Mark your calendars! On Saturday, August 10, stop by your local JCPenney between 11am-noon for the next free Kids Zone event. These free events are held by JCPenney on the second Saturday of each month. Just like my laundry cycle!

Your child will be able to make a free Nerf target board to take home. They'll also get a free ID badge, lanyard, and collector's pin.

All necessary materials will be provided and you don't need to signup ahead of time. As a thank you for coming, parents also receive a 10% off coupon valid for August 10 only.

Registration is open for the next free Kids Workshop at Home Depot. It's being held on Saturday, August 3 and children will build a free tow truck.

Take school work to another galaxy in our hands-on workshop where you and your child can build a rocket pencil box. Your young aerospace engineer can study the anatomy of a rocket while you construct a handmade case together. Once your rocket pencil box is built, your child can decorate it with paint and stickers.

All kids get to keep their craft, receive a free certificate of achievement, a Workshop Apron, and a commemorative pin while supplies last.

These workshops run from 9am-noon and are aimed at kids aged 5-12, though the age range is simply a guide instead of a strict rule. I can also confirm grown adults aged over 30 sometimes have trouble helping their little brother because I'm terrible with tools.

There are only a limited number of spaces available, so you need to register online ahead of time! Find your store, then scroll down and register. When I used to take my little brother, they didn't enforce a strict arrival time. We would often show up around 10am and have plenty of time to get the project finished before noon!

Home Depot Promotional Sales

While you're at the workshop, you might be interested in the latest online and in-store promotions at The Home Depot! Many of these deals are not tied to any event, with up to 75% discounts!

Home Depot also has a cool “Buy of the Day” section, where they offer one-day only sales at huge discounts. It's worth checking out, you never know what they have!

The next free Bass Pro Shops kids events are the Family Summer Camp! Over the next four weekends, stop by your local store with your child on Thursday, Saturday, or Sunday during the scheduled hours. They'll be able to take part in all sort of free events, crafts, and games. Plus they'll be able to take home prizes and freebies!

The schedule of events is huge and literally changes each day. But it's all listed on their site!

So check out the full schedule of activities for all upcoming dates, then plan accordingly!

If you're scrambling for ideas and events to occupy the munchkins this summer, you should check out the annual free Apple Camp returning for 2019! These free events run each summer for kids 8-12. During the three 90-minute sessions, kids will explore their creativity through fun, hands-on projects across four tracks: coding, robotics, moviemaking, and musical storytelling.

Apple Stores across the country are accepting reservations for limited slots. In past years, these slots filled up fast, so I'd sign up today if I were interested.

I first wrote about this freebie back in 2009, so Apple's been doing it a while! It always sounded like a pretty cool activity to me. Then again, I'm 36 years old, so I may not be on the cutting edge of what's cool these days.

It can get a little confusing keeping track of all the great, free in-store kids events. So I've put together this comprehensive list of all the stores we track!

Apple – Their summer Apple Camp is supposed to return sometime in 2019.

Bass Pro Shops – Their summer events run throughout June.

Home Depot – These monthly events are held from 9am-noon on the first Saturday of each month. They're designed for children aged 5-12 and pre-registration is required.

JCPenney – The Kids Zone events are each month on the second Saturday. They include a freebie to take home, ID badge, lanyard, collector's pin, and more. Parents also receive a free 10% coupon good for that day online.

Lego – These monthly-themed events have recently shifted to varying days, depending on your local store. But kids still get to build a take-home LEGO toy. Some Hiffers have reported their local Lego stores have already phased these events out, so please make sure to call ahead!

Michaels – Their Kids Workshops recently started charging $1, but many of their summer dates are back to being free!

Target – They're monthly events are held on random Saturdays, usually near the end of the month, during late morning hours. They're often related to upcoming kids movies or events, with free games, prizes, and giveaway.

Know of any repeating, free in-store kids events I should start covering? Please let me know in the comments!

Registration is now open for the next free LEGO Make and Take event! During June, kids get to build a free spaceship to launch in to space and then take home.

This continues the new format where LEGO Stores offered their free events on multiple days! These monthly mini build events are open to children ages 6-14 only and slots are limited, so you have to reserve a space before they run out.

Now for the bad news. For some weird reason, LEGO recently changed how registration for these events work. You no longer can register online, but must register in-store first. Kinda crazy if you ask me! Hopefully they revert this policy ASAP because how many of us have time for in-store registration? Each store has approximately 120 free LEGO kits per night and time reservations are on a first come, first serve basis.

I see no mention of registration for June, so perhaps they killed this draconian in-store registration plan from May? Either way, I'd call ahead and ask!

Also, I've noticed a few super cheap items lately in LEGO's sale and discount section. If you have a little one with an upcoming birthday who loves LEGOs, it might be worth scoping out.