Be the Bus Boy (or Bus Girl)

A fun (and vaguely educational) way to keep mealtimes alive!

ADDED May 24, 2010

 

Sometimes kids are antsy at mealtimes.  They're ready to leave the table and return to their toys.  While we admire their passion for playing, we also need everybody to eat some food!  Therefore, we've discovered that cooking up an interesting topic at mealtimes helps little rear ends remain in their seats.

Here's what you do.  It's simple and entertaining:

 

While the kids are starting their meals, parade out various serving dishes.  Put them on the table for your kids to see, and together discuss what each is used for.  (For obvious reasons, please don't use precious heirlooms, such as great-grandmother's fragile collectible china gravy boat.  Such items could meet disastrous ends due to overly enthusiastic toddlers.)

 

Get a bunch of different dishes out.  Talk about sugar bowls, platters, tureens, creamers -- you name it.

What is the difference between a mug and a teacup?  Or a tea pot and a tea kettle?  What is a gravy boat?  (And why is a boat anyway, do you think?)  Do your kids know what a saucer is?  And what exactly is the point of a saucer?  (We think a saucer is used out of tradition, maybe to look nice, and possibly to catch little spills.) 

The goal here is to learn new words and to start a discussion . . . and to keep those kids at the table!

 

You should award yourself some points for variety.  How many different serving vessels can you find tucked away in your kitchen cabinets?

Have some fun with this one.  And look, you're finally getting some use out of all that stuff tucked away in your kitchen cabinets. 

 

--S

 

Photo of Portuguese dishes courtesy of pedrosimoes7.  And the single corningware shot is from studiosmith.

Color Blind Craziness!

See what happens when your kids combine crayons with a blindfold

ADDED May 10, 2010

 

(In case you can't tell -- and we wouldn't exactly blame you if you can't, the pictures here on today's post are a horse and a monster.)

 

As you might remember, we enjoy taste tests in our house.  It's easy!  All you need is a blindfold and some different foods.

Well, one day after finishing a breakfast taste test (strawberry jelly vs. grape jelly, regular cream cheese vs. strawberry cream cheese), the kids wanted to do another activity using the blindfold.  So we decided to do some coloring.

This one's pretty easy to explain:  put a blindfold on your kid and decide on something to draw.  Your child will have fun with the challenge (it is very challenging, as you might imagine) and you guys will get some pretty interesting results!

Try more simple subjects for this kind of drawing.  A face is funny to try -- also a house, a sun, a monster, a snake, and so forth.  More complicated subjects (a flock of zebras nibbling grass while lions prowl in the nearby grass) might not work so well. 

Have fun and tell your kids this is how Michelangelo got  his start.  (Not really.  But maybe Jackson Pollack?)

(Your family may already have some crayons handy, but check out some of our favorites to use here and here.  Our favorite markers to use are here.). . .

Spring Search

Keep a watchful eye

ADDED March 08, 2010

Spring is the transition season between winter and summer.  It is a time when everything grows, birds sing, and all is renewed. And it is almost here.

The first day of Spring this year is March 20. . . .

Home Skeleton

It's really fun

ADDED February 26, 2010

The "skeleton" is an Olympic event in which a competitor races downhill, face down on a sled.  

 

It is very exciting, and at times, the rider's head is a mere two inches from the ice.  Last time I checked, we don't have an ice run at our house (or a skeleton sled for that matter.)  However, my kids and I decided we would figure out a way to make our very own, "home" version of this sport. . . .

Personal Assistant

Everyone can use a hand

ADDED October 20, 2009

We all know that kids like to model what their parents do.  Children enjoy everything from yard work to taking out the trash because it resembles actions performed by Mom and Dad.  So tonight, spend a few hours with your young assistant and let them do everything with you.  Today's activity is about taking the moments in your day and using them for teaching and learning.

So let your kids help with whatever you are doing. Don't seek out kid-friendly activities -- just do what you normally do.  If you are a famous classical guitarist (we hear many read this blog), let your kids help you tune your guitar. If you are a businessman, let your kids help make a graph of projections for 2010.  If you don't have any specific "work" to do, make something up.  I know at my house we always have a light bulb to change, a cast iron pot to season, or a picture to hang.  My kids are great helpers with all of these things. They are good at holding tools, using a level, measuring flour, and even doing some electrical work (think changing batteries). 

 

Homemade Raisins

A week-long science fun activity

ADDED August 25, 2009

Stuffed animal birthday party

Stuffed animals are people, too

ADDED July 31, 2009

If your kids are anything like mine, they love stuffed animals.  Most nights, if a certain stuffed animal can't be found, no sleeping will be accomplished until it is found and returned to the safe and loving arms of its child owner. Since these friends are such special members of the family, why not have a birthday party for them with your kids? 

Now you don't need to make a big to-do with bouncers, elephants (a friend went to a kid's party with real elephants), and face painting.  Just a simple gathering -- maybe during lunch, with the guest of honor sitting at the head of the table. Make it fun and ask your kids what the guest of honor would like like to eat (mac-n-cheese is a favorite meal of many a stuffed animal), make some cupcakes, sing happy birthday, and open gifts. I guarantee that it will be a good time for everybody involved.

Here is a quick list of things you and your kids can do to make it a special day for that very special stuffed animal:

1. Make the cupcakes together. (Kids are expert batter and frosting testers.)
2. Have your kids make a gift. Yesterday's activity is great for this.
3. Make sure your kids ask what their stuffed animal wants for lunch.  You might be surprised to find out that some stuffed animals have very complex palates.
4. Make sure their pal is all ready for the lunch by having your kid sit them at the head of the table.
5. Set yourself up for future fun by putting the stuffed animal's birthday on the calendar.

This is a perfect activity to perk up your summer, and the best thing is it costs nothing! Happy Birthday!

 

 

Photos bykyleandkelly and kishimoto via Flickr, thanks to a creative commons license. 

 

***UPDATE***  MommyinLA (here is a link to her twitter page) sent us these pictures of her boys enjoying a stuffed animal party!  (Well, it was an alien party, actually.)   Thanks and keep the photos coming!   

 

 

Cookie Cutter Coloring - so much fun

The results are not edible, but the fun is rather palatable

ADDED July 30, 2009

Length:  30 to 45 minutes

Parental Involvement:  Help with tracing

Kids Should Be Able to: Trace and color

My wife is an avid baker, and around Christmas she always makes a large batch of delicious sugar cookies.  Using her collection of cookie cutters, she makes all kinds of creative, edible treats.  But I did notice the other day that the cookie cutters were sitting idle in the middle of the summer, so we took them out and created a little fun of our own.

Starting with the cookie cutters, crayons and paper, we traced the shape and created some cookie inspired art all our own.  Of course you could add some stickers, glitter or other mixed media items to make your art work really pop.  For us though crayons worked just fine.

Try it today and the result of your labor just might be some real cookies to complement your art! (Hint, hint)

 

 

***UPDATE***  MommyinLA (here is a link to her twitter page) sent us these pictures of her boys enjoying some Cookie Cutter Coloring craft!  Thanks and keep the photos coming!  

 

 

 

 

 

A fun thank you note.

Is it possible?

ADDED July 28, 2009

For many kids, there is nothing quite as dreaded as a thank you note.  (Though not a kid any longer, I have to admit that I, too, am not a big fan of writing thank you notes.)  Of course, I very much appreciate what I have been given, but thank you notes are not great fun to write.  For kids (and me), this kind of writing is an assignment that is, well, an assignment -- a required task needing a lot of flowery language and a chore that takes up time I could be doing other things such as playing a whole house game , making some race car paper or a Creature Craft .

Given this problem, I have come up with a solution to help us all.  TIF has a way to make thank you note writing fun.  By incorporating some folding, coloring and cutting, thank you notes can become a beautiful craft and not a boring chore. 

First, you need someone to receive the thank you note -- an aunt or grandparent will do nicely. 

Secondly, you should have some construction paper, scissors, and crayons on hand. 

Instructions:

Fold your paper edge to edge to form a triangle and fold again until you have a small triangle.

Next, cut some notches out of the triangle and along the V on the bottom.

Unfold your creation

Decorate your creation and write your thank you note

Send or give your note to a deserving person

And repeat!

Hopefully this idea will make the task of thank you notes more palatable and a lot more fun!  (For both kids, and -- um -- adults alike!)

 

 

 

 

Thank you to FEP for the awesome thank you note craft!

Kid's Activity: The Family Handshake

Every family should have one!

ADDED June 17, 2009

For better or worse, kids innately love secrets. Well, at my house we have created a secret "family handshake."  (In olden times, secret handshakes were used to identify members of exclusive groups, but we just have fun with it.)

Our family's handshake changes quite often -- so much that sometimes I am not quite sure that I am still a member of the family. 

Now, I am not going to give away our secret family handshake here (unless you are family -- then send me an email.)  But here are a few hand moves you can combine to make up your very own secret family handshake:

First, start with a "normal" palm-to-palm handshake.  Like this.

After that, you can do a thumb-to-thumb shake.  Like this.

 

 

And then, on to a knuckle-to-palm shake. Like this.

 

 

Followed by a fist bump.  Like this.

 

 

Practice until you can repeat a pattern, then try adding some of these more advanced handshakes to increase the fun and secretiveness.

Try the Lion's Paw.  Making your hand into a claw, grab onto each other's wrists. It looks like this. 

Or the Floating Spider is a good one to try.

 

Or the Smooth Shake.

 

Even the classic high five to low five. (A two parter.)  Can be incorporated into you Family Handshake.

 

 

This activity is something that you and your kids can do just about anywhere, and it does signify that you are part of an exclusive group: your family. 

Have fun, and extra points will be awarded to anyone who emails us a photo or video of their family shake in action!

Kids' Craft: Creature Creation

A DIY Craft and Toy

ADDED June 01, 2009

This week we are featuring Do It Yourself crafts and games!  Each activity will involve some sort of recycled or re-purposed item.  We will be posting three fun games and two great crafts all guaranteed to make sure that Today Is Fun.

We begin with a simple craft activity that all kids will enjoy for many hours.  (We have found that the best crafts end up being toys.)

Length: Construction for 10 minutes
Parental Involvement: Verbal instruction, participation
Kids Should Be Able to:  Be safe with scissors and color

To create your own creatures you will need an empty egg carton, some pens and pipe cleaners.


First cut the round bottom off of an egg carton, it should look like this. 


Next, with a paper clip or sharp pencil, poke one, two, three or fifteen holes on each side of your creatures.  It should look something like this. We chose four legs, so two holes on each side.


Third thread the pipe cleaner legs in one side and out the other, like this.


Fourth, use a pen to draw a face on your creature.  (This would also be a good time to give your creature a name.)  Add some flair, and they are ready to go.
Let your kids' imaginations run wild.  My daughter made this great vehicle out of the left-over egg carton for all the creatures to ride in. Have fun!

 

Kids' Language Learning: Por Favor Weekend

Give please a break, por favor

ADDED May 29, 2009

 

Length:  5 minutes
Parental Involvement: Verbal instruction, participation
Kids Should Be Able to:  Speak, understand the concept of different languages

 

We like weekends here at Today Is Fun.  That shouldn't be much of a surprise to you -- weekends offer plenty of opportunities for fun and learning!

As you might remember, last weekend was Memorial Day Weekend.  It's a good holiday, and we're happy to observe it with our families.

Well, this weekend, we'd like you all to celebrate "Por Favor Weekend" with us.  The concept here is simple:  the word "please" is taking the weekend off.  Hopefully "please" makes frequent appearances in your house, so it might be ready to take a break -- if even for this weekend.

This Saturday and Sunday, have your kids invite please's Spanish cousin into your home, Señor Por Favor.  Tell your kids that this weekend, you and the kids will try to only use "por favor."

If you'd like to, you guys can also employ a little "gracias" in place of "thank you."

It'll be fun, actually, and educational.  Learning and using foreign words makes for good times.  Up with language learning!

So please enjoy "Por Favor Weekend," por favor, pleople!  Gracias.

(Thank you to freeparking for the vintage sombrero photo!)

Kids' Activity: Tongue Twisters!

Tongues are meant to be twisted!

ADDED May 28, 2009

 

 

I can't believe that we haven't written yet about tongue twisters.  Tongue twisters are a classic way of keeping kids occupied, using nothing more than . . . their own tongues!

The idea behind tongue twisters, of course, is to choose some tricky words for kids to say . . . and then to make them say the words over and over and very quickly.  Tongue twisters work magically well at home, in the car, waiting in line -- anywhere the kids have some free time and control of their tongues. 

Here are some twisters we've specially tested out for you to try out on your kids. 

A big black bug bit a big black bear a bit.

Toy boat. Toy boat. Toy boat.

See Sam saw the see saw.

Fat frogs flying past fast.

We surely shall see the sun shine soon.

Quick kiss. Quicker kiss.

A cook can cook cookies quickly.

Here's a tongue-twisting tip:  tongue twisters are more fun for kids when the words are easily understood by them.  So, classics like "Moses supposes his toeses are roses" and even "how many woodchucks can chuck wood?" are not the best for kids.  Really, who has ever seen a woodchuck?  And what is chucking wood, anyway?

Keep the twisters easily understood and short . . . and then let those tongues loose! 

(And if you have a free moment, please use your own tongue to tell your friends about TodayIsFun.com!)

Line Drawing Practice Session

Get your lines in shape . . . and have fun doing it!

ADDED May 27, 2009

 

In case you haven't noticed, we think paper and markers are all the tools you need for hours of creative, learning fun with your kids.  Do you disagree?  Would you like to argue?  Go ahead and try!  Challenges can be entertaining.

 

(Please take a moment to check out our favorite, recommended drawing implements here and here.)

 

Today we're going to do some exercises to keep your drawing team in shape!  So get out some paper and pencils and start the drills.

Begin with swirls.  Tell your kids to draw as many swirls as they want.  Can everyone make swirls?  (Swirls are a personal favorite, I must admit.)

The next drill, zig-zags.  Followed by...

Wavy lines
Parallel lines
Dashed lines
Dotted lines (what is the difference between dashed and dotted?)
Curves and curvy lines
Squiggles and messy lines

In this post we've listed eight different types of lines for your kids to draw.  Can you guys think of any other ones?

This activity will get your drawers warmed up and ready to create.  So get creating, people!

If You Name It, I Will Draw It

Easy, fun, get-them-talking drawing game

ADDED May 26, 2009

 

My kids just love this one.  They request it constantly, and I'm not exactly sure why.  (The constant requests are not because they admire my drawing ability.  I don't have much of that!)

When you say the name of this activity to your kids, you're telling them what's going to happen here.  Tell them, "If you name it, I will draw it." 

So get out a piece of paper and markers.  Sit down with your kids and see what they say.  What will they name?  As they call out things, you draw it.  (And seriously, don't worry about the art!  This is all about getting your kids thinking and talking.  And about you listening to what your kids say.)

It certainly works well to give your kids a category or two to focus on.  My kids like space aliens, monsters, foods, toys, and more.  What do your kids like to think about?

We hope that this activity is as popular in your house as it is in mine.  And I hope that your drawing ability is better than mine, too!

 

--S

Family Fix-It Time

Parents have DIY projects. Kids love tools. Everybody wins.

ADDED May 15, 2009

 

Today's post was inspired by Laurie March, a Los Angeles interior design expert (and friend to Today is Fun).  You can check her blog out here.  Laurie helps families improve their living spaces -- she is enormously talented, and I've caught her paying attention not just to her adult clients, but to their kids as well.  Laurie recently noticed how children are fascinated by tools and home improvement projects.  Together, we came up with some entertaining ways to help kids join in on home improvement fun...

The right tool for the job.  When you've got a home improvement project going, you can talk to your kids about how each job requires the "right tool."  For instance, if you need to hang a picture, then you need to first put a nail into the wall.  Really, only one tool in the toolbox will work for this chore.  It's not the hacksaw, it's not the screwdriver, it's not the tape measure.  It's the hammer!

But if you need to open the battery compartment on a toy robot, the hammer is definitely not the tool to use!  There's one right tool for that job, too.

