6 Ways Your kids can learn to conserve water.

With your help.

ADDED March 09, 2010

Water is a precious resource, of course, and it's something that we should not waste.  Here at Today Is Fun, we think that learning about water conservation should start at an early age and continue for a lifetime.  So today we present a list of five ways your kids can help conserve water:

1.  Kids are great helpers when it come to drying dishes, so if you are washing just a few plates, teach the kids to fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.  There's no reason to leave the water running.  (Also, we're not encouraging you to trust a 5-year-old to dry Grandma's fine china.)

2.  Have your kids check all the faucets in the house for leaks.  A small drip from an old faucet can waste a lot of water -- and kids are great at this kind of check-up. . . .

Ice Dancing

No ice required

ADDED February 24, 2010

As you know, we have been involved in the Winter Olympics.  We've been cheering, strategizing, and and crying along with the athletes.  All the while, we've been "trying" many of the sports in our living room and yard.  Curling has grabbed our imagination, along with snowboarding and speed skating.  But ice dancing has really proved to be the most popular, fun, and inspiring.

To re-create some ice dancing in your home, your kids need to be wearing some of these "skates."

 

Then they will need some "ice." . . .

News of the Day

You and your kids are the newsmakers

ADDED January 29, 2010

Most activities on our site are meant be activities you and your kids can do together. Today's activity is no different, but for today's activity, you are the star . . . and your day is the big news that your family will be discussing.  Remember current events in high school? Well, your day is today's current event!

At dinner tonight, make a special point to . . .

Togetherness Week

Spend some time together

ADDED December 28, 2009

This week, schools are closed, and parents and kids will find themselves together each day.  This is a great opportunity to have unplanned, cheap fun together as a family.  Since Steve and I want to spend time with our families, the suggestions this week will be short and sweet.   We encourage you to spend some family time doing simple things that create memories (and that are free.)

Today, take a family trip to a part of town you don't normally visit:

1. Take a visit to your downtown library.  Most are old, have interesting architecture and contain great books. . . .

10 Minutes of Admiration

Sit back and enjoy the feeling

ADDED December 18, 2009

 

Add Some Words To My Story

Just a few words will make a big, fun difference!

ADDED November 03, 2009

Next time you need a quick activity that's certain to get your kids riled up, try to add some words to the story.  You can play anywhere and with any age kids.   Try it -- you'll like it.

Here is how you play:   the first person starts the story with a brief sentence.  After that, it is up to the other players to add some words to create a truly unique and fantastically hilarious story.  For example, a story could start like this, "I was eating a frozen yougurt..." The second player can add the word "when."  Then the next player adds "a talking dog asked if he could get a lick."  See?  Hilarious and imaginative!  This game is a great way to add to your kids' vocabulary and have a silly time while doing it.

Here are a few starter sentences to get your kids going:
 

Next time you are looking for some powerful vocabulary-building hilarity, add some words to the story!

thanks to arjanvandergaag for the photo!

 

Fake Laughs

Equal real fun!

ADDED October 19, 2009

 

We all have heard of "no laughing contests."  These are games of skill in which none of the players are allowed to laugh, but as we all know, a "no laughing contest" always ends in laughter. 

Thank you to ableman for use of the picture

Fifteen Minute Holiday

Today, put someone else first!

ADDED October 09, 2009

 

Length:  Ten or so minutes, a couple times a day.

Parental Involvement:  Explain the idea.  Participate in helping and loving!

Kids Should Be Able to:  Think up nice things to do.  Then do nice things!

Here at Today is Fun, we are not kings, presidents or even mayors (but we do resemble models).   We really don't have the power to declare a holiday_, but we are going declare one anyway.  We're going to start small and see where it takes us. 

This weekend we are declaring our first "fifteen minute holiday."  For fifteen minutes this weekend, find someone in your house and dote on them.   Make sure they are comfortable, have everything they need, and just plain feel loved. . .

Do a Mitzvah

It's an extra, little, nice thing

ADDED September 18, 2009

 

 

Length:  A few minutes, any time.

Parental Involvement: Explain it.  And demonstrate it in action.

Kids Should Be Able to: Be good to others.

 

Today is Rosh Hashahah, the Jewish New Year. 

In honor of that auspicious occasion, today's post is inspired by something a Jewish friend taught me.

The isn't really an activity per se, but it is something that you can teach your kids and do with them.

The idea here is a "mitzvah," which I think translates, in this case, as a "extra little nice thing" to do. 

By "extra," I mean that you don't have to do this thing.  For instance, when you go out to dinner, tipping the waiter is not "extra;"  it's expected and pretty much required.  Taking a moment to say to the waiter, "Thanks so much.  You really paid attention to our party,"  is extra.  Make sense?

A perfect example of a mitzvah, as it was explained to me, is letting someone merge into the lane ahead of you.  You don't have to do it -- and a lot of times you don't want to let another car get into traffic in front of you.  But doing that is an extra, little, nice thing to do.

Kids don't tip waiters or drive cars, though.  So what kinds of mitzvahs can they do.  Well, quite a few:

•  Pick up a piece of litter and throw it away.  (By the way, as far as I'm concerned, if a kid drops trash on the ground, they're required to pick it up.  That's not a mitzvah!  This one pertains to litter that the kid didn't cause!)
•  Helping clean something else that isn't their responsibility, such as helping Mom with the dishes or Dad mow the lawn.
•  Call a grandparent just to say hello.
•  Offer to help a sibling with a chore.
•  Tell Grandma that she looks pretty.
•  Say hello to an older person in the market.

What else can you think of?

A mitzvah always makes you feel good after you've done it.   Doing mitzvahs would be a great habit for your kids to have.

If you guys don't want to use the word "mitzvah" for any reason, you could replace it with the phrase "little nice thing." 

Have a Happy New Year, or at least a very happy weekend with your kids!

 

Aliens are all around us! Look at their faces!

(Or animals. Or people. It's exciting, though!)

ADDED September 16, 2009

 

 

Length:  Fifteen minutes the first day.  After that, a fun activity that will keep popping up!

Parental Involvement: Explain the idea. Help your kids find some examples.

Kids Should Be Able to:  Study the world, use their imaginations.

 

Sorry if the title of this one sounds a bit paranoid.  But it's true!  Aliens are all around us!

This is another activity that my kids just love.  They talk about it a lot and bring it up out of the blue.

It's simple:  you look around your environment trying to find "faces."

We're so used to seeing faces, we don't very frequently take a moment to think about what they consist of.  Well, a face usually contains two eyes, which look like dots and are aligned with each other. Below the eyes there's usually a nose(which is kind of vertical), and then a mouth under that (which is, in case you haven't noticed, horizontal.)

So, to find or make a face, you need:  two dots aligned, a vertical line underneath, and then a horizontal line underneath that.  That's it.

When we have to wait somewhere, I used to encourage my kids to look for faces.  (As I mentioned, now they excitedly encourage *me* to find faces.)

 

 

If your kids are ever interested, you could talk to them about the simplicity of faces, as I did above:  two dots, vertical line, horizontal line.  Similar to yesterday's post, you just don't need a ton of information to communicate effectively.

I'm glad my kids like this activity so much.  I have to admit, it is very fun when the point a "face" out to me that hadn't crossed my mind.

Give it a try.  There are less fun things to do with your time.  Face it!

 

Spot the Number

They are all around you, kids -- can you spot them?

ADDED September 10, 2009

In the past we have reviewed the "secret codes" that can be found all around us.  If you missed that post, it's great, and you can find it here. But today we have a fun activity for kids of all ages.  It is simple and encourages math, observation, reading and questions.

Have you ever noticed that every packaged food item has a number somewhere on it telling you how "much" is contained within?  For example, some have 16 ounces, others have 12 fluid ounces.  Some are 5 pounds and others are one gallon.  What do all these numbers mean?  Ounces, pounds and gallons? All are units of measurement and all contain numbers. Numbers equal fun. Think of it a treasure hunt for numbers.

Put your young kids in charge of these numbers.  Every time they see a "contents" measurement, they should report it to you.  As they get older, they can also make comparisons:  those two bags of pretzels look the same, but that one is actually bigger, because its number is bigger.  Older kids can also learn about partial weights; they can learn about the number after the period in "16.3 ounces," for example.  Those post-period numbers mean just a little bit more than the number, but not quite big enough to get to the next number, you could tell them.

Next time you are at the market encourage your kids to look on the bags, boxes and containers of your favorite products to see if they can spot the number.  Who knew that the front of the cereal box could be so much fun?!

