Struggle to find fun activities to do during the summer that don’t break the bank? Not anymore! Here are dozens of fun summer freebies (or close to it) to keep your whole family entertained:

Enjoy fun activities!

* Go bowling: Over 600 bowling centers across the country are offering kids two free games a day all summer long. Want to join in on the fun? You can get a family pass for a one-time charge of $24.95, which covers two games per person per day for up to four adults for the whole summer. Find participating bowling centers near you, plus their age, time, date and other restrictions at kidsbowlfree.com.

* Attend museum exhibits: If you call or check the website of your favorite children, art, history and museums, you’ll find that most set aside one weekday to offer free admission to visitors. But, what if your schedule only allows for a weekend visit? You’re in luck! Target has partnered with 120 museums to provide free and reduced admission on certain Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (find dates and locations at target.com/arts) and Bank of America cardholders get free entry to over 100 museums during the first weekend of every month (find locations at promotions.bankofamerica.com/museums).

* Laugh at puppet shows: Or enjoy live animal demonstrations, join a sing-along, enter photo contests, learn to dance or participate in any of the other dozens of free activities offered by public libraries this June, July and August. Find a schedule of events on your library’s website at publiclibraries.com. But, don’t limit yourself by heading only to your nearest branch—check out what other libraries within driving distance are also offering. Each one hosts different events—and you don’t need a library card to attend. Bonus: Many libraries also let you “borrow” complimentary one-time passes to zoos, museums, sporting events and/or art performances.

* Find more free happenings: Type in your zip code and the word “free” at zvents.com and you’ll instantly get a list of no-cost activities—like concerts, fairs and guided nature hikes—going on in your area.

* Snag amusement park coupons: Get discounts for 10% to 30% off ticket prices at retailmenot.com/coupons/amusementpark.

Go on a trip!

* Get a behind-the-scenes peek: At factorytoursusa.com, you can choose from over 500 tours of factories—which show you how to make everything from ice cream and hand-blown glass to teddy bears and robots—as well as sports stadiums and television and movie studios. Most tours are free; some may charge a nominal fee.

* Pick peaches: Or see how Alpaca fiber is turned into yarn or learn the secrets to growing award-winning tomatoes by visiting local farms that host free tours, which you can find at localharvest.org.

* Take a scenic drive: Get photos and directions for driving routes near you that boast beautiful nature scenery or take you by fun roadside attractions at byways.org and weather.com/activities/driving/scenicdrives.

* Feed the kids for free: All that traveling can make kids hungry! Luckily, where ever you go, you’re probably near one of the over 5,300 restaurants offer kid’s meals on the house. Find out the dates, times and locations where you can get complimentary food at mykidseatfree.com.

Learn something new!

* Master the outdoors: Participating Bass Pro Shops across the country are offering basic instruction for burgeoning outdoor enthusiasts through July 11 on weekends, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Workshops include instruction in hiking, camping, fishing, bird watching, archery, outdoor-themed children’s crafts and—most important of all—s’mores-making! Store activities and times will vary; check your local Bass Pro Shops’ schedule at  basspro.com/summercamp.

* Make a movie: Apple computer stores give kids 8-12 valuable hands-on experience as they learn how to use Mac computers to make a movie, compose a song, assemble a photobook and create presentations. Registration is free; class times and dates at your local Apple store can be found at apple.com/retail/youth.

* Channel your inner artist: Michael’s craft stores workshops teach kids all sorts of useful crafts projects—such as how to make corsages, decorate T-shirts and create hand-made greeting cards. Instruction is free; you may have to purchase supplies for some classes. Get schedules, times, locations and supply requirements at theknackkids.com/EventView.aspx.

* Build a planter: Kids ages 5-12 get free instruction and materials to make wooden projects—such as planters, games and bird feeders—at Lowes every Saturday between 10 am and 11 am and at Home Depot on the first Saturday of each month between 9 am and noon. For a schedule of projects planned for the summer at Lowes, head to lowesbuildandgrow.com and for Home Depot, head to homedepot.com/kidsworkshop.

