The following are ideas for free or mostly free activities you can do with your child over the summer.
Home Depot: Provides free workshops for children. Click here to register for their next one, How To Build A Tow Truck, on July 6th from 9 am - Noon.
Barnes & Noble: Download this reading journal and read 8 books. Return the form to Barnes & Noble between July 1st - August 31st and receive a free book.
Microsoft Youth Spark Camp: Microsoft offers many virtual field trips, kid's coding classes, and workshops on diversity, inclusion, and social/emotional learning. Click here to sign up for the activities mentioned above.
Apple Camp At Home: Apple also provides it own version of a virtual summer camp. Click here to see materials from last summer and to sign-up to receive a notification for when you can register for 2021 camp.
Lakeshore: Lakeshore is a learning store in Cranston, RI. They offer free crafts for children 3 and up every Saturday from 11 am - 3 pm (no reservation required). This also have free downloadable resources (activities, worksheets, craft ideas, word searches, flash card, etc) that you can access by clicking here.
RISD Museum: "With a collection of more than 100,000 objects -- ranging from ancient times to the present -- the RISD Museum is a dynamic cultural center offering critically acclaimed exhibitions, lively public programs for all ages, and a renowned museum store, RISD WORKS." The RISD Museum is free after 5 pm on many days and free all day on Sundays. Click here to register and get your free tickets.
Rhode Island State House: "The State House is the active seat of Rhode Island's government, but there's more than governing going on in these halls. The impressive building was designed by architectural firm McKim, Mead and White, which also designed many of the Newport Mansions. Visiting the State House is free. Open Monday–Friday (closed on holidays). Free one hour tours every hour from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Self-guided tours from the library are until 3:30 p.m."
Take a Hike: Visit the website RI Families In Nature to choose from almost four dozen hiking trails in RI.
The Fantastic Umbrella Factory: Visit the shops, feed the animals, and picnic at the Fantastic Umbrella Factory in Charlestown. (Admission is free.) Click here to visit their website.
Playgrounds: There are so many great playgrounds in RI. Click here to use the Playground Finder.
Splash Pads: Splash Pads are a great way to help kids keep cool over the summer. There are some that are free to the public. Click here to see a list of Splash Pads near you. Please note that not all the Splash Pads in this list are free.
Misquamicut: Misquamicut Beach offers many events over the summer. They have drive-in movies that cost just $20 per car. You can reserve tickets here. They also have Tunes On The Dunes. These are free concerts on the beach on Mondays and Wednesday nights. Click here to see the flyer for more information.
Westerly Library & Wilcox Park: Westerly library offers a variety of free activities; including virtual story time, crafts, book sales, paint parties, and family game nights. Click here to see a list of Kid Events. They also offer virtual tours of museums around the world. They also offer passes to local attractions that provide free entrance or discount tickets. Click here to see the links for virtual tours and list of passes available.
