Photo Walk

Wasting "film" is fun!

ADDED January 05, 2009

 

Ah, the blessings of a digital camera.  Remember when we were all kids, and our parents didn't want us to waste film?  That is now a thing of the past.

Take your little ones on a walk around the block.  Bring along your digital camera, and take pictures of whatever intrigues them.

It'll be fun to get outside, and it'll be fun for your kids to direct you as to the picture taking. 

Get your kids talking about why they want certain pictures taken.  (My kids wanted a lot of shots of tires, for example.  They said they like to look to see which tires are muddy and which aren't.)

During the walk, explain to your kids that they can take some of their photos and re-create them with art stuff.  You can show them one of their pictures on the computer, and then they can draw it using markers and paper.  And they can change the image to suit their imagination.  For instance, my boys wanted to change a row of cypress trees into rocket ships lined up.  A garage door with many panels was chosen to become a board game with many squares.

Finally, you can save your kids' photos on your computer and review in the future.  It's amazing how photographing something makes it "more" of something.  Suddenly it's not just a walk around the block, it's a "special walk with Mommy's camera!"

Have fun, and please be respectful of your neighbors on the walk.  Don't trample your neighbors' flower beds, so you can take pictures through their windows of them eating breakfast.  The excuse "But my kids told me to" might not work so well!

 

--S

 

 

ages 3-12, good any time, good at home, good for a group, longer activity,

Daily Triple Treat - Monday Edition

An old stand by, historical significance and a scale full of oranges.

ADDED December 29, 2008

Last week we had the week of Great Gargantuan Giving at Today is Fun.  Needless to say, it was a hit.  People loved it, and the question everybody asked was, "How will you ever top the week of Great Gargantuan Giving?"

Well don't worry, we've devised a way to make keep the special-ness going during this final week of 2008.   We have decided to give you three ideas each day that encourage family togetherness. We are ending the year with a DAILY TRIPLE TREAT!   That's right three ideas every day!  

One idea will be for inside fun, one idea for outside fun, and one idea will be educational fun. As usual they are all completely free, easy, and -- best of all -- fun. Please, tell your friends: we have a feeling the TRIPLE TREAT is going to be a very helpful and popular feature!

 

Monday's Treats
Inside Treat-  Today try the old stand-by a board game.  It can be Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Memory, Hi-Ho Cherry-O or Elefun. While these games may take some time to play and might not be the most entertaining activity for an adult, you will be spending time with your kids . . . and that is fun for everyone.

Outside Treat-  Visit a local park.  But today don't go to an old standby park. (You know, the one with the play structure and ice cream man).  Forgo the familiar and try another park:  maybe a National Park that has some historical significance or a local park that has a hiking trail. Wherever you end up, pack a lunch and make a day of it; this activity will not be soon forgotten!

Educational Treat-  Practice counting on your trip to the market with our idea Market Price (If you missed it here is the link).  This is a truly great idea for kids of all ages.  Really, what is more fun than a scale and some oranges?   After all, you do have to pick up something for lunch at the local park?

 

 Picture thanks to mag3737

educational, good at home, quick activity,

Make-Your-Body-Like-This Cards

Can your kids position their bodies like this?

ADDED December 22, 2008

 

We are proud to announce a week of Great Gargantuan Giving here at Today is Fun.  In honor of Christmas, we will have fabulous give-aways each day!  Please, tell your friends!

We're kicking off the week with our patented and popular Make-Your-Body-Like-This Cards.

Download these PDFs and cut the cards out.  Have your kids choose cards and make their bodies like the positions depicted.  It's that simple.

 

Batch #1            Batch #2            Batch #3

The body positions on the cards are intentionally a little abstract.  It's up to your kids to use their creativity and ingenuity with their own bodies.  They can interpret the positions any way they want; they can do the positions standing, sitting, or lying down.

Some more ideas with these cards:

• Your kids can color the drawings in.  They can also draw faces on them.
• On a rainy day, do a 'speed round' with these cards to get the kids' bodies moving and exercising in the house.
• Do you have kids who like princesses?  Pirates?  Ballerinas or bandits?  (Or in our house at the moment:  bad guys.)  Have your kids do the positions as a pirate or princess or whatever their favorite character is.