* Find the Big Dipper: At skymaps.com, you can print out clear, easy-to-read maps of constellations that you can pinpoint in the night sky this summer.

Get lost in a story!

* Earn free books for reading: Kids 12 and under who read eight books this summer will receive a free book from Barnes & Noble (barnesandnoble.com/summerreading) and those who read 10 books get a free book from Borders (borders.com). Simply pick up a worksheet at your local Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores, write in the books your kids have read, then bring it in to your local store when the kids finish their last book.

* Listen to stories read aloud: Pottery Barn Kids (potterybarnkids.com) hosts a live story-time every Tuesday 11 am to 11:30 am. Kids who attend five story-times receive a free gift. You can also find live book reading at your local bookstores—simply ask them for their story-time schedule.

* Watch animated books online: Younger children can read along on the screen while enjoying fun stories and poems brought to life through colorful animation. Choose from four of the most popular Aesop’s Fables—including The Tortoise and the Hare and The Fox and His Shadow—at us.penguingroup.com and original stories and poems from mightybook.com.

Cool off at a movie!

* Attend free morning matinees: Do your kids clamor for Kung Fu Panda, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, The Karate Kid and other children’s film favorites? Regal Cinemas offer free seating on a first-come, first-serve basis during its weekly morning matinee series (find theatres and showtimes at regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestival.aspx). And, for just $1 per person, the Summer Movie Camp at participating AMC Theatres offers a different kids’ movie at 10 a.m. every Tuesday from June 15 through August 10 (find theatres at amcentertainment.com/smc) and Cinemark offers 10 weekly children’s movies for $5 at participating theatres when purchased in advance and $1 per movie when purchased on the day of the show (find theatres and showtimes at cinemark.com/summermovieclubhouse).

* Get discounts on blockbusters: The price of tickets to see new releases has been going up, but you can score major discounts that bring the price back down. Simply purchase tickets through AAA, Costco and other large associations who buy them in bulk and then pass the savings on to you. Get tickets through Entertainment (entertainment.com), which charges $15 to $45 for books of half-price coupons for movies. Or join a free movie club, which is offered by many theatres as an incentive to customers and rewards you with points toward complimentary tickets and other discounts every time you see a movie.

* Check your membership benefits: Certain groups—like alumni groups and trade organizations—credit card companies, credit unions and other companies and associations offer free and discounted movie tickets just for being a member.

Have a blast indoors on rainy days!

* Watch live butterflies: The butterfly webcam at National Museum of History (amnh.org) shows live images of colorful Monarchs, Swallowtails and Malachites all day long.

* Find out where your food comes from: For milk, log onto whereismymilkfrom.com. For fruits and vegetables, log onto harvestmark.com and leopold.iastate.edu.

* Color and draw online: At crayola.com, your kids can play games, color any of the over 1,000 printable coloring pages and choose from the hundreds of craft projects, including making certificates and holiday cards.

* Take virtual tours: Explore the White House (whitehousemuseum.org), see how Jelly Belly jelly beans are made (jellybelly.com) or take a virtual walk on the moon’s surface (moon.arounder.com).

[photo: Lin Pernille Photography]

Loved the sunglasses Michelle Rodriguez wore in Avatar? The palm tree pendant Kate Hudson donned in Fool’s Gold? Thingsyousaw
inamovie.com tracks down the products stars wear or use in movies so you can get them for yourself.

[photo: gjofili]

Are you and your guy trying to decide on a new set of sheets, blankets or PJs? If softness is a key factor, you’re better off going with what feels best to you. Turns out, women have a better sense of touch than men thanks to small fingers that have more closely spaced sensory receptors, which send more information to the brain, according to research out of McMaster University in Canada.

