ideas, ideas, ideas
lalow66
my kids seem bored. restless.
or maybe it is me. not much money and lots of time.
we had a gameday the other day, which they loved. I think we played every game in the house.
any ideas would be appreciated. I am just trying to find more family activities that we can all do and seem to be in a rutt.
thanks
or maybe it is me. not much money and lots of time.
we had a gameday the other day, which they loved. I think we played every game in the house.
any ideas would be appreciated. I am just trying to find more family activities that we can all do and seem to be in a rutt.
thanks
Jessica Voigts
not sure of your kids ages, but if they are at all of a techie bent, you can
spend DAYS, MONTHS! doing things from
http://makezine.com/ - creating projects that are really, really cool.
if you are less techie and more creative, there's always
http://www.instructables.com/ for ideas. i LOVE the brain cake and the toast
tentacle au jus, for halloween food, but there are TONS of great ideas.
for a back to basics thing, you can always stage plays, have poetry slams,
read alouds, create an international day (food, costumes, etc.), go for a
nature walk, start a service project, write and illustrate a book (for
yourselves or for http://www.booksofhope.org/), create music, bake, rake
leaves for your neighbors, visit a local museum, etc.
good luck! cheers, jessie
spend DAYS, MONTHS! doing things from
http://makezine.com/ - creating projects that are really, really cool.
if you are less techie and more creative, there's always
http://www.instructables.com/ for ideas. i LOVE the brain cake and the toast
tentacle au jus, for halloween food, but there are TONS of great ideas.
for a back to basics thing, you can always stage plays, have poetry slams,
read alouds, create an international day (food, costumes, etc.), go for a
nature walk, start a service project, write and illustrate a book (for
yourselves or for http://www.booksofhope.org/), create music, bake, rake
leaves for your neighbors, visit a local museum, etc.
good luck! cheers, jessie
On Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 8:24 AM, lalow66 <lalow@...> wrote:
>
>
> my kids seem bored. restless.
> or maybe it is me. not much money and lots of time.
> we had a gameday the other day, which they loved. I think we played every
> game in the house.
> any ideas would be appreciated. I am just trying to find more family
> activities that we can all do and seem to be in a rutt.
> thanks
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Pam Sorooshian
On 10/28/2009 5:24 AM, lalow66 wrote:
family living area - to be in sight and available to play spontaneously.
If nobody bites, switch the games in a day or two.
Go online and look up some interesting games to play without any
materials - introduce them by saying, "Oh, I found a new game to try."
When you've played a game or two, say something like, "We should make up
our own game." Just see where that takes you.
Money is nice, I know that, but creativity is better. So, when people
have less money to spend, they often have MORE fun and more joy. It
depends on where you turn your attention - to what you can't do or to
what you can do.
Kids often play pretend for hours and hours and hours - they don't
always need structured "things to do" -- but if your kids aren't
currently into that, maybe your focus can be on providing them with the
background material that will spark their imaginations. More movies, tv,
and books might be that - or more getting outdoors to go places, if the
weather is still good enough where you are to do a lot of that.
The most important thing is for the parents to have enthusiasm for
life's little enjoyments. Fixing lunch? Say, "Hey, let's take our
lunches down to that little park....." Or going shopping? Say, "Let's go
to the 99 cent store and each get one thing just for fun."
Also - we sometimes had some fun brainstorming a list of things to do
when bored. We'd put it on the fridge and the kids would sometimes look
at the list and get inspired to do some of the things on it.
Bored and restless kids might need more physical activity - big motor
stuff! So, again, get out to playgrounds and parks more often.
-pam
> my kids seem bored. restless.Leave a couple of the games that were the most popular out in the main
> or maybe it is me. not much money and lots of time.
> we had a gameday the other day, which they loved. I think we played every game in the house.
> any ideas would be appreciated. I am just trying to find more family activities that we can all do and seem to be in a rutt.
> thanks
>
>
family living area - to be in sight and available to play spontaneously.
If nobody bites, switch the games in a day or two.
Go online and look up some interesting games to play without any
materials - introduce them by saying, "Oh, I found a new game to try."
When you've played a game or two, say something like, "We should make up
our own game." Just see where that takes you.
Money is nice, I know that, but creativity is better. So, when people
have less money to spend, they often have MORE fun and more joy. It
depends on where you turn your attention - to what you can't do or to
what you can do.
Kids often play pretend for hours and hours and hours - they don't
always need structured "things to do" -- but if your kids aren't
currently into that, maybe your focus can be on providing them with the
background material that will spark their imaginations. More movies, tv,
and books might be that - or more getting outdoors to go places, if the
weather is still good enough where you are to do a lot of that.
The most important thing is for the parents to have enthusiasm for
life's little enjoyments. Fixing lunch? Say, "Hey, let's take our
lunches down to that little park....." Or going shopping? Say, "Let's go
to the 99 cent store and each get one thing just for fun."
