[ghamman]

Hello everyone. I am just starting to stay at home with my 3 1/2 year old son. I have been a teacher for 10 years at high school and upper elementary school. I need help... I have no clue what I'm doing. Starting next week he will be going to a daycare/preschool for 2 days a week since I teach a class those afternoons and am going to night school those two nights. During these days I'm hoping to get things done at home and get my school work done. But what do I do on the other three days of the week. Since I'm not working money is tight on taking him places. Any advice would be helpful.

[mefreire89]

Try meetup.com, I joined a play group and there are a lot of times when they have picnics in the park & fun little free activities

[mrscrystal23]

go to the website of the city that you are in . I live in chicago and on the city website they have lots of free things going on like on wednesday the children museum has free admission and sometimes the shedd aquarium has free admission .. Hope this helps

[momtoaprincess]

Also check themommiesnetwork.org, you can check to see if they have a group in your area. The one here is great, they have playdates all the time and plan activities that are cheap.

And you will find stuff to do, do stuff you've been meaning to do forever and just havent had the time.

Good Luck!

[mrscrystal23]

also check the park districts website There is always something going on at the park district (usually free )

[marnimae]

I would check out your local library for storytime, that is fun and he can socialize with other kids and prob do arts & crafts, our library also has passes for free or discounted prices for museums, zoo's, local area's of interests, like corn mazes or parks that cater to children, this has saved us tons and kept boredom at bay during the summer. Also I would check your local nursing homes, when I worked as a nursing assistant, we had kids come in with their parents and deliver mail or just to visit with the elderly (which is great b/c it teaches kids to not be afraid of the elderly). They love visits and can read or play a board game like candyland etc. with the child, with mom or dad present of course and they love trick or treater's around halloween. You can always call a nursing home and speak with the head of the activities department. Look into your local community paper, it usually posts events like music concerts or festivals that are little to no cost or mommy groups. Good luck!

[sar1]

Use the other parents at the preschool and the teachers as a resource also. They should have some ideas for you.

[polydoly13]

see if there is a Mops group in your area - Mothers of Preschool Students.

[BudgetingBetty]

I second meetup.com to find a play group. Also, playgrounds are free and your library is a great resource. Try to borrow "The Preschooler's Busy Book" through inter-library loan if your library doesn't carry it. The library museum passes are great, too. If you teach classes (work) in a different town than you live, you can join that town's library for free, too. Lastly, you won't have as much free time as you think you will b/c you're now taking on the daytime childcare job that you outsourced before. You could also try getting your older child into things that will help you get stuff done, while the baby sleeps. Things like gardening, for example, can save you money and give your child a great experience.