If you like these cards, please by all means email us and let us know.  We'll make more... (Also, we happen to think that one of these body positions definitely looks like a sumo wrestler.  Another like a zombie from the Thriller video.  If you care to take a guess as to which number is which, please email or make a comment!)

--S

ages 2-8, art supplies needed, good at home, good for a group, longer activity, rainy day fun,

Quizmaster & Answermaster

Because all good games have funny titles.

ADDED December 19, 2008

To play this game you need two people the first person is the Quizmaster the second the Answermaster.  The Quizmaster asks the questions and the Answermaster answers the questions.  This game is fantastic for all ages because the questions can be tailored appropriately to make it easy for everyone to win.  It also can be played as a group activity to include many more kids if needed.

First the person who is the Quizmaster thinks of two or three things that have one thing in common, for example shark, octopus and sea cucumber. Next the Quizmaster poses their question to Answermaster,” What is the same about these three things, a shark, an octopus and a sea cucumber?”  At this point if you have a group of kids, in an orderly manner everyone in the group takes a turn giving their best answer to the Answermaster. When all the answers are tallied the Answermaster tells the Quizmaster the answer, “They all live in the ocean”.  Now the Quizmaster becomes the Answermaster and it is their turn to think of of two or three things that are the same.

The game works great using a variety of topics and the questions can range from very simple to extremely difficult, here are some starters:

Quizmaster question:
What is the same about these three things red, blue and green?

Answermaster answer.
All three are colors.

Quizmaster question:
What is the same about these three things truck, car and van?

Answermaster answer.
All three are cars.

Quizmaster question:
What is the same about these three things elbow, toe, and nose?

Answermaster answer.
All three are parts of your body.

Quizmaster question:
What is the same about these three things sleepingbag, tent and flashlight?

Answermaster answer.
All three are used for camping.

Try it today and use the comments section to let us know what you little Quizmasters come up with!  

ages 4-12, educational, good any time, good at home, good for a group, good for a restaurant or public place, Good for bathtime, good for mealtimes, good for the car, may rile them up, no 'props' needed, quick activity, rainy day fun, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

Indoor Holiday light show

Create a light show at home.

ADDED December 16, 2008

This time of year some people choose to create very elaborate Holiday light shows on the outside of their house but very few create this type of intricate display inside their house.  Today’s activity is silly and rowdy but as always we’ll try to add a little learning to the fun.

I will usually start this activity by playing some festive music, all good light shows have music.  Really any music will work, but try to pick something with a strong beat or peppy rhythm.  Then flick the lights on and off with the music creating a rhythmic syncopation.  While the lights are flicking on and off take turns pretending to see the different colors of the light show.  For example you can say, “I love to see the red lights” or “Oh my, the blue lights are so very pretty”.  

You can also mention some colors that your kids might not know yet to stimulate imaginations and expand their vocabulary, words like Amber, Cerulean and Vermilion.  Imagination is key to the success of this activity.

When the light show is in full effect let your kids have a chance.  Explain how they can listen to the music and anticipate the beats as they create their own light show.  Who knows you could be preparing them for a career at the “happiest place on earth” or just helping to expand their vocabulary by using Saffron in a sentence.  Have fun and let us know if the neighbors slow down as they drive by.

-P

ages 2-8, educational, good at home, may rile them up, no 'props' needed, quick activity, verbal activity,

A Good Old-Fashioned Penny Battle

Edge-of-your-seat thrills for your little ones . . . using just a little money

ADDED December 11, 2008

Well actually, this isn't all that old-fashioned.  We've never really heard of one before.  But it's so simple and straightforward that it could have been an entertaining pastime of yore.

 

You need two people for this game, one to take heads, the other to represent tails.  (A third person could be the 'designated flipper, if you so desire.  But two people can also take turns being the flipper.)

First, your child needs to create two "boards" using pen and paper.  To do this, draw seven boxes on each page.  One of the two pages will be designated heads, the other tails.  Get a bunch of pennies, at least thirteen of them.

Then flip a coin.  If it's heads, that penny goes into a box on the heads person's board.  If it's tails, well that goes on the tails person's page.  Keep flipping.  The first person to get seven boxes filled with pennies wins!  And after that person wins, clear the boards and get flipping again.

A bunch of people think that pennies are practically worthless.  Well, those people haven't experienced the fun of a good old-fashioned penny battle!  Game on!