(About 17.3 pounds of fun!)

Hooray for American Power Breakfast Trio

Three breakfasts -- all patriotic!

ADDED July 02, 2009

This Saturday, if you are not going to a pancake breakfast at the Rotary Club, make one of our Power Breakfasts for your little Patriot.  We took some tips from grocery-store cooking magazines, and we have come to this conclusion: all 4th of July food must feature blueberries, strawberries, and something must be white (and it all must be delicious.)  This is not a problem, because blueberries and strawberries are on our list of "Power Foods" that help kids grow big and strong. If you missed the "Power List" here is the link.

A beautiful stack of Patriotic sweetness

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!)

Trip to Market

A fun and free outing

ADDED May 22, 2009

Eating "in season" is all the rage these days, and today we have a fun and free outing that you can take as a family:  a trip to a local farmer's market.  You need to eat and everybody wants to eat something that is healthy and fresh. This weekend would be a perfect time to go if you have never been.

Decide ahead of time what your budget will be (they only take cash) and then spend an hour or so looking and tasting (many vendors have samples) all that the local farmers in your area have grown.  You can even let your kids help pick some of their favorites or try something new. Here is a picture of my daughter with purple carrots.

Below is a list from eattheseasons.com of all the fruits and vegetables that are in at their peak of freshness right now.  So get your helpers, head over to the market and grab some goodness.


VEGETABLES

artichoke | asparagus | avocado | broccoli | corn | cucumber | fava beans | peas | radishes | rhubarb | spinach | zucchini


FRUIT & NUTS

apricots | grapefruit | kiwi fruit | lemons | limes | pineapple | strawberries

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!

Help Somebody Today

And keep good deeds in mind all day long

ADDED May 11, 2009

Recently, we read a news story about the football locker room at Notre Dame.  Over the door from the locker room to the playing field is a banner reading, "Play like a champion."  As the football players leave to go play in the game, each jumps up to touch the banner.  This gesture is meant to inspire each team member and to focus everybody on the common goal.

And that got us thinking...

What sign would parents like their kids to tap each day?  What message would parents want their children to bear in mind?

We had some ideas:

• Eat your vegetables.
• Dirty laundry goes in the clothes hamper and not on the floor.
• The capital of the great state of North Dakota is Bismarck.

 

Well, sure.  Each of those messages could be helpful in its own way.  But is any one of those important enough to keep in mind as the day goes on?  Is there a message there that should get gently tapped as your team leaves the house?  No offense to our readers in North Dakota, but probably not.

And then we thought of this:  Help Somebody Today.

We think that's a pretty good one. Maybe we're dreamers, but a sign like that might encourage sharing in the classroom, offering assistance to teachers, and even reduce bullying.  That kind of sign might remind people that getting ahead isn't what life is all about.  Looking out for one's own interests is good to do, but so is helping others.

We've made two signs that you can print and hang up over the exit to your house.  Both say "Help Somebody Today.  (One your kids can color in themselves, the other is simple black-and-white, ready to hang without coloring.  But really, wouldn't a little coloring be a good thing?)

Of course, we'd be happy and understanding if you wanted to hang a sign with a different message.  Especially if you live in North Dakota.

Help somebody today!

Stories and Story Scrambles

Easy to do, but the results are magical!

ADDED April 14, 2009

 

 

When most people are asked by their kids to tell a story, they freeze up.  The idea of coming up with a new story is a bit overwhelming.  

Today we're here to help you come up with kids' stories easily and effortlessly.  This will help any parent, not just when a story is requested by a kid, but when you need something to talk about or fill the time during waiting.  Making up original stories is very easy . . . especially when you have your kids do all the hard work!

Here are three parts to any and every story:  a beginning, a middle, and an end.  Not too difficult a concept, right?

These two sentences have all that you need to know to make up stories for kids:  "A story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.  Everything else is details."  Remember those two sentences, and you're set!

Start at the beginning.  Tell your kids, "In the beginning of this story, there was . . . "  If you can think of what there was in the beginning, great.  If you want to let your kids come up with the answer, even better.  What was there in the beginning of the story?  A whale, a snail, a kid who missed his mom, a guy who felt grumpy, a race car, an old neglected house.  The list is, as you might imagine, limitless.

Next the middle.  What happens next?  The kid who misses his mom goes and looks for her.  The whale accidentally swallows an empty rowboat.  Someone mysterious buys the old neglected house and brings in a team of painters.  Again, your kids are fully capable of supplying this important part.  Ask them, "What happens next?" and they will think it up!

And of course, the end.  This is the part that wraps up the story.  You can ask your kids, "What happens at the end of the story?"  Your kids will certainly have ideas about this.

And as it says above, "everything else is details."  Once you guys start your story, it's easy to add some details.  If your kid says the story is about a dog, you can chime in with "What color is the dog?  What is the dog's name?  What kind of dog is it?"  Details are so easy -- your kids will think up tons of them, and so of you.

Remember, the story does not have to be great.  No perfect prose or surprise endings are required.  Just have fun!

And what's a Story Scramble?  These are easy, too -- easy to think up and helpful for passing some waiting time with the kids.  Just tell a simple story with the beginning, middle, and ends scrambled up.  Super simple is allowed, people!  For instance, check this one out:  (1)  I brushed my teeth, (2)  I went to bed, and (3)  I ate dinner.  Can your kids unscramble the story?  Here's another one:  (1)  I watered the seed, (2) I had a beautiful sunflower, and (3) I planted a sunflower seed.  Get it?  Your kids will.

Here's one more scramble for you guys to puzzle out:
(1)  Fun, fun, fun for all!  (2)  You read Today is Fun, and (3)  You share the creative idea from the site with your kids.  (4) You tell your friends about TIF (5) They thank you!

What Does That Make You Think Of?

Free Association at its Finest (and Funnest)

ADDED March 26, 2009

 

 Waiting for my beautiful wife to finish shopping at Target the other day, my kids and I made up a game called "What does  that make you think of?" (Very original, I know.)

It was a life saver.  (Have you ever noticed that Target is enormous, and to finish a shopping trip you need to make several laps around the store?) The game is similar to Cute and Not-So-Cute, but maybe a little more advanced.

To play, someone spots an item on the shelves and points it out to the other players.  For example, someone could choose a light bulb.  They would then say, in their best quiz show announcer voice,"The item is light bulb.  What does that make you think of?"  At that point, it is up to the other players to do a little free association.  What does a light bulb make you think of? 

(When we played, I said a candle, my son said darkness, and my wife said a flashlight.  All approved answers and all fun. The next named thing was paper towels.  The panel thought the best answers were a mess, a spill, and a clean up!   Other items discussed on that particular trip were batteries, baggies and hand soap.)

We had a great time and the trip went very quickly!   Now, a visit to the grocery store makes us think of . . . fun!

(p.s.  If you have a grammatical problem ending a question with a preposition, please email us, leave a comment or join our facebook page and we will issue a full refund along with a sincere apology.)

 

(Photos compliments of the talented jae_yong and m_e_l_o_d_y )  

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)

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

Letter Hunt

Put on your thinking caps for this hunt

ADDED March 12, 2009

We all have minutes each day where we just need the kids to be entertained we need them to be doing something constructive with their time and energy and poking your brother in the eye does not count as helping.

So this week while you are waiting for a table at your favorite Mexican Eatery or just need a few minutes of activity before baseball practice try this fun game with your kids.  We call it Letter Hunt. Here is how you play, first you find something that everyone can see, it can be anything. For example and at our baseball field there is frequently a blue ice cream truck parked in the lot, so if I chose ice cream truck I will say "I see something that starts with the letter I and it is blue."  Now it is my kids turn using the information I have given them to try to figure out what I see that is blue and starts with the letter I.

The real learning in this game comes from letting the kids do the work, for example, if I am looking for something blue that starts with I, most likely someone will guess the sky because it is blue, this is an opportunity to let the kids do the work of figuring out what letter sky starts with.  Once they have figured out that sky starts with S and I am looking for something blue that starts with I the guessing continues.

Have some fun this weekend guessing and teaching!

Good News, Bad News, Better News

What's better than good news? Better news!

ADDED March 04, 2009

 

This one is a fun verbal activity.  It's perfect for passing the time while waiting.

Start by playing "Good News, Bad News."  You say to your child, "I have some good news and some bad news."  And then, make up some good and bad news.

The trick is that the bad news should completely cancel out the good news.

For instance, you could say, "The good news is I'm going to spend some special time with you now.  The bad news is:  I'm going to spend that time tickling you!"

