I started reading my MOPS magazine right away. I flipped open to the index and saw a special summer fun section. Perfect. Sometime I just need extra ideas for fun ways to entertain my kids!
One of the suggestions was to have a "fun jar". The magazine included a bunch of ideas for 5, 10, and 15 minute fun things to do with the kids. I think this sounds perfect! Later this week I plan to make a jar with the kids (hopefully pictures will follow) and then fill it up. I don't have to work on Friday afternoon or Saturday, so that will probably be the perfect time, especially since there is some rain in the forcast.
Here's what's going in the jar so far, ideas courtesy of the MOPS magazine.
5-minute ideas...
- Blow up a beach ball and volley it to each other, trying to keep it in the air
- Jump rope (I think I'll leave this one out since we don't have a jump rope!)
- Have a free-throw contest: Line up empty buckets, toss in wads of paper, take a step back, aim and shoot again!
- Blow bubbles. See how many you can catch without popping one.
- Twirl in circles.
- Have a laughing contest: loudest, softest, silliest.
- Play tag in the yard.
10-minute ideas...
- Lie on the grass, gaze up at the clouds (or stars)
- Catch fireflies.
- Flip through a scrapbook together.
- Share one of your childhood stories.
- Make an ice-cream shake.
- Take silly-faced photos of each other and email to friends.
- Have an indoor picnic complete with blanket and plasticware.
15-minute ideas...
- Turn off the lights, use a flashlight to hunt for stuffed animals hiding in the house.
- Dress up in mommy and daddy's clothes-take pictures!
- Write a silly story together.
- Take a summer walk. Run through a sprinkler!
- Tell a story by candlelight.
- Videotape your child giving a tour of his bedroom.
Those are the ideas that will go in the jar to begin with. Those ideas won't take us too long. I need you to help me think of more! They don't have to be 5/10/15 minute ideas, just fun or silly or just plain entertaining ideas (preferably ones that don't cost a thing and can be done in our house, backyard, or at nearby parks or trails). I expect the comment section to be bursting with ideas!! Maybe I'll try and post pictures of us doing the activities that are posted in the comment section. :) Yes, I'm bribing you to comment.
3 comments:
I'll start it off...
Make cookies and eat some of the dough (but only some of the dough).
1) Nature Scavanger Hunt - find a nest, find a flower etc. . .
2) Silly face pancakes - breakfast for lunch . . .decorate a face on the pancake with different ingredients (fruit, whipped cream, chocolate chips)
3) Make homemade playdough together and use cookie cutters and kitchen tools to play with them.
4) Take a trip into space! Put blankets in the window to block out the sun and decorate the room like space. Put on space clothes (boots, snowpants, etc) You'll have to turn the air down.
And of course, journal about your adventure every day! You write what they say into their "summer journal" and let them color a picture about their day. Makes for a great memory book. Even add the pictures you take later and put it away to read later and bribe them with at their weddings!
Sorry for the belated post. I've been thinking of ideas for you, though.
-Make things out of paper plates--today N and I made a fish. Cut two paper plates in the shape of a fish. Color. Staple the bottom half of the fish. Stuff w/ newspaper or something. Staple the rest. Glue, tape, or staple on fins. We even attached our fish to a pole!
-Make wind "catchers" from paper plates. Decorate a paper plate w/ crayons, glitter, etc. Attach ribbon, crepe paper, whatever to the bottom. Hang in front of a screened window or door.
-Make crowns from paper plates. Poke a hole in the middle of the paper plate. Then cut the triangular shapes that make a crown. Bend them upright. Color/decorate before or after, your choice!
-And of course the traditional tambourine--fill w/ dried peas, beans--whatever.
I posted this on my site a bit ago-make baskets from empty plastic bottles and pipe cleaners or ribbon.
You can do different stuff w/ muffin cups too--make flowers, lions and other such animals.
Put Queen Ann's Lace in colored water.
Use different things to paint w/. We used paint brushes w/ water on the driveway. Use string, sponges, hands, cut potatoes or the insides of apples. Put paint on paper and blow on it w/ a straw.
This isn't from home, but...go to the pet store. It's free and Nathan had a great time looking at the animals.
We also went in search of "diggers". They are blding a road near us and so we found a nearby public (more or less :)parking lot and watched all of the diggers, loaders, dumptrucks etc work. That was a huge hit!! I've also thought about taking him to a retail "digger" store. We pass one on the way to the mall area.
Hope that helps!
Been thinking of you,
~Beth
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