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During last July’s 5.8 earthquake, 3-year-old Bronwyn told her 1-year-old sister, “We’re going for a wiggle.” READ MORE
Early Years
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So it's only been two weeks since your kids got out of school and they're already climbing the walls looking for things to do. Whether it was two hours at preschool, or a half-day of kindergarten, the break that you've enjoyed for the last eight months ended when your child's summer vacation began. And what seemed like a welcome end to schedules and car pools has suddenly become a black hole in your child's routine. Play dates, visits to the pool, and walks to the park can fill most of the void, but what about those days when you actually want to take advantage of the whole summer break concept and just stay home? How can you keep them occupied without losing your sanity, or your patience? It might be tempting to pop a few movies in the old VCR and whittle away the afternoon, and truthfully, sometimes that happens. But if you're looking to get those creative juices flowing (in you and your children), and you're searching for a few simple activities you can do together, here are some ideas to get you started. You can pull these projects out of your hat at a moment's notice since most require only a few household ingredients. Better yet, create your own list of ideas, put each one on a small piece of paper and stuff them into a box that your children can pick from when the need arises. In either case, you'll be surprised how quickly those summer afternoons melt away. Bathroom artistry One of the key reasons I send my kids to preschool is so they get the opportunity to do "messy" activities with things like glitter, glue and paint. This way, I don't have to do all the cleanup. But in fact, preschoolers and kindergartners alike love to paint. During the summer months, put them in the bathtub and let them go to town with shaving cream. (Get a muffin tray and add food coloring for colored creamy paint.) You also can make your own bathtub paints with a formula of 1/2 cup liquid dish detergent, 2 T cornstarch, and food coloring. As with any water activity, never leave your children unsupervised when they are painting in the bathtub. Weird science There are many books, Internet sights and other sources that provide simple recipes for everything from Playdough to body glitter. These projects can be an interesting introduction to science and math, but mainly they're a lot of fun. Homemade silly putty 1 part liquid starch, 2 parts Elmer's glue, food coloring as desired. Combine glue and food coloring, add starch one tablespoon at a time, mixing thoroughly. Use your fingers to work substance into a smooth putty. Store in an airtight container. Whirlpool in a bottle 2, 2-litre soda bottles, water, food coloring, duct tape. Fill one bottle 3/4 full with water, add a few drops of food coloring. Tape the bottles together, lining up the openings. (Use enough tape to prevent any leaks.). With the full bottle on top, begin swirling the bottles until the water begins moving in a circular motion. Set the bottles on a flat surface and watch as the water goes into lower bottle. Flubber In one container, mix 1/2 cup each Elmer's glue and water. In second container, mix 1/2 cup warm water with 2 t Borax detergent. Add Borax mixture to glue mixture a little bit at a time, stirring until combined mixture becomes elastic and rubbery. Marshmallow engineering 101 A box of toothpicks and a bag of marshmallows are all you need to make something fantastic. If you have more than one child, get each of them started on their own structure and then combine them to make one giant piece. For older children, it might be more challenging to see what they can create from other household items like bendable straws. Picnic lunch Who says you have to go to a park or the woods to enjoy a picnic. Why not do it in the comfort of your own home? You save time on travel, there are no ants and you don't have to worry about sunburns. Most importantly, if you forget to pack something, you won't have to go far to find it. For an indoor picnic, have your kids decide the menu, help prepare the food and pack the basket. Don't forget to pack a big blanket, some storybooks to read, and maybe even a puzzle. Set up your picnic spot in the family room and be sure to turn off the phone and the TV so you won't have interruptions. Who knows, maybe after you've filled up on your picnic lunch, you'll all be in the mood for a little nap. Story time Use 3x5 index cards or any other paper to help your child create her own book. You copy the story, they recite. Help them cut and paste pictures from magazines or use extra copies of family photos. Storytelling is a fun learning tool for your child and it gives you some insights into what's going on in their minds. Littler ones may want to talk about themselves, while kids 4 and up may reveal quite an imaginative streak. The finished project can be read by you or "told" by your child. Kindergartners may be able to do the reading and writing themselves. |
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