Or a kid could say, "The good news, Mommy, is that I just brushed my teeth.  The bad news is that I didn't use toothpaste, I used ketchup!"

The other trick is too make sure that the good news and bad news are either completely pretend or completely light.   You guys should enjoy yourselves - and nobody should get upset!  And if your children aren't at an age where they understand pretending and joking, well, hold off on this one for a while!

You guys might find that you like the variation "Good News, Better News" even, well, better!  In this one, you make a simple change:  "I have some good news and some better news!"

Here is an example to get you going:  "The good news is that I just made a batch of chocolate chip cookies.  The better news is that you can have two of them!"

And a couple more suggestions for you:

"The good news is today is your birthday.  The even better news is that we're having a birthday party today!"

"The good news is we're going to do some coloring right now.  The even better news is that we're going to try to use every single crayon we've got!"

This one is for older kids, we think.  Let us know how it goes in your house.

We think it will be a worthwhile activity.  And the even better news is, it's easy to remember, and you guys can play it for years!

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

Alphabet License Plate Game

Entertain your little detectives with a simple game to play in the car.

ADDED February 23, 2009

 On your next roadtrip, try playing this fun game that I remember from my own childhood.  As you are driving along, tell your kids that they are alphabet detectives and that they need to find each and every letter. Only when every member of the alphabet has been found will you be able to solve the case of "The Missing Letter."

Here is how you play: have your kids scan the license plates of other cars and look for the letter A.   When A is spotted, all the detectives move onto the letter B, and so on.  When all the letters have been discovered, congratulate your detectives on their fine work and declare the case of "The Missing Letter" solved.

This game is fun because it can be played several ways: it can be played as a group as described above, or competitively (each person searches on their own and the first one done is the winner).

Remember, "travel" could mean the way to school in the morning or getting stuck in traffic in the afternoon.  Have with your fun with your on-board detectives! 
A big thanks to woodysworld1778 and ohlove for the use of their photos

 

 

 

 

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!

 

Variation Por Favor!

Fun with other languages

ADDED February 18, 2009

 

With variation, you get variety.  With variety, you get options.

There is a lot in life that does not involve options.  Kids, especially, have to do what they’re told by adults, such as parents and teachers.  Politeness, for example, is not an option!

But sometimes kids don’t feel like being polite.  They ask for things without saying please, and they receive things without saying thank you.

Maybe I’m too lenient a parent, but I don’t always require a “please” or “thank you.”  

Don’t get me wrong:  I want to raise very polite children.  And I won’t comply with any kid’s request if I don’t hear “please.”  (I generally just pretend that I haven’t heard anything at all if I don't hear "please.")  But instead of insisting on “please,” I will allow a variety of substitutes.

I’ve taught my kids that please in Spanish is “por favor,” in German, “bitte,” and in French, “merci.”   If my kids don’t feel like saying please, they are allowed to express themselves in another language.  They get options.

So why not teach your kids some foreign words?  You’re giving them options of politeness, and you’re teaching them about foreign languages, too.


Here are some of those polite words in different languages, for you and your kids to learn:

English:  hello, goodbye, yes, no, please, thank you.
Spanish:  hola, adios, si, no, por favor, gracias.
French:  bonjour, au revoir, oui, no, si vous plait, merci.
German:  Guten Tag, auf Wiedersehen, ja, nein, bitte, danke.
Italian: buon giorno, arrivederci, si, no, per favore, grazie
Japanese: konichiwa, sayonara, hai, iie, douzo, arigato
Chinese (Mandarin): ni hao, zai jian, shi, bu shi, qing, xie xie.
Russian: privet, do svi danya, da, niet, pajalsta, spashiba

(The bottom three languages there are particuarly difficulty for me.  However, there are many websites where you can hear pronunciations -- and learn more vocabulary if you want.  Here’s one site to try:  travlang.com.  If you would like to suggest other sites like that, please do!)

Try teaching your kids some words.  It won't just be educational and polite . . . it will be fun for them!  We promise.

If we’ve made an error above, please use the comments section below to correct us.  We’re all happy to learn and improve our language options.  And if any of our readers can provide those simple words in another language, well, we’d be much obliged!  Gracias!

(Vielen dank to wstryder for use of the girl-with-flag photo above.)

--S

Tricky Fun with Punctuation

Period. Question mark? Exclamation mark!

ADDED February 04, 2009

 

 

This is a quick and simple way to teach kids about punctuation.  Basically, you choose some words with your kids and practice saying them with different punctuation marks at the end.

Let's take the phrase:  "chocolate chip deliciousness."  Try saying those words with these tricky variations:

Chocolate chip deliciousness.  (For this one, try to make your tone of voice rather flat and matter-of-fact.)
Chocolate chip deliciousness!  (Shout excitedly.  Or sound a little angry.)
Chocolate chip deliciousness?  (A question, of course.)

Obviously the point here is to get kids learning and thinking about punctuation, and how different punctuation marks change the meaning of words.

Try this trick with some favorite words and phrases.  And also run through your family's names with different punctuation. 

Grandpa.
Grandpa!
Grandpa?

And to be a bit more tricky (and ever so slightly more educational), introduce the ellipsis.  As in, "Grandpa!  We have . . . chocolate chip deliciousness!"

 

--S

 

(Chocolate chips courtesy of jessicafm, and smiling Grandpa from magerleagues.)

The Week of Trickiness begins with . . . One Up, One Down

The fun will be up. Way up.

ADDED February 01, 2009

In the coming months here at Today is Fun, we'll often be organizing our ideas into themes.  We think these themes will be fun, and a fun way of organizing our creative activities.  This week's theme is:  Trickiness.  All our ideas this week will incorporate a healthy dose of trickiness, which will keep your little ones engaged and entertained.  So buckle your seatbelts, people, Tricky is Fun!

 

 

One Up, One Down is a "figure it out" game.  Everybody will need to get their brains revving to catch on.

Are you One Up, One Down right now? 

You might be, but you also might be Two Up or Two Down.

So, here is a review of the three options:
(1)  One Up One Down
(2)  Two Up
(3)  Two Down

(If we had to venture a guess, we'd say you're probably One Up, One Down at the moment.  If not, then our second guess would be Two Down.)

We hope you're not too confused or annoyed . . . but that's part of the game.   When you play with your kids, they'll be the ones figuring this one up thing out.

Here's the trick:  where are your hands in relation to your chest?  They both may be above your chest (Two Up), or both below it (Two Down), or, well, One Up One Down.

Get it? 

To play this with your kids, start by telling them which of the three options they are at the moment.  Then help them figure out the trick.

This activity works well with a number of kids, where everyone can be comparing each other, trying to figure out why some people are Two Up, some are Two Down, and so forth.  This game also might be a lot of fun at the dinner table with a group of people…or at a restaurant.

If your kids just aren't getting it, you might try changing your hand position as they're looking at you, then telling them "Look, now I'm One Up One Down."

Good luck with this one – we're sure that the fun will be up and the loose ends will be down.  And stay tuned this week for more tricky fun!

 

--S

 

 (Photo of up kid hands courtesy of st0rmz.) 

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.)

 

Serif vs. Sans-Serif Extravaganza

More fun with letters

ADDED January 23, 2009

 

Yes, your kids know their alphabets.  Many can probably write in block letters and even cursive.  Now it's time for them to learn yet another aspect of letters : serif and sans-serif.

Serifs are those little lines on the ends of letters.  Look for them on the tops and bottoms of capital H's.

If letters are printed without those little lines, they are called "sans-serif" (meaning "without serifs.")  The letters you're reading now, here at Today is Fun, are sans-serif.

Once you've explained serifs to your little ones, it's time to start playing with them:

First, take your kids and explore the world, both at home and at large.  Can you spot some serifs on the drive to school today?  Do you have any sans-serif letters around your house?  Where?

Make your next trip to the supermarket a serif vs. sans-serif extravaganza.  If your kids want to, let them keep a tally of the number of things they see with serif letters vs. sans-serif ones.

At home, your child should grab some markers or crayons and write a fully-serifed alphabet.  Which letters get a lot of serifs?  Which get no serifs?  Can numbers be serifed up?

Finally, which style of letter do you like better?  Does your child have a preference?

I would have liked to close this post with a reference to a serif ceremony, or perhaps a serif sheriff.    Instead, I'll just say:  enjoy your serifs today, everybody!

 

--S

 

(Many thanks to Russ Neumeier for the assorted letters photo.)

Syllable Flipper

A quick and tricky way to get those little minds going

ADDED January 19, 2009

 

You're driving.  The kids are in the back, and they're getting restless.