 

--S

ages 2-8, art supplies needed, good at home, rainy day fun,

Cereal Box Puppets

Along with the whales, Save the Socks!

ADDED December 09, 2008

 

What's something around your house that you can use to make puppets with your kids?  Socks come right to mind, but there's a problem with them:  if you make sock puppets, you can't wear those socks anymore!  (The eyes, noses and mouths make for pretty uncomfortable footwear.)

So today we present . . . little cereal box puppets!  Little cereal boxes are often found on camping trips, but these days they're also available on the shelves of almost any grocery store.  If you buy these multi-cereal samplers, you should know that they are just the right size to make brilliant puppets with your kids.

First, cut open the boxes to flip them inside out.  Use the "blank" side as the canvas for your puppets.

Second, use markers, construction paper, glue, tape, and whatever you've got handy to make fun and funny puppet faces.

Finally, tape up the puppets back into their original box shape -- ready for little hands to use.

(Here's a couple insider secrets on making these things:  (1)  Make the puppet faces first and then tape the boxes up.  It's trickier if you reverse the order of these steps.  (2)  When you tape the boxes back up, start with a couple pieces of tape on the inside.  This will help in the sturdiness department.  (3)  Make similar faces for the front and back of the boxes, but with different expressions.  That way, during a puppet show, a happy character can suddenly switch around to be a completely shocked one!)

If you don't buy those little cereal boxes, you can save and use big ones over time.  Other kinds of boxes will probably work just fine, too.

After the puppets are done, you guys are ready for a spectacular, cereal-box-puppet presentation.  Everyone will have fun and will be able to say, "No socks were harmed in the production of this show!"

 

--S

ages 3-12, art supplies needed, good at home, rainy day fun,

Vowel-No-Vowel

Fun with vowels and no-vowels

ADDED December 08, 2008

 

What do you get when you take a piece of paper and write a vowel, a no-vowel, and a vowel?

If you can figure out a funny punch line to the above question, please email us with it.  But actually, we're not joking.  The real answer to that question is:  you get a word.

Try it with your kids.  First have them take a blank piece of paper and write down all the vowels:  A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y.

Now have them draw a line around those vowels, to separate them from the rest of the blank page.  Now that we've got the vowels nicely aligned, we're not going to be writing in that area any more.

Have your kid write any letter that's not a vowel (a "no vowel"), then any vowel, and then another no-vowel. 

Now they've done it:  they've got a word!

Well, some kind of word.  We're willing to concede that it might be gibberish.  But it will be some kind of word; it will be something that you guys will be able to pronounce.

The first time my 4-year-old tried this out, his no-vowel, vowel, no-vowel creation was:  ZEC.  Well, it's pronounceable at least, right?

But after we pronounced Zec, I could see a light go on for him.  His next creation was:  CAT.  Then DOG.  He was on a roll.

Then he said, "Daddy, I just wrote no-vowel, vowel, no-vowel, no-vowel."  What was that, I asked.  It turned out to be his friend, JACK.

This diversion will get your little ones thinking about letters and vowels, as well as how they all go together to make words.

And when you guys are learning like crazy and having loads of fun, you can try this tricky one on for size:  YIPPEE!  (Also known as:  sometimes vowel, vowel, no vowel, no vowel, vowel, vowel)

ages 4-12, educational, good any time, good at home,

Words that end with A and T together

Fill in the blank and turn on the fun

ADDED December 05, 2008

Have you ever noticed how many three letter words end with A and T together?  Using A-and-T-ending words, we created a fun game that you can play with your kids in the car, at dinner, before bed, and beyond...
 
First start with the word "CAT."  Spell the word (C-A-T) and then ask, "Can you think of any other words that end with the '-AT' sound?"  

If you think it will help the activity along, provide more examples of words that end with -AT.  Words like hat or rat.  

Once you and your kids have thought up many, many words that end in -AT, start at the beginning of the alphabet and work together to add the -AT sound after every letter in the alphabet.  (This sounds like it might take a while but it is faster than you think.)
 
In our house, when we have finished going through the alphabet and laughing at all the funny made-up words like "jat" and "qat," we move on to other ending sounds like -AN.