Sometimes, more than one tool will work (for instance, one could sometimes use a drill or a screwdriver), but you still have to choose the right one.

It's a good lesson for life:  Kids obviously need to make a decision as to the right tool to use for the job.

When you're doing a home improvement project, let your little ones look through the toolbox with you.  You guys can discuss each tool and what it is used for.  And if your kids are older, you can ask them "right tool" questions, such as:

A sprinkler head in the front yard is loose.  What tool would we use to tighten it?
What tools do we need to hang a picture in the living room?

Finally, learning the difference between flathead and Phillips screws (and screwdrivers) seems to be very interesting for children!

Kids playing with tools.  If kids have toy tools (ours do), then they can bring their tools along as Mom or Dad makes minor repairs in the house.  Kids and parents can compare kid tools with grown-up tools.  How are they different?  How are they the same?

Also, of course, kids can play with tools and pretend to fix things.  These "things" in question could be a cardboard box, a chair, or any sturdy household item.  Parents could choose to talk about real steps with kids, such as, "Okay, you've got your tools and you're going to hang a picture.  What's the first thing you need to do?  What's the first tool you need to use?"

Finally, kids can sometimes, occasionally handle real, grown-up tools.  My boys love to play with our family's level -- watching the bubbles move in the little, see-through tubes.  My five-year-old can pretty much use a level, too, much to his delight.

Drawing and talking about tools.  Drawing a collection of tools could be fun for kids.  How many different kinds of tools can they figure out to draw on a piece of paper?

Kids and adults could also cut the tools out once the drawing's done, and have a miniature paper tool collection.

A drawing like this (or a picture book that displays a variety of tools) could be a great starting place for a conversation.  Which tools are sharp?  Which tools do you need to plug in?  Which tools are heavy?  And so forth.

If anyone out there has any ideas about including kids in your around-the-home DIY projects, please email us with them. 

Have a great weekend with your kids.  The family that fixes together has fun together!

Find the Evening

Has anyone out there seen the evening? Has anyone looked?

ADDED May 14, 2009

Here's a quick and easy activity you can do with your kids every day.  And if you make it a regular, everyday type of thing, it might just become a bit more special for your family.  Find the evening.

What is evening?  Well, it's a bit hard to describe, as it's certainly open to interpretation.  In our house, we say evening is that time when the sun can't be seen any more (because it has set), but it's not night.  That means the sky still is predominantly its usual light blue color and not night's purplish black.

My kids and I look for every evening.  We ask, "Is it evening yet?"   Sometimes if we're inside, we will rush to the backyard and inspect the sky. 

(This daily checking also helps to motivate the kids to "do their thing."  For instance, no one is allowed to rush outside and check on the evening if there is still food visible on the dinner plates.  In our house, if you're interested in finding the evening, you better eat your dinner!)

Good luck to you and your kids in your search.  And if you find the evening out there, please don't misplace it again!

 

(Thank you to kkimpel for the photo above!)

Exercise Class

It's exercise! It's entertainment! It's both!

ADDED May 13, 2009

If you tell your kids to go outside and run around, you might not get the results you'd want.  Your kids might immediately start exercising their lungs with loud questions and complaints.  Their bodies might stay inside and their muscles might work up some frowns.

But, as you probably already know, it's all about presentation with kids.  Children respond better when you just use the right packaging!

We suggest you enroll your children in an exercise class right away.  No need to drive around looking for a suitable instructor, of course, because you are it. 

Have your kids stand in an area with plenty of space around them.  Now start showing your little ones some exercises to do.  We're confident you can improvise something here; you could try teaching them:  jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups, jogging-in-place, etc.  If you know any yoga that might work, great.  See how the kids are doing--spend as long doing your exercises as long as all you guys are all comfortable and happy. 

And now the really, really fun part:  now it's your kids' turn to be the instructors.  Kids, we've found, really enjoy taking over the reins.  My kids love watching me as I mimic their exercises, which usually involve some extreme, crazy gestures, some wild flailing of arms, and some practically impossible yoga-ish stances.  (Needless to say, for this exercise class, you'll want to leave your dignity behind in the locker room.)

When my kids (five and three) lead the class, they flap their arms, they twist their trunks, they hop and down vigorously.  (It all is quite tiring, I must say.)

It's exercise, it's entertainment, it's both!  Have fun!

Golden Point

It's freeze tag, but more fun. And oh, also with more tickling.

ADDED April 30, 2009

 

 Even though we're about to tell you that the object of this game is for your kids to get a lot of points, really points don't matter here at all.  The true point is to get the kids running around and having some fun.

(You'll need a minimum of two children for this activity.  Go collect them now)

Put "something" down in the middle of a large room or yard.  That something could be a toy, a rock, a book, a manila envelope.  That centrally located item now becomes "the Golden Point."   When the kids touch that thing, they get a point.  When they touch it again, they get another point!  The Golden Point just keeps giving.

The next thing you have to do is keep the kids away from the Golden Point. 

First, set up some safe areas about ten feet away from the Golden Point.  (Again, use whatever you have handy for these safe areas:  chairs work very well.)  The kids can hang out in the safe areas all they want.  No harm could ever come to them there.  But the kids do need to set out from their safe areas in order to get some Golden Points.

In between the safe areas and the Golden Point, that's where the "monster" awaits.  This monster (you or, if you want, a kid) has one purpose in life:  to keep kids from the Golden Point.  Also, the monster enjoys tickling kids who are trying to get to the Golden Point.

When a kid gets touched by the monster, he or she must freeze.  Only the touch of another kid will work for unfreezing purposes.  (The monster might want to take the opportunity to do some tickling of its hapless, frozen victim.)

As we said above, points don't matter.  The kids can count every time they touch the Golden Point, or not.  But there areno winners or losers here.  It's just running around fun.  (Oh, and tickling.  There should be a lot of tickling.)

Get Kid Butts Moving

Two games for kids with benefits for parents

ADDED April 29, 2009

 

 

This might come as a huge surprise, but my kids aren't perfect.  They sometimes break our rules.  Also, they sometimes don't listen.  And they have been diagnosed with an extreme case of lollygagging.  In addition to lollygagging, my kids are often slow pokes.  They dawdle and have even been caught dilly-dallying.  No, they're not perfect.

(For the record, I am not perfect either.  And for the record, my lovely wife is pretty much perfect in every way, I admit it.)

My kids are especially sluggish when it comes to getting ready for school.  So my pretty-much-perfect wife and I have developed two helpful games to get the kids a-movin':

Race to get dressed.  Kids like racing and competitions.  They also like seeing who wins and who loses (and of course, they like to be the winner.)  When it's time to get ready, my wife will say, "Okay, race to get dressed," and my kids don't need any further explanation.  They're out of the room and off to their dressers.  Clothes fly and, though sometimes someone might need a helping hand from a parent, the process is greatly sped up.  

(Since we don't want any ruffled feelings on the way to school, we try to judge the outcomes each day as ties.  If somebody is almost done getting dressed, it's a tie.  Also, if one child would technically lose the competition due to not having a shirt on, we say, "Oh, it was so close to being a tie.  All you needed was your shirt, and it would have been a tie."  This tends to keep all the competitors happy.  And if they do get a little upset -- well, at least they're all dressed.)

Get Away from the Ogre.  Nothing will motivate children to get moving like an unpleasant and rude-mannered ogre.  Apparently, I might have a medical condition, because I transform into an ogre when it's time to get into the car.  I tell the kids that unless they are in the "safe area" (their car seats), the ogre will eat them up.  And he'll use ketchup.  I count to three, and the quite motivated kids are suddenly dashing towards the car.  No more dawdling!  (And sadly, no snacks for the ogre.)

These two games are not just fun for the kids -- they're effective in getting us out the door on time for school.  Well, almost on time.  We're more like five-ish minutes late now.  I mean, we're not perfect, except for my wife.

 

(If your kids respond well to the ogre in your house, and you want to reward them for their efforts, check out this rather cuddly ogre toy.  Yes, it's Shrek.)

 

(Many kudos and thanks to deletem3 for the awesome ogre image used above!)

Pretty Town

It is pretty. Well, it was pretty.

ADDED April 28, 2009

 

This is a great one for young boys -- boys who like to build up and knock down.  (Girls who want to build and demolish are certainly invited, too.)

In addition to some builders and knock-downers, you'll need some blocks for this activity.  (Here are some of our favorite, recommended blocks, in case you're interested.  They're sturdy and perfect for this kind of exercise.)

If you wouldn't mind a brief interruption, here's a quick story we'd like to share.

Once upon a time, there was a very pretty town.  So pretty, in fact, that it got named "Pretty Town."   (The town really was quite pretty.)

Unfortunately, Pretty Town had a problem . . . a big problem.  A giant problem.  Every so often -- and after all the townspeople had got their houses looking nice and pretty -- some grumpy, stomping giants showed up in Pretty Town.  As they stomped, the giants chanted "Fee Fie Fo Fum.  I think I smell someone!"  (That's pretty much a standard giant chant, as you probably know.)

Sadly, once the giants were done stomping and chanting, and once the dust cleared, not a house in Pretty Town was left standing.  Poor Pretty Town.  Not so pretty any longer.

The townsfolk, plucky and optimistic, dusted themselves off and built up again.  Pretty!  But no sooner were the buildings looking spiffy again than . . . the sound of screeching wheels was heard as the giants' RV rolled into town once again.

And so on and so forth.  Repeat.

We hope you enjoyed that momentary detour into story time.  And in case you haven't already guessed, that tale is also today's activity.  First, have the kids get out the blocks and build a pretty town.  (The buildings and houses should be simple -- definitely not too painstakingly constructed.)  When the kids are done, admire how pretty (and simple) the buildings are.  Then cup your hand to your ear and announce that you hear some giants coming.

The kids should switch from pretty-building-builders into grumpy, stompy giants.  Tell the grumpy, stompy giants to have at it!

Once the town is flattened, call back the builder-uppers to re-construct the town.  (And so on and so forth.  Repeat.)

This game, though simple, is a big hit in our house.  The kids really relish the two vastly different modes -- construction and destruction -- and they really like all the verbal building up we did about those scenarios.  (We also tried to trick each other by building 'hiding houses.'  These were homes built away from the main part of Pretty Town.  Sometimes the giants missed the hiding houses during their stompfests, leading to some celebrating by the surviving Pretty Towners.)

Pretty Town is sure to be a foot-stomping, fo-fumming good time.  (Please just don't plan your next family vacation there.)

 

--S

All About You

Well, it's all about your kids. And it's all about fun.

ADDED April 26, 2009

 

Here's a fun activity for you, your kids, and some crayons or markers. (Here are links to the crayons and markers that we like to recommend.)

You know your kids extremely well. You know all about them. You know your child's. . .

• Favorite color
• Favorite dessert
• Favorite animal
• Favorite book
• Favorite movie or TV character
• Favorite dinner
• Favorite sport
• Favorite friend
• Favorite game or activity
• Chores or favorite ways to help around the house

And so on.

So . . . sit down with your kid, and start to draw each item than you can think of. Even if you're not a great artist, no big deal. As long as you can represent these things fairly well to your child, well then, you're in business.

Don't tell your kid each item as you draw it, but instead, wait until they make a guess. Your children know themselves well, too, so it shouldn't be too hard for them to guess.

When you're done, you'll have a sheet full of drawings all about your child. Hooray! If your kid approves, hang it up in their room.

If your child wants, allow yourself to be the subject of an "All About You" sheet done by your kid. Or, you could ask your child, "Did I miss anything important about you? Why don't you make an 'All about Myself?' sheet."

We promise: you'll have your kid's full attention as you do this. It will be bonding time, and it will be fun. All about you!

No Cut Kite

Get some Spring fun a-flyin'!

ADDED April 22, 2009

For today's fun activity, get out the crafting supplies and make a kite!  It's a perfect outdoors activity to get some creativity pumping and legs running. 

Kite construction can be as easy or difficult as you want. And if you want to be technical about it, a kite -- or deltoid -- is a quadrilateral with two disjoint pairs of congruent adjacent sides.  (I copied that from Wikipedia). With your "deltoid," be creative and let inspiration strike with different shapes and colors.  In our opinion, the funkier the better.
 
A traditional kite has a construction that looks like this.

 

 

 

We made a few kites the other day that did not require any scissors (they did, however, require a little parental folding).  Our kites had a nice, classic kite shape and very easy to make.

Here are the folding steps we used (but as I said earlier let inspiration stike because we want to see photos of crazy kites!)   First, fold the paper in half like this. 

 

 

 

Then fold down the top third like this.  Next fold each of the corners in toward the middle like this (this part might require some parental help). 

 

 

 

 

Tape the four folds down and your finished product will look like this. 

 

 

 

Now you are ready to color.

 

 

 Use markers, crayons, glitter, or even pictures cut from old magazines. If your kids are stuck for decoration inspiration, share with them the meaning of kite decoration in Chinese culture:  the pictures on kites convey certain wishes—a crane or a tortoise for a long life, a dragon for prosperity, and a carp for strength.  All kites are considered to be good-luck charms.

When the decoration is done, tape some string onto the kite and see if it will fly.  We have found that most homemade kites don't fly very well so worry not, use your kite as a decoration for a few days and then recycle it.  Have fun!

Warmer, Colder

A time-honored and fun way to find stuff!

ADDED April 16, 2009

 

Here's the game:  hide an object in your house.  Tell your kids what is missing, and send them off to find it.  Help them zero in on the object by saying "warmer" and "colder."

Yes, yes, yes.  We know that "Warmer, Colder" isn't jaw-droppingly original.  We know you've heard the concept of warmer and colder before.  But have you made a game out of it for your kids lately?  If you haven't, we're here to remind you to do it.  Try hiding a spoon before breakfast or even in a parking lot while you are looking for your car (make sure everyone playing is holding hands for safety).

And of course, after your kids understand the game here, it's time to switch roles.  It's time for the kids to have a turn to hide something, and to warmer and colder you.

This game might just come in handy during occasional instances of forgetfulness: when your child has no idea where tooth brushing, eating, or sleeping takes place.  "Warmer, Colder" is also a perfect solution for your kid's momentary blindness while looking for their shoes.  I also have received a report from a friend in Nebraska who successfully used "Warmer, Colder" to help her child find a lost backpack.   Keep your eyes open, and have fun!

Color Blind

See what happens when you combine crayons with a blindfold

ADDED April 15, 2009

 

(In case you can't tell -- and we wouldn't exactly blame you if you can't, the pictures here on today's post are a horse and a monster.)

 

As you might remember, we enjoy taste tests in our house.  It's easy!  All you need is a blindfold and some different foods.

Well, one day after finishing a breakfast taste test (strawberry jelly vs. grape jelly, regular cream cheese vs. strawberry cream cheese), the kids wanted to do another activity using the blindfold.  So we decided to do some coloring.

This one's pretty easy to explain:  put a blindfold on your kid and decide on something to draw.  Your child will have fun with the challenge (it is very challenging, as you might imagine) and you guys will get some pretty interesting results!

Try more simple subjects for this kind of drawing.  A face is funny to try -- also a house, a sun, a monster, a snake, and so forth.  More complicated subjects (a flock of zebras nibbling grass while lions prowl in the nearby grass) might not work so well. 

Have fun and tell your kids this is how Michelangelo got  his start.  (Not really.  But maybe Jackson Pollack?). . .

Structural Problems

Not-to-code buildings have never been so fun!

ADDED April 13, 2009

This is a great, entertaining idea for boys.  Boys like to break things, and here we're giving them a structured activity in which they can build up and knock down.

For this one you'll need some string and some building blocks.  (We've used both these lightweight cardboard building blocks as well as these wooden ones.)

Tie the string around one of the blocks, making sure that the string is well attached to the block.  (Make sure the knot is tight, for instance.)  The string should extend a few feet from the block.

Next, have your kids use the whole set of blocks to build a structure.  The structure could be a castle, cottage, skyscraper, shack, or just a generic 'building.'  Whatever it is they construct, make sure the block with the string is towards the bottom. 