You ask, "Who knows what a 'Nut Dough' is?"

Well?  Does anyone?

Chances are very good that everyone will be baffled by this Nut Dough thing.  So give them this simple clue:  Say, "nut dough nut dough nut dough nut dough nut."  Now does anyone know what that thing is?

Try this syllable-flipping trick with any word you'd like.  Just make sure to say the first syllable last.

Here are some flipped favorites for you to try out:  Ray hoo, Pee pup, Mee mom, Yon cray, Fish gold, Kull tick, Knee fun, and of course, Larious Hee.

You guys can also try flipping the syllables in your family's names -- or in the names of favorite characters.  (We're very big fans of Lung Tai in this house now.)  And of course, see if your kids can pull off a syllable flip or two themselves.

We hope this simple game is fun and Full use.  (You can't really flip one syllable words, we've discovered.)  Spend some time with those kids, and have a great time Day to!

 

--S

 

Many thanks for the use of the photos:  Sprinkle Donuts courtesy of Flirty Kitty, and Clapping 3-year old by Rageman.

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/

But this is that and that is this?

Fun with Homophones (two words that sound the same but have different meanings)

ADDED January 12, 2009

English has a lot of confusing words.  It can be plenty difficult learning to read and write (or is it right?), but then throw the tricky homophone into the mix, and it is enough to break (or is it brake?) a kid.

 

So here at TIF, we are at the ready to help take some of the confusion out of homophones.  With just a little practice and explanation, you can take this subject, make it fun, and have your kids ahead of the pack in no time at all.

What we like to do at our house is: first we talk about all the words we can think of that sound the same but have different meanings.  There is always flour and flower, knight and night, nose and knows and the ever-popular ate and eight.

When we have identified a few key offenders, I use each word in a sentence, for example, "I ate my dinner at eight o'clock." And, "Eight kids ate eight eggs, they were famished so they ate eight more."  I always try to make the example sentence as silly as possible; I think it adds to the fun and keeps the kids engaged. Then I give my kids a chance to make up a sentence using a tricky homophone.  And of course each one sentence gets progressively more silly.

This is a great activity to use anywhere you have a few minutes to kill, and since you are just talking about words, it's perfect for the car, while waiting at baseball practice, in the line at the market -- really anywhere.

We will be looking for your silly homophone sentences in the comment section below and would like to hear (or is it here?) from you!  See (or is it sea) you soon.

 

-Paul

 

***UPDATE***

One of our beautiful and intelligent readers Jackie left this helpful and insightful comment:

Homophones are fun. Go here http://pbskids.org/lions/videos/homophones.html for a great song about homophones.

Thank you Jackie!

 

Photo credit is given to the talented and popular:

stansich for the apple ,kentigern for the eights ,savannahgrandfather for the peach 

thank you!

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

Interview the Expert

A creative activity for you and your kids. They get to have all the answers (and they always get to be right!)

ADDED January 08, 2009

 

This one will work nicely both in your car and in your living room.  You are going to interview an expert -- an expert who also happens to be your child.

 And just what field is your child an expert in?  Well, let them tell you!

Start by announcing to the invisible at-home audience that you're conducting a very special interview.  Say something like, "Today we'll be talking to a very special person, who has some very interesting things to tell us about.  What is your name, my young guest?"

The trick with this game, we've found, is to have some stock starter questions.  Once you've asked those, listen to your kids' responses and then ask follow-up questions.  Your part is really that simple:  just listen and ask more.

Let your children decide if they want to answer truthfully or creatively.  Either is fine for this activity. 

Here are some of our stock starter questions:

 

This pastime also works well for visits from grandparents or other relatives.  It can keep many generations occupied and entertained at the same time.  (And for best results, remember that the kids are the creative and comedy stars of the show, not their parents asking the questions.)

Many special thanks to fab father extraordinaire, Mr. David Silverman, of Mar Vista, California, for suggesting this A-plus activity.

 

--S

 

Ranger interview photo courtesy of kevin cole

Quizmaster & Answermaster

Because all good games have funny titles.

ADDED December 19, 2008

To play this game you need two people the first person is the Quizmaster the second the Answermaster.  The Quizmaster asks the questions and the Answermaster answers the questions.  This game is fantastic for all ages because the questions can be tailored appropriately to make it easy for everyone to win.  It also can be played as a group activity to include many more kids if needed.

First the person who is the Quizmaster thinks of two or three things that have one thing in common, for example shark, octopus and sea cucumber. Next the Quizmaster poses their question to Answermaster,” What is the same about these three things, a shark, an octopus and a sea cucumber?”  At this point if you have a group of kids, in an orderly manner everyone in the group takes a turn giving their best answer to the Answermaster. When all the answers are tallied the Answermaster tells the Quizmaster the answer, “They all live in the ocean”.  Now the Quizmaster becomes the Answermaster and it is their turn to think of of two or three things that are the same.

The game works great using a variety of topics and the questions can range from very simple to extremely difficult, here are some starters:

Quizmaster question:
What is the same about these three things red, blue and green?

Answermaster answer.
All three are colors.

Quizmaster question:
What is the same about these three things truck, car and van?

Answermaster answer.
All three are cars.

Quizmaster question:
What is the same about these three things elbow, toe, and nose?

Answermaster answer.
All three are parts of your body.

Quizmaster question:
What is the same about these three things sleepingbag, tent and flashlight?

Answermaster answer.
All three are used for camping.

Try it today and use the comments section to let us know what you little Quizmasters come up with!  

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.

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.)

Point and say, point and delay, point and no way!

A tricky, fun word game that'll get those brain cells moving

ADDED November 24, 2008

In honor of this festive Thanksgiving week, we're posting activities with special holiday relevance.  However, you'll certainly be able to tweak this one for non-holiday days, too.

Imagine this:  it's Thanksgiving afternoon, and dinner is still an hour off.  The kids are restless, a little shy around various unknown relatives, and bored with the assortment of toys you've brought along to the dinner.  So, give this game a try . . .

 

First, "point and say."  This one's simple.  You point at anything you see, and say what it is.  "Candle."  "Grandma."   "Place mat."  "Gravy."  Easy as can be.  

Fine, let's move on to "point and delay."  This one is a little bit more tricky.  For the very first item, you point and say nothing.  For instance, you point at the candle, and this time, instead of saying "candle," you say "hmmm."  Then you point to the next item, Grandma.  You don't say Grandma, though; you say "Candle."  Then the place mat.  You say "Grandma."  (You don't have to do the same items or the same order as 'point and say.'  This might work well for younger kids, but it's not required.  We're just using the same items and order here for ease of explanation.)  

Okay, do you understand "point and delay?"  Kind of tricky, huh?  Now the next:  "Point and no way."

This time you point at the candle and say, "Hippopotamus."  You point at beloved Grandma and you say (affectionately), "Sofa cushion."  You point at the place mat and say "Purple pants."  No way!

These are fun and challenging.  They really get everybody's brain cells working.  (They'd also work quite well as a car game--if you can concentrate carefully on the road during the "No way!" exchanges.)

Have some fun with this sorta tricky one.  Oh and one more thing, no matter what you do, if you're pointing at Grandma and she can hear you guys, you better choose words that are respectful and kind!  Give Grandma a break, please, would you?

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!

Thanksgiving jokes

Easy to remember and funny.

ADDED November 20, 2008

Don't spill the tickle!

Training program for young mimes

ADDED November 05, 2008

At night when I am putting my kids to bed, I really don't need much of an excuse to tickle them.  However in my quest for more inventive ways to tickle and make them stay up past their bed time, I created a mime-inspired game called "Don't spill the tickle."
 
It is really easy to play:  cup your hands and pretend you are holding a tickle. Carefully pass it tickle to your child, being very careful not to spill the tickle.  After the tickle has been successfully passed, now it is their turn to pass it back to you. When they are passing, even the smallest bit of shake or wobble will cause the tickle to spill and result in a good tickling.  While the tickling is going on, encourage your child to grab the tickle and pass it back to you as fast as possible in order to stop the tickling.  When the tickle is back under control, keep passing it back and forth until it inevitably spills again.
 
I like this game because if your kids don't want to be tickled, they will be very careful not to spill the tickle.  But if they do like to be tickled, then of course there will be a big spill!

Hug Fight

A really nice kind of fight

ADDED October 23, 2008

Everybody has heard of pillow fights, water balloon fights, and even the perennial favorite from cafeterias across the land: food fights.  

But have you ever heard of a "hug fight?"