Also - we sometimes had some fun brainstorming a list of things to do
when bored. We'd put it on the fridge and the kids would sometimes look
at the list and get inspired to do some of the things on it.
Bored and restless kids might need more physical activity - big motor
stuff! So, again, get out to playgrounds and parks more often.
-pam
Laura Flynn Endres
Pam wrote: Also - we sometimes had some fun brainstorming a list of things to do
when bored. We'd put it on the fridge and the kids would sometimes look
at the list and get inspired to do some of the things on it.
*****
I was going to suggest something similar. We did that years ago when the kids were younger and we were home more often. We found the key is to make the list when everyone is in good spirits because we excitedly came up with LOTS of ideas. If we tried to create the list when we were feeling slumpish, then we sat there shrugging our shoulders. We pasted the list on our pantry door. Inevitably, on those low-creativity days, Jonathan would look at the list and exclaim, "I forgot about my army men!" and off he'd go to fetch them.
I also second the idea of strewing things, especially things that haven't been played with lately. When I dig in our closets I always find things I'd forgotten about. Those are often great inspiration for new activity. Art supplies, dress-up clothes, kits. Or build a big fort under the kitchen table.
Laura
*~*~*~*~*
"Keep company with those who make you better." ~ English saying
*~*~*~*~*
www.piscesgrrrl.blogspot.com
*~*~*~*~*
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
when bored. We'd put it on the fridge and the kids would sometimes look
at the list and get inspired to do some of the things on it.
*****
I was going to suggest something similar. We did that years ago when the kids were younger and we were home more often. We found the key is to make the list when everyone is in good spirits because we excitedly came up with LOTS of ideas. If we tried to create the list when we were feeling slumpish, then we sat there shrugging our shoulders. We pasted the list on our pantry door. Inevitably, on those low-creativity days, Jonathan would look at the list and exclaim, "I forgot about my army men!" and off he'd go to fetch them.
I also second the idea of strewing things, especially things that haven't been played with lately. When I dig in our closets I always find things I'd forgotten about. Those are often great inspiration for new activity. Art supplies, dress-up clothes, kits. Or build a big fort under the kitchen table.
Laura
*~*~*~*~*
"Keep company with those who make you better." ~ English saying
*~*~*~*~*
www.piscesgrrrl.blogspot.com
*~*~*~*~*
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=- I think we played every game in the house. any ideas would be
appreciated.-=-
Thrift stores for more games. Ask on freecycle maybe for some games.
There are some lists of ideas here:
http://sandradodd.com/youngchildren
http://sandradodd.com/strew/deblist
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
appreciated.-=-
Thrift stores for more games. Ask on freecycle maybe for some games.
There are some lists of ideas here:
http://sandradodd.com/youngchildren
http://sandradodd.com/strew/deblist
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-I also second the idea of strewing things, especially things that
haven't been played with lately. When I dig in our closets I always
find things I'd forgotten about. Those are often great inspiration for
new activity. Art supplies, dress-up clothes, kits. Or build a big
fort under the kitchen table. -=-
Cloth over furniture can be miraculous. <g>
Don't forget other senses, when kids are restless. Homemade playdough
even without added scents has smell and touch. Cooking something will
put scent into the air, and maybe taste into their morning. Music!
Music, music, music, as background or focus. Musicals on the TV, as
background. They can let it pass by until their favorite parts come
on. Sing along to it even if they're not listening.
Warmed up blankets. My sister called yesterday and she has swine
flu. She said she asked herself what our mom would've done, and she
went and got a cool washcloth to put on her head, and she felt
better. I love to have a load of fresh warm laundry from the dryer
dumped all over me. Who wouldn't!? Towels are the best.
For girls, especially, pulling out an old jewelry box or a box of
letters from before they were born can be interested for a while.
Even if they can't read, the stamp and envelopes might be of
interest. Postmarks. Old timey handwriting. Real hand-written
mail. <g>
Old post cards or Christmas cards, if you save them.
Books with art, paintings, photos.
Escher books (or websites).
Mazes or crosswords or connect-the-dots. You can probably find some
printable ones.
Playing with lit candles. The two best things I know are squeezing
the peels of citrus fruit toward candle flame (fresh orange is
great). Hold it with the outside toward the flame, and squeeze so
some of the oil is squirted into the fire. It's pretty and smells
good. Or put baby powder or corn starch or flour down in a plate
or tray or box, like half an inch deep, and drip candle wax one drip
at a time. It makes pretty little beads, kind of. You can string
them with thread and needle if you want, or put them in with the
kindling for fire starting, or use them for game pieces or make tiny
Barbie-sized game pieces.
Wax onto water can be interesting too. See if it's different into hot
water or cold. I've never dropped wax into milk or soda or juice.
Seems wasteful, but might be interesting if there was some leftover
anyway.
