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Summer Family Fun
The summer is half over, and your kids may be starting to get bored being on vacation from school . Now is a perfect time for some fun family activities! Try some of these fun ideas:
1. Jump rope: A great way to make up games, get exercise, and get outdoors is to jump rope. You could have a Jump Rope Olympics. You can create challenges they can work on improving. Find Jump-roping rhymes and games at the library or on line.
2. Library Books: Bake some brownies and give them to your librarian…oh yeah, I’m talking “bribe”. Your local library can be a great source for creative projects, local news, local events, great books to read for all age levels, reading night, and so on. When was the last time you visited your library? Wander in and ask the librarian for help finding a book on creative writing….or back yard creatures…..or local weather…..or what rocks are made of…..or kid friendly music to move to….or movies for our family night…..or history or board games…. You’ll be surprised; if you can come up with the subject, your librarian can find the book!
3. Observation Notebook: Look around you and get your kids to do the same. Notice the weather, create a temperature or rain chart, ask how long does it take for that Clematis to reach the top, scoop some dirt and dump it on clear plexi-glass, how many different types of bugs do you see? Have them notice all kinds of things. What kinds of birds do you have in your back yard? Create a mini bird book like one from the Audubon Society, but call it, “My Family’s Back Yard Bird Sanctuary”.
4. Inspector Kit: You’ll need a magnifying glass and a bug catcher. Create a bug catcher from two-liter soda bottles. Use colored tape to make it look more fun and write the “inspectors” name on it. You can have a show and tell for the “discoveries” of each inspector.
5. Rock Collecting Kit: What are rocks made of? What do you have in your back yard? When relatives come from out-of-state to visit, ask them to bring rocks from their back yard. Compare them. How do they differ? Make a case to display them and show details about where they came from.
6. Rock Around the Block: To get some exercise without too much planning, have your children teach you a rhythmic song or rhyme to your walking steps. You’ll laugh and giggle and before you know it, you’ve completed your walk. Your kids will look forward to this walk!
7. Shut off the TV: Have a game night. Dust off the board game, play some game-playing-friendly music and look at each others faces. You already have the board games; you know you do. Now you have a good reason to use ‘em.
8. Kids Cook Night: Make or buy aprons, and find some cookbooks just for the kids (or find a recipe that you know they can handle without burning down the house). Let them cook some meals each week. Designate one night--game night might be a good choice--where they do the cooking (and cleaning). For a French meal, listen to French music while cooking. Have these nights be only the times you choose to have candlelight. Candles make the dinner feel special and the chefs will feel honored!
9. National Geographic Photographer: Got an old camera? Let your children play “National Geographic Photographer” challenge. For their assignment, they must find certain types or creatures. They have to stake out a place and disguise themselves. They can wait for the squirrel to show up and eat the nut or other tasty treat, and then they can snap a close-up picture! They’ll learn patience while developing a photographer’s eye. You can, fairly easily, create a “magazine cover” for their prized photos. Challenge them to look for two-legged creatures, winged creatures, four-legged creatures, flying creatures, crawling creatures, creatures less than one inch long, loud animals, the tallest, the smallest, the rarest, the most common…it is quite endless. You’ll get to know your own back yard.
10. Play Reporter: Have your children think of questions to “interview” relatives. Get a “reporter-style” notebook (pocket size and flips from the top) and have them consider their questions. What would they like to teach their children about when they are older? Have some standard questions they ask everyone: favorite color, favorite food, scariest moment, happiest moment, favorite home, one thing they’d change, worst weakness, jobs they’ve had, etc. Then add some custom questions, stuff unique to that person. They’ll have to think here to come up with appropriate questions like, “Why have you moved so much?” Once questions are prepared, video-tape the interview. You all will be inspired and maybe learn some new things that you can pass on to upcoming generations.
11. Volunteer: Encourage your children to be good neighbors. For example, every Thursday they can walk a neighbor’s dog. On the night they make pizza, they can cook an extra one for a single guy in the neighborhood. Every day they get your mail and a neighbor’s mail. The might pull up some weeds that a neighbor had trouble getting out. They can wash a car, move some trash, etc. If they are ambitious enough, they could even be entrepreneurial. They could make lemonade, ice pops, deliver papers, etc.
12. Lights Please! Put on a show. Set up a section outside where they can put on a stage show. Have them imitate a favorite movie or book, just a moment in the movie or book, and make it their own! Give one week to rehearse, a time limit, budget restrictions, and a challenge to create their props. Then on show night, they can create tickets (tell them they must make tickets from recycled labels on the cans you recycle) and make some popcorn. Get ready to be entertained. Set up some chairs outside, light some candles, create a spotlight and let them go.
13. Recycled Fort: For the older children who want a challenge that will give them something they can use, let them create a fort with a roof and windows from recycled materials. They might require safety gloves and glasses, but this would challenge the older children. They could use old wooden pallets, tires, old doors, or even more creative stuff like hub caps or window shades. Let their imagination soar. Designate a safe area and some of your own “rules”, and then let them create. I assure you, every kid in the neighborhood will think you are the coolest family around!
14. Tell A Story: Either by using pictures or words, depending on the age group. Show them how to develop a story using all the elements: a setting, characters, character development, conflict, an ending, and then let them add some pictures. Having creative stories made with their own handwriting, ideas and pictures will be a treasure forever.
You can get more ideas by checking online or finding a book in the library. No matter what you choose to do with your children, you are creating wonderful, enjoyable memories. And, you never know, perhaps they’ll love these activities so much that they’ll do them with their own children some day!
Fran
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