Childrens Books -- Mozart Finds A Melody

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

ADDED September 06, 2008

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

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

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

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

ages 2-8, Book Review,

KIDS GAMES -- Find the Shape.

Fun game to help your kids learn shapes.

ADDED August 28, 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!

ages 2-8, educational, good any time, good for a group, no 'props' needed, quick activity, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

KIDS GAMES -- The human adding machine.

Fun family game that everyone can play.

ADDED August 27, 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!

ages 2-8, educational, good any time, good at home, good for a group, good for a restaurant or public place, no 'props' needed, quick activity, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- Make a card for someone.

Turn boredom around by making a card for someone else.

ADDED August 26, 2008

What I like to do when I hear, “but I have nothing to do” is get out the art supplies and let my kids go to town making a card. It sure is hard to be bored if you are making something to give away.

So I will look on the calendar and see who's birthday is coming up and we will make them a birthday card, handmade cards are always the best. Just paper, stickers, markers and crayons are all that are required to say “Happy Birthday” and chase the boredom away.

Try it today if you don't have any birthdays coming up create a holiday card, a thinking of you card or even a Happy Tuesday card.  I am sure it will be a big hit.


Commenting is easy and fun so let us know who you made a card for info@todayisfun.com don't forget to tell a friend about us. Today is fun!

ages 2-8, art supplies needed, good at home, good for a group, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

How to entertain kids - The Marvelous Museum

Another of our fun games for kids that uses the stuff you already have

ADDED August 08, 2008

 

We always want you to be able to keep your kids busy and occupied without having to buy more stuff. So today we present the Marvelous Museum. (Sometimes also known as the Magnificent Museum.)

Explain to your child what a museum is: a special building with a collection of interesting things. Anyone can come to the museum and look at the things and talk about them.

Well, there is also a collection of things in your home.

You and your kid should choose some of those things and display them around the house. Place the chosen objects on the sofa, the coffee table, the kitchen chairs - whatever works.

For a recent Museum, my boys used: a toy car, a spatula, a shoe, a dog toy, and many other marvelous things.

After the Museum has been properly set up comes part two: people come and look at the assembled things. Each item is admired and discussed. (The "people" are you and your kids, of course.)

It's good to ask questions about each thing in the Museum:

What is this used for?
Do you think it is pretty?
Can you tell me something about this object that I might not already know?

Also, it's never a bad idea to exclaim "Marvelous!" or "Magnificent!" when viewing any given item.

The next day or so after making your house into a museum, you could take your children to a ‘real,' out-of-the-house museum. There, too, you all can admire the marvelous collection of things.

And here is the added bonus to this activity: museum visitors should use quiet voices. Everyone must be on their best behavior. And of course, in a Museum, kids really need to listen to their Moms and Dads, and do as they are told!

Have a great weekend with your curious, creative, and obedient museum workers and visitors!

ages 2-8, good at home, longer activity,

The big show

Fun behind the couch, or around the corner

ADDED July 10, 2008

Okay, the whole point of this site is to help you entertain the kids -- without being "on" all day.  We want you to get the kids going on an entertaining activity, and then get five or ten minutes to do something else yourself during that time, if you want.

At first, today's idea might sound like it would have the opposite effect.  It might sound as if you are going to be in for a lot of creative and physical effort.  Well, you might be at first.  But really try to let the kids take over.  You'll see what we mean in a minute ...

You're going to do a show for the kids.  (Or, if it helps, think of this as telling them a story and using some of their stuffed animals to help you.)

Find a place to have the kids sit down (it can be on the floor, of course) and a place where you can get out of sight and yet show them the animals.  Behind a sofa works great, or you could even do this just outside a room, hiding yourself a bit around the corner.  

If you find it's a lot of work to come up with a story, don't worry.  First, many stories for kids can be quite simple.  You could tell a story about an animal who lost something very special, who looked here, there and everywhere to find it, and who then did find it!  If you're not in the mental place to invent a story, you can re-tell or read one of the kids' books to them.  Don't kill yourself--try to make it easy for yourself.

We've found this is an amazing way to settle the kids down, especially when they've got a lot of rambunctious energy before bed.  And for those of you who feel guilty occasionally turning on the TV for the kids, notice that this isn't TV!

 

And now the payoff:  once the kids see how fun and funny the show is . . . they'll want to present you with a show of their own!  So get a drink, put your feet up, and enjoy the show. 

ages 2-8, good at home, good for a group,

4th of July party hat.

Make it, color it, wear it. Fashionable entertainment.

ADDED July 01, 2008

Since 4th of July is this Friday here at Today is fun we want you to look your best. What better way to show your patriotism (and entertain your kids) then by having them make and wear their own stylish and festive hat?

Using 1/2 sheet of newspaper follow these directions...

The hat is very simple and in 5 minutes you can fold several hats. Then have the kids decorate the hats using markers and crayons. Not forgetting to add stars, stripes and even fireworks. Don’t forget to make one for Dad or Mom, Grandparents, friends and even the dog.

Then send us an email with a photo of your kids in their party hats to info@todayisfun.com. We will be wearing our 4th of July hats all week and it would be great to see yours!

ages 2-8, art supplies needed, good at home, good for a group, longer activity,

Weekend Reading -- Racer Dogs

A rousing and rowdy race makes for some fun reading with the kids

ADDED June 28, 2008

A group of dogs, each with its own unique personality, participate in a fast and frenzied car race.

