Childrens Books -- Mozart Finds A Melody

We took the Summer off, but now our popular weekly book reviews are back for the school year!

ADDED September 06, 2008

Whatever you might think about classical music, this book is definitely fun.  It's Mozart Finds A Melody by Stephen Costanza.  Mozart is depicted in his youth, and the art here is quite cute.  

And in this book, Mozart is frazzled and having a problem:  he can't think of a tune.  Luckily his pet bird -- and the nearby baker and a rattling cart and many other hustle bustle city noises -- provides him with inspiration.

Just when things are looking up for Mozart, he loses his little pet much to his chagrin.  There are twists and turns (we don't want to give away the surprise ending), but suffice to say, Mozart manages to deliver some music.  And there may be a happy reunion involved.

Play some of our kids games, take a moment to read to your kids, and have a great weekend.

ages 2-8, Book Review,

How to entertain kids -- House of Cubes

It's a house, it's an igloo, it's . . . missing?

ADDED September 05, 2008

This one requires a bit of patience, so it might work better for older kids.  It's one of our fine, fun kids games for the end of summer.  

A lot of freezers these days try to  prove their worth by making tons of ice cubes.  Ours does, and it seems that there is always a couple cubic feet worth of ice cubes ready to go in there that we never use.  So . . . why not use them?  They make fine building blocks.

Take as many pounds of your ice cubes outside as you can, along with a cup of water.  See what kinds of constructions your kids can make with the cubes.  We've got pretty good at a wall, a house sort of thing (complete with a roof), and the tricky but satisfying tall tower.  (Six cubes is our record.) 

As you stack the cubes, sprinkle a little water on top of each cube to act as mortar.

What can you build?  Please let us know at info@todayisfun.com.

And please, there is only one rule to remember here.  Whatever the kids do, they are not allowed to put an ice cube down Daddy's back while he's trying to build up the tower!

ages 3-12, educational, good at home, good for a group, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

KIDS GAMES - INDOOR BOWLING

Yet another way to ignore what Mom always said about playing ball in the house

ADDED September 04, 2008

What you will need for this game:  a ball.  Some paper and crayons.  Some chairs are optional.

Do you have those things on hand?  Okay, you're ready to go.

First, have your kids create some art on five different pieces of paper.  The art can really be whatever they want:  princesses or pirate ships, gorillas or Grandma.  

When each piece of paper is sufficiently beautiful, number each one with a number from 1 to 5.  It doesn't matter which piece of art gets which number.  

Lay the five pieces of paper on the floor in a row.  

Your child will kneel down a little bit away from the papers and roll the ball over to them.  The goal is get the ball to roll and stop on top of the page with the highest number (that is, five).

If your child is having a hard time making the ball stop on the pages, you can arrange some chairs to help keep the ball in place.

Remind your kids to keep the ball on the floor, and have fun.  

This game is also a fine opportunity to teach your kids the phrase, "That's how I roll!"

ages 2-7, good at home, may rile them up, see our disclaimer,

HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- Sshhh! Library Fun

This books looks terrific!

ADDED September 03, 2008

Here at Today Is Fun, we definitely try to promote books and a love of reading, as those things can entertain kids long after they're kids.

Trips to the library are often magical for young kids, as they first see the walls and shelves full of books.  If your little ones are old enough, this game is a way to make a trip to the library even more fun.  It's also a way for young kids to experience a measure of freedom and self-reliance in a public place.

The idea is simple, really.  When you go to the library, have hunts for certain kinds of books.  For instance, on one visit we will all try to find a book that looks terrific about pirates.  Or each person will spend ten minutes trying to find a terrific book about an animal.  Of course, the topics to find for books that look terrific are endless:  rainy days, Moms, flowers, cowboys, etc.

It's important for the kids not to ransack the shelves and to keep the books in place.  Running and yelling are of course causes for immediate disqualification.

Once everyone has found a book, we read each one.  If the book is really terrific, we check it out and take it home.

One last idea about this Library Fun game:  if the librarians and library patrons aren't bothered by the young competitors, then everyone gets extra points!

ages 3-12, educational, good for a group, longer activity, no 'props' needed, reading activity, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- The Sharket

A fun, sorta wet way to buy groceries

ADDED September 01, 2008

 

Where do creatures of the sea shop for groceries?  At the Sharket, of course!

First, designate a place in the house to be the Sharket.  Then, have your kids gather up all the sea creatures in your home.  These ocean animals could be stuffed animals, plastic toys, dolls from the Little Mermaid, or even pictures.  (If you find you don't have any sea creatures at all, your kids could make some with their art supplies.)

After the sea animals have assembled, then find all the play food in your house.  Again, use whatever you can find . . . and make more if needed.

Once the animals and food are in the Sharket, each kid takes a turn to help an animal buy an item of food.  "Look, my octopus chose an eggplant."  It's good to talk about which foods the animals would like and which foods the kids do like.

And this is quite important:  in a Sharket, the customers and employees don't walk around. They have to move in 'water ways,' such as swimming, splashing, wading, floating, and so on.  This is a good opportunity to talk about different words that mean moving in the water.  (No actual water is required here, of course.)

Try the Sharket at your house today.  And see how your kids can have fun with sea food.

ages 2-7, good at home,