" How old are your kids? "

" My favorite park is playground fantastico on old sonoma. Good for toddlers and older kids.
Feeding the ducks at kennedy park is always a hit with the little ones too. "

" My experience during 24 years of raising children in this town is that there is practically nothing cheap to do. And most of the parks (that used to be wonderfull when I was growing up) are now full of gang bangers & drug users. Good luck to you. "

" I agree, depends how old are your kids. My girls are 9 and 12.

Alston Park - It's like a "petting zoo" we love going there to relax while walking, talking to strangers with dogs and petting the for legged ones. We sometimes bike over there.

Right now, soccer season is on. We paid $80 per kid (does not include uniform). Practices are usually twice a week for one hour and games are on Saturdays, usually in Napa (once in Calistoga and once in St. Helena).
Keeps them busy and exercised almost the entire Fall season.

NVST (Napa Valley Swim Team) - It goes year around. Practices are everyday at NVC pool (depending on the level of swimming), and the tuition is fairly reasonable ($50-$100 depending on the level). Again, keeps them busy and exercised on daily basis. "

" wow DL, what a positive outlook! Like it or not, we can't just sit around watching tv all day we have things we need to experience, learn and play with!!:) And I always tell those little gang bangers off when they are not behaving anyway, most of them have never actually had a grown up discipline them so they go away. The real kids to worry about at the park are the ones with their parents chatting away on cell phones and not paying attention anyway.
I also just found out that Connoly ranch is having a free family day this saturday(wish they would do it more often!) "

" I have the most fun taking my children for long walks. They start out pretty angry with me, but eventually everyone is laughing, and I promise a drink or inexpensive snack at the end.
I think preparing food together is nice, too--kneading bread, baking cookies, cutting veggies. You can look for free recipes on line. Even little kids can get involved--we make our own pizza sometimes from homemade dough, and my kids used to love to make their own misshapen pizza crusts. In the good old days, life was slower, and nicer, when the family got together to prepare real food. Have a potluck with a family you like!
There is yardwork this time of year, and I kid you not, as exasperating as my kids can be, usually we laugh a lot together during all of it--the dog even gets involved and she's good for a few laughs as she chases garden fruits around the yard, for example.
How about a trip to the library? Can you start early in the afternoon and walk there? Sometimes we stop to have a look at the animals at Petco--I love the fishtanks. The library has books and movies for rent--you could check out some craft books. Chrismas is coming, and grandparents LOVE home-made gifts.
I've not tried them, but there are movie rental kiosks in Safeway (probably other stores as well) that rent movies for, I think a dollar? Pop your own popcorn (the REAL kind, not that nasty kind in a microwave bag.)
Thrift stores can be a BLAST to visit--so many cool trinkets and most are very inexpensive if you find something you really want. "

" How about volunteer work? That's almost always free and certainly gives one a sense of appreciation.
If you are affiliated with a church, don't skip opportunities for community gathering and sharing.
What EVER you do, don't turn your boredom into a trip to the mall or Target/Wal-Mart. It will only remind you of what you don't have--even stuff you just don't need or actually want!
You know what's almost as fun as shopping? Reverse shopping! Who couldn't use a little more space and sanity in their homes? Start in your closets and get rid of stuff you don't wear and won't wear. If in doubt, remember that someone else may really want that thing more than you do, and it's not doing you any good in the closet. Go through your cupboards, all your cabinets and get rid of dishes you don't use--everything. Toys, you name it. You could have a garage sale (fun for the kids!!) or donate to the thrift shops, and you will feel SO good about having a more organized home!
Dance! Put on some music and dance with your kids! Teach your son how to ask a girl to dance, and show him what to do! Does he know how to tie a tie? Are there other things you've been meaning to teach your children? (How to clean, etiquette, etc.?)
Have everyone take early showers and put on their jammies at 7:30--lights out, then tell them stories about grandma and grandpa and yourself--they love this!
Do you have bikes or can you borrow some? Can you borrow a dog to take on a walk? (The owners might be grateful--not to mention the dog!) "