Texture drawing, just crayons or pencils, and putting rough surfaces
under paper to make rubbings, or writing with pencils on aluminum foil
or waxed paper. Drop candle drippings onto aluminum foil or waxed
paper or crayon. <g>
Color with colored crayons and cover up a sheet of paper. Then color
over the whole thing with black. Then use a toothpick or a skewer to
draw, and it will scratch the black off and show the colors
underneath. They make commercial versions of this, but you can make
your own. (Or if you're at a crafts store or art shop, see if they
have the cleaner storebought stuff. Formally it's called
scratchboard, but for kids stuff with colors and clear plastic and
whatever all, it's more usually called "scratch art."
More ideas will be here:
http://sandradodd.com/art
http://sandradodd.com/music
http://sandradodd.com/strewing
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
haven't been played with lately. When I dig in our closets I always
find things I'd forgotten about. Those are often great inspiration for
new activity. Art supplies, dress-up clothes, kits. Or build a big
fort under the kitchen table. -=-
Cloth over furniture can be miraculous. <g>
Don't forget other senses, when kids are restless. Homemade playdough
even without added scents has smell and touch. Cooking something will
put scent into the air, and maybe taste into their morning. Music!
Music, music, music, as background or focus. Musicals on the TV, as
background. They can let it pass by until their favorite parts come
on. Sing along to it even if they're not listening.
Warmed up blankets. My sister called yesterday and she has swine
flu. She said she asked herself what our mom would've done, and she
went and got a cool washcloth to put on her head, and she felt
better. I love to have a load of fresh warm laundry from the dryer
dumped all over me. Who wouldn't!? Towels are the best.
For girls, especially, pulling out an old jewelry box or a box of
letters from before they were born can be interested for a while.
Even if they can't read, the stamp and envelopes might be of
interest. Postmarks. Old timey handwriting. Real hand-written
mail. <g>
Old post cards or Christmas cards, if you save them.
Books with art, paintings, photos.
Escher books (or websites).
Mazes or crosswords or connect-the-dots. You can probably find some
printable ones.
Playing with lit candles. The two best things I know are squeezing
the peels of citrus fruit toward candle flame (fresh orange is
great). Hold it with the outside toward the flame, and squeeze so
some of the oil is squirted into the fire. It's pretty and smells
good. Or put baby powder or corn starch or flour down in a plate
or tray or box, like half an inch deep, and drip candle wax one drip
at a time. It makes pretty little beads, kind of. You can string
them with thread and needle if you want, or put them in with the
kindling for fire starting, or use them for game pieces or make tiny
Barbie-sized game pieces.
Wax onto water can be interesting too. See if it's different into hot
water or cold. I've never dropped wax into milk or soda or juice.
Seems wasteful, but might be interesting if there was some leftover
anyway.
Texture drawing, just crayons or pencils, and putting rough surfaces
under paper to make rubbings, or writing with pencils on aluminum foil
or waxed paper. Drop candle drippings onto aluminum foil or waxed
paper or crayon. <g>
Color with colored crayons and cover up a sheet of paper. Then color
over the whole thing with black. Then use a toothpick or a skewer to
draw, and it will scratch the black off and show the colors
underneath. They make commercial versions of this, but you can make
your own. (Or if you're at a crafts store or art shop, see if they
have the cleaner storebought stuff. Formally it's called
scratchboard, but for kids stuff with colors and clear plastic and
whatever all, it's more usually called "scratch art."
More ideas will be here:
http://sandradodd.com/art
http://sandradodd.com/music
http://sandradodd.com/strewing
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
lalow66
thanks for all the ideas. they are great. the kids are 4,5,6, and just turned 8.
they got up wrestling today so besides a few drawings and a discussion about bat's thumbs (his question was "since bats have thumbs can they pick things up like people can?) they have been wrestling. the tournament is due to start soon. and they have been requesting brownies and cookies so some baking is soon to start.
one thing I also did, which is often a hit when I remember, is that instead of making lunch I put all the fixings on their plates and let them make little sandwiches with the stuff. they love that. my 6 year old requested they make their own nachos for lunch tomorrow.
things are looking better than i thought they would at 7 this morning. I was baseing my outlook for today on how things went yesterday.
The ideas are so helpful.
Better get down there, I am supposed to referree the tournament.
they got up wrestling today so besides a few drawings and a discussion about bat's thumbs (his question was "since bats have thumbs can they pick things up like people can?) they have been wrestling. the tournament is due to start soon. and they have been requesting brownies and cookies so some baking is soon to start.
one thing I also did, which is often a hit when I remember, is that instead of making lunch I put all the fixings on their plates and let them make little sandwiches with the stuff. they love that. my 6 year old requested they make their own nachos for lunch tomorrow.
things are looking better than i thought they would at 7 this morning. I was baseing my outlook for today on how things went yesterday.
The ideas are so helpful.
Better get down there, I am supposed to referree the tournament.