Have your kids step away from the building.  One of the kids should hold the end of the string.  Instruct your child to choose a countdown ("3, 2, 1, blast off," for instance, or "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, cowabunga!")  and then yank the string.  Down comes the structure!  Spectacular, wow, and hooray!

Once the shattered remains of the building has been thoroughly admired, it's time to build it up again  . . .

This might sound odd or overly simple, but we assure you, boys will love it!  Build it up, knock it down, and keep the fun going!

Major League Geography

Here comes baseball season (and another excuse for learning!)

ADDED April 03, 2009

 

Professional sports offer a fine opportunity to teach your children about American places.  If your kids love sports, wouldn't they be interested to see all the cities and states from which competing teams hail? 

For the new baseball season, we've created this handy map.  Print it out and pass it over to the kids. 

First have your children make a small X to show your city or town. And then, do you guys cheer for a certain team?  If you do, locate it on the map, and have the kids spruce it up with some colors.  Next, if your kids know and remember other teams, find those on the map.  Have your kids color each in as you go along.  And have them color each state you discuss.  For each baseball team, it's not enough to mention the city--we want to know states, too.  What state do the Boston Red Sox come from?  How about the Cincinnati Reds?  (And if the team already provides the name of the state, well then, we want to know the city.  Yes, we mean you:  Arizona Diamondbacks, Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies!)  Try to discuss all the teams and have your kids color the whole map in.

 

 

Baseball team names offer an opportunity for more interesting conversations and possibly some vocabulary learning.  What exactly is a Padre?  Why was the San Diego team given that name?  Why were the Twins given that name?  What is a Marlin?  If you don't know any of these answers, simply turn to trusty ole Wikipedia.  (My kids were particularly interested to hear how the Houston Astros got their name.  If I'm not careful, my boys, with their love of all things space- and rocket-related, might just switch allegiances on me.)

 

You can hang your kids' colorful map up.  When the baseball team your family follows is playing an opponent, the kids can be in charge of finding the opposing team on the map.

 
Play ball!  (And go Dodgers!)

 

--S

 

(Thank you, DeusXFlorida, for the use of the baseball photo above!)

Family Cloud Dangle

It’s not a family tree -- it’s a family cloud. And it dangles!

ADDED March 31, 2009

 

Today you and your kids can turn all your family members into a fun activity!  There are two ways to play this one, and we’ll explain both.

First, sit with your kids and make a list of every person in your family.  No need to get into ancestors and great-great-grandparents, just stick to people your child knows.  Distant, rarely seen relatives don’t need to be included here.

Next, your kid should take a piece of paper and cut out a shape for each family member on your list.  They can try to make the shape represent the person in question. (For instance, Grandpa loves dogs, so one kid cut out a shape that vaguely resembled a dog’s head.  Aunt Bea bakes cakes, so another kid cut out the shape of a birthday cake.)  If no shape comes to mind, then any shape – triangle, diamond, flower, bean, etc. –- is fair game.

Once the shape has been cut out, your kid should write the person’s name on it.

Have your kid keep cutting shapes and writing names until every family member on the list has been taken care of.

Then grab some Scotch tape and tape the family together.  You can assemble the family in really any way that you’d like: you could try to keep siblings together, or put kids near their Moms and Dads.  Or it could be kind of random.  Whatever works.  It’s a cloud!

Finally, use the tape to hang the family up.  A wall works well for this, of course, but it’s also fun to dangle the family cloud from a door jamb.  Everyone can look at it as they pass through (ducking if necessary.)

(As mentioned above, there are two ways to play this.  The second is a reduced version:  do a family cloud but only use the people who live in your house with you.  This is simpler and quicker, of course.  But please have your kid include all the pets who live your house, too!)

Having your kids create their very own Family Cloud Dangle will be quite enjoyable.  In fact, we think you guys will even have fun saying the words “Family Cloud Dangle” quite a bit.

 

--S

Prisoner in the Dungeon

This game has fun all locked up!

ADDED March 29, 2009

 

 

The name of this activity might sound a little strange, but it’s sure to really capture your kid's attention.  (Yes, pun intended.)

For this one, you’ll need some of your children's toys, preferably ones with a lot of parts. For demonstration purposes right now, we’ll use two examples:  building blocks and Barbies.

Start off by explaining what a dungeon is.  It’s a place in a castle where people were locked up!  (And dungeons, to be perfectly honest, were not very pleasant places to spend time.)

Choose a room in your house to be the dungeon.   Take the toys you’ve chosen (building blocks, Barbies, or whatever) and go in the dungeon.  Tell the kids that a very rotten witch, with her magic wand and grumpy disposition, has locked you up as a prisoner in the dungeon!   This witch won’t let you out unless your rescuers (your kids) complete a special task.

The kids, having somehow escaped the witch’s notice, can move freely around the house and aren’t magically confined to the dungeon.  They can go where they want.

In order to help you escape your unfortunate enchantment, the kids have to take the toys into another, non-dungeon room and set them up.   You can’t come or  help in any way, of course, because you’re stuck in the dungeon.  The witch could demand that the children  build a palace or wall with the blocks, or set up all the Barbies and their belongings for a party.  Your kids must return each time to the dungeon to get another item from you.  And you can only give each kid one item per visit.  (Sorry to be so rigid, but that is what the cantankerous witch demands.)

 

 

If your kids are like mine, they’ll enjoy the fairy tale aspect of this activity.  They’ll also like that they have total freedom:  to roam the house at will and to set up the toys as they wish.  And they’ll also like that your fate rests in their hands!

This activity can also be beneficial because it gets the kids out of your hair for intermittent bits of time.  Yes, they return to you to get each new item, but they also spend some serious time in the other room. One weekend while the kids and I were playing this, I managed to organize all our family's tax documents from the confines my dungeon cell.

Once the spell has been broken, and you’re free again to join the world, have the unpleasant witch cast a spell on the kids.  Now it’s their turn to be stuck in the dungeon, and your opportunity to rescue them using some chosen set of toys.

Who would have guessed that being locked up in a dungeon would be so fun? 

 

--S

 

(Many thanks to sky#walker for the picture of the dungeon, and to crimfants for the photo of the Quadrilla blocks.)

Wish Collage.

A Cut and Paste activity

ADDED March 25, 2009

At our house, we seem to get catalogs by the truckload.  I often think that a special, dedicated mailperson is at work only delivering this type of advertising.

On most days, these fine publications go straight into the recycling.  But sometimes, I forget to take them to the trash, and they slowly multiply.  Soon we are up to our ears in home gardening magazines and catalogs hawking toys and tools made in China and sold by the dozen.  When we get to this point, there is only one thing to do: get out the glue and the scissors to make a Wish Collage.

Here is how we do it:  we take all appropriate catalogs that we can find, grab some glue, scissors and let the kids cut and paste together a wish list. This little handy item can be passed along to grandparents, aunts and uncles to assist in the gift buying process for birthdays, holidays or doing a good job on a report card day.

Of course, we try to emphasize the fun of looking and of options, not of pining fervently for a specific toy or doodad.  Even if it's something that's impractical (a riding lawnmower) or not right for our budget (a dollhouse model of Buckingham Palace), it's fine and fun to have on the Wish Collage.  Those kind of things will never actually be seen in our toy chest, and the kids understand that, and it's okay.

We also have made a "Someday Maybe" Wish Collage.  This variation can include future possible jobs, houses, vacations, etc.  The Someday Maybe Wish Collage is the perfect place to paste a picture of an astronaut, Easter Island, or a St. Bernard.

It is fun for kids to do and fun for adults to look at. Try it everybody will like it.

 

(Photos compliments of the talented brandejackson and wtlphotos ) 

All the things on my list

A little help please

ADDED March 24, 2009

 

 

I went to the market with one of my kids the other day to pick up a few things for dinner.   We only needed a few things, so a list was not necessary.  But somehow, I forgot two of the things we needed and brought back three things not on the list!

(I admit it:  I have a doughnut problem.  If the kids ask, I buy). 

Needless to say we had to return to the market.

On my return trip, I decided I would use my kids to help me remember what was needed.   Therefore, again no list would be needed.  This time, it worked perfectly.

Having your kids "be" the list makes the trips to the store a lot of fun. If they remember a few things, and I remember a few things, we won't forget anything.  Everyone does a little work; it's very democratic.

The fun for the kids is multiplied when they get to remember something that they particularly like to eat.   They love to remember blackberries, marshmallow creme or roast beef . . .  but on the other hand, it is not quite as fun when they have to remember potatoes, parsley or peppercorns.  It's also great fun to see if they can remember where some of the common items we buy are kept at the store.  (Of course, everyone remembers where the doughnuts are because I will always buy them.  I have something of a doughnut problem).

Next time you go to the market involve your kids, give them some responsibility and make it fun.  (And always saying yes to the doughnuts helps, too.)

(Photos compliments of the talented gtstuff and martinlabar)

Cute versus Not-So-Cute

Ask the cute ones in your house to divide up the world

ADDED March 19, 2009

 

This is a simple and quick game to pass the time while you're waiting with the kids.  Break the world into two categories:  cute and not-so-cute.

To get started, ask your kids if they think puppies are cute.  Do they?

Then ask if they think babies are cute.  And how about Dory from Finding Nemo? 

How about a barking dog?  How about a crying baby?

Now, how about an old rusty car?  Or an alligator?  Or a mushed up banana?  Cute?  Or not-so-cute?

Keep asking them about things until you get to words that really might be neither cute nor not-so-cute.  For instance, is a hamburger cute?  What does your child think?

For maximum fun and best results, the idea is to get your kids talking about their ideas about the world and the things in it.  If they start bringing their own adjectives into the discussion, you've really won.  For instance, if your child answers, "I wouldn't say a hamburger is cute or not-so-cute, but I would say it is delicious," your session has been a success.

The point here is that you can view the world in a million different ways.  Choose an adjective (cute) and its opposite (not-so-cute), and examine the world with it.  This will work, of course, with any adjective:  large, lonely, fun, yellow, and so on.

With a fun activity and some ever-so-cute kids, you can't lose!

Quick Tips: Thank You Brigade and Two Points

Ideas for getting the best out of your kids!

ADDED March 18, 2009

Every so often we offer a couple of Quick Tips.  Today's suggestions are about manipulating your children into behaving well.  (That's right:  we're going be doing some manipulating today.)

First, the Thank You Brigade.  This one is designed to get some politeness out of your kids (and to instill it in them!)  The idea here is simple:  your kids are in charge of handling all the thank you's for your family.  When you go to a store or restaurant, you can handle ordering and paying . . . but turn the thanking over to your kids.  

People generally like being thanked by a kid -- and this activity helps your little ones practice being polite.

And the next tip is Two Points.  We've tested this one successfully with boys, but we think you'll have great results with girls, too.  

With this one, you randomly assign points for desired behaviors.  

For example, "two points for everyone who brushes their teeth right now."

Or . . . "two points if you clean your room by four o'clock."

We don't recommend actually keeping track of points.  And there should be no winners or losers.  That's not the point.  This is just a creative and different way of getting your kids to tow the line.  And it works!

Of course, your kids should be obeying you no matter what -- points or not.  But if you're having a little trouble and want a little help, simply start handing out points.

Thank you for reading today's post.  Please give yourself two points!

 

--S

Top to Bottom

Fun from head to toe

ADDED March 05, 2009

 

Here’s a fun and interesting way to look at the world:  divvy it up into a top part and a bottom part.

Start by choosing a topic to explore with your kids.  You could talk about a forest, an ocean, a restaurant, their school, or outer space.

Once you’ve got your topic, it’s time to make a list with your young one.  Or rather, make two lists:  one for the top of the “thing” and one for the bottom.  For instance, let’s say that you guys selected a forest.  What stuff (animals, plants and others) would you find at the bottom of the forest?    Rocks, fallen acorns, beetles, snakes, worms, and certainly much more.  What can you find at the top of a forest?  Birds (what kinds?), leaves, pine cones, treetops, bird nests, chipmunks, and so forth.  With a little thought, your kids could come up with quite lengthy lists.  

Top to Bottom would be a great game to pass the time in the car, when you’re stuck in traffic.

And if you’re at home and have some crayons handy, your kids could create depictions of their top-to-bottom lists in picture form.  You (or they) could draw a dashed line through the middle of the image, to further help everyone see the top and the bottom.

Once you’ve explored one area of the world, repeat this activity with another!

Have fun looking at everything from top to bottom.  You may have seen this wrap-up sentence coming, but:  we’re sure that in your house, this activity will be tops!

Little Cereal Box Pickup Trucks

A Bonus From Breakfast

ADDED March 03, 2009

 

You know those little cereal boxes that come in packs of eight?  We used to get them for camping trips, but most markets sell them now, and we know some parents buy them for ready-to-go, individual-sized breakfast portions.  (If you don't get them, you might want to, after you see the craft possibilities.)

Here's a previous use we devised for these boxes:  little cereal box puppets.

My beautiful wife came up with this new use for two little cereal boxes:  little cereal box pickup trucks.

Turn the boxes inside out to get some blank canvases, and tape them back into box-shape.  Tape the two boxes together, one upright for the cab, the other horizontal for the rear cargo area.

Cut holes in the cab for windows.  Cut off the top of the one in back, for the cargo area.  Using these extra, cut-off bits, make some wheels and tape them on.

Finally, load the pickup trucks up!  Find small toys to be the drivers.  And, of course, you'll need to find some stuff to haul in the back.

Please obey a 5 mile per hour with these things.  Cardboard doesn't hold up so well in high speed impacts.  Have fun, and keep those kids eating balanced breakfasts!

 

Airplane Tag

Prepare for takeoff!

ADDED February 27, 2009

Today we have a fun way to bring our Travel Week to a satisfying close:  a game called Airplane Tag.  In this game, everyone can transform themselves into their favorite air vehicle:  a passenger jet, a fighter plane, a giant cargo hauler -- even a blimp can play.  If it can fly, it's allowed!  (In case you didn't know, humans really can transform into excellent airplanes. To make the perfect flying machine, simply extend each of your arms out straight.  These will serve as your wings,  and now you are ready to fly.  Prepare for take off!)

Here is how you play the game:  all of the planes fly around, trying to avoid being touched by the plane that is "it."  Once tagged by the "it" plane, a person has to join hands with "it," creating one bigger plane.  Now, hand in hand, the multi-person "it" continues to tag other people and add players to the gigantic plane until everyone is tagged.  (The last person to be tagged will start as "it" for the next round.)

As the "it" plane gets bigger and bigger, the sound of its engine roar should increase dramatically, right?

This is a great game for a group, or even as few as three people. Everyone gets some exercise, and even parents can get in on the fun.  (I like to pretend to be a flying fortress or a supersonic jet -- two planes that are practically impossible to tag.)   

Up, up and away!  Hooray!

 

 

Thanks to trufflepig for the photos

Play with a suitcase

Pretend . . . and you are there

ADDED February 26, 2009

 Here at TIF, we don't think suitcases are used nearly enough. Sure, an overnight trip pops up every now and then, and there are vacations and summer camp.  But that's it, and the poor suitcase remains unused and alone for the remainder of the year.  So today, why not release your suitcase from its exile?  It is travel week here, after all.  We think you should get those cases out right now and have a little fun!

Grab the suitcases and let your kids have fun packing anything they want. On this trip, they can bring all their toys and stuffed animals.  And on this trip, a week's worth of underwear is not necessary!  Or throw some underwear in, if your kids so choose.  (But one rule for this game is that what the kids get out to pack, they have to put back, neatly.)  When all the packing is finished, make the travel experience complete by grabbing some chairs and pretending you are on a plane, a train, or a ship.

And when the whole journey is over, your kids can experience that time-honored, end-of-the-trip chore, putting everything away.  Bon voyage!

Talk Differently Day

Talking about some fun!

ADDED February 20, 2009

 

You've heard your own voice before, and so have your kids.  Pretty much everybody is probably used to hearing your voice.

But we're enjoying the Week of Variation, right?  So why not try varying some your voice?  And the voices of your kids?

Gather the kids around and have them practice changing up their voices.

You guys can speak:

Loudly
Quietly
In a whisper

And if you're really brave, you guys can sing a sentence.