Hug fights are best at night, right before bed.  They are actually very peaceful, gentle, and don't take a lot of effort.  To have a hug fight, all you need to do is call out "Hug Fight!" and everyone in the room hugs the person or people closest to them.  After a few seconds someone else yells "Hug Fight" again, and at this point you need to switch and hug someone else. Keep yelling "Hug Fight" until everyone in the room has been sufficiently hugged.

I like to do this at night as we are putting the kids in bed, because I get a really good tight hug from everybody.  And it's fun to yell at night.

Why not have a hug fight tonight with the ones you love?

Measure the stick

A fun scavenger hunt for your next walk.

ADDED October 21, 2008

It has been quite windy at my house lately, and that has caused a lot of leaves and debris to fall.  (This might be the reason that this time of year was originally named "Fall.")  So my kids and I made up this fun game called "Measure the Stick".   It makes a Fall walk outside all the more entertaining.

As you are strolling along, scan the ground and choose a small stick.  Ask your child if they can find a stick that is the exact same length.  Once the hunt begins, you get to have fun watching your child measure and compare to see if other sticks match up.   To be honest, it is very difficult to find another stick that's exactly the same length.  So in the end, you might need to accept a stick that is 'close enough' as the 'winner.'

Enjoy all the measuring and comparing.

Book in review

A little review to help your little readers

ADDED October 20, 2008

Use this out loud reading activity at home to help your new readers (and even older ones) review words that cause stumbling.  It's called "The Book in Review," and it's not a game, but a way to build a familiarity with newly learned words.

Here is how to do it:  As your kid is reading a book out loud, keep a mental list of what words are new or that might need some review. When the reading is done, close the book and give your child a pop quiz on the tricky words.

Make it fun and, if you're up for it, make it a little bit like a game show.  Find a page that has a troublesome word, point to it and ask in a booming voice, "What is the word?"  If they get the word right, cheer and whoop.  Make "jackpot" sound effects and an all-around big deal.  

Then move onto another word and repeat the question.  If your child gets the word wrong, have them work on figuring it out, and keep that page marked for further review and move onto another word.  When your kid gets the next word right, quickly turn back to the word they previously got wrong, review it again until it is correct.  In the end, when you are finished with the review,  carry your young reader on your shoulders like they are champs that just won the big game.

Try a review with your little readers today. (But don't practice this book review with your significant other unless you are able to lift them up on your shoulders!

A Monster at the Fork Store

Bon Appétit! Well, almost.

ADDED October 17, 2008

Sit down on the floor of a room or the grass of your yard.  Tell your little one that you are a nice, healthy human being and as such, you are exactly what monsters like to eat!

And tell your child that, for the moment, he or she is the monster.  Have your kid come and pretend to eat you.

But wait!  Wait! As the monster approaches and is about to take a bite, stop and remind your monster that yes, even monsters need forks!  So, point to another place in the room or the yard and say, "You have to go buy a fork from the fork store!"

Once that 'purchase' has been completed and the monster returns for another attempt, ask the monster to go buy a spoon before starting the meal.  And ketchup.  And a napkin. And a place mat.

The trick is never to get eaten by thinking up more stuff for the monster to purchase.  Even better, try to have the monster come up with ideas as to what will be needed for the meal.

This is a fun, silly game that will provide a reason for kids to run around and release some energy.  Also, kids like acting like monsters, and adults enjoy not being eaten.

And don't forget to send the monster for a bib, eating humans can be messy business!

First to Find the Moon

Scan the sky every night for a very exciting sighting

ADDED October 14, 2008

 

 

This isn't a kids game, exactly, but rather a fun late afternoon ritual.  Who can be the first to find the moon?

Sorry to say, there isn't a glorious cash prize for the winner.  Rather, the first person who spots the moon is rewarded by being given the title "the Moon Catcher" for the day.  Hooray for the Moon Catcher!  Thank you for helping our family find the moon.

(I've found that reminiscing about past victories can help assuage the feelings of the second place finisher.  "Remember how you spotted the moon yesterday?  You were my Moon Catcher yesterday."  Another consolation prize for non-moon-catching siblings is the title "Airplane Catcher.)

Moon catching has become a fun late afternoon ritual in our family.  On a ride home from a play date, or on a walk around the neighborhood, I start to hear the kids ask, "Who's gonna catch the moon?"

It's always nice when Mother Nature provides a free, fun activity.

And please, there's just one request we have to make of the Moon Catcher of the Day:  Once you've caught it, please put it back.  Other kids are looking for the moon, too.

Kids' Car Exercise

What better place to get their hearts pumping?

ADDED October 13, 2008

 Okay, actually . . . the car is decidedly NOT a great place for exercise, as we all know.  There's not a lot of room for strenuous movement, and it probably wouldn't be safe even if there was.

But we're always thinking of ways to keep the little ones occupied and not whining when on the road or stuck in traffic. 

So, get those kids exercising in the back seat. 

With one hand firmly on the wheel and eyes securely on the road, raise your other hand.  Move your fingers up and down in unison and ask, "Do you like my new exercise?  Can you do it?"

When your child has done an adequate number of 'reps' with that hand exercise, show them a thumb exercise: make a fist with your thumb sticking out and have it do some big circles.

It'd be great if your child could take the lead and invent some exercises at this point.  Have them create exercises for normal body parts (arms and legs) and definitely encourage some funny work-outs (lips, mouth, nose, ears, chin, tummy).

The idea is to keep them entertained and moving.  It'll be fun for the kids and amusing for you.

 

However, there's one thing you won't want to forget to exercise.  As the driver, don't forget to exercise caution!  You've got some precious cargo!

 

(kid in car seat photo by raybdbomb)

Your own Freaky Friday!

Fun weekend bedtime activity.

ADDED October 10, 2008

Weekend bedtime is a great time to play this fun game.  (The weekend part for this suggestion is key, because it might rile your little ones up just a bit.)  But the joy on my kids' faces makes any rowdiness well worth it.

This game started one night as my lovely wife and I were putting our kids to sleep.  My beautiful spouse said, "Can you put me to sleep instead? Can you two be the Mom and Dad?"  Being the opportunists all kids are when it comes to staying up late, both kids in unison said, "OK!"  They quickly turned off the lights and closed the door, leaving the room dark.
 
I could see their shadows under the door wondering what they should do. They were the parents now. What exactly do parents do after the door closes?
 
I waited a few seconds and started to cry, then asked for water and said I was scared. Each statement caused a flurry of activity:  water was poured, questions were asked, hugs were given -- and each time the light went off very quickly and the door was closed.

Then I would get out of bed, and they would gently put me back in.  My wife would lose her blanket, and they would find it.   I would ask if I could eat a fried egg, and they would tell me it was best to eat eggs in the morning. It was so much fun, we played for about 10 minutes, and then the real parents put the real kids to bed.
 
My kids had a lot of fun pretending to be the parents, and they ask at least once a week if they can put me to bed.   Most of the time I say, "No, Not tonight, its to late."  But when I do say yes, they are thrilled.
 
Try tonight and have your own Freaky Friday style fun.  And try to stay in bed, okay?

Pass the thumb

Equals restaurant fun

ADDED October 06, 2008

Sometimes when we are out to dinner at a fancier restaurant and the kids are growing restless we will play this quiet game. It does not require anything other than our hands (and as I mentioned, it is a quiet game).
 
Here is how you play: Everybody sits with hands on the table in the "thumbs up" position.  The game starts when the person who is "it" uses their thumb to point at another person.  The thumb is now passed.  (No one's hand ever needs to leave the table to pass the thumb. We're not encouraging wild body movements with this game.)  

Once the thumb is passed, the next person is "it" and can pass the thumb to someone else. That's it:  simple, easy and a surefire way to keep everyone occupied till the Casoulet arrives.
 
If your kids are a little older, add some other rules to make it a bit trickier and keep everyone on their toes.  Make a rule that you can only pass the thumb with your left hand or you can only pass the thumb if you point to someone with two thumbs.
 
You can play until your meal comes or your thumbs grow weary, but everybody wins!  Next time you are at a restaurant don't ask to pass the salt and pepper, ask to pass the thumb.

info@todayisfun.com

Tip Toe Practice

Sneaky stealthy and most important SILENT fun

ADDED September 30, 2008

 

If you have a pre-schooler in your house, have you ever lain in bed early in the morning and wondered if instead you actually had a wildebeest living with you?  Or an elephant?  Or some other loudly clomping beast of the jungle?

We have wood floors, two darling but heavy-stepping children, and a Mom who likes to sleep in whenever possible.

