What is something creative/fun/cheapish to do with a picky 10 year old girl in LA? (that isn't going to a park, Color Me Mine, or a movie)

How bout a hike? A museum? The beach? A sporting event? A concert?

Who is she? And why do you feel you need to entertain her some much?

She can be pretty fickle and gets bored easily. Hikes aren’t fun for her, she isn’t all that into physical activity (though she will enjoy soccer on occasion) she’d just say they were boring after 3 minutes. DEFINITELY wouldn’t be interested in going to a museum since she goes for school. She needs something that can actively engage her.

You can go to the wax museum or the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum both located on Hollywood Blvd.
You can also take one of those celebrity homes tours.
All 3 of those things are cheap.
Or go to the Santa Monica pier and ride the roller coaster.

You said she isn’t a girly girl, and now you’re saying she isn’t an outdoors or sports person. Well what is she? What can actively engage her? I’d think anything physical would be actively engaging so I’m not sure what you mean.

@rskaletz Frankly, she sounds like a tool. Leave her at the hotel and go out and have some fun by yourself.

She hates the beach and she hates Hollywood. I’m telling you she’s picky. She doesn’t like sports too much because she feels she isn’t good at them and gives up when it doesn’t’ come easily to her. I’m trying to get her into soccer but she isn’t all that interested and she doesn’t really like sports except for football. She loves animals, she loves when we went to color me mine or a pottery studio to throw pottery, that just gets REALLY expensive quickly. OH and she’s a ten year old girl she’s not a tool, and we live in LA and I babysit her every weekend.

Go get her nails done. It’s cheap and they love it.

How about a zoo or aquarium? Maybe some other kind of crafting lesson. Weaving or jewelry making or sewing or refinishing furniture….off the top of my head. Some kind of project. I am not a girly girl, but I enjoy things like this because it involves using my hands and a certain amount of skill.

jewelry making could be great, know of any good places in LA?

Geocaching. Seriously.

It would be cheaper to get a how-to book or internet site and beads, and see who can make the nicer piece at home.

I’m kind of wondering why you are paying to entertain her, and not the parents, especially if she’s that difficult to entertain? I wouldn’t take the kids I babysat out on my dime, unless it was a special occasion or something.

How about a play you two create- or a movie. You can record it and share it with her folks later. You can let her have free reign on the subject so she’s sure to be interested. Just go crazy with it and have fun- raid your closet for ‘wardrobe’, use locations walking distance to your house etc.

@EmpressPixie Has it. Geocaching. You can even find my cache.

@andrew How’s your plant, BTW?

LA Zoo is reasonably priced.

Do you really need to entertain the kid out of your own expense? The last time I check, babysitters are hired to watch over the charge while the folks are away. If you’re trying to impress this girl so that she doesn’t rat out on you then the parents better be paying well for you to stick it out.

Anyway, my suggestion would be to show her the real world (maybe that will knock some sense in her)... let her come with you when you do your laundry, or do your grocery shopping. Swing by some soup kitchens or food pantry so she can realize how fortunate she is to be living in LA, with parents who can afford a babysitter.

Can’t you dig up some girls her age in the neighborhood? I mean….would you be that intense about entertaining your own kids, or would you expect them to entertain themselves? I’ve done a lot of things with my kids over the years, but not every single weekend. Mostly, when they weren’t in school, they hung out with their friends….

I have read this thread and second what @njnyjobs and @Val123 say.

My thought as I read this thing is how times have changed. It was my job at 10 to find a responsible way to entertain myself.

I did not expect to be entertained.

LA Live Steamers near Travel Town in Griffith Park. It is free and fun. You can have lunch in the park too and use @tinyfaery‘s idea and head to the zoo after you are done.

I ran a daycare, and I sure didn’t spend all my time trying to figure out how to entertain the kids. They became a part of my household, with rotating chores and everything. Wednesday was field trip day. We’d go to the park and have a barbque or something.

I agree with the aboves about why you are entertaining her. If she’s not a tool now she will be. Actually she sounds spoiled and you’re doing it too. Most of us don’t get outings and treats every weekend. !You’re grooming a Paris Hilton

She sounds like a child whose parents buy substitutes for attention. Babysitting does not mean on-demand entertainment. At 10, she should be learning to entertain herself. Why not create an activities jar, where you both come up with ideas for things to do? Set a parameter around cost, distance, etc. She puts in ideas, you put in ideas. Then you each pick one out of the jar, and decide which of the two happens that weekend.

Help her plant a mini garden. You can buy a simple plastic bin, cut a small hole in the bottom, then cover the bottom with rocks (have her go outside with you and collect rocks—that wastes time) and then fill with soil and go to a garden store and pick out a few seed packs. She can make little sign posts to remember what she planted.

going to the beach? driving around really fancy neighborhoods in bel air? something in hollywood?

Griffith Park has great interactive Museums and they sometimes have fun events at the Getty. Then there’s bike riding at Venice beach, people watching in Hollywood, farmers markets, window shopping, local theater, downtown Disney, Hollywood Bowl…..

Camping/Fishing

Teach her how to cook. It’s especially fun when you can pick you own food from a garden, and then cook it, and serve a delicious meal to your parents.

I have to agree with the others about the parents paying for all this. Without an adequate compensation, maybe you should be looking for a different job.

well i guess I should really have clarified that its actually a big brother big sister program, so its a volunteer thing not babysitting, i just figured that would be an easier way to explain it but I guess it changed everyone’s perspective.
Lots of these are great ideas though that I’m going to use.

@rskaletz you did clearly state that you’re babysitting this girl every weekend. But Big Brother, Big Sister is definitely an entirely different thing . . . it changes the whole landscape. Let me now applaud you for your efforts and keep up the good work!

@rskaletz OH! That puts it in a whole different light. Do you have her just for one day, or for two days?

@rskaletz Indeed that does. Bloody good on you! I shall join in the applause. :)

Uh….got beach?

Since you are a Big Sister volunteer, you might be able to get discounts. Check with your local group and ask. Here in our area, they have monthly meetings for the volunteers to share ideas for activities, and even to bring the children for various events.

How about tours – businesses (candy factory is always popular) Fire/Police department; Hospital; finding books at the library; free concerts in the park; making puppets, or other art projects; do volunteer dog walking at a pet shop in the mall.

All theses ideas are listed on our local Big Brother/Sister website.

Free entrance to county art museums on certain Tuesdays every month. Start here.

A stroll in Santa Monica Pier and Promenade 3rd Street walk nearby.

@rskaletz How about an update – what have you been doing?

How about strolling down Venice Beach? It’s like a human zoo.