The dogs -- Jack, Trixie, Wags and Stinky among others -- furiously jockey for lead position. (Racer Jack has a habit of mistakenly driving the wrong way, leading to some big problems for everyone.)

The art here is enormously pleasing, and there are many fun details to study. For instance, as the cars speed across each page, you can see a busy, cute supporting character, Pizza Pooch, making deliveries on his scooter.

The story of the race, while completely enjoyable, isn't the main focus. Really, the fun of the book comes from finding all the characters on each page, and seeing what they're up to as the race goes on.

We can't tell you which of these canines takes the big prize (we don't want to give away any plot twists), but suffice to say, it's a hair-raisingly, breath-takingly, and tail-waggingly fun outcome.

Read to those kids, and have a great weekend.

ages 2-8, reading activity,

Monster Class

A fun activity for kids that may involve some growling and howling

ADDED June 23, 2008

This is creative, physical and fun: Have a "Monster Class" with your kids.

You and your kids will all march around the house or backyard like monsters.

But first, you'll need to be the teacher and show the kids how. There are three things to know about monsters:

(1) Each kind of monster walks in its own, special way. ("Big step, little step" is a favorite walk in our house. Also: "stomp, stomp, stomp.")

(2) Each kind of monster does something interesting with its hands and arms as it moves. (Waving arms and claws around, for example.)

(3) And of course, each kind of monster makes a very unique and often unusual noise.

Demonstrate each of those things to your little ones and lead them in practicing how to be monsters. Then, each of the kids can have a turn being the teacher, and you can be the student.

If your child isn't "into" monsters, then you can have "Animal Class" (highly recommended), "Princess Class," "Pirate Class," or "Robot Class."

No matter what, fun is on the curriculum today, and all monsters will get high marks for their efforts!

ages 2-8, good at home, good for a group, may rile them up, summer activity,

Sticker Story.

An activity that is sure to stick.

ADDED June 17, 2008

This is a fun activity for a lazy summer afternoon. Take some stickers and one piece of paper. Have you child put all the stickers on the paper. They can be upside down, on top of each other and all over. When all the stickers are applied to the paper now the fun begins.

Look over the page for little scenes or still life portraits that have happened accidentally on the page. Point out how it looks like two of the stickers are having a conversation or how one sticker is standing on its head in a tree. As these scenes begin to develop you and your child can start to make up a story about the action on the page. They usually are short and at my house definitley silly, but Mom always loves to hear all about it.

Yesterday I heard one about a puppy who liked to ride dinosaurs to go camping. When the puppy and the dinosaurs got to the campground they made friends with a family of hamsters and roasted s’mores. Now that’s what I call a story.

ages 2-8, art supplies needed, educational, good at home, good for a restaurant or public place, longer activity, may rile them up, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

The Eggs are gone, but the fun has just begun.

Make recycling items into toys.

ADDED June 03, 2008

 

The other day my beautiful wife was cleaning out the refrigerator and putting away some groceries as she set aside and empty egg carton for recycling. Our daughter asked if she could have the carton. “What for?” I asked. “I could paint it and make it into a ride for some of my toys”, she said. “Great idea”, I said. And that is exactly what she did.

So that got me thinking what else do we have that can be recycled for fun? With a little cleaning and some tape, paint or stickers all sorts of things that were heading to the recycling bin but could be put into the fun bin?

So over the next few days we were playing with empty water bottles in the tub, stacking tin cans left over from a pot of chili and making tunnels for hot wheels from tubes of empty toilet paper rolls. It has been fun to try and see something else in what we would have just thrown away.

We do this all the time! Now this is not a parent guided activity. My kids are always on the prowl for new things to reuse and play with.

And when the fun is done you can still recycle. We would like to hear what recycled toys you come up with. Be safe and have fun.

ages 2-8, art supplies needed, educational, good at home, good for a group, quick activity, see our disclaimer,

Weekend Reading -- Is There Room on the Feather Bed?

An entertaining book: Why bless your hearts!

ADDED May 31, 2008

This is a delightfully charming book for young ones:  Is There Room on the Feather Bed? by Libba More Gray and illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott.

The story involves a wee fat woman and her many animals (a green-headed goose, a wooly white sheep, a fat pink pig, and so on).  Sadly, the group excludes a small plump skunk from joining in their fun.  They don't think the skunk's aroma is up to snuff.

A major rainstorm begins to dump water on the animals.  Then this happens, that happens (we don't want to give away any plot twists, of course) and in the end, the animals accept the small plump skunk as a friend.  Which we think is a nice example for kids.

Along the way, the characters utter some lovely rhymes, such as:

"Why bless your hearts,
such a noise, such a fuss.
There's room on the feather bed
for all of us."

The book also helps introduce young ones to adjectives.  Well, the word "adjective" never appears in the book--and that's probably for the best.  But there are a lot of good adjectives used to describe the characters (small plump skunk, grinning gray cat, etc.), and the story will introduce your kids to the idea of description words.

And really, can't we all get along?  No matter how we smell?

Play some, read some, and have a great weekend with your kids.

ages 2-8,

A lot, a little, or so-so

A simple, entertaining way of finding kids' favorite things

ADDED May 27, 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).

ages 2-8, good any time, good for a group, good for the car, no 'props' needed, verbal activity,