So in honor of sleeping in, and daring the impossible, we present Tip Toe Practice.

First step:  have a tip-toeing demonstration with your little ones.  (Kids seem to like this word, too, by the way.  There's something kind of funny about it.)

Secondly, try this game:  Sit cross-legged on the floor of a hallway, with room to get around you on either side.  Close your eyes and have your kids try to tip toe by. 

If you hear the tip-toe-ers, let out a loud monster growl and -- with your eyes still closed -- grab them.  If you're right, the kids get another chance to try to sneak past you. If you're wrong, your kids will be quite proud of themselves (and delighted to see you growling and grabbing at nothing.)

It's a fun, vaguely educational activity, and it provides hope for Mommy's pleasant Saturday morning.

And just think:  maybe when they're teenagers, this Tip Toe Practice activity will help them sneak back into the house after curfew!  Oh, wait a minute . . .

(For more fun quiet games we've posted try our 1, 2, 3 Quiet Game or What do you hear?)

Backwards Breakfast

Mix up breakfast -- no blender required!

ADDED September 22, 2008

As we all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day and here at TIF we agree but we also think that breakfast should be fun. So try this entertaining idea today and show your kids what a Backwards Breakfast is.

We all know what backwards day is (the hilarious joke that is played on playgrounds worldwide) however until a few days ago I was not sure what a Backwards Breakfast was. Thankfully my daughter made up this idea and shared it with me. Now we will have a Backwards Breakfast a few times a week.

So as parents all you have to do is ask your kids if they want a backwards breakfast.  Then put the cereal where the toast and fruit should go and put the toast and fruit where the cereal goes. This is what it looked like at my house.

Let us know what your Backwards Breakfast looked like at
info@todayisfun.com.

How to Entertain Kids -- Submarine Team

Actually it's not a car anymore -- it's a submarine

ADDED September 14, 2008

 

Here's a way to make driving the kids a bit more entertaining for them:  turn your car into a submarine!

You don't need any tools or water-proofing materials for this exercise.  All you need is some imagination (and possibly some ideas about submarines, which you can get from this Wikipedia article.)  This isn't really a game or specific activity--it's just a way to have fun talking about the seas and ocean travel.

The windows in your car are now periscopes.  The doors are hatches.  If you have a sun roof, that's especially good, because while stopped at red lights you and your submarine team can view the world above.

Have your kids examine the 'underwater' view from their windows.  Here are some things you and they could see:

A beluga whale (a white mini-van)
An orca (a black SUV or mini-van)
A shark (a silver car)
Seaweed (a lot of vegetation)

My kids are always pointing out "puffer fishes" and "bad barnacles."  (I can't really recognize those items yet.)  They often want to radio back to base.  Your kids can call out "close the hatches," "Dive, dive, dive!", and "Full Steam Ahead!"

And when we do this activity, there is just one rule:  please don't roll down your window while we're pretending to be underwater!  That's always a bad idea on a real submarine.

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!

KIDS GAMES -- Find the Shape

Fun game to help your kids learn shapes

ADDED August 27, 2008

Here at TIF we like to think that every day holds an opportunity for learning.  We also like to take every teachable moment and make it fun.  Today’s entertaining game is a great idea called Find the Shape.  It is simple and easy all at once.  It also can even help little ones learn shapes.

First find a willing player or players and second look for a shape that is easy to find.  Look for something big to start with that has an easily identifiable shape like a rectangular door or a round table.  And ask your kids to find the shape.  Then your kids can take turns trying to Find the Shape.

I will also add a few variations to the game to keep my kids on their toes.  I will ask them to Find the color or Find the empty table or even Find the guy in the red and white striped shirt.  It’s just another one of the great Kids Games we love!

Commenting is easy and fun so let us know how it going we are always at info@todayisfun.com and don’t forget to tell a friend about us. Today is fun!

KIDS GAMES -- The human adding machine

Fun family game that everyone can play

ADDED August 26, 2008

Next time you and your kids are waiting for your meal at a restaurant or in the doctor’s office, try this fun and educational activity. This game can be played with as few as 2 people and can be enjoyed by kids of all ages. We call it "the human adding machine."

We all take turns holding up zero to five fingers and then it is the human adding machine's job to add up all the fingers. Then the game moves on to the next person, and they add all the fingers up and so on. To add some fun and make it a little more entertaining, I will talk in a robot voice and sometimes give the wrong answer just to keep my kids on their toes. I will also push the subtract button on the human calculator to create a teachable and challenging moment.

My kids love to play, and I like to think it strengthens their math skills. This is one of our most simple, easy and fun kids games.

Commenting is easy so let us know how the human adding machine works for you.  We are always at info@todayisfun.com and don’t forget to tell a friend about us. Today is fun!

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!

HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- THE INVISIBLE BALL

Mom always said, don�t throw in the house (but she didn�t say anything about an invisible ball)

ADDED August 20, 2008

 

You and your child pretend to throw and catch a ball. That's it. This activity might sound a little dull, but kids seem to like it.

The fun here is in the variations on the throwing and the catching. You can throw the ball hard and throw it gently, you can toss it up high or pitch it down low. Have your kid do a diving catch or a one-hand grab. And you can vary the ball, too-see how differently you and your child throw a ball that is really hot, or sticky, or very fragile.

Have fun with this, but also remind your young ones that this is just an activity, and that society looks down on people who opt for lives as professional mimes.

How to entertain kids -- Music Lessons

No musical ability, or musical instruments, required

ADDED August 19, 2008

Kids are endlessly fun and entertaining for their parents.  So why shouldn't parents request specific entertainment?  And who wouldn't like to be serenaded with some music?

Well, before your kids can perform music for you, you'll have to teach them how to play some musical instruments.

And it doesn't matter if you own no instruments or if you have no musical ability yourself.  You can still talk about different kinds of musical instruments, and how they sound.

First, you'll need some "instruments." Use some of your kid's stuff for these:  different books and toys.  Anything that they can hold and isn't too tiny.

Once you've got the "instruments," start holding each one up and demonstrating how it sounds.  (As best as you can, imitate the sounds of various instruments.)  Say things like:  "You play a guitar by strumming, like this.  You can put your other hand here, to change the notes."

Demonstrate the strumming of a guitar, the plinking of a piano, the honking of a trumpet.  See if you guys can move on to the piccolo, flute, harpsichord, even bagpipes!

This will be a fun introduction to instruments for you little ones.  And one day soon, your kid just might have a real instrument, so now you can practice listening to their musical efforts while trying not to wince too visibly.

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.

HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- CLEANING MACHINES

Fun way to get kids to clean up

ADDED August 14, 2008

Picking up toys isn’t nearly as fun as getting them out in the first place. But a twist on that chore will help get it done.

When my kids aren’t participating in the clean up, I say, “Uh oh, this cleaning isn’t happening very quickly. What we need are some cleaning machines.”

I tell my kids that now they have to crawl around the floor, because they are the machines!

And they respond immediately to this suggestion. Suddenly they are down on the floor, making odd and vaguely mechanical noises. One of my boys, in doing this activity, recently announced he was a “Toy Plow, not a snow plow,” and that his shovel was really good at cleaning the toys. And so it was.

This twist has come in handy for me, but I don’t think you should try it if time is a factor. If your machines resemble the ones in my house, the job gets done, but with lots of time spent making particular noises, breaking down, being repaired, etc.

How to entertain kids -- Clap, stomp, hop

Combine follow the leader and outrageous antics for a fun time

ADDED August 13, 2008

As the final days of summer are waning and the school year is approaching fast sometimes a little boredom combined with the need to run around can create a powder keg of childish energy.  When this perfect storm is about to strike we will head outside for a game that combines follow the leader and the outrageous antics of a game show into one kid friendly activity that is sure to get the wiggles out.
This game seems to work best when we are walking somewhere but it certainly can be played in the yard or living room with equal success. 
First everyone stands in a circle and chose someone to start, there are three moves that the leader can chose from and they can be played in any combination, either clap, stomp or hop. Say the leader starts with a hop, stomp, hop and while they are doing their moves they need to say what they are doing, “hop, stomp, hop”. When the leader finishes they say "next".  This is the cue for the group to do what the leader just did, so they all say and do a little, “hop, stomp, hop”. When they finish they say "next". And the next person in line is now the leader and they get three moves, any three moves they might chose to go for a stomp, stomp, clap or hop, clap, stomp or even hop, hop, hop, whatever moves they chose the group follows and you keep going around the circle until everyone is worn out.
Remember you can do the moves in any order and even repeat moves but you only get three moves so use them wisely.  As your players become more advanced you can make up moves to trick the group, try hop, bark, balance on one leg or jump, roll, give a high five.
The reason we like this game so much is its simplicity kids love copying their parents and they love to have fun and be silly.