Your voices can be booming.  They can be scratchy.

Can you do any accents?  Give British a try, or a strong New York accent.  (In our house, we've also tried French, Spanish, German, and Southern accents.)  Doing accents is a fun (and occasionally odd) way to learn how different people speak the same language differently.

Also, ask your kids to talk like different "kinds" of people:

How does a King or Queen speak?
How about a Pirate?
How does a really nice person talk?  Or a really bad guy?
How does a grandparent speak?  How about a little tiny baby?
How would a robot talk?
How does a boss speak?  An new employee?

If your family is very adventurous (or if you guys are stuck inside on a rainy/snowy day), you could choose to declare a "Talk Differently Day," and everyone could try to avoid speaking in their regular voice.  It sounds a bit kooky, yes, but kids absolutely love this kind of thing!

Have fun, everybody.  Variations, variations, variations!

 

Green Eggs and Ham

Have you? Could you? Would you?

ADDED February 19, 2009

 

 

We're still playing with variations here on our blog, as the Week of Variation continues.  (Okay, now we're thinking we could have possibly come up with a catchier name for the week.  Oh, well.)

This week we've been busy changing up ordinary parts of life in order to get fun, different experiences and activities.  Today we'll be varying food.

Food coloring is possibly in your pantry now, and if it's not, it's extremely inexpensive.  Food coloring is completely safe, but it's probably not great to consume large doses of it everyday. However, a little food coloring once a week definitely won't hurt.  Here are some fun-with-food-coloring suggestions:

*  Green Eggs and Ham.  Add some food coloring to scrambled eggs (and serve with ham if you can.)  Pick up the book from the library and read it to the kids as they eat this meal (it doesn't just have to be breakfast, of course.)  If green eggs and ham goes over well, try red eggs and ham, or if you're quite brave, blue eggs and ham.  (Blue is not the most appetizing color for food, if you ask us.)

*  Colorful Cups of Water.  Fill some glasses with water and have your kids drop different colors of food coloring into each.  Experiment with different colors, mixing colors, and intensities of colors.  Serve the water with lunch or dinner.

*  Pretty Pasta.  Food coloring works quite well in pasta dishes, as noodles readily take on the added color. 

*  Try coloring these, too:  mashed potatoes, ground beef, yogurt, milk, vanilla ice cream, egg salad.

What else could food coloring do to mix up your kids' next mealtime?  If you have any ideas you'd like to share, please leave a comment

Add some color to your days for fun and variation!

 

(Many thanks to swearinglibrarian for the green eggs and milk photo.)

 

--S

Several Silly Snapshots

(Extremely Exaggerated Emotions)

ADDED February 17, 2009

 

You know we like to play with digital cameras.  Well, today we're doing variations with faces...

Have your kid stand in one place.  Tell your child that you’re going to take a bunch of photos and that in each photo the facial expression should be different. 

To help your model know what facial expression to display, you guys could go through this list:

Angry
Sad
Happy
Laughing
Scary
Scared
Confused
Cold
Hot
Hungry
Excited
Nervous

This activity can be a good opportunity to talk about different emotions and how people show their emotions with their bodies.

For maximum fun, try to make the photos the same as possible.  The framing of the photo and its size should remain the same.  (Don’t zoom in or out, for instance.)  It will be fun when you and the kids review to see basically the same picture, the same kid, with different emotions.

Once you’ve taken the photos, review them with your child.  You could print the photos and put them side by side.  You could also have another person (another family member, for instance) try to guess what emotion is being displayed in each photo.

Have fun, and have fun with all the variations!
 

Monster Names

A spruced-up way for your kid to write a name

ADDED February 16, 2009

 

Welcome to Variation Week here at Today is Fun.  What's Variation Week?  Well, this week we'd like to live by the famous old saying:  if something's fun and educational once, why not do again a little different?  

Okay, okay.  We haven't heard that saying before either.  In fact, we just made it up.  But the fact still remains:  it is a good idea to vary something good and to come up with more good things!  Each of our ideas this week will provide an opportunity for you and your kids to have fun with variations.  

 

 

Last week was full of Valentines and love.  Great.  Now let's change it up a bit.  It's time for monsters.

Take out a sheet of paper.  Write your child's name in large, thick letters across it.

Now pass the paper over to your kid, and say, "Turn your name into a monster."

Your young artist will have to somehow take the lines and shapes made by the letters and use them as parts of a monster.  The letters will need to become mouths, eyes, paws, tails, scales, spikes, etc.

(In our house, we have boys who happen to like monsters.  If your child is interested in something else, by all means let them express this with their name-art today.  Names could be turned into gardens, pets, firefighters, princesses or whatever!)

Once the name has been creatively transformed into a monster, do some variations.  Change the name into a different monster or a fancy house or into a completely different thing altogether!

The final step is to hang the art up on the wall or the fridge and admire!  Variation!

 

 

--S

Red Hearts

It's like musical chairs . . . but more fun!

ADDED February 13, 2009

 

Here is a fun and rowdy game you can play today.  All you need is some red construction paper, scissors, and kids.
 
First have everyone cut out a heart and write their name on it.  Then place the hearts around the room.  Next, have everyone hold hands.  Finally -- and this might be the most important part of the game -- play some Valentine's music (we like Dean Martin or Frank Sinatara).   As the music plays, everyone should rotate in a circle. Then, when the music stops, everybody needs to run and grab a heart.  Read the person's name on the heart and give that person a hug!

Then spread out the hearts again and repeat!

This is the perfect game to play outside: with a large group or with your extended family (grandparents love hugs).  And if your kids don't want to give hugs, then just have them say "Happy Valentine's Day!"
 
Oh, and I just found a heart with my Beautiful Wife's name on it.  I think I'll go get my hug right now!  Have fun.

 

Thanks to tekmagika for the photo

 

Color Charades

A fun, print-n-play activity

ADDED February 10, 2009

Charades is a simple game that's fun for adults so why can't kids play? 

Well, now kids can.  We have created a simple, eight-card charades game for kids that uses colors, not words.  It is so easy, in fact, that even kids who can't read will love to play.

Here are the rules (in case you forgot):  first pick a card from the stack, and don't show it to anyone.  The idea is to use physical rather than verbal language to convey what color is on your card.  You can point to something that is the same color as the color or pantomime something that is the same color.  Remember you can point and act -- but don't talk.

If your kids are not understanding how to play, act out a few rounds until everyone gets it.  The game is so simple, however, that usually everybody gets it right away and is eager to play. 

At the end of this activity, all the kids will express their delight by doing some (possibly silent) thumbs ups.

 

Just click here to download!

 

 

Grab a Tree

A tricky version of tag

ADDED February 06, 2009

 

 

For this one, you'll need some open space (backyard, large living room) and a number of big, "grabbable" things (trees, dining room chairs).  

The game is pretty simple.  Someone (you, for starters) is "it."  And by "it," we mean, "the bad guy" or the "monster."  You know, "it."

As with traditional tag, everybody else wants to avoid being touched by "it."

When everybody else is touching a tree (or dining room chair) they are safe and can't be touched by "it."

But in keeping with our trickiness theme this week, the reason this activity is trickier than normal tag is:  "it" can tell everybody else when to leave the safety of their tree trunk or dining room chair.   It yells, "Everybody switch trees!  Everybody switch trees!"  And so everybody must.

And this, of course, is It's opportunity to grab a hapless victim.

This version of tag is just a bit different and a bit trickier.  We think it adds a bit more spice to the game.  And in keeping with good ole fair play, isn't it nice to let It have a little more say in the proceedings?

Have fun running around this weekend, indoors or out.  And we hope you enjoyed our tricky tips this past week!

 

--S

 

 (Many thanks to wheat_in_your_hair for the photo!)

Taste Tests

Trickiness Week continues with some tricky fun with food

ADDED February 02, 2009

 

For us, food is endless fun.  Buying food, cooking it, eating it, and yes, even talking about it provide hours of enjoyment.  Anything with so much variety is inherently interesting, right?

And here's more fun with food:  Taste Tests!

Are you old enough to remember the Pepsi Challenge?  In that test, blindfolded people sipped both Coke and Pepsi, and then announced which they liked better.  (Big surprise:  Pepsi won, and was the favorite of most of the participants.)

Why not have a taste test tonight at your house?  All you need is a blindfold and some similar foods.

Your blindfolded kids can do two things:  (1) try to guess which food is which (this can be tricky!), and (2) announce which food is their preference.

Here are some similar foods for them to compare, side by side:

Oranges vs. Tangerines
Apples vs. Pears
Crunch peanut butter vs. creamy
Different kinds of sliced cheese (cheddar vs. Swiss)
Hot dogs vs. sausages
BBQ Sauce vs. Ketchup
Different flavors of yogurt (strawberry vs. rasberry)
Whole wheat bread vs. white bread
Ice cream vs. frozen yogurt
M & M's vs. Skittles

Have fun with this one.  Please use the comment section below to let us know about your results with your kids.  With all the fun and tricky tasting, everyone will pass the taste test!  (Oh, and one more thing:  try not to get any food on the blindfold!)

 

--S

Where are we going and what should we take?

Get those imaginations packing for fun!

ADDED January 27, 2009

Here is a fun question to ask your kids at breakfast:  "If we were going on a trip to the jungle for two weeks, what would we need to take?" It is interesting to see what they would take and why.

If they get stuck for answers, you can start them off with some leading questions.  Here are a few examples: Should we bring our suitcases or our backpacks? What should we put in the suitcases? Will we need hats, boots and jackets? Should we travel around in a car or on an elephant?

My son, being a realist and very fond of numbers, decided to break it down in numbers:  he needed to pack 14 pairs of pants, 14 shirts, 16 pairs of underwear, 12 pairs of socks, hiking shoes, a guide book and money. He also wanted to stay in a hotel.  My daughter, on the other hand, was really not interested in packing clothes.  She just wanted to make sure all of her stuffed animals would be able to come.  She also would rather stay in a tent near a river or on a mountain and would ride on the elephant if it was trained.

Have fun with this one as you get those imaginations racing, and let us know what your kids would take with them on their trip.  Personally I would rather go to Hawaii for two weeks, taking a swimsuit and couple of  shirts, but I am still waiting for someone to offer!  (On a side note we would be more than happy to write up a review of any family vacation destinations.  Yes, we prefer to fly first class, and we are always available at info@todayisfun.com.)

 

 

Vocabulary builder

Teach your child other words for BIG

ADDED January 26, 2009

Big is a fine word.  It describes size, height, amount, and even age.  It can also describe importance, volume and quality.  The problem is, though, the word "big" is, well, it's too big.  It does too much -- so much in fact that sometimes using it can be a big problem.

So today while you are driving to piano lessons, eating dinner as a family or getting ready for bed, have a little fun making up sentences with the word "big."  Then encourage your kids to remove the word big and replace it with a more descriptive word like "king-sized" or "monolithic."

Start by having your child list other adjectives that do the same modifying work as big.  Here is an example sentence, "That is a big tree".   Fine . . .  but it does not create a specific picture in your mind that describes the size of the tree. Here are a few sentences my kids came up with:

"That tree is enormous."
"That tree is huge."
"That tree is tall."
"That tree is large."
"That tree is gigantic."
"That tree is massive."
"That tree is towering."

And here are a few of my attempts:

"That tree is monolithic."
"That tree is tremendous."
"That tree is fully grown."

In just a few minutes, we had all expanded our vocabulary and were on our way to becoming better writers.  (I mean superior authors.)

-Paul

 

Photo credit is given to the visionary genius of:martyportier and several_bees

thanks!

 

Quick tips: Waiting Around Activities

(Part one of many)

ADDED January 24, 2009

 

 

We've all been there before:  stuck waiting somewhere with the kids.  These times are especially difficult, both for kids and parents.  You've really got to bust your behind to keep the kids behaving.

So today we unveil Today is Fun Quick Tips, a list of quick, entertaining and satisfying tips.

Here are some Quick Tip activities for waiting around:

Clock counters / Sink testers. How many clocks do they have in the waiting room?  Or the house?  And do all the sinks work?  (This last was especially good a couple of years ago when our family was looking at homes to buy.)

Have you kids make a list of something. For instance, if you're waiting at a restaurant, the kids could make a list of what's on the table:  salt shaker, sugar packets, soy sauce, etc.

Look for a minute.  Have the kids look around for  a minute and then close their eyes.  With their eyes closed, can they tell you everything they've just seen?

Name everything in your room.  Have your child close her eyes and envisage her room.  Ask her to tell you everything she has in there.

Hand tricks.  What can you make your hands do?  Think of shadow puppets minus the shadows.  Make your hands impersonate different things:  a butterfly, a bat, stairs, a house.  (Not to brag, but my hand can transform itself into a very realistic brontosaurus.)

We'll be presenting more Quick Tips in the future, on this and other subjects.  (Speaking of which, if anyone out there has any other ideas for keeping kids quiet, happy, and in their seats, we will gladly accept them!)

 

--S

 

(Photo courtesy of zoutedrop.)

 

Inauguration Day

What better excuse do you need to have a pageant?

ADDED January 21, 2009

 

Today is a very special day for America, and what do you do on very special days?  Why, celebrate, of course!

Today will feature many parades and speeches. 

First of all, if your kids are old enough, you should certainly tell them about why today is special for America.  (No matter your political persuasion.)  First, we're getting a new President today.  America's smooth transition of power is something to be proud of.  Also, today we're getting our first President "of color," as the phrase goes.  That is pretty cool, and pretty historic.

Okay, now on to the activities part of this post.

When was the last time you had a pageant in your house?  In order to participate in a pageant, of course, you need everyone in special clothes.  Everyone will walk in a special way (marching is good, so is parading) along the predetermined route.  And some impressive, pomp-and-circumstance music wouldn't hurt either.  It really would be great if everyone (adults included) joined the procession.  And you guys might want to change the musical and wardrobe selections occasionally, to see how those affect the marching.

If your kids are a bit older, you might want them to try a speech or two.  Have them get up on a 'rostrum' (somewhere elevated -- a chair would work nicely) and have everybody else be the audience.  They can talk about anything they'd like, such as food, family, toys, fun.  (We don't recommend any political topics for kids, but you can decide.)  If they're able, they should speak in important-sounding, "speechifying" tones.  Take turns, and of course, at then end of the speech, everyone needs to clap!

Have fun this Inauguration Day, and if you don't mind, God Bless America!

 

(Boy saluting photo courtesy of respres.)

Learn the Planets

Just in case you ever get lost in space

ADDED January 16, 2009

 

When you take the time to really look, the night sky is endlessly fascinating, extremely breath-taking, and frankly, more than a little bit humbling. Have you taken your kids outside at night recently, so that you guys can do some star gazing?

Something fun you can teach your kids is the order of the planets in the solar system. All you need to do is teach them a simple sentence, and they'll be able to remember the planets in order every time!

First, you can start by telling your kids about our solar system. The sun's in the middle, surrounded by the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. (Pluto's recently been demoted to a mere hunk of ice.)

Next, to help the kids remember the planets in order, you can throw out this simple, short sentence, "My Very Educated Mother Just Saw Uncle Nick." The first letter of every word is the first letter of each planet in our solar system. Get it? (If you learned a different such sentence in school, please let us know in the comments below.)

If your kids enjoy learning about the stars and planets, you might even want to take a trip to the library and check out a book on the solar system. Or NASA has a kids' website where you can get lots of kid-friendly space information.

Here at Today Is Fun, we believe that nothing can get a conversation going better than a little information and education. And remember, you guys aren't just having fun, you're getting the kids well on their way to becoming inter-planetary astronomical geniuses.

 

 

Photo credit is given to the talented and popular:

cfuentes

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Thumbs up? Thumbs down!

A possible hit TV show.

ADDED January 14, 2009

 

When my family and I are driving places in the car we often find ourselves listening to the radio. Everyone is happy as we ramble along . . . until the music stops, and the radio ads begin. This is when I frantically change the channel searching for music, trying to avoid the latest information on mattress sales or low, low auto financing.

As I spin through the presets on the radio, it is fun to let everybody vote before landing on a station. To get the kids talking (and sometimes keep them from falling asleep), I will stop on each station and ask them to put their thumbs up if they like the music and thumbs down if they don't.

