Kids' Activity: The Paper Potluck

 

Length: Fifteen minutes to an hour

Parental Involvement: Not much.  Explain the concept and let the kids take over.

Kids Should Be Able to:  Draw, understand that various components make up a bigger "thing"

 

I've got to hand it to my two boys for inventing this activity.

With the close of this past school year, our family participated in a number of potlucks.  They were all very good and very fun (except for that jello-cream cheese salad  -- you know who you are.) 

Apparently, the potlucks made a big impression on my sons, because they -- on their own -- started hosting these kind of parties.  Since they're not actually able to cook real food yet, they used paper and crayons. 

I heard my oldest boy ask, "What do we need for a pot luck?  Well, first we need a table."  They took a piece of paper out, and drew a table.  They drew chairs, too.  Then they drew all sorts of food.  (But not that jello-cream cheese salad, luckily.)  In the end, I think they counted twenty eight different little drawings they made for their paper potluck.

Of course, you could have your kids draw anything that requires a lot of things:  zoos, markets, car races, parties, etc.  The goal is to figure out and then draw each item that will be needed there!

(I must say:  it was so cool to hear them come up with this activity.  That's really what Today Is Fun is all about -- getting parents and kids to think creatively about having fun and using the tools they already have on hand.  I've provided my kids with many, many ideas for having fun, and now their brains are creating some of their own!  When they come up with creative ways to entertain themselves, my brain can take a little break!)

So today, we invite you to partake in our fun paper potluck.  But please, don't bring jello-cream cheese salad with you!