Have fun, and please let us know if you can find the meaning of the words "yat" and "yan!"

ages 2-7, educational, good any time, good at home, good for a group, good for a restaurant or public place, Good for bathtime, good for the car, may rile them up, no 'props' needed, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

Huggy!

A nice monster

ADDED December 04, 2008

Huggy is a very nice monster, just listening to his name you can discern he likes to be hugged.

When you hear him say, “ Huggy” you have to hug him or he will repeat his name over and over while chasing you.  Huggy is very fast.  If you like to be chased please don't hug him.  He only stops repeating his name and chasing when he gets a hug.  Beware if you let him into your house you will have to give him a lot of hugs.  I would suggest only those who are not stingy with hugs invite him in.  

 Moms can be Huggys, Dads can be Huggys even kids can be Huggys. They all are very polite and if you don't want a hug they will not hug you and but be aware they can be persistent in their pursuit of hugs.

Should you let Huggy into your house today?  He really is a nice monster.

ages 3-12, good any time, good at home, good for a group, may rile them up, no 'props' needed, quick activity, see our disclaimer,

Box art

Recycled art is the best

ADDED December 03, 2008

After a trip to the market a few days back, as I was unpacking some magically sugary snacks, I had an idea for a recycled box art craft.  So I started flattening and saving boxes.   In about a week I was able to save enough boxes for this easy imagination charged recycled art craft.
 
First, take the three or four boxes.  Get some pens, stickers, scissors and warm up a little creativity. Second, have an adult cut the boxes to make them flat because sometimes the cardboard can be a little thick and difficult to cut.  This is your canvas. Then encourage your kids to spend a few minutes visualizing what the cardboard canvas could be. Here is a very brief list of a few things we though would be grand if made out of a recycled box:

A monster
A bus
A spaceman
A sign to a party
A big birthday card

 And then go for it!  Let those imaginations run wild! The sky is the limit (or in this case the edges of your box)!
 
And here is what we made
 A mailbox
A computer
A robot
A jump for cars
 

Try it today make your trash into something fantastic!  We will post submissions for all to see so start sending your photos to info@todayisfun.com.  The most creative piece of box art will receive a conduct happiness shirt courtesy of conducthappiness.com.

Contest ends 12/10/08!

ages 3-12, educational, good at home, longer activity,

Place Cards

A time-honored Thanksgiving tradition can be a fun and helpful activity for your kids

ADDED November 26, 2008

 

 

(Just so you know, I don't very much like place cards.  I like to be in control of my seating location, and I like to sit wherever my fancy strikes.  And I don't want to be stuck yet again with Aunt Nancy, who always regales me with stories about cats.)

That all being said, place cards do sometimes seem to show up at Thanksgiving dinner.  And making place cards can be a good thing to do for young kids.

First, it's an activity, an opportunity to do and make and to be creative.  Also, it's a good way to review with your kids all the people who they will encounter at the Thanksgiving festivities.  It's a good excuse to talk about all the guests at Thanksgiving beforehand, so they won't point and say "Who's that guy?  Why is that person here at dinner?"

If you don't like place cards (did I mention that I don't?), then change this activity from place card to a "gift card."  Have your kids make a postcard-like item for each person, and hand them out before the meal.  Each card could include a drawing and a stylized representation of the recipient's name.

And fine, if you must, you and the kids just go ahead and make place cards for the table.  It could be fun for them.  Just please don't sit me next to Aunt Nancy!

(All persons listed in this post are fictitious.  And I am always kind to seniors and will listen to cat stories!  That business was joke.)

ages 3-12, art supplies needed, good at home,

Professional Food Tasters

Better than bad and better than good

ADDED November 25, 2008

What words can you use to describe food?  If you're like most Americans, there are three words you use to describe food:  good, bad, and delicious.  You might throw in an occasional "awful" or "wonderful," too, but of all those words we've just reviewed, only "delicious" is specific to food.

There are people whose job is taste food:  Professional Food Tasters.  And those people have to use better words than "awful" and "delicious," right?

Right.  They do.  There are many, many words to describe food specifically.  And what better opportunity for your kids to try some of these words out than . . . your Thanksgiving feast?

Here are some fine words to describe food . . .

•  crunchy
•  crispy
•  spicy
•  sweet
•  salty
•  buttery
•  flavorful

During meals this week, teach your kids some or all of the words in that list.  You could plan to include foods that get you guys talking about sweet and about salty (apples and pretzels, for example).  