One of my kids always gives thumbs up to Top 40 and funky oldies. The other will give a double thumbs up to classical. It is very interesting to see what they like and why. Try it with your kids and see how they vote. (And if you want, get them talking about their vote . . . and respecting the votes of others.)

 

And please, please when I break out into song, get those thumbs pointing right up!

 

 

Photo credit is given to the talented and popular:

amatthews for the blue shirt guy, 41339216@N00 for the double thumbs up girl, daedrius for the thumbs up kids

 

Building Bit by Bit

Every budding architect gets a turn

ADDED January 10, 2009

 

Building toy buildings is a great activity to entertain kids.  It gets their motor, creative, and planning skills all into the mix.

And here's a fun, simple twist:  building bit by bit.  Basically, everyone takes turns adding to the creation.

As many people can play as want to, kids and adults included.  Use blocks, Legos, Tinker Toys, even dolls or stuffed animals – whatever you've got.  Each person takes a turn to add one block (or one whatever) to the creation.

In our house, we have a rule that each added block(or whatever) has to touch the one that went before.  Also, in an effort to discourage random and premature knockdowns, we say that anyone who doesn't knock down the structure "wins" the round.  (Yes, more than one person can win every round.)

Here at Today Is Fun, we believe that a little guidance in activities – or just a couple rules – makes all the difference, and greatly enhances the fun.  The activity "build something" with your blocks is fine . . . but having everyone collaborate as a team on the same marvelous mansion or palatial palace, now that ups the fun immeasurably.

 

Give it a try today!  (Just please don't knock down my building.)

 

--S

 

BUILDING BIT BY BIT UDDATE

The lovely, intelligent and inquisitive Julia used the comment section to ask us, " How did you make the cubes?"

 

Well, you ask and we answer, here is the link to the origami cube construction page.

Origami Building blocks

 

Construction of these blocks is best with thin origami paper but construction paper works great too.  In less than 10 minutes you can build quite a few of these delicate building blocks.  Have fun!              -Paul

 

Photo Walk

Wasting "film" is fun!

ADDED January 05, 2009

 

Ah, the blessings of a digital camera.  Remember when we were all kids, and our parents didn't want us to waste film?  That is now a thing of the past.

Take your little ones on a walk around the block.  Bring along your digital camera, and take pictures of whatever intrigues them.

It'll be fun to get outside, and it'll be fun for your kids to direct you as to the picture taking. 

Get your kids talking about why they want certain pictures taken.  (My kids wanted a lot of shots of tires, for example.  They said they like to look to see which tires are muddy and which aren't.)

During the walk, explain to your kids that they can take some of their photos and re-create them with art stuff.  You can show them one of their pictures on the computer, and then they can draw it using markers and paper.  And they can change the image to suit their imagination.  For instance, my boys wanted to change a row of cypress trees into rocket ships lined up.  A garage door with many panels was chosen to become a board game with many squares.

Finally, you can save your kids' photos on your computer and review in the future.  It's amazing how photographing something makes it "more" of something.  Suddenly it's not just a walk around the block, it's a "special walk with Mommy's camera!"

Have fun, and please be respectful of your neighbors on the walk.  Don't trample your neighbors' flower beds, so you can take pictures through their windows of them eating breakfast.  The excuse "But my kids told me to" might not work so well!

 

--S

 

 

Daily Triple Treat - New Years Day Edition

Picture review, a star walk, fun with letters

ADDED January 01, 2009

 

Our week of daily Triple Treats continues!

 

Inside Treat- Spend some time reviewing your pictures from the last year with your kids. This could be a fun traditation for the whole family to enjoy.  Make it a game, see who can name the location or the people in the picture.  Or if you chose, make this activity a little more introspective and take turns sharing your memories from the past year.. 

Outside Treat-  Tonight take a star walk.  Bundle up, make some hot chocolate, grab a few flashlights and spend a go star gazing.   Try to spot Orions belt, one of the Dippers and if that is to advanced you can always play First to Find the Moon.
Educational Treat- Try one of these letter related activities
1,
2,
3.

God Bless You

An activity that will get everybody sending out some good thoughts

ADDED December 25, 2008

 (Yes, we said this was the week of Gigantic Great Giving here at Today is Fun.  We're not trying to do a bait and switch here.  But we think this activity is perfect for a day like today.  We hope you don't feel cheated.)

Not to be preachy or new agey, but . . . here's a very positive and actually quite fun game that you and your kids can play every day in the car.

As you drive your kids around, look out the windows of the car and try to spot passers-by.  Once somebody is spotted, you guys "God bless" them.  For instance, "God bless that guy with the briefcase" or "God bless that lady with the red sweater."

That's it.  That's the activity.   But as you'll see, there's something incredibly fun about it.  And everybody will feel good doing it.

Part of the trick here is not to make judgments on the people you see.  For this activity, *everybody* you see deserves your good wishes, no matter what.  You absolutely don't want to say "That guy looks really weird.  God bless him," or  "I don't like the way that lady looks, but God bless her anyway."  As you can see, those statements aren't exactly very positive.  Only construtive statements are allowed here.

After you guys God Bless somebody, you can follow up with "I hope he (or she) has a great day." 

(If for any reason you're uncomfortable with the words "God Bless," we're certain you can find some suitable substitute for your family.)

This game works particularly well on the way to school or early in the morning.  It sets a nice, constructive tone for the rest of the day.  And wishing everyone well will make you guys feel great about yourselves and the rest of your day, too! 

So see if this works for you and your kids.  Have fun, and in the immortal words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, every one!"

Conversation Starter Cards

Could save the day

ADDED December 23, 2008

 

These are really simple, but might come in handy in a pinch.  They're conversation starter cards.  Download them, cut them out, and keep them in your purse or car for long waits or traffic jams.

Download here.

These cards each have many questions on them.  Ask your kids the questions, and get them talking.  Hopefully, the clock will move nicely along.  With these cards, you don't have to wrack your brain for conversation topics.

You can answer these questions, too, to keep the conversation going.  Everyone in your family gets extra points when your kids say something funny or cute.

And here's a conversation topic:  how can Today Is Fun help you in the new year?  Drop us a line if you need more help.  (And if you wanted to mention our site to a friend or two, that wouldn't be such a bad start to a conversation either!)

 

--S

Conversing father and daughter by pocketwilley via Flickr, thanks to a creative commons license.

Handmade Mistletoe

Crafting and kissing.

ADDED December 17, 2008

My son the decided he was going to make some mistletoe. I am not sure if he has someone in mind to use it on but his ingenuity and enthusiasm for this craft was so sincere how can I not pass a great idea along.

First he created the leaves, this was accomplished by folding a green piece of construction paper in half lengthwise.  Second he drew three half hearts on one side of the paper with the point at the bottom and the curved top pointing down. Third on a white piece of paper he drew three small circles these are the berries.  Fourth he cut all the pieces out.  Fifth he unfolded the hearts glued them together to make the leaves and added the berries. Sixth he tied the mistletoe to a string and started kissing!
 
Here is the final result. It's great.

It was fun to see him create this truly unique craft, try it today.  Because Today is fun! And I am sure you’ll get some kisses out of it.

 

Luminarias

An inexpensive, fun, and (frankly) gorgeous holiday display

ADDED December 12, 2008

 

If you haven't heard of them yet, Luminarias are a traditional Mexican Christmas display.  They're very simple and inexpensive to make and, once done, they are quite charming to behold.  What's more, your kids can play a lead role in setting them up.  

What you'll need to create your own Luminarias is some empty brown lunch bags, small sturdy candles (votives will work great) and some sand (or substitute some dirt).  Have your kids line up the bags outside and weigh them down with a couple cups of sand or dirt.  The bags should be about a foot or two away from each other.  Next, the kuds can put an unlit candle into each bag.  Now your Luminarias are set up and ready to go!

When evening falls, go down the row and light each candle (a job for you, not the kids).  Of course, you can and should put your kids to work while you're lighting the candles.  One good thing they could do is count and keep tally of how many candles are lit.  (If they're ready, you could teach them the concept of half or two-thirds when that amount of candles are lit.)  Also, who says you need to light the Luminarias in a row?  Instead, your kids could run around, inventing a creative order for you, and then they can evaluate the resulting pattern as you progress.  

(Use common sense and be safe.  Don't put the bags too close to each other or near structures or dry wood.  Don't light them if it's too windy.)

Luminarias nicely complement electric lights.  They add some natural charm to your home's Christmas display.  And your kids can contribute to their set-up and feel proud!

 

--S

 

(Luminarias photo courtesy of jared.)

Christmas Light Spotters

Put the kids to good use this holiday season

ADDED December 10, 2008

 

Great for the car this time of year, no matter what holiday you celebrate...turn your children into Christmas Light Spotters!

It's fun for kids to see holiday displays, but you can amp up the enjoyment for everybody.  First, if you have more than one kid, you can assign them different sides of the car to be in charge of.  If they see something exciting on their side, it's their duty to report it to the rest of the car.

Another idea is to give the kids different colors to spot as their "goals."  For instance, "Nick, you're in charge of finding some red today!  Jake, you need to tell me if you see any green lights."  Making the search a bit more specific increases a kids' interest and enthusiasm.

Your family could also create a mental list of special characters you've seen in holiday displays:  how many Santas, Rudolphs, Frosties, etc.  Special attention (or extra points) could be given to the rarer characters like Mrs. Claus and the Grinch.  If you want, you could take this mental list and make it an on-paper one.  That way, you could keep track of how many of each character you've seen during the entire Christmas light season.

Finally, everyone could spend each ride looking for their "most favorite" holiday display.  And yes, most favorites are allowed to change frequently.

Whether or not you play these Christmas light games, by all means do make a point to get in the car at some point in the next weeks and go searching for beautiful light displays.  Your kids will really enjoy it.  And you can think of it as a much less expensive version of Disneyland.

 

--S

Cereal Box Puppets

Along with the whales, Save the Socks!

ADDED December 09, 2008

 

What's something around your house that you can use to make puppets with your kids?  Socks come right to mind, but there's a problem with them:  if you make sock puppets, you can't wear those socks anymore!  (The eyes, noses and mouths make for pretty uncomfortable footwear.)

So today we present . . . little cereal box puppets!  Little cereal boxes are often found on camping trips, but these days they're also available on the shelves of almost any grocery store.  If you buy these multi-cereal samplers, you should know that they are just the right size to make brilliant puppets with your kids.

First, cut open the boxes to flip them inside out.  Use the "blank" side as the canvas for your puppets.

Second, use markers, construction paper, glue, tape, and whatever you've got handy to make fun and funny puppet faces.

Finally, tape up the puppets back into their original box shape -- ready for little hands to use.

(Here's a couple insider secrets on making these things:  (1)  Make the puppet faces first and then tape the boxes up.  It's trickier if you reverse the order of these steps.  (2)  When you tape the boxes back up, start with a couple pieces of tape on the inside.  This will help in the sturdiness department.  (3)  Make similar faces for the front and back of the boxes, but with different expressions.  That way, during a puppet show, a happy character can suddenly switch around to be a completely shocked one!)

If you don't buy those little cereal boxes, you can save and use big ones over time.  Other kinds of boxes will probably work just fine, too.

After the puppets are done, you guys are ready for a spectacular, cereal-box-puppet presentation.  Everyone will have fun and will be able to say, "No socks were harmed in the production of this show!"

 

--S

Huggy!

A nice monster

ADDED December 04, 2008

Huggy is a very nice monster, just listening to his name you can discern he likes to be hugged.

When you hear him say, “ Huggy” you have to hug him or he will repeat his name over and over while chasing you.  Huggy is very fast.  If you like to be chased please don't hug him.  He only stops repeating his name and chasing when he gets a hug.  Beware if you let him into your house you will have to give him a lot of hugs.  I would suggest only those who are not stingy with hugs invite him in.  

 Moms can be Huggys, Dads can be Huggys even kids can be Huggys. They all are very polite and if you don't want a hug they will not hug you and but be aware they can be persistent in their pursuit of hugs.

Should you let Huggy into your house today?  He really is a nice monster.

Box art

Recycled art is the best

ADDED December 03, 2008

After a trip to the market a few days back, as I was unpacking some magically sugary snacks, I had an idea for a recycled box art craft.  So I started flattening and saving boxes.   In about a week I was able to save enough boxes for this easy imagination charged recycled art craft.
 
First, take the three or four boxes.  Get some pens, stickers, scissors and warm up a little creativity. Second, have an adult cut the boxes to make them flat because sometimes the cardboard can be a little thick and difficult to cut.  This is your canvas. Then encourage your kids to spend a few minutes visualizing what the cardboard canvas could be. Here is a very brief list of a few things we though would be grand if made out of a recycled box:

A monster
A bus
A spaceman
A sign to a party
A big birthday card

 And then go for it!  Let those imaginations run wild! The sky is the limit (or in this case the edges of your box)!
 
And here is what we made
 A mailbox
A computer
A robot
A jump for cars
 

Try it today make your trash into something fantastic!  We will post submissions for all to see so start sending your photos to info@todayisfun.com.  The most creative piece of box art will receive a conduct happiness shirt courtesy of conducthappiness.com.

Contest ends 12/10/08!

Christmas chain

Countdown to Christmas

ADDED December 01, 2008

One of my family's fun Christmas traditions is to make a Christmas chain.  It is a great craft to do with kids: the construction is simple, and it is a fun activity to do together everyday.
 
Here is how we make ours:  first, cut 25 strips of paper that are about 6 to 9 inches long.  Next, using all the strips of paper, write the numbers 1 to 25 on the strips.  These numbers will represent how many days are remaining until Christmas.  Third, starting with strip number 1, glue, staple or tape the ends of the paper together creating one link, do the same with strip number 2, making sure link 2 attaches to link 1, then do the same with links 3 through 25.  Once the chain is complete and all 25 links are attached, your kids will have a visual representation of how many days remain until Christmas.

The excitement will build as the chain comes apart!

Have fun tearing the links off and counting down.

(but please don't stand on the tables)

 

 

Place Cards

A time-honored Thanksgiving tradition can be a fun and helpful activity for your kids

ADDED November 26, 2008

 

 

(Just so you know, I don't very much like place cards.  I like to be in control of my seating location, and I like to sit wherever my fancy strikes.  And I don't want to be stuck yet again with Aunt Nancy, who always regales me with stories about cats.)

That all being said, place cards do sometimes seem to show up at Thanksgiving dinner.  And making place cards can be a good thing to do for young kids.

First, it's an activity, an opportunity to do and make and to be creative.  Also, it's a good way to review with your kids all the people who they will encounter at the Thanksgiving festivities.  It's a good excuse to talk about all the guests at Thanksgiving beforehand, so they won't point and say "Who's that guy?  Why is that person here at dinner?"

If you don't like place cards (did I mention that I don't?), then change this activity from place card to a "gift card."  Have your kids make a postcard-like item for each person, and hand them out before the meal.  Each card could include a drawing and a stylized representation of the recipient's name.

And fine, if you must, you and the kids just go ahead and make place cards for the table.  It could be fun for them.  Just please don't sit me next to Aunt Nancy!

(All persons listed in this post are fictitious.  And I am always kind to seniors and will listen to cat stories!  That business was joke.)

Professional Food Tasters

Better than bad and better than good

ADDED November 25, 2008

What words can you use to describe food?  If you're like most Americans, there are three words you use to describe food:  good, bad, and delicious.  You might throw in an occasional "awful" or "wonderful," too, but of all those words we've just reviewed, only "delicious" is specific to food.

There are people whose job is taste food:  Professional Food Tasters.  And those people have to use better words than "awful" and "delicious," right?

Right.  They do.  There are many, many words to describe food specifically.  And what better opportunity for your kids to try some of these words out than . . . your Thanksgiving feast?

Here are some fine words to describe food . . .

•  crunchy
•  crispy
•  spicy
•  sweet
•  salty
•  buttery
•  flavorful

During meals this week, teach your kids some or all of the words in that list.  You could plan to include foods that get you guys talking about sweet and about salty (apples and pretzels, for example).  

