before starting – it pays to have all materials ready before starting your activity.
• Use child appropriate materials – it is best to use child appropriate materials so that your child will have an easier time cooking. Moreover, child-appropriate equipment will ensure safety.
• Teach your child the value of safety and cleanliness – this means being a good role model to your child. Start by washing your hands, observing proper ways of handling equipment and proper ways of executing procedures.
• Set rules – make sure your rules are simple and direct to the point.

A magical time does not have to be expense. What you need is a little imagination. You don’t need much to make children enjoy their time. What they need is your presence and of course you attention. Once you find that special activity that you child enjoys, you can practically have fun minus the gargantuan expense.