Then, encourage your kids to use their new vocabulary to fun effect during Thanksgiving dinner.  This can also be a tool if they get restless:  talk about the Thanksgiving food.  What is the most crunchy thing on your plate?  What is the most buttery?  What is salty and what is sweet?  What is your favorite item?

Do try to show respect for the person who cooked the meal, of course.  We don't want your kids using descriptive words like "icky" or "inedible" during the holiday celebration!

(We didn't want to inundate you with words, so we just featured the ones above.  But here's a quick appendix of more food adjectives, if you're so inclined:  savory, garlicky, nutty, minty, zesty, tart, tangy, sharp, mouthwatering, tasty, yummy, delectable, bitter, flavorful, lemony, chocolatey, and so on.)

ages 3-12, educational, good at home, good for a group, good for a restaurant or public place, good for mealtimes, no 'props' needed,

Point and say, point and delay, point and no way!

A tricky, fun word game that'll get those brain cells moving

ADDED November 24, 2008

In honor of this festive Thanksgiving week, we're posting activities with special holiday relevance.  However, you'll certainly be able to tweak this one for non-holiday days, too.

Imagine this:  it's Thanksgiving afternoon, and dinner is still an hour off.  The kids are restless, a little shy around various unknown relatives, and bored with the assortment of toys you've brought along to the dinner.  So, give this game a try . . .

 

First, "point and say."  This one's simple.  You point at anything you see, and say what it is.  "Candle."  "Grandma."   "Place mat."  "Gravy."  Easy as can be.  

Fine, let's move on to "point and delay."  This one is a little bit more tricky.  For the very first item, you point and say nothing.  For instance, you point at the candle, and this time, instead of saying "candle," you say "hmmm."  Then you point to the next item, Grandma.  You don't say Grandma, though; you say "Candle."  Then the place mat.  You say "Grandma."  (You don't have to do the same items or the same order as 'point and say.'  This might work well for younger kids, but it's not required.  We're just using the same items and order here for ease of explanation.)  

Okay, do you understand "point and delay?"  Kind of tricky, huh?  Now the next:  "Point and no way."

This time you point at the candle and say, "Hippopotamus."  You point at beloved Grandma and you say (affectionately), "Sofa cushion."  You point at the place mat and say "Purple pants."  No way!

These are fun and challenging.  They really get everybody's brain cells working.  (They'd also work quite well as a car game--if you can concentrate carefully on the road during the "No way!" exchanges.)

Have some fun with this sorta tricky one.  Oh and one more thing, no matter what you do, if you're pointing at Grandma and she can hear you guys, you better choose words that are respectful and kind!  Give Grandma a break, please, would you?

ages 4-12, good any time, good at home, good for a restaurant or public place, good for the car, no 'props' needed,

Growing fun!

fun for young farmers

ADDED November 21, 2008

One of our favorite things to do with fruits and vegetables is keep the seeds and try to make them grow.   Whenever someone makes fresh-squeezed orange juice, cores an apple, cuts an avocado, or carves a pumpkin, the kids are there, ready to collect the seeds and start the experiment.
 
We put the seeds on a damp paper towel, seal it all in a baggie, and carefully place the experiment on the window sill in the kitchen.  Then we wait and check each day.  (Checking each day is important and fun -- and sometimes we need to inspect the progress more than one time a day!)   Once the seeds sprout, we transfer them to small paper cups, and when they look healthy and strong, we put them into the earth outside.  Most of our seeds don't make it to this final step, but is fun to try and to hope!

Due to my obsession with free stuff, my kids have become avid seed collectors.  Together we have grown watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, grapefruit, apples, oranges, avocado, corn, lemons, key limes and pumpkins.  And by the way, we live in the middle of the city, not out in the country.  Here is a photo of this year's pumpkin crop.

Try to grow your own plants from free seeds today.  Healthy eating is really a lot of fun for kids, especially when they're the ones who served as farmers!

ages 3-12, educational, good at home, longer activity, no 'props' needed, verbal activity,

Secret Holiday Gourd

Toy and decoration all in one

ADDED November 19, 2008

Most houses around Thanksgiving have those little holiday gourds for decoration. They are festive, but really serve no purpose beyond that.  But we have figured out a way to make them festive and fun all at the same time.

ages 2-7, art supplies needed, good at home,

Thanksgiving leaf sculpture

Holiday beauty for all to behold.