Then, encourage your kids to use their new vocabulary to fun effect during Thanksgiving dinner.  This can also be a tool if they get restless:  talk about the Thanksgiving food.  What is the most crunchy thing on your plate?  What is the most buttery?  What is salty and what is sweet?  What is your favorite item?

Do try to show respect for the person who cooked the meal, of course.  We don't want your kids using descriptive words like "icky" or "inedible" during the holiday celebration!

(We didn't want to inundate you with words, so we just featured the ones above.  But here's a quick appendix of more food adjectives, if you're so inclined:  savory, garlicky, nutty, minty, zesty, tart, tangy, sharp, mouthwatering, tasty, yummy, delectable, bitter, flavorful, lemony, chocolatey, and so on.)

Growing fun!

fun for young farmers

ADDED November 21, 2008

One of our favorite things to do with fruits and vegetables is keep the seeds and try to make them grow.   Whenever someone makes fresh-squeezed orange juice, cores an apple, cuts an avocado, or carves a pumpkin, the kids are there, ready to collect the seeds and start the experiment.
 
We put the seeds on a damp paper towel, seal it all in a baggie, and carefully place the experiment on the window sill in the kitchen.  Then we wait and check each day.  (Checking each day is important and fun -- and sometimes we need to inspect the progress more than one time a day!)   Once the seeds sprout, we transfer them to small paper cups, and when they look healthy and strong, we put them into the earth outside.  Most of our seeds don't make it to this final step, but is fun to try and to hope!

Due to my obsession with free stuff, my kids have become avid seed collectors.  Together we have grown watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, grapefruit, apples, oranges, avocado, corn, lemons, key limes and pumpkins.  And by the way, we live in the middle of the city, not out in the country.  Here is a photo of this year's pumpkin crop.

Try to grow your own plants from free seeds today.  Healthy eating is really a lot of fun for kids, especially when they're the ones who served as farmers!

Clue Countdown

A clue per finger until there are no more left!

ADDED November 13, 2008

 

Think of something -- anything.  Hold up one hand, all five fingers extended.

Tell your kid, "I'm thinking of something.  You can have five guesses to figure out what it is.  And I'll give you a clue before each guess."

(Let's say you're thinking of a cloud.  The first clue you provide is "It's in the sky." Lower one finger.)

If your child doesn't guess the correct answer, provide another clue and fold down on another finger.

(The second clue could be, "It's fluffy.")

I like to try to make the first clue general and then get more and more specific as the guessing goes on.  And I like the last clue to be pretty much a giveaway.

(The last clue, for instance, could be "Rain comes out of them.")

If you're kids can manage it, have them think of something and take five guesses at what it is.

This is a good variation on twenty questions.  Young kids might not know the right questions to narrow the range of answers down.  (Little ones might not ask, "Is it a mineral or a vegetable?")  With this game, you guide them and help them along towards the right answer.

Three, two, one.  Fun!

Wheel of Fun

Round, random, and lots of fun

ADDED November 12, 2008

 

Sometimes it's all in the presentation.

If you suggest to your child, "Why don't you do eighteen jumping jacks?", they'd probably refuse.  But if a paper plate makes the same suggestion, well, to a kid that kind of presentation just can't be argued with.

Pat Sayjak and Vanna Williams, eat your hearts out, because today we are yukking it up with the Wheel of Fun. 

Draw lines on the face of a white paper plate in order to divvy it into ten equally sized segments.  In each, write a fun or silly activity for your child to perform.  Some examples:

1.  Spin in a circle while singing a song.

2.  Take three towels from the linen closet and make some funny clothes for yourself.

3.  Draw something very fast, then make people guess what it is.

4.  Call somebody in our family on the phone.

5.  Do eighteen jumping jacks.

And so on. 

After you've filled in the activities, punch a small hole in the middle of the plate.  Either insert a spinner from one of your family's board games (we used one from Chutes and Ladders in the photo) or find a wall with a protruding nail on which to hang the wheel.  Each child spins the wheel, and then gets to perform the task.  Repeat as much as you guys want.

This is a lot of fun.  It makes for a great rainy day activity. Kids love the excitement of getting random results, and they love spinning the wheel.

If you're feeling particularly cheeky, you can sneak a couple of activities onto the wheel that will benefit you alone.  You could try adding "fold the laundry" or "wash the kitchen floor" to the wheel to see what results you can get!   Have fun, and get spinning!

Mummy Mommy

(Or Mummy Dad. Or Mummy Kid.)

ADDED October 30, 2008

 

This website is all about keeping the kids on their toes for little or no money.  Terrific.  Everybody wins.  

And yet today, it's come to this...

That's right:  today we're using toilet paper to entertain the kids.  

One of the standard frightful Halloween characters is a mummy.  And what better material to 'play' mummy than toilet paper?

We recommend that you let the kids wrap you in toilet paper.  Let them mummify you.  Yes, it might not be your most dignified moment as a parent, but the kids will enjoy it.  

Much of the fun of this activity, as you will see, will be the kids trying to make the wrapping work.  It's not as easy as they might think.

If your kids are old enough, you can also use this activity to learn about real mummies.  

This activity will also further our goal of showing young kids that there really isn't anything real to be afraid of for Halloween.

If your kids are game, you can mummify them, too.  (Please be careful!  Don't wrap anyone too tightly, and watch noses, mouths, and necks please!)

Have fun.  Give it a try.  And we promise, tomorrow's tip will not involve toilet paper or anything from the bathroom!

Extremely Spooky Baby Ghost Decoration

Made out of newspaper. Oh, and did we mention the word "spooky?"

ADDED October 28, 2008

 

Alright, we're not promoting this as ground-breakingly new or anything.  It's a craft, and it may ring a bell in your brain somewhere.

But it's fun, it's good for Halloween, and it's both cheap and easy.  Come on, people: work with us here!

Here's what you do:  Step One. Grab the newspaper and remove one "sheet."  This is one piece of paper, two full pages connected (and separated by a fold.)  This will be the ghost's body.  Spread it out on the table or floor.

Step Two. Have your child crumble up other pages from the newspaper.  Amass a certain number of them (let's say seven pieces, and let's say that your child is in charge of counting to make sure that number is what's there).  These will be the 'stuffing' for the head.

Step Three. Now, in one smooth, graceful move, gather the 'sheet' up around the 'stuffing' to create the head.  The rest of the sheet will droop down and become the ghost's body.  Use a piece of string or a rubber band to keep the stuffed head separate from the body.  Have your child draw some eyes and a mouth.  Use another piece of string to hang the ghost from an appropriate ceiling light or chandelier.

Will you have created something that you and your child will treasure for years?  Is this something that will become the envy of your neighbors?  Hmmm, probably not.  But will it be a fun way to pass some time for you and your child?  And something that your child enjoys?  Yes, it will.  

And you will enjoy your new spooky baby ghost as a beloved additional family member for the rest of the week!

The Haunted Egg

A spooky, fun-to-make Halloween treat (that is actually good for kids, too)

ADDED October 27, 2008

 

The other morning when we asked my son what he wanted for breakfast, he requested a "haunted egg."   My wife, challenged by such a concept, invented this "recipe."  And voilá, just like that, I am able to present here for the first time:  a Haunted Egg!

First, hardboil some eggs.  (Children can help to gently put the eggs in the pot.  They can turn on the faucet to fill the pot with water.)

When the eggs are boiled, remove the shell from the ones you guys will eat.  (My  wife, who rather knows what she's doing in the kitchen, suggests that when the eggs are ready to come out of the pot, hold them under running cold water in order to peel them easily.)

Once the shell is taken care of, look at the ends of the egg.  Usually, one end is flatter, and you can use that for standing the egg up.  (If there's not a good 'standing' end, you can cut one end off to make a flat surface.)

Now comes the spooky part . . . poke small holes in the egg to make a ghost's eyes.  You can also make a larger hole underneath it for a mouth.  (My lovely spouse suggests a sharp knife for this, such as a paring knife.  Obviously kids shouldn't handle these tools, but they can show where to make the eyes, mouth, nose, etc.)

Kids can have some input as to how the egg will look.  They can tell you to make the eyes circles or triangles or another shape.  They can request a happy egg or a frowning one.

Serve the Haunted Egg on a plate standing up, spooky face pointing towards the young diner.  It's the most delicious--and most scary--treat for Halloween.

No Lights On An Old-Fashioned Night!

A fun way to learn about olden days

ADDED October 15, 2008

 

Today we're going to learn a little about . . . light bulbs.  This activity is fun and educational for kids of all ages.

Tell your kids (if they don't already know) that in olden days, people used candles to light their houses at night.

Ask your kids if they'd like to re-create an old-fashioned, candle night in your house.  Everybody has to agree that after the sun goes down, no lights will be turned on!

Rooms look much different in candlelight.  The absence of electricity will give the whole bedtime process a much different feeling.

(But by all means BE CAREFUL with the candles' open flames.  If you have very little ones, please keep the candles up and out of their reach!)

We've also included a fun fact sheet for you to refresh your memory as to the history of light bulbs.  And your kids might enjoy coloring it in, too.  Simply print it after downloading here.

Oh, to make the no-electricity thing authentic, no TV or computer games either!  How does that sit with you?  (Of course, when the kids are asleep, parents are allowed to check their email, send TIF tips to their friends, and watch a show or two.)

And for this activity, you don't need to go 100% authentic.  There's probably no need for you to unplug the fridge.

Candle power!  Learning is fun!

Characteristics

Quirky Coloring Fun

ADDED September 29, 2008

Occasionally when you suggest that your child spend some time coloring or drawing, you will hear this response:  "Yeah, but I don't know what to draw" or "I don't feel like coloring anything."

Try this activity then, which we call "Characteristics."  It is one of our absolute, all-time favorite kids games.  We think it's fun, do-able, and creative.

Step One.  Have your kid choose a 'thing' to draw.

This thing could be anything that captures your kid's interest: a princess, a pirate, a monster or Mommy.  A supermarket or a superhero, a garden or a gargoyle.  Really, anything!

For example, let's say your kid wants to draw "a funny monster."

Step Two .  You and your kid(s) take turns thinking up characteristics of the "thing."  Write down each.

Here are some characteristics we came up with for "a funny monster:"

1.  Has long pointy hair
2.  Big pointy things coming out of his toes -- the same as a T. Rex
3.  Ears that stick out
4.  Curly curvy horns on his head.

 

Step Three.  Once you've made a list of ten characteristics or so, go back through and read each one out loud.  Have your child draw each characteristic you read until the 'thing' takes shape.

We play this almost every day in our house and find it an enormous "crowd pleaser."  It gets the kids' brains thinking and their fingers conjuring up art.

And there's an added benefit: you can show off around the pre-school by having your kid explain to other parents the meaning of the word 'characteristic.'

 

Magnificent Micro World

Small things look really cool with a magnifying glass.

ADDED September 26, 2008

Here at TIF, we usually don't encourage buying things. We like free and are big fans of recycling and re-purposing.  But something we think every child should have is a magnifying glass. A magnifying glass opens up a tiny world that, unless you are looking closely, would go completely unnoticed.
 
Start your magnifying glass experiments with salt and sugar.  With the naked eye, both salt and sugar appear to be similar, but under the awesome power of a magnifying glass they could not be more different.  Have your kids look at the salt and sugar on black paper for maximum contrast, and they will be amazed at the differences in shape and texture.  If your kids are not old enough for this kind of experimentation, help them look at stamps, money, or even photographs under a magnifying glass's incredible power, and see what you have been missing.  Then once they understand how a magnifying glass works, turn them loose to find their own small world.
 
 Enjoy the small today! 

info@todayisfun.com

KIDS ENTERTAINMENT -- VEGETABLE POWER!

Make dinner a little more interesting when your kids pick the sides.

ADDED September 24, 2008

We all have heard these words: "But I don't like to eat that."  Of course this is usually referring to some kind of vegetable that is very healthy but less than enticing to a young child.  So we have an idea that will bring a little adventure to your next trip to the market and maybe, just maybe, get your pickiest of eaters to eat their vegetables.
 
On your way to the market, tell your kids that you need a little help picking the vegetables for dinner and that you want them to choose what you are going to eat.  Give them what I call the "Vegetable Power," meaning that they get to pick what powerful vegetables you will eat for dinner.

I let them chose a vegetable from the produce section that is either green, yellow, orange or red -- and what they pick we all have to eat. (Incidentally, what they pick my lovely wife also has to cook!)  We have recently eaten delicious baby corn, broccoli, asparagus, tomatoes, sugar snap peas and kabocha with very little complaining.
 
It seems that if I include my kids in the vegetable decision-making process, they are more willing to try something new (and I hear a lot less complaining.  Even when someone chooses brussel sprouts.)  Vegetable Power!
 
Show us your Vegetable Power! by leaving a comment or sending an email to
info@todayisfun.com

Sidewalk Chalk Maze

Tricky, a-mazing fun!

ADDED September 18, 2008

Last week we reminded you of a tried-and-true way to entertain kids:  hopscotch.  Well, if you've got some extra sidewalk chalk handy, here's another fun way to keep the kids busy outside.

Making sidewalk mazes is pretty easy, and doesn't require too much forethought or planning.  You can do it on the fly.  Just be sure to draw "corridors" that are wide enough for kids to navigate, with clear lines for the "walls."  

To make the maze more tricky for older kids, be sure to create a lot of crossroads and dead-ends.

To make nice, straight lines, use a long piece of string tied to two rocks.  Use the rocks to keep the string tight, and draw along its length.

And really, this site is about things for kids to do, not about more work for their parents.  So to the extent they are able, have your kids help in the construction of the maze.  Older kids can plan and draw the twists and turns.  Younger kids can have input as to where the corridors should go, whether or not there should be a dead end, and what color chalk should be used.  

(It doesn't take long to make a maze.  We made one that covered our driveway and sidewalk, and it took one adult and one little kid about 30 minutes.)

Have fun walking in the maze.  Please don’t email us if you get stuck in a dead end—have one of your children help you out!

One Year Time Capsule

Some patience required

ADDED September 17, 2008

 

A year is a big chunk of time, especially for younger kids.  To them, a year feels like a decade.  Here's a way to make the passing of time into a fun activity for kids and parents alike:  create a one-year time capsule.

The concept is pretty straightforward:  you and your child should put aside "some stuff" and review it in a year.

You'll need a box, of course.  A shoe box would be perfect.  A big tupperware would work well, too.

Now, it would be an obvious dumb move to take your kid's favorite things and put them beyond reach for a year.  That would not please your young constituents.

Instead, it might be a better idea to take pictures of the favorite things, and put those into the box.  So, as part of this activity, ask your child what five (or ten) things he or she would like pictures of, to remember and review in a year's time.

Also, we've created a special Time Capsule Questionnaire for you to fill out with your kids (with questions like "What is your favorite thing to do inside?" and "What is your favorite food?")  Download it by clicking here, then print it out, interview your child, and add it to the Time Capsule.

Put the Capsule aside for a year.  Make yourself a note so you'll remember the day when you can open it.  

In a year, you and your child will be able to review similarities and differences.  And you'll both be able to reminisce a bit.

(We'll give extra Today Is Fun points out to any parent who actually buries their child's Time Capsule in a yard.  If you are up to this extra step -- one that is sure to excite your kids -- place the contents of the Capsule in a sealable plastic bag, and then wrap the outside of a box in a sturdy bag, too.)

Have some fun.  All year long.

Kids Games -- Ice Cube Experimentation

Your kids' boredom will just melt away . . .

ADDED September 16, 2008

 

Ready, Scientists?   It's time to do an experiment.  Today we're going to see how quickly ice cubes melt in different locations around the house.

Before you get the ice cubes from the freezer, there's some prep work for you and your kids to do.

First, you'll want to name each ice cube, so you and your kids can refer to them easily.

So take five or six little bits of scrap paper (those free notepads realtors are always leaving on your doorstep work well), and write a name on each piece.  These names really could be anything your child wants: Ice Cube "J" or "giraffe" or "ginger" or even gibberish. As always, you can delegate this writing / art-making task to your kids.