" I will second Playground Fantastico. Train Town in Sonoma is not very expensive and they are open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
FYI, Discovery Kingdom 2009 season passes are on sale online right now for $49.99 each, which is not exactly cheap, but is just $5 more than a one day admission. It includes admission for the rest of 2008, too. I always buy the parking pass, too. "

" My kids like to make up board games with paper and pencils and scissors.
That is, when I kick them off the video games.
Or they shoot hoops in the front yard or at the local school.
They even were making movies for a while using the video-take feature on my camera. Many people have video cameras and computers now, and video editing can be an educational experience, and a lot of fun. Did you know that Windows Movie Maker is in your Program File if you are running Windows? You do need a bit of room on your computer--may want to invest in an external memory stick, if necessary.
How about rearranging your furniture together? That can be fun!
Will your children's school let you use space on a Friday night for a movie night or an organized pot luck?
Even older children like being read to--time to tackle a long book, like Harry Potter?
Can your over-16-year-olds find a part-time job near home?
Check into the availability of scholarships at Napa Parks and Rec for their programs if you truly cannot afford the fees--generally they are pretty modest anyway.
I'm fresh out of ideas.
Keep your chin up and your children close--you may look upon this time someday as some of the best days with them after all! "

" I run a daycare in Napa and there are a few things to do. P.B.&J's $6.00 and they can jump until they can hardly move, they also have a rock climbing area in the next building for an additional charge. The library is free and you can also check out videos for an evening treat, the library also offers various kids programs all year long. Connolly Ranch is fun and there's a park nearby on Browns Valley Road. My kids also enjoy a ride on the trolley possibly stopping downtown for an ice cream, going to Fuller Park to play or just enjoy a free ride. Even just going to the pet store (Wilson's or Petco are a couple) can be enjoyable from time to time. During the summer the movie theatre offers dollar movies on Wednesday .50 if you buy your tickets in advance. Granted our town is not geared towards children but if you look hard enough you can usually find something to do. Have fun!!!! "

" Geez, Steph, you are making me feel like a lame mom :-).

One note on movie night at a school: you have to have a public performance license to show a movie, whether you charge admission or not, or run afoul of the copyright laws that show at the start of every movie with the scary warnings. If the school has a license you are covered, I think.

Another thing we found out on a field trip: the trolley is NOT free unless you board downtown. Where that is exactly I don't know. It costs $1 per person otherwise. "

" well I three kids 3-6 and 14, we fish all over the valley good striper fishing in the river 9-10 month of the year, bass and catfish at berryessa and hennesey, trout at putah creek and piers all over the bay area with perch batray shark and all manner of creatures from the sea. kids under 16 dont need a license (READ AND OBEY ALL REGULATIONS) there are loads of hiking opportunities around Napa and te greater bay area (www.bahiker.com) I love hiking around lake hennessey during the winter months when bald eagles nest there, if you have a digital camera go on photo safaris in the many wild areas around the valley, tours of jellybelly factory is free and the third wed of every month is free admission to the sf academy of science in golden gate park a fabulous all day excursion you can do over abd over without burnout! leave early enough to use the carpool lane and go in hwy 80 and out 101 and all you pay for is food and gas no tolls! Call community resources for children and they will have many suggestions and they have a toy lending library too. Good luck and remember to a kid almost anything can become an adventure pack a lunch lace your shoes on tight and get out in it rain or shine! "

" you can cruise the J on low rider bikes
for free and stop at fullerpark and enjoy the free music. Go to a taco truck
for some tacos or a burrito. Carnitas is my favorite, it is tasty for the ninos "

" I have a 3 year old and a 2 year old, and they go nuts whn we take the city bus - anywhere! It's 1.25 for me and then the kids are free (under 6). I take them to the Farmers Market, then there's the childrens garden at Copia. The Trolly is fun too and goes directly to Copia, the library and Fuller Park, where there are older, retired men hanging out together talking and laughing, then just other parents with their kids. Pack a lunch for a picnic and you're set (although if you just go on the bus, you could probably skip the rest). It's especially nice when the school age sibling get to go on field trips on a bus. So make your own field trip! It's fun and super cheap and everyone gets out of the house. "

" this parenting section is the best part of the paper in my opinion! thank you so much for all the fantastic ideas! "