Inflation or not, spring break is fast approaching for thousands of school children in Quebec. As with the price of food and gasoline, the price of family activities has skyrocketed. How to have a fun and inexpensive school break? Three families reveal their tricks.
Free rein to the imagination
A mother of four children aged 3 to 9, Jessica Marquis has already made her plans for the school break. Alone with her kids that week, while her husband is working, she has two outings on the agenda: one to an indoor amusement park and the other to the bowling alley.
“I can’t afford to go out every day,” says the 36-year-old woman, who lives in the Granby area. Maybe I’ll add dinner at a chain restaurant. The rest will be at home. »
At home, Mr.me Marquis has become the specialist in role-playing games, where children are free. “I set up the framework, but they are the ones who create the games, who invent the stories,” she says.
The bathroom becomes the place of a party pool with foam and glow sticks. “I ask the children to put on their bathing suits, I turn off the lights and the children have fun! I just have to supervise. »
The living room becomes a cinema for an afternoon. The mother of the family creates counterfeit money in paper and she posts a menu on a board.
“Each of the children must pay for their ticket before entering and they must choose whether they want chipschocolate, juice or popcorn,” says Jessica Marquis.
And the kitchen becomes a restaurant. “Actually, I spend my leftovers! “, laughs Mr.me Marquis, who adds that he has already prepared a mini obstacle course in the house.
Only downside: the chicanery… which sometimes invites itself into this kind of unstructured game. “Conflicts are also part of life, as is resolving them. »
Simple little pleasures
Françane B. Bertrand is crossing her fingers that the weather will be nice during the spring break: just cold enough for the snow to stay on the ground, but not too cold. Her plan to occupy her three children, ages 8, 4 and 3, revolves around a few winter activities: cross-country skiing and skating.
“I found the equipment on donation groups, in thrift stores and on Marketplace, explains the 33-year-old resident of Montmagny, whose spouse works during the spring break. I hope I can enjoy it! »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FAMILY
Françane B. Bertrand loves cooking with her children: cookies, desserts, crepes… and even pasta!
She has other ideas to occupy her trio: playing board games, going for walks, having fun in the yard. And above all, cooking. Cookies, desserts, pancakes… and pasta!
I like to make gnocchi with them. When you think about it, it looks like playdough. Children enjoy handling dough and are proud of their accomplishments.
Françane B. Bertrand
For two days, the little ones will go to daycare, as usual, to allow the mother and her eldest to spend time alone. “We bought ourselves some beautiful nail polish and we’re going to have a spa afternoon, manicure and pedicure, watching a movie,” she announces.
And the outings? Too expensive, she drops. Except one. “We will go as a family to the Musée de la civilization in Quebec on a weekend day, to be all five together. »
Everybody out !
Laval residents Nicolas Arsenault and his spouse choose to take a week’s vacation, during spring break, to spend time with their three children, ages 6, 8 and 11. “For the past three years, because of the pandemic, we have had to work, but this year, we are spoiling ourselves”, underlines the 40-year-old father who works in the health sector.
And what will they do with this family time? Outdoors, at low cost. “We like to go to the parks and do everything there is free, sliding, trail walking, snowshoeing, skating,” says Mr. Arsenault. He borrows and exchanges the necessary pieces of equipment with friends who have children of the same age.
He specifies that he likes to take note of the activities organized by the municipality and decide, as a family, that very morning, what will be done for the day.
It’s nice to go there with spontaneity, our schedules are so tightly run, every day!
Nicolas Arsenault
An example ? The Snow Castle Challenge contest, in which families are invited to build a fort in their backyard, take a picture of it and enter to win prizes.
To breathe a little, the three children of the couple will go play board games with neighbors one day – and the next day, it is the children of the neighbors who will arrive.
No outing on schedule? None. The couple are saving up for a summer vacation. “We can’t do everything and that, the children understand that. »