Free & Inexpensive Things for Kids to Try in Springfield, Missouri
Places to Explore
There’s a cute hidden gem right here in Springfield for those of you with dinosaur-loving kids, or even recently-fascinated kids like mine who just finished watching The Land Before Time for the first time. The Missouri Institute of Natural Science is a little building kind of in the middle of nowhere, with a big room full of fossils, prehistoric bones (is …
Tiny Ideas
We love listening to 88.3 The Wind, one of Springfield, Missouri’s family-friendly Christian radio stations. So when I found out that they had a Kids Club, I signed my kids up right away. It’s so easy to do! Just go to https://88.3thewind.com/features/clean-air-kids-club and fill out the registration form toward the bottom of the page for any kids under 12 years old. …
Tiny Ideas
I love to find fun ways to help my kids learn about things that I would normally never think to teach them (Did you know that some wasps don’t have wings and that many don’t even sting? Or that baby birds break out of their shells with something called an egg tooth? Or that a Whirligig Beetle has four eyes?) …
Discounts & Deals, Seasonal
Do your kids love to bowl? Or maybe you don’t even know if they love to bowl because you haven’t wanted to shell out the money for a preschool-sized-potential-disaster-waiting-to-happen? Here is the perfect solution: the annual Kids Bowl Free Summer Bowling Program, available at four locations in Springfield, Missouri! There is absolutely no risk to let your kids try bowling, …
Events
My four-year-old was a bit confused when I told her that we were going to Story Time with Ms. Ladybug because she pointed out – rightly so – that ladybugs can’t read. True. But I’ve never seen a woman look so much like a ladybug as Joyce Tolliver, a former kindergarten teacher who takes a half hour every month to interact …
Events, Seasonal
When summer rolls around, I’m already checking the internet for the dates of the nearest county or state fair. There’s something both weird and magical about being outside with thousands of other people who you’ve probably never met, but who live right where you do, the mingled smells of fried dough and hotdogs, and the brightest colors on the strangest …
Tiny Ideas
Want to make a trip to the library even more special for your tiny humans? Ask the friendly Springfield-Greene County librarian how you can get your kids their very own library card (even the littlest ones!). It gives them ownership of their experience, helps them to feel like they are a part of what the library has to offer, and …
Places to Explore
Fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses, beautiful art, fun food trucks, natural soaps and candles, warm pies, bright bouquets, smiling faces….. Anyone who calls Springfield home absolutely has to try Farmers Market of the Ozarks (loveyourfarmer.com)! We did a little Springfield farmers market tour a few weekends ago, and Farmers Market of the Ozarks was hands down the BEST. …
Places to Explore
We’ve been wanting to try some of the trails at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center, and finally made it a priority. I’m so glad that we did! The trails are beautiful and well-kept, and you really do feel like you’re in a magical, serene, leafy nature world, even though the entrance to the center is literally right off of the …
Discounts & Deals
Some of you might be saying “um, yeah, we’ve been getting cookies at HyVee for years…” Others might be saying “she gives her kids a cookie every time they go to the grocery store?!?” Granted, I really don’t grocery shop much with three kids four-and-under because once they’re all in the cart, I can’t fit much food in anymore. So …