[photo: D. Sharon Pruitt]

Does your autistic child love movies, but finds the booming sound in movie theaters too loud and/or movie theaters too dark? Do you worry about sneaking diet-specific snacks into the theater? Do other movie-goers complain about the noise or movements your child makes? One mother’s solution was to ask the manager of her local AMC Theatre to set aside one screening just for autistic children and their families where they could watch a movie at a lower volume with the lights up, they could bring allergy-free and other diet-specific treats, and the kids could sing, clap, dance and make other noise. The manager agreed, and on the day of the special screening over 300 children and their families showed up! With such an overwhelming response, AMC decided to make this special “sensory-friendly” screening of children’s movies a regular event. Now, in partnership with the Autism Society of America, participating AMC Theatres throughout the U.S. offer once-a-month 10 am matinees of children’s films for children with autism and other special needs, where the volume is lower, the lights are on, it’s okay to bring snacks from home, and kids can feel free to be themselves. Tickets are $4 – $6 depending on the theater. You can find a list of participating theaters as well as the dates of their screenings at autism-society.org. And, if your local AMC Theatre doesn’t host sensory-friendly screening, AMC encourages you to request it by sending an email request to 0411communityrelations@amctheatres.com.

[photo: naydeeyah]

Whether they’re riding bikes together, trying on makeup or just talking, a new University at Buffalo study shows that any time spent with pals distracts tweens and teens from eating out of boredom, a chief cause of childhood obesity.

Tip: To help your child make more friends, sign him or her up for after-school programs, free children’s events at your local library or youth groups at your house of worship.

[photo: hecotorir]

Love the vibrant colors of these delightful creatures? You can have dozens of butterflies fluttering in your yard all day by planting the kind of garden they love to visit. Start by…
* Picking the perfect spot. It doesn’t matter if your garden is a small window box or a large space so long as it’s a sunny spot that’s sheltered from the wind by, say, a bush or fence.
* Choosing plants for each stage of their life. Caterpillars like to munch on milkweeds, nettles, violets and passion vines while adult butterflies enjoy drinking the nectar of butterfly bush, marigolds, zinnias and daisies. Tip: A wider variety of plants attracts a wider variety of butterflies.
* Making a butterfly lounge. Butterflies love to bask in the sun after eating, so give them a place to digest, such as a paving stone or brick.
*Adding a miniature pond. Butterflies sip water from small puddles, which you can simulate with a saucer or small plastic container. Drop in a branch or rock to give them and easy place to land.

[photo: aussiegall]

Sure, you know that eating and exercising are key to staying healthy. Now researchers know that belonging to a book club, bowling league, volunteer organization or any other group is just as important. According to a recent study out of the Universities of Exeter and Queensland, Australia, people who belong to social groups are less likely to suffer from stroke, heart disease, dementia and even the common cold. The link? Being around other people makes us feel happier and more fulfilled, which boosts our immune system and makes us more likely to take health-boosting steps, such as getting regular check-ups and taking vitamins.

That’s the news from University of New Hampshire researchers who found that movie lovers possess similar traits as the film characters they’re drawn to. For instance, if your favorite movie character is a…
* Sage, magicians or creator: You enjoy learning about the world and teaching others what you know.
* Caregiver or lover: You’re compassionate, devoted and generous.
* Hero or ruler: You have big goals and work steadfastly to overcome any obstacle to achieve them.
* Outlaw or shadowy figure: You like to buck trends and do things your own way.
* The “everyman” or carefree explorer: You’re friendly, open and down to Earth.

If you’re a woman, wiggle as you walk and if you’re a man, channel a John Wayne-like shoulder swagger. According to studies from a research team out of Texas A&M University and New York University, women who sway their hips as they walk are perceived as 50% more attractive and men who sway their shoulders as they walk are perceived as more than twice as attractive as those who tread with less motion. Researchers chalk it up to an evolutionary quirk that makes us use body cues to help decipher gender: extra movement in the hips makes us look more feminine and more movement in the shoulders makes us appear more  masculine.

[photo: Alaskan Dude]

Your family tired of doing the same-old thing? Goby.com is a search engine that specializes in finding local events, sports, shows, historical sites, museums and other activities. Type in the kind of fun you’re in the mood for, your zip code and when you’d like to do it. A list of options will appear along with a Google map showing you how to get there.

[photo: Zevotron]