30 FUN things to do with your kids!

 

I have a friend (I’m sure you all do) who somehow manages to do all sorts of fun things with her kids that have NEVER CROSSED MY MIND!  Recently I was at a Mom’s retreat and towards the end of the session (on “Having Fun”) the speaker asked moms from the audience to give suggestions of fun things that they do with their kids.  The ideas kept coming.  I was writing like the wind, trying to get every idea down on paper so that I could arrive home and impress my family with all my new ideas.  I hope they inspire you as they did me!  Here’s the list.

1. Movie and Popcorn night.

2. Pajama day. 

3. Breakfast for Dinner.

4. Scavenger hunts.

5. Never-ending Stories.  (These are great for creative, willing, Dads.  Every night for a week he tells a story for bedtime, and each night picks up where the last left off.)

6. Camping.  Even if its in the backyard.

7. Puzzles and Board Games.

8. Bowling.

9. Hiking together.

10. Turn up the radio and have a dance competition.

11. Kick-ball.

12. Painting Ceramics.

13. Tickle Monster.

14. Backwards Dinner.  Dress Backwards for dinner and then serve Dessert first, followed by dinner.

15. Balloons. (Ridiculous amounts of time can be spent playing with these!)

16. Breakfast in Bed for Birthdays!

17. Living Room Forts.

18.  Rescue Animals!  (Place kid’s stuffed animals around house and take pictures of animals in trouble.  [Like the Wonder Pets.] Stick teddy in the laundry basket, take a picture, and then send it to your spouse’s phone.  When the phone rings, alert the kids that there is an animal needing their help.  The kids search for the animal in trouble and return it to the spouse.  When you hear all the excitement, you should be ready to send the next photo of another animal in distress.)  I don’t know who’s idea this was, but my kids LOVE this show and I can’t wait to try this game!

19. Tea Parties.

20. Hide and Seek.

21. Play Store.  You can take an adjustable shower curtain rod and secure it in a doorway, and hang a closet organizer from it.  The kind that you usually use to hold folded sweaters.  Ideally you may already own these things.  Let the kids take drive-thru orders.

22. Play with Shaving cream in the shower.

23. Play music in the car with the windows down and dance!

24. Have a “Dora Day” complete with map, scavenger hunt, and backpack.

25. Have an “English Accent Day” or a “Talk without showing your teeth Day.”  These activities can also be implemented to break up a fight between siblings.  (“No more fighting!  For the rest of the day you must talk in an English Accent!”  Suddenly tensions  are eased and laughter breaks out!)

26. Sardines in the Dark.  It’s like Hide and Seek, but you play in the dark, and when you find the “hider” you have to hide with them.  (Also a nice opportunity for Mom and Dad to steal a kiss while the kids are busy trying to find them.)

27. “What’s missing?” at the Dinner table.   This is a great game if you have a picky eater and the rest of the family is sitting at the table waiting for the last child to finish.  Someone removes and item (a fork, say) from the dinner table and puts it under the table.  Everyone opens their eyes and has to guess what’s missing.

28. Parades down the street for Holidays.  Send them outside to decorate their wagons, barbie cars, and bicycles with toilet paper, crepe paper, balloons and whatever  else you have on hand.  When they are finished (and they are likely to be busy for a while!) take a parade down the street.

29. While you are trying to fix dinner, give your kids a piece of aluminum foil and tell them to make something out of it. They’ll be sitting at your feet, but you’ll be freed up to finish cooking in peace.

30.  Give them opportunities to create their own fun!  There is nothing wrong with telling them to “go play!” and letting them become independent, self-starters who get their own creative minds working!

A special thanks to Birds on a Wire Ministry for all the love and support they provide to all of us moms who are just trying to do the best we can!

http://www.birdsonawiremoms.com/about/

For more fun things to do with your kids, check out this book for more than a thousand ideas!

http://astore.amazon.com/beezwax-20/detail/1603760636

Up-cycled Clothes for a Quirky little Princess

I had a few shirts that I combined to make this little outfit.  It’s a bit quirky, but for me, that was part of the fun. 
 
I took the shirts below, and came up with a game plan.  I liked the colors of both the teal polka-dots and the pink stripes.  The other shirt I just loved the lace detail, and also the elastic at the end of the shirt I was able to re-use for the pant’s waistband.


I took the pink shirt and made it into Capri-pants.  I bought a tutorial on Etsy that was fantastically easy, and now that I’ve made a pair or two, I can do it with my eyes closed.  I just adjust the length as needed.  If you’d like a tutorial, you can get the one that worked for me, HERE.

I pulled out my ribbon case, and pieced together what I had to work with, coming up with different combinations, until I found what I liked.
 
One day she’ll probably roll her eyes at me, but for now, she's happy with her little outfit, and the pocket in front is a favorite!  There’s something about seeing my little girl wearing something that I created, particularly rewarding.  Maybe it’s because as she’s running around the yard playing, I can’t put my finger on all the sleepless nights, the number of diapers changed, or the number of lullabies sung, but I can point to that little outfit (however quirky) and say “My baby girl, I made it just for you!”  There’s something about that, that just feels good. 

Up-Cycled Shirt

I had this shirt in my closet, and I liked all of the lacy trim, but I didn’t like how it fit, and decided to get rid of it.  I snatched it back out of the donate pile though, as inspiration struck.  I’d made a pillowcase dress before, and realized that if I removed the part of the shirt above the lace band, it could easily work.  (And with minimal sewing!)

I made a pair of linen pants to go with it, and used the “booby covers” that I’d cut off the shirt as back pockets.  I didn’t get a picture of the back of the pants, but it turned out really cute!  The only things I had to purchase were the ribbon, the fabric for the pants, and elastic.  In all, less than $8 for an outfit she wore to all the fall festivals.
If you need a good tutorial for pants, HERE is the one that I purchased off of Etsy.  The lady walks you through, step by step, exactly how to make pants!  Super Easy!!
Thanks,

Goose’s Spring Party!

At our preschool, the moms get to sign-up to help host the different holiday parties throughout the year.  I was excited to be helping with the spring party.  I was in charge of desserts, and they asked me to come up with something that could double as a craft.  I scoured Pinterest and found some inspiration, but I had to tweak it a bit to make it work for us.  Here’s what we came up with.

What you don’t see in the picture are the kid’s delighted faces, covered with chocolate!  They loved it.  I just baked some cupcakes and frosted them with the chocolate frosting at home.  Then, when we got to school, I placed each cupcake on a plate.  I had scooped some frosting into a ziplock bag, so I cut a small slit in the one corner so I could pipe the frosting in a circle along the top.  Into this ring, they could stick chow-mien noodles to make the nest.  We placed two Cadbury Eggs into the nest, along with the mommy bird, thanks to Peeps.  It was a great project for the class, and the kids loved it.

Just a note:  Some of the kids wanted to take it home, and we made it work.  But if you want to make something similar, it would be a good idea to bring along some clear beverage cups to hold the cupcakes for transport.

Thanks, and Happy Spring!