Try a little hop, hop, act like a hippo today and leave us a comment, it’s easy and fun or email info@todayisfun.com don’t forget to tell a friend about us. Today is fun!

How to entertain kids -- With letters

I see my letter!

ADDED August 12, 2008

Here at Today is fun we love reading and letters.  We also are big fans of encouraging kids to read regardless of age.
The first letter I taught my kids was the first letter of their name and I called it their letter.  They understood almost immediately that this one letter was special because it was their letter.  
Once they could identify their letter, I would occasionally stop on a page that we were reading and ask them to find their letter. From there we were able to move quickly to having them pick out a book that had their letter in the title and on to letting them pick out cereal with there letter in the name. Of course we ended up with sugar cereals but it was great, they were interested and always on the look out for their letter.

Try teaching your kids their letter today and see what happens.
Commenting is easy and fun so let us know where your kids find their letter or email info@todayisfun.com don’t forget to tell a friend about us. Today is fun!

HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- What do you hear?

How to entertain kids with silence

ADDED August 11, 2008

Some car rides are rowdy. When a group of kids is going to a party or on an outing be prepared for a loud ride.  And when you mix in some sort of children's folk singer on the stereo be prepared for shrieks of joy and peals of laughter that only dogs can hear.

Today we have a quick idea that can quiet the car down, keep everybody entertained and it works with a group of kids or just a few.

What I will do to get everyone's attention is first I will put all of the windows in the car down.  The noise and sudden burst of wind will shock everyone into silence for a few seconds. When the group is quiet I will tell them of a new game we are going to play.  This is a quiet game and to play you need to be quiet and listen carefully, we are going to listen as we drive and we will tell each other what we hear.

Soon silence is all I here combined with an occasional, “Oh, I hear a horn and a truck” and “Oh there is a dog”.  

This is one of our favorite kinds of activities because it takes all of the rowdy excitement that kids have and transforms it into something structured with a little learning along the way. Try it and let us know how it works for you!

Commenting is easy and fun so let us know what your kids hear info@todayisfun.com don't forget to tell a friend about us. 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!

Eat It or Don't Eat It!

Yet another of our kids games that is easy, fun, and instructional

ADDED July 20, 2008

This is another very simple game. There is a certain, almost Zen-like beauty to the simplicity of this activity, as we'll explain in a moment...

You list a few things for your kids. They have to tell you "Eat it" or "Don't Eat It" for each. A plate of spaghetti, yes. An apple, yes. An entire house . . . absolutely not!

After your turn (try to rattle off about ten different items to ask about), your kids can take a stab at listing things for you to eat or don't eat.

Once your kids understand the concept, you can start to get tricky with them. For instance, "elbow pasta" is a favorite in our house. But just plain old elbows . . . don't try to eat those!

Of course, this is a very easy way to review for small children what people eat, and what they shouldn't. As a case in point, I always remind my little guy that crayons and Play Dough are on the "Don't Eat It!" list.

And now for the beauty of this game, as we mentioned above. The thing is, "Eat it or Don't Eat It!" is simple and engaging enough for small children that they can play it themselves, once you show them how. We have witnessed kids as young as four and two playing this game by themselves for ten to fifteen minutes at a time! And ah, what a sweet, peaceful, and relaxing ten to fifteen minutes that was.

Have fun, and at your next meal time, please stick to the "Eat It" list. No houses, no elbows, please.

 

Counting everyday and every way

Daily fun with numbers

ADDED July 14, 2008

Numbers are an abstract concept. Learning how to count to ten is the easy part but learning how to use numbers to count things this can be hard. Here at TIF we love numbers and we think that the only way to get good at something is through repetition. That is why we are big fans of this game.

Once your kids have mastered counting 1-10 the next step could be to count simple things that you and your kids see. Math that they can do on their fingers is the best, as with everything we try to make it easy so it can be done anywhere.

With my kids I started with simple things that I knew they could count, when we would ride somewhere in the car I would often ask how many people are in the car? Or other times I would ask how many wheels does a car have? How many lights are on the street lamp? Or just to be tricky. I would ask how many wheels does and eighteen wheeler have?

Using simple counting questions they got really good quickly and soon we were adding up the tires on two cars, counting items in a display case and people in line at the market. Try it today and see what numbers you come up with.

Leave a comment or send us an email to let us know how you encourage counting at info@todayisfun.com!

Fishing for fun.

Entertaining activity with rowdy results.

ADDED July 13, 2008

Here is a fun game you can play in the back yard, park or pool. All you need is a kid or two, bait and tackle not required.  

I start by saying, “ I think I am going to go fishing”.
I pretend to throw my line in the water and reel one of the fish in.
As my fish comes in I will ask it, “You don’t look like a fish what are you?”

This is the part I like, hearing what I have reeled in and believe it or not I have reeled in everything from an old shoe that claimed to be just my size to a white blood cell.

Since I am a catch and release fisherman now comes the part they like a gentle toss back into the ocean.

As the game continues I will mix it up and not throw back things that are interesting to encourage the kids to use their imagination. Once I even reeled in the Mayor, she seemed to be wise so I kept her for a while to help me decide what to do with my catches.

It is fun and educational. They get to use their imaginations and verbal skills as they listen to each other and think up more and more outlandish things for me to catch. And I also have a lot of fun listening to what I have caught.

Drop us a line and let us know what you catch info@todayisfun.com and remember Today is Fun!

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!

Red, White and Blue hunt

Entertaining Game of finding the colors in the American flag.

ADDED June 29, 2008

4th of July is this Friday and here at Today is fun we have loads of great ideas to keep your kids entertained all throughout this patriotic and festive week.

Today’s idea will help get the smallest patriots in the mood by having them look for the colors found in the American flag, red, white and blue. If your kids don’t know what colors are on the American flag this week would be a great time to teach them because flags and displays of patriotism will be everywhere.

 

When your kids have figured out what colors they are looking for turn them loose. When they find the first color “Red” then they can find the next color “White” and then “Blue” then repeat “Red”, “White” and “Blue”.

The idea is very simple and can be used to pass a few minutes at the market or on a car ride or even while you are reading a book this week try pointing out the colors Red, White and Blue when you look at the pictures.

Also don’t forget to drop us an email info@todayisfun.com we will be wearing special 4th of July hats all week (look for this idea later in the week) and it would be great to hear from you!

Albert the Aardvark

A fun and funny way for kids to learn letters and alliterations

ADDED June 26, 2008

Ask your kids if they've met Albert the Aardvark. No? They haven't? How about Beulah the Beaver? (She's always quite busy, it seems.) Then there's Connie the Coyote and Donny the Duck-Billed Platypus.

The way our family plays this game is for the adult to supply the kids with the name, and then the kids come up with the animal. The game gets much more fun, you'll see, when your kids can provide both the name and the animal.

Even if your child can only invent gibberish names for the animals ("Frunko the Frog," for instance) as long as they are recognizing and repeating that first letter sound, it's still an approved answer in our book.

Have fun with those kids today, and say hello to Hortense the Hedgehog for us.

(For another fun alliterative word game check out one of our previous posts: Great Gadzooks!)

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.

A little help and a lot of learning

Daily chores made fun with the help of your little one!

ADDED June 03, 2008

On laundry day the little ones in my house always like to help. But all the good jobs are taken. Dumping the mountain of dirty clothes that’s to heavy. Folding clean clothes is too hard. Sleeping on the pile of clean or dirty clothes that’s the dogs business. So what to do? Have the littlest ones sort the clothes. You can’t wash whites with colors -- and you have to do it anyway -- so put ’em to work.

It’s really not that hard. Three piles:  white, dark and colors. If they don’t understand, this is a great opportunity to teach while you work together. Explain and show them what pile the clothes go into. Before you know it the job is done and back to the fun. An unexpected bonus: training for college laundromats.

 

What jobs do you give your little ones? Drop us an email at info@todayisfun.com or leave a comment!

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!

A lot, a little, or so-so

A simple, entertaining way of finding kids' favorite things

ADDED May 26, 2008

 

Think of something -- anything -- in your child's life.  For now, let's use the example of a grilled cheese sandwich.

Ask your child, "How much do you like a grilled cheese sandwich?  A lot, a little, or just so-so?"  

It's that easy.