Now you're ready to take five or six ice cubes from the freezer, and have your kids drop each one into a plastic cup, bowl or tupperware.  Put each ice cube and its identifying sign in different places around the house.  Go for different temperatures and different amounts of light:  in the backyard, in the shade, in the coolest, darkest room of your house, etc.  

After ten minutes, have your little scientists check on the progress of each cube.  Which ones are the most "melty?"  Which are the least?

You can take another piece of paper and record your findings on it.

When we did this in my house, there was a lot of interest and enthusiasm.  My kids ran from cube to cube, checking each and yelling out their findings, "Ice Cube Jake is really melted!"  "Ice Cube Zaw Zot isn't melted at all!"  (What can I say?  My kids were encouraged to come up with their own names for these things.)   "The dog is trying to drink Ice Cube Mommy!"

Yes, science is fun and exciting.  Just try to avoid having one of your excited little scientists kick over a melty ice cube onto the living room floor.
 

How to Entertain Kids -- Free Fabulous Signs

Coloring and communication fun

ADDED September 15, 2008

 

Coloring is a fun and easy activity. And it is good exercise for your childrens' creativity . . . so why not work it into every day?

As you may have noticed, many of our daily ideas involve a twist on coloring and drawing.  We think this kind of artwork enhances any other kids' activity.

Here are some signs for you to print and for your kids to color.  These coloring pages are meant to be fun for your kids, and they're supposed to add to other fun activities around your house. 

During reading time, hang up the colored "Reading Quiet" sign.  When playing with stuffed animals, our "Animal Area" sign could add to the fun.  And our "Big Show" sign will help for any puppet show, play, or spectacle your kids want to present.

 

Click below to download the signs:

 • Science Experiment Area:  Look out we're learning!

 

 • Please try to be quiet.  Some READING is happening.

 

 • Cooking in Progress.  If it smells good, that's why.

 

 • Careful!  Workers are working and this area is very dangerous and possibly wet.

 

 • Careful.  You might get tickled in this area.

 

 • Sit down and watch!  This is the Big Show.

 

 • Animal Area.  Some of them might be wild.

 

So color them up and hang them up.  And please, as a wise Mom once said:  "Make art, not messes."

Kids Games - - Build a hopscotch court

Have fun this weekend with a classic.

ADDED September 11, 2008

This weekend why not put all of that sidewalk chalk your kids have in the garage to good use and make a hopscotch court?  It is an activity that you can do together and good exercise for everyone. You can build a traditional court that looks like this.

Or something more fancy like the French variant called “Escargot." It looks like this.

Try and make one of each this weekend.  Email a picture of your court to info@todayisfun.com. Hop to it!

How to entertain kids -- House of Cubes

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

ADDED September 04, 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!

HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- Sshhh! Library Fun

This books looks terrific!

ADDED September 02, 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!

HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- WATCH THE CLOUDS

Find shapes and learn a little science all at the same time

ADDED August 24, 2008

A fun activity in these final days of summer is just sitting outside and watching the clouds. It is simple easy and clouds are almost always available to watch.

Today find some time to spend together outside looking at the clouds. Eat lunch outside or take an evening walk and look for animals, people or shapes in the clouds. If your kids are having trouble finding something in the clouds give them some silly suggestions of things to look for like, Grandma, the family pet or a teacher.

 

Here at TIF we love science and want to spread the love so while you are enjoying your time chatting and searching the skies if you see "puffy" or "cotton-like" clouds you can practice with your kids the scientific name for those clouds it is Cumulus.  After all it’s never to early learn.

Commenting is easy and fun so let us know what your kids see in the clouds info@todayisfun.com don’t forget to tell a friend about us. Today is fun!

Kids Games -- Sprinkler Hokey Pokey

And other sprinkler amusements

ADDED August 18, 2008

It's still Summer and it's still warm.  One easy way to cool the kids down, without schlepping them off to a water park or beach, is to turn on the sprinklers and let them run around in the spray.

I am a person who likes to get my money's worth, so I want my children to get as wet as possible while the sprinklers are on.

To extend the fun and make this more than just merely running around, I try to create some games for the kids in the sprinklers.  

One game is "Sprinkler Hokey Pokey."  Call out body parts that the kids must douse in the sprinkler spray:  "Everybody stick  your right foot into the water."  (For each body part named, the kids have to run to a different sprinkler  -- they can't stay stuck in the same place.)   I try to be as complete (and as tricky) as I can while calling out what to soak:  shoulders, hair, belly button, elbows, back of the neck, and so forth.

Another method of making the kids as wet as possible is calling out things for them to find and go touch.  I tell everybody to go touch a pink flower, or a broken brick, or the kid nearest them, and so forth.

Oh, and one last thing here:  as far as I'm concerned the trick is to get the kids as wet as possible, while staying perfectly dry myself.  If you can swing that, I feel it'll be a successful outing.

Kids Games -- How long until we get there?

Now it's actually fun to hear this phrase in the car

ADDED August 17, 2008

 

The name of this game is, of course, a classic American kids' whine. No roadtrip is complete without hearing this complaint from the backseat - and without it being repeated every five minutes.

Well, why not turn it to your advantage? Why not make a game of it?

Since you're the adult and the person driving, you can make the best guess as to how long it will take you guys to reach your destination. So, make a guess, and announce it to your passengers. ("I think we'll be home in 20 minutes.")

This game is best played with two kids, one who can choose to say your guess is too low and the other to say its too high. I stick to my guns, and hope for my guess to be neither too high nor too low, but right on the money. The person whose prediction winds up being correct wins, of course. (If you have more than two kids in the car, you can figure out a way to make this game work. Teams of kids could hope for ‘too high, for instance.)

The true fun of this game comes after the guessing. My kids demand constant updates: they want to know how much time has passed and who is winning. We talk about how traffic and stoplights slow us down, making the trip longer. We talk about how a lack of traffic and good visibility helps us move along smoothly. (And we talk about speed limit laws - the reason we're not just putting the pedal to the metal with abandon.)

When you reach your destination, someone will have won and other people will have lost. Congratulate the winner, but here's another chance to help the kids be ‘good winners' and ‘good losers.' We're happy for the person who has won, of course, but it's just a car guessing game, and we'll do it all again during out next outing.

And in the end, everybody has won. You've taken the annoying whine and turned it into an entertaining game.

Shoe Store

How to entertain kids with their own stuff

ADDED August 10, 2008

Seems like almost every time we are ready to go out the door I hear, “but I can’t find my shoes.” And of course when you become a parent you gain some sort of magic shoe finding power that really does come in handy at times like these. And as I was thinking of my only super power, I realized it might be fun to take all of the kids shoes and let them play shoe store.

 

So I helped the kids open up a shoe store and it provided hours of entertainment.

 

It is really simple get all the shoes out, put them in a pile and have the kids match up the pairs. Show them how to fit each other for shoes and maybe help set up a little display area. You can also give them a box or bag to take the shoes they buy away in. And if you have any little stickers laying around that the kids can write the price on this too is a fun addition to the activity. And open the store for business.
It’s nice to have two kids for this activity because once you help them open the store they can just keep playing and pretending to buy shoes from each other. But if you have an only child they can also play with you. Get out all you old shoes and do the same thing with them.


Drop us an email and let us know how the store works out info@todayisfun.com don’t forget to tell a friend about us and remember Today is Fun!

Kids Games -- Hide Some Treasure

And find it later

ADDED August 03, 2008

This is a way to add some fun to walks outside and visits to the park. The trick: hide some treasure along the way.

The treasure we use in our family is a penny or a nickel. (That way, if the treasure gets found by someone else or disappears forever, it's not too great a loss.)

First, you'll need to choose a public place that is fun for your kids. A park is perfect, or a grassy area near the library.

Then, find a place to hide the treasure, any off-the-beaten-track nook or cranny will do. Statues are especially good: our family has stuck a penny into the folds of historical personage's coat. We have placed a penny onto another statue's palm.

Another time, my boys wanted to hide a penny in a statue that, as it turned out, had absolutely no nooks, crannies, or crevices of any kind. We decided to hide the penny at the base of the statue, on the side farthest from where most people walk. Miraculously (we were all pretty thrilled) the penny was still there a few days later.

With this activity, we get the kids outside, learning about pennies and nickels, and looking at statues they'd probably otherwise ignore. Another way to squeeze some fun out of this is to have the kids come home, after having hidden the treasure, and draw up a map. They start the treasure map by drawing everything they can remember: the grass, the bushes, the parking lot, the sidewalk, the trees, and so forth. We don't really worry about correct scale, or even correct placement of things; if a tree winds up in the middle of the sidewalk, it's fine by me.) Then we draw a big red X to show where the treasure is hidden. We also talk about the phrase "X marks the spot," and how you can "spot" something.

On the way to go to find out if the treasure is still there, I make sure to warn everybody that it might no longer be there. There is a chance somebody else found it. That way, they are prepped and not overly disappointed by the penny's absence. I also bring along another handful of pennies, because if the first batch is missing, well at least we can all have fun hiding new ones and trying it all over again.

If you'd like to email us, and tell us the location of the money you're hiding outside, we'd be happy to know. fun@todayisfun.com

Market Price

A fun game to play at the market

ADDED July 30, 2008

Next time you are at the market a need an activity while you are waiting for your number to be called at the deli counter try this little time killer.  Have your kids carefully grab a few oranges or a cantaloupe and head over to the scale in the produce section. Put the fruit in and let your kids tell you the weight.  If they don’t understand how a scale works it is a perfect opportunity to teach your kids how to read it.  Start with the round numbers first and as they grow more experienced you can even begin to explain fractions!  It can kill a few extra minutes and you can educate while you shop.  Also try to weigh something big like a watermelon that is always fun but whatever you do please don't bruise the fruit.

 

Drop us an email and let us know how much your produce weighed info@todayisfun.com and don’t forget to tell your friends about Today is fun!

Local Tour Guide

A game where your kids lead the way

ADDED July 29, 2008

During the summer when the nights are warm and long we take a walk just about every night.  It’s a good exercise habit and a fun time together as a family.  The dog also is a big fan of walks so we all win. But a problem developed I found we were falling into a bad habit where we followed the same route nightly.  So I found a fun way to mix it up and keep the kids interested. Each night I chose one of them to be our local tour guide.

The local tour guide really has a lot of responsibility they chose our walking route for the evening and are tasked with highlighting points of interest along the way.  They also make sure we cross the street safely and keep an eye on the dog so I can pick up after him.  

Next time you are out on a walk with your family appoint a local tour guide.  Have them point out their friends houses, places they like to go, houses that have barking dogs and who has the most cats in the neighborhood.  Each walk with my kids is always very enlightening after all the locals know all the secrets.


Drop us an email and let us know what you learned on your tour info@todayisfun.com don’t forget to tell a friend about us and remember Today is Fun!

1,2,3 Quiet Game

Quick game to help kids keep themselves quiet

ADDED July 27, 2008

I am not sure who taught my kids this game, but I overheard it from the back of the car, and it is too good not to pass on. Try this game in the car, at dinner, even in a store when your little ones are getting a little too loud.

All I do is say "1,2,3 Quiet Game" and anyone within earshot must be quiet. Once the silence is broken by any noise at all the game is over and there are no winners or losers.  Amazingly, this game has a very calming effect on the noise that a small group of children can generate.

This game is not just a game that adults lead.  I also let the kids police the game: if someone is being too loud, all they need to say is "1,2,3, Quiet Game" and the other kid will quiet down. It works like magic.

The resulting silence, no matter how brief it may be, is nice.

Try it with your kids and let us know how it works!  And don't forget we are always available at info@todayisfun.com!

Ask anything you want or tell me something I don't know

A nice, nightly night-night ritual

ADDED July 23, 2008

 

In our house, we have a boy who is just old enough to have his own 'big kid' bed, but not quite old enough to understand the concept of staying in that bed at night.

We take a number of steps to remind everybody in our house that beds are for bedtime, and we have a nice nightly routine that includes reading a book and telling a story.

After the book and the story, and when the kids are lying quietly in bed, I do the final part of the nightime process. I say to each child in turn: "Ask me any question about anything you want, or tell me something, anything, that I don't know."

The point that I'm conveying to them here is that we're done talking for the day, and that it's time to move on to resting and being quiet.

This activity is also further encouragement for kids to feel comfortable sharing information or asking a question. There are many times when kids are not invited to make any statement they'd like (during school, at church, etc.), and I want to make sure to give them chances to communicate anything at all with me, and to get into the habit of doing so.

And like all the ideas on our site, there's a lot of fun to be had here, too. For instance, what will your child's minds come up with for questions, or for information you don't already know? In our house, I was recently told that a dinosaur popped his head out of a volcano and tried to eat one of our family's friends! Well, I certainly did not know that one before.

We're interested in the rituals you do with your kids in your house. To share, please email us at info@todayisfun.com, or leave a comment here.

From Where Do You Know?

A fun and simple quizzing game about your kids' favorite characters

ADDED July 10, 2008

Your kids know the characters from a number of different books and TV shows. This activity -- perfect for the car or when you're waiting somewhere -- involves reviewing all the characters and stories that your kids know.

For example, in our house we watch shows and read books from Sesame Street, Bob the Builder, Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse, the Little Einsteins, Word World, Richard Scarry, and Winnie the Pooh.  These shows and books have become the kids' favorites, and they watch the shows and read the books over and over again.

When we need to pass some time, I quiz the kids on all the characters and shows.  I ask, "From where do you know Annie?"  (Answer:  Little Einsteins.)  "From where do you know Tigger?"  (From Winnie the Pooh, of course.)

The kids like to have their knowledge tested, and they like to review all their favorites.  Sometimes, just to get their goat, you can make a preposterous statement ("Oscar the Grouch is a character on Bob the Builder") to see how your children respond.

When the kids are older and in high school, quizzes won't be quite this enjoyable for them.  But for now, quiz away and have fun while it lasts!

Machine Assembly

Put together some fun for the kids

ADDED July 08, 2008

For this one, you will assemble a machine using the materials you have on hand:  the kids.  Machine assembly is great to do during playdates at your house, because it's more fun with more kids to be the parts.

Tell the kids that they're going to be parts of a machine.  In a machine, each part does one specific action, over and over.  That's how machines work -- a machine part never changes its action.

Ask each child, or machine part, to show everybody what action they make.  (You  may want to demonstrate with an example, using your hands, arms, legs.) After each child has had a turn to invent an action, you "assemble" the machine.  That is, tell the kids stand close together, so that they're almost interacting, kind of like the workings of a real machine.  You can turn the machine on and off with your voice, or by tapping the buttons on top of the heads.

During the summer, it's fun to make a water machine outside in the yard or wading pool.  Each kid uses a water toy as part of a specific action:  squirting, pouring, dumping, etc.

At our house, we have one rule with the water machine.  You can really do whatever you want as part of the water machine . . . as long as you don't get me wet!

Use Every Piece

Some fun new ways to play with old toys

ADDED July 06, 2008

One big goal of this site is to breathe new life into existing "stuff." That is, we don't want you to buy new toys to keep the kids occupied. Rather, we want you to find new fun ways to use and enjoy the stuff you already have!

This activity is meant to do just that, to help your kids have more fun with the stuff already in your house. It will work well with any toy that has a lot of different pieces: Legos, Tinker Toys, blocks, train tracks, etc.

There are three different things to do here: Sections, Use Every Piece, and How do you put them away?

First, don't just take the toys out of their container. Even that can be part of the fun and the learning. Instead, make sections. Group all the rectangular pieces together in a area, and then all the square ones, all the round ones, etc. Or make sections based on another characteristic, such as the pieces' colors. If you guys are so inclined, count how many pieces each section has. And sometimes you might suggest playing with one section only. ("What can we make today with just the red pieces?" for instance.)

Once the sections have been created and inspected, you're ready to move onto the second part, Use Every Piece. This one is pretty self explanatory (what you do is . . . use every piece.) However, it isn't as easy as it sounds -- it can in fact be quite challenging. The tower (or house or castle, or whatever) isn't finished until your kid has used every piece! So your kids really need to figure out what to do with each piece and how to fit it into the construction.

