It's the battle cry every parent has to contend with during the height of spring break or the heat of summer: "Moooom! Daaaad! I'm BORED!" Those words strike fear into the heart of even veteran parents. While it's tempting to tell your child that you'll offload some chores onto them if they can't find anything to do, resist the urge and instead, make your child's summer magical and memorable with these five frugal boredom busters that can be had for under $5 each.

Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is a great way to get your kids off the couch, outdoors and exploring the world around them. First, set the boundaries of where your kids are allowed to search. Younger kids might only have free reign of the yard, while older kids can scour the neighborhood. Then, think of a list of things the kids are likely to find in that area.

Natural things like funny-shaped rocks, pine cones, feathers and flowers are always a big hit. Other things like dropped coins add mystery and the promise of treasure, while including man-made trash such as discarded soda cans or plastic bottles can encourage your kids to pick up their space. Be sure to outline the rules for your kids and make them clear.

If you don't want your kids actually collecting items, send them out armed with a one-time use disposable camera, easily had for under $5 at any convenience store, or even cheaper in multi-packs and in bulk online. Doing this allows you to add things your kids can't collect (like cars of a certain color or a puppy) to the list of things to look for.

They'll have a visual record of the day and all the fun they had looking for specific items. Most kids love playing with cameras, so turning them loose with a disposable one is a great way to let them indulge that curiosity without the possibility of damage to your digital camera or smart phone.

Archaeology Day

Do your kids have a sand box set up in the yard that's fallen into disuse? What about an unused plot in your garden or a patch of dirt that's waiting for more grass seed?

Setting up a dig day is the perfect way to keep little ones busy while letting them learn about the wild world of archaeology. Head to the dollar store and get some treasures to bury, a paintbrush and a small shovel.

Plastic dinosaur toys, jewelry and other bits and baubles are the perfect things to bury and often come two or more to a pack. Make sure the kids aren't watching you and bury the "treasures" in different places and at different depths. If your little scientist is the type to dig up the whole yard to find more, mark the areas where they're buried or create a treasure map they can follow.

You can either let the kids go hog wild digging, or you can set rules that they should be as careful as possible, just like real archaeologists studying ancient civilizations. Encourage them to use a paintbrush to remove layers of dirt instead of just digging out the object with brute force. Even though this is an educational activity that helps kids develop their observational skills, it's still fun. Who doesn't love playing in the dirt?

Friendship Bracelets

Receiving an unexpected gift is always a cause for happiness, especially if that gift is colorful, handmade and from your best friend in the world. Friendship bracelets are a great way to keep kids busy and work on their fine motor skills. And when they're done, they can spend countless hours trading them among their friends.

Explore different types of braids and any one of the thousands of designs available for friendship bracelets. Books and websites devoted to the art of bracelet making are available through your local library or online. You don't have to stick to the classics, though - you can also introduce your kids to macramé, beading and more crafty ways to create the bracelets.

If working on fine motor skills and interpersonal relationships isn't quite as much of an educational spin as you'd like, friendship bracelets are a great way to teach your kids about fiber arts from around the world. From Navajo weaving patterns to the knots used by Irish fisherman, there's plenty of ground to cover.

Use yarn for chunkier bracelets or embroidery thread for thinner, more durable bracelets. A skein of yarn and a pack of embroidery thread can make multiple bracelets quite cheaply.

Scratch Art

Every parent has that bucket of half-broken crayons that they don't want to throw out but avoid using because they're blunt, too tiny for easy coloring and not quite as bright as the fresh ones straight from the box. But these crayons hang around because they still color. And they're perfect for scratch art.

Encourage your kids to color on the paper to their hearts' content. It doesn't matter whether they draw doodles, abstract swaths of color or whole designs as long as the entire paper is filled with color. Then, instruct them to take a black crayon and color over the whole page.

Using a toothpick or similar pointed object, scratch away at the black to reveal the colors underneath. Basic shapes like stars, circles or hearts work just as well as more intricate scratches of kittens, puppies and airplanes.

Tie Dye

A good tie-dye T-shirt is one you make yourself - and although craft stores sell expensive kits aimed at parting you from your hard earned cash, you can do the same thing at home for just a fraction of the cost using packets of powdered drink mix. Not only are these cheaper to purchase, the unsweetened packets are free from the harsh chemicals found in commercial fabric dyes.

Tie dying is messy-so messy that you'll want to set it up outside and put down layers of newspaper or a tarp. You'll also need rubber bands, white cotton things to dye (old t-shirts, socks and underwear can be given new life through tie dye), but you'll need vinegar and salt, too.

Purchase a variety of drink mix packets in different colors, then simply mix one packet of drink mix to one ounce of vinegar. Twist up your clothing items, secure with rubber bands and dip into the dyes, one color at a time.

Allow the dyed items to dry in the sun and then run them through the washing machine separate from other clothes with a cup of salt to further help set the dye. When it's all dry, you've got wearable art that your kids can show off all summer long.

Frugal Village