Once your child answers, you can share your thoughts on the subject at hand.  Then, think of another item to discuss.  Going to the park, for example.  Or an alligator.

Even little kids can participate in this game.  And there is something intrinsically charming about a toddler saying 'so-so.'

We all feel differently about various things in our lives.  This game helps pass the time in an entertaining way by talking about those evaluations.

We've had enormous success with this one during long car rides and while stuck in traffic.

Your family is guaranteed to like this game a lot (or a little or so-so).

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".

Stroller Patrol

Finding something obvious helps keep kids occupied

ADDED May 21, 2008

Sometimes when you and your kids go somewhere fun or somewhere that’s geared for kids, there’s some waiting that must be endured, too.  For instance, if you’ve ever been to Disneyland (which is fun for kids) there are occasionally some lines to wait in (less fun.)

One way I keep my kids entertained is to deputize them into Stroller Patrol.  When I can tell that the waiting in line has started to wear thin, I proclaim, “Okay, people.  I need to account for every single stroller here!  Who can help me find a stroller?”  Since we’re at place for kids, there are always a good number of strollers.  Soon my kids are scanning and surveying the area, eagerly adding up the number of kid carriages.

Usually there is a lot of crowd movement at these places, and the number of strollers in view is constantly fluctuating.  Which is good.  I need an accurate count, at all times. 

Stroller Patrol is a very important and  time-consuming job, and no deputy has time to be at loose ends.

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?”

Fill in the blank

A simple, fun game to help pass the blank.

ADDED May 19, 2008

You say the first two words of a phrase your child knows, and wait for the blank to be filled in.

For instance, “Grandma and Blank.”  (Answer:  Grandpa.)

“Brush your blank.”  (Answer: teeth.)

“Stars and blank.”  (Answer: stripes.)

Kids quickly pick up on how this game works, and are eager to provide the right answer.  Mine are so enthusiastic at times, in fact, that they’re trying to fill in the blank before I’ve fully told them the clues.  This leads to occasional mishaps such as “Grandma and Teeth”…which everyone seems to enjoy.

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.

Animal Automobiles

Kids have fun thinking up appropriate vehicles for our furry friends

ADDED May 14, 2008

 

 

If animals could get around in cars and trucks, what would they choose to drive?

If you'd like to know the answer to this philosophical question, just ask your kids.

But before you do, you might want to give them these examples:

A snake would drive a long green car, and you really wouldn't be able to see the wheels.

A snail would drive a little truck with a beige cab and a dark brown back. And oh, it would drive really slowly.

A frog's car would be quite green, and it would make its passengers bounce around.

A monkey's brownish car would drive pretty quickly all over the place, and its wheels would really chatter.

You get the idea. It is guaranteed to hold a pre-schooler's attention.

And please, let's encourage all these creatures to drive slowly and to respect the road!

Don’t Drop the Baby

Seriously . . . don't drop the baby

ADDED May 13, 2008

I did it to my kids when they were very young—and it was a surefire way to get a smile. This is also one of the first ways I really started interacting with my infant children—before I discovered this trick I was kind of a separate, distant admirer.

What you do is hold the young child up a bit, about to the height of your face. Say, “Don’t…drop…the…baby.” When you say the last word, move your hands very slightly off the child and let them fall.

Of course, you don’t let them fall. You are very, very careful…and after a tenth of a second, after they’ve dropped a foot or so, you stop their descent. This isn’t really ‘catching’ the child, since you’ve never really let go.

Anyway, safety admonitions aside, kids generally enjoy this brief free fall. It usually gets a big smile. And once they understand the game…that they always get dropped on ‘baby,’ there is further fun as they anticipate what will happen during the recounting of the preceding words.

Have fun, and whatever you do, don’t drop the baby.

What Color Shirt Is Mommy (or Daddy, or Somebody Else) Wearing

A simple guessing game to help you get home in one piece

ADDED May 11, 2008

 

While returning from an outing, kids can get bored and grumpy. The last couple minutes can be the worst:  when they start to recognize that they’re close, but not there yet.

One quick and easy activity I do with my kids in this kind of situation is to guess what color shirt their Mom is wearing. (Of course, it would work for anyone whom they will see at the destination: Dad, Grandma, a younger sibling, etc.)

Everybody takes a turn guessing the color. Then we fill the time with “talking up” the choices: “Mommy really does like red, so that was a good guess of yours,” or “I think Mommy looks pretty in brown, so I think I’m right—it’s going to be brown!”  Kids seem to respond well to this color commentary, and start to offer their own analyses.

(You’ll be delighted to know that this pastime works well even when you actually know the exact color of the person’s shirt.)

Another benefit to this activity is that when we arrive home, my kids are dying to see their Mom, and what color shirt she’s wearing. The reunion is all the more fun and exciting—and their Mom likes to hear the guesses (and that she’s being talked about.)

Keep them guessing, and keep them on their toes!

How many steps?

A counting adventure.

ADDED May 08, 2008

When we are out shopping and my kids are tired what I like to do is make the mundane activity of walking around Costco into a counting game.

 

This is when I let my beautiful spouse continue her shopping trip and the kids and I will break away on our own adventure.

I will say to the kids, “ok I will only take 20 more steps and then we can rest and we will look at whatever we stop by”. So I will let the kids guide me for 20 steps and stop. We usually stop by the extra virgin olive oil or some kind of bulk paper. Not very exciting to a 7 and 8 year old. So I will ask,” how many steps do you think it is to the freezer section or the book section?” They will make a guess like,”40 steps to the freezer section”. I will let them take my hands and guide me 40 steps. If they guess to many steps we will keep walking past the freezer section and that also tends to be fun.

 

Then I will let them choose the destination bikes, tires, books, toys is always a popular option. I will also try and mix it up by taking different kinds of steps. I will skip, hop or take baby steps. We will often get funny looks skipping around Costco but the employees don’t seem to mind enthusiastic customers.

Then comes the best part of the game. Asking my lovely wife how may steps it took her to find us (usually 4987).

Olden Days

Good times with the way-back machine.

ADDED May 07, 2008

This isn’t so much a game or activity, as a great topic for conversation.  It’s fun, too.

Kids naturally like learning about the world about them—everything is new and exciting.  When your kids reach a certain age (four or five?) they can begin to understand this concept:  that in Olden Days, a lot of things didn’t exist—a lot of things that kids are used to seeing.  

When I first told this to my kids, they thought it was a bizarre concept:  there didn’t used to be cars?  Or TV?  Or Barney the Dinosaur?

My kids like guessing what was around in Olden Days, and what wasn’t.  (“Were there leopards in Olden Days, Daddy?”)

Just  be careful around touchy grandmothers.  You, not your innocent child, will get blamed if a touchy grandmother is asked, “Were there horses in Olden Days, Grandma?”

On the go hairdo

Did you know how entertaining hair care can be?

ADDED May 04, 2008

I don’t really spend time doing hair -- my kids' hair or my own.  There are about a million other things in life to do before I get to those chores.

But when we’re waiting in line, or at the check out, it helps to pass the time to get out some hair care products.

Of course, I don’t really have any. But I make my hand into a ‘comb,’ and ask, “Who needs a good combing?” My kids volunteer, and I ‘comb’ their hair with my fingers. They think it feels weird, and kind of tickles.

Then I offer to use the hair dryer on them (a contraption that has always held a certain fascination for kids.) Making a loud, hair drying noise, I quickly move their hair around with my fingers and hands.

Then it’s time for some goop—a necessary finale to any good haircut. I hold an invisible goop bottle out, and squirt it all over the kids' hair. This involves random, crazy tickling of the top of their heads.

When I’m through, everybody’s hair certainly looks a little worse and a lot more messy…but everybody’s had a decent time, and the waiting is over.

Everybody wave

Get the kids up and get them smiling

ADDED April 28, 2008

When one of my kids is waking up tired or grumpy, I say, "Everybody wave" at that kid.  My other child and I wave vigorously at the waking boy, and he always seems to like the greeting.  Then I tell 'everybody' to wave at my other boy.  This includes the kid who is waking up, who is usually ready to participate.  Then I tell everybody to wave at me.  We go around the circle again, and this time everybody is awake and in good spirits.

In my house, the rules are: you can't talk, just wave, and you really have to put some effort into the whole procedure.

This waving business might defy common sense, but it is quiet and done with affection...and it seems to work.

(While this gets positive results for my kids--and it will probably work with yours--please, please don't try it with me.  In fact, just let me go to back to sleep for a while, thank you very much, and let me know when the game is on.)