Finally, and this last one is quite popular with parents everywhere: How do you put them away? You can put the big pieces away, then the small ones. You can make a different animal noise for each different piece you put in. You can put toys away fast, or you can put them away slowly and carefully. There are a lot of options here -- and it will be a success, as long as the kids are the ones doing the putting away!

Have fun (with what you've already got)!

4th of July Ice Cream.

Entertaining way to make a dessert.

ADDED July 02, 2008

Here is a fun idea to try this 4th of July. It combines a little science, a little cooking and in the end you will have made a dessert.  My kids and I have also done this with ziplock bags but I do prefer the coffee can method because it is so much more fun to roll it around.

I have adapted this recipe from the website ezinearticles.com the idea is super fun and super easy.

You will need:

1 lb. Coffee Can

3 lb. Coffee Can

1/2 cup Rock salt

From the Refrigerator:

1 pint Half and Half

1 1/2 tsps. Vanilla

1/3 cup + 2 tblsps. Sugar

You will also need to choose a flavor to make:

For fruit flavor:
1/3 cup of fruit. Blueberries add a festive holiday flare.

For a cookie flavor:
Crush 3 of your favorite cookies.

Or add 3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup for chocolate ice cream.

Or 2 teaspoons of vanilla for vanilla ice cream.

METHOD:

Mix the first three basic ingredients from the refrigerator together and pour into the one pound coffee can. Add flavorings if desired. Place the lid on securely and set inside the three pound can.

Add ice, and alternate layers of ice and salt outside the small can and inside the large can. When totally full, secure the lid on the large can. You may wish to add duct tape for good measure.

Wrap in a towel and roll or gently kick the can for at least 10 minutes.  This activity is best when done outside.  When time is up carefully open the cans and check the ice cream.

If it is not starting to freeze, replace lids and roll 10 minutes more. The ice cream should be frozen to the sides and bottom of the can. If the ice cream is not thick enough, place in freezer for at least ½ hour.

And eat!

Let us know how this idea adds to your 4th of July festivities, as always we are available at info@todayisfun.com!

4th of July Parade.

Hooray for the Red, White and Blue!

ADDED July 01, 2008

This Friday is the 4th of July and I am sure everybody that reads this blog will be relaxing poolside with a cool beverage all day, with no kids to take care of. If this pipe dream is not a reality for you and your kids are saying, “I am bored what do we do now?”  Why not organize a parade?

At my house usually there are many kids from several different families so organizing a parade is rather easy. However if you find yourself short on participants even a family of four can create a very entertaining parade.

First, think of a theme for the Parade.  Something inspirational like, Freedom, Liberty or Today is Fun.

Second chose a Grand Marshall. Someone who is inspirational like a baby or a pet.

Third make an order for the participants. Youngest to oldest usually works best.

Fourth turn the kids loose into the garage to collect skateboards, bikes or really anything with wheels to be in the parade.

Fifth have the kids spend a few minutes decorating their bikes and bodies for the parade.

And sixth sit back and enjoy the parade.

Drop us an email and let us know what you think info@todayisfun.com and remember Today is Fun!

Coloring Shape By Shape

A fun new twist on coloring and drawing

ADDED June 25, 2008

 

Kids love drawing with crayons and makers. But what happens when the coloring book is all filled in? Or when your child says, "I don't know what to draw now."

Here's a fun way to make a new activity out of drawing and coloring.

First, think of something that your child can draw, something that can be segmented into shapes.

We'll use the example of a tugboat.

You and your kids can draw a tugboat, shape by shape. Here's how: You draw a triangle for the bow and then your child colors it in. Draw a rectangle right next to the triangle to form the main body of the boat. Again have your kid fill it in. Keep adding and coloring parts, shape by shape (a triangle for the stern, a rectangle for the smoke stack), until the boat (or whatever) is done.

The mystery for the kids is a big part of the fun. Don't tell your children what it is they're working on. My kids like to make a guess after each shape. And there is a great deal of excitement in our house when the kids realize what it is they've been so busily coloring.

Here are some other things you and your kids can draw, shape by shape:

a truck
a house
a castle
a teapot
a chef
a monster

If you think of other shape-by-shape coloring items that work well, by all means please let us know.

You and your young artists will have quite a bit of fun on this one, bit by bit.

Go ashore, sailors!

A fun out-of-doors game to release some of the kids' energy

ADDED June 23, 2008

 

Tell the kids that they are now sailors. (They can certainly be sailors on a pirate ship, if that will increase their interest.)

Show them one part of the yard, which will be their ship. Show them another part of the yard which is the shore. (Ideally, the ship and the shore should be far away from each other.)

Show them a couple other things they'll need to know: how a sea captain salutes and how a mermaid swims (for this, the kids should lie down on the grass and "swim.") One more thing: sometimes on a ship at sea, there are cannon balls being shot from time to time, and when that happens, everybody will definitely want to duck.

Now the motley group of young sailors will need some direction from you. Have the kids stand on the ship and then call out, "All the sailors go to shore!" The kids, of course, have to run from the ship to the shore. As they move, call out, "Salute the captain" or "Swim like a mermaid!" The kids need to react accordingly. When they reach shore, it's time to go back to the ship. Call out, "Cannonball" or "Mermaid!" You get the idea.

This game is fun, it's tiring (in a good way), and it can help show your kids the difference between ship shape and landlubbers. Ahoy!

Have you ever seen a PoodleRex?

Word jumble silliness!

ADDED June 19, 2008

Kids are always pretending to be animals. At any time a zoo full of hamsters, hyenas or hippopotami can be found thundering thru the house.  The question that always comes up is, “Dad, what kind of animal do you want to be?” I usually choose hippopotamus because they float around, listen to the zookeeper (my daughter)  and don’t get into a lot of trouble.

But sometimes when posed with this question what I’ll do is take two animals and create a new animal. It is really simple, take the first part of one animal and combine it with the last part of another animal and presto you have the fearsome ham-opotamus, the deadly hip-yena or the poorly behaved hy-ster.

Try this idea in the car or at the dinner table.  It is fun with sound effects and acting (I always encourage gentle acting), but I love to see their imaginations light up when one of these mythical creatures appear

Here is a list of my favorites The Rabburtle (Rabbit and Turtle), Buffmunk (Buffalo and Chipmunk) and Rhinokey (Rhino and Monkey) are all favorites.  And in my sons mind nothing is better then the ferocious PoodleRex (Tyrannosaurus Rex and Poodle) I just wish we could house break him!  

Next time you are asked, “what animal do you want to be” Let us know what you and you kids come up with. We are just an email away info@todayisfun.com or leave a comment.

The Table Captain

This Simple entertaining and helpful clean up game.

ADDED June 17, 2008

It would be very easy after dinner for everyone to rush away and leave Mom with the clean up. But this does not sound very fun for Mom so what we decided to do is make a game of clean up.

The kids and I take turns being “The Table Captain”. Table Captain is a very important job because they are the Boss, the one that makes sure every thing is cleared off the table and the only person who can give final approval to clean up process.

Here is how we do it, feel free to let me know what works for you. At our house The Table Captain decides the order things will be cleaned up in and is also available to answer any questions about what needs to be cleaned up should anyone forget where the dirty dishes go (this happens to me a lot). We all work together (even the Captain) clearing dishes, bagging leftovers, loading the dishwasher, pushing in chairs and wiping down the table and sneaking scraps of food to the dog.

When we think it is done we ask the Table Captain if the job is complete and only the Table Captain decides it is truly clean. Some Table Captains at my house are very tough.

I like this activity because everybody takes turns being the boss. We all know that when the team works together we can get the job done quickly and the kids really like telling their parents what to do. Don't forget to drop us a note and tell some of you entertaining Table Captain stories.

Plate it up!

Yes, yes. Technically this is playing with your food. But it's fun and educational, too.

ADDED June 09, 2008

 

Plating is what they call it in restaurants, when they put food onto a plate with an eye towards the presentation.

This is simple, fun, and possibly educational thing you can do in your own home. Do some plating that stimulates your kids' brains.

When I serve peanut butter on toast, I quickly cut the bread into many small triangles and spread them around the plate. My kids are immediately intrigued and are sure to comment on what they see. In the process, of course, we learn about shapes and spatial distances.

I do other sly things with the kids' food, to get them to take notice. I'll put three different kinds of fruit on three different little plates. I'll serve banana slices as a stacked tower or circling the edges of the dish. Anything to mix it up and get them talking.

A little creativity can provide an instant topic of conversation, and help kids have fun and learn something, too.

So have fun, and plate it up!

Free Father's Day Signs to Color

You print, your child colors, and Dad gets teary-eyed at how thoughtful you guys are

ADDED June 08, 2008

Yes, another major holiday is upon us. Father's Day is this coming Sunday, June 15. Now we know you've dedicated yourself to shopping for this event for months now, you've fought the crowds at the local mall, and now you have many, many presents all lined up. Or maybe not.

Either way, why not add these coloring pages to the celebration? It's a fun activity for your kids during the week, and it will help the house look great on the big day.

 

Festive Sign #1
Festive Sign #2
Festive Sign #3
Festive Sign #4

Simply print the pages and turn them over to your home's resident artists. Once suitably beautiful, you might want to tuck these away in a drawer until Sunday, and then have your young ones help tape them up where Dad will see them.

We'd be happy to see some of your creations if you could email us pictures. You can also email us at fun@todayisfun.com if you need more Father's Day suggestions.

Have a Happy Holiday!

Portable Game Books

Print out these handy games for anytime fun.

ADDED June 04, 2008

The other day I was looking for a simple organizer that I could print out and fold into a small pocket size to do list. I happened upon this very handy little organizer at
http://www.pocketmod.com/v2/
and as I looked thru the options for coordinating my life I found you could make little books of Tic-Tack-Toe, Dots and Boxes or a Blank Page for Doodling even little frames to make your own stories in, all you have to do is print, fold and cut to create a little portable game book to take anywhere. I immediatley printed some out and put them to use.

They really are a lot of fun and super simple to make. We have been playing a game of Dots and Boxes after dinner for the past 3 nights (this game can be very long) and the Tic-Tac-Toe book really came in handy during a recent Doctors visit and I can’t wait to use the Doodling book at a restaurant very soon.

I made five little booklets to print and take. I really like them. Let me know what you think!
Click link below to download in pdf format and print!

1) Tic-Tac-Toe
2) Dots and Boxes
3) ½ Tic-Tac-Toe & ½ Dots and Boxes
4) Blank pages for coloring
5) Make your own story

If you are having trouble folding the paper look here for a quick primer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAb31rIeGZo
and if you forgot the rules of Tic-Tac-Toe look here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tic-tac-toe
also if you are not quite sure how to play Dots and Boxes look here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dots_and_Boxes
and of course you can always email us here to let us know how it’s going.
info@todayisfun.com

 

Out of the Box

Seriously, get out of the box, kids!

ADDED May 27, 2008

 

 

An unquestionably physical activity, this will hopefully tire the kids out when they've got an excess of energy.  But make no mistake, you've got to be ready to get physical, too.

Play this at the beach, the park, or any large-ish space.

I draw a square in the sand and stand in it.  "No kids allowed in my box!" I say.

Of course, my kids need no further invitation.  They want in!

My job, of course, is to stick to my guns, and keep those little guys out!

They run in, and I lift them out.  And so on.

At the end, I let all the kids into the square (without seeming to be giving up.)  I then stand outside the box and say, "Nobody allowed out of the box!

Fun with Vowel Sounds

Entertain the kids with their own mouths (and have them learn a little in the process)

ADDED May 25, 2008

Kids like to play with anything at hand and sometimes what is at hand is, well, a face.

 

At some point during childhood, everybody hears the old wives' tale: "don't make that kind of funny face or it will stick that way." Well, these funny faces won't stick, but the educational benefit here just might.

If your kids don't know already, list for them all the vowels: A, E, I, O, and U. (Sometimes Y.)

Then, you and your kids make the different vowel sounds: an A, an E, an O sound, and so forth. Part of the fun of this activity is looking at how your mouths are shaped for each sound: an O sound, of course, makes a circle of course, but what does a A do? In our house, we think an A stretches your lips, and an E really stretches your mouth!

It's learning and it's fun. And we hope that your kids will say, "Oh, this is A great time. Yip-EE!"

 

Great Gadzooks

Alphabetical word fun.

ADDED May 22, 2008

My kids are learning all about words at school, and lately I have seen their vocabulary increase greatly. What I do to encourage bigger words and a broader vocabulary is play a game I call “Great Gadzooks.”

It is slightly challenging and definitley something that makes them think but it can be played anywhere. The results are always hilarious.

All you need is a little imagination and some word power. You start at the beginning of the alphabet and use a adjective and a noun that start with the letter A.  For example, ”Awesome Apples” or “Arabian Ant,” then the game moves on to the next person. They will use the letter B for their turn, they follow suit using the same adjective and noun formula, ”Burned Bananna” or “Bouncy Blanket” -- the more outlandish the better. The next person follows with the letter C then D and so on. Some letters do get hard but we have a few "go to" words that we will use for I,V,X,Y and Z (email me if you need some help with those letters).

It is always fun. For some reason “Vacuuming Vipers” always gets a huge laugh and “Marvelous Mom” elicits cheers of joy. Let me know what makes you and your kids laugh. It would be great to read some of your "Colorful Comments".

Zee-Papers Please?

A rowdy, running, screaming and chasing game.

ADDED May 20, 2008

This game started one night when I came home and my daughter took a parking stub that was hanging out of my back pocket and would not give it back. I really did not need the scrap of paper -- it was destined for the lint trap in the dryer. Since she would not give it back, I did what anybody would do, I started chasing her around the house while doing my best impersonation of an Eastern European Intelligence officer asking repeatedly, ”Where are ZEEEEE Papers?”

From that point on the game of “Zee Papers” was born. It is a rowdy, running, screaming and chasing game, but it is really fun.

All you need are Zee Papers and a few people to play. One of the kids will get Zee Papers and hide them. When I ask where are “Zee Papers,” they will say, “ I don’t know” or “He has them.”  Then I will tickle and chase whoever knows where Zee Papers are until they crack and tell me where they are hidden. Once I find Zee Papers, I’ll make it very easy for the kids to steal them away from me again and again. They love the chasing and hiding part of the game as much as I do.

Try it indoors or outside. Kids just love spending time with their parents. And Zee Papers is a perfect opportunity. So I ask you, “Where are ZEEEEEEE Papers?”

Bigger or Smaller

Have fun estimating everything.

ADDED May 18, 2008

My kids are always comparing sizes of things. I frequently hear things like,” I am tall enough for this” or “I am big enough to do that” or the ever popular, ”but mine is the smallest”. What they don’t realize is that they are estimating. So to keep the estimation party going in a positive way I will ask them questions about what things they see around them and have them estimate the answers.

I will ask, ”what building, tree or flag pole is taller?” “What car do you think is heavier?” Or I will say, “What line has the most people?”

I think it helps expand their vocabulary and encourage critical thinking. Besides who doesn’t like to guess which line will move faster at the market? Somehow I always chose the slowest.

An Animal, A Place, And Something You Can Touch

A custom tale just for your kid -- what could be more entertaining?

ADDED May 15, 2008

Ask your child to tell you three things: an animal, a place, and a thing that "you can touch."

With these three bits of information, it is very easy to create a story.  And your child will be enthralled to hear the suggestions molded into the story.

Here's an example that happened in our house the other day.  For an animal, my boy said an antelope.  The place was a market and the "thing you can touch" was a cactus.

I told a story about Andrew the Antelope (always give the characters in your stories names--kids like that.  You could also pause the story to ask your child for the name as well).  Well, Andrew the Antelope went to the market with his Mom.  He wanted to run and jump around the store (as antelopes are wont to do), but his mom told him to calm down and to be careful, please!  Well, Andrew the Antelope didn't listen, and in one big jump, almost landed on a - that's right - potted cactus.  

With the three details already in mind, it was easy to tell the story.  And my kids loved it.  (Except they felt the story could have been improved if the antelope had actually fallen onto the cactus.)