ADDED November 18, 2008

 

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than have your little ones make a cool Thanksgiving leaf sculpture?  Nothing says thankfulness like leaves.

First go out and collect some really big leaves.  We used magnolia leaves because of their leathery texture, but really any leaves will work.  Just make sure they are not to brittle and still have their stems.  Next, have your kids lay two or three leaves out in an interesting pattern, making sure the stem and leaves overlap a little bit. Then mark where the stems overlap (you can use a pencil or just eyeball it) and make a tiny cut in the leaf. Once the cut is made, insert the stem into the leaf to connect one leaf to another.  Continue inserting the stems into the leaves until your child's masterpiece is complete.

Have fun and send us photos of your sculpture and we will post them for all to admire.

 

 

ages 2-7, good at home, quick activity,

Clue Countdown

A clue per finger until there are no more left!

ADDED November 13, 2008

 

Think of something -- anything.  Hold up one hand, all five fingers extended.

Tell your kid, "I'm thinking of something.  You can have five guesses to figure out what it is.  And I'll give you a clue before each guess."

(Let's say you're thinking of a cloud.  The first clue you provide is "It's in the sky." Lower one finger.)

If your child doesn't guess the correct answer, provide another clue and fold down on another finger.

(The second clue could be, "It's fluffy.")

I like to try to make the first clue general and then get more and more specific as the guessing goes on.  And I like the last clue to be pretty much a giveaway.

(The last clue, for instance, could be "Rain comes out of them.")

If you're kids can manage it, have them think of something and take five guesses at what it is.

This is a good variation on twenty questions.  Young kids might not know the right questions to narrow the range of answers down.  (Little ones might not ask, "Is it a mineral or a vegetable?")  With this game, you guide them and help them along towards the right answer.

Three, two, one.  Fun!

ages 3-12, good at home, good for a restaurant or public place, good for the car, verbal activity,

Wheel of Fun

Round, random, and lots of fun

ADDED November 12, 2008

 

Sometimes it's all in the presentation.

If you suggest to your child, "Why don't you do eighteen jumping jacks?", they'd probably refuse.  But if a paper plate makes the same suggestion, well, to a kid that kind of presentation just can't be argued with.

Pat Sayjak and Vanna Williams, eat your hearts out, because today we are yukking it up with the Wheel of Fun. 

Draw lines on the face of a white paper plate in order to divvy it into ten equally sized segments.  In each, write a fun or silly activity for your child to perform.  Some examples:

1.  Spin in a circle while singing a song.

2.  Take three towels from the linen closet and make some funny clothes for yourself.

3.  Draw something very fast, then make people guess what it is.

4.  Call somebody in our family on the phone.

5.  Do eighteen jumping jacks.

And so on. 

After you've filled in the activities, punch a small hole in the middle of the plate.  Either insert a spinner from one of your family's board games (we used one from Chutes and Ladders in the photo) or find a wall with a protruding nail on which to hang the wheel.  Each child spins the wheel, and then gets to perform the task.  Repeat as much as you guys want.

This is a lot of fun.  It makes for a great rainy day activity. Kids love the excitement of getting random results, and they love spinning the wheel.

If you're feeling particularly cheeky, you can sneak a couple of activities onto the wheel that will benefit you alone.  You could try adding "fold the laundry" or "wash the kitchen floor" to the wheel to see what results you can get!   Have fun, and get spinning!

ages 3-12, art supplies needed, good at home, good for a group, longer activity, rainy day fun,

Fun with Flickr

And with funny buildings, too

ADDED November 11, 2008

 

Most of you have probably visited the website Flickr.com.  If you haven't, it's definitely worth checking out...for a few hours.

Flickr is a site where anybody and everybody can upload and share their photos for free.  There are millions and millions of photos there, some of them dreadful and some quite amazing.  Simply put, you (and your child) can find anything there.

In fact, here's the first part of today's activity:  if you and your child are so inclined, try to think of something that Flickr can't show you.  An unusual jar? A funny race car? A chocolate bar?  Your child's favorite movie star?  Do a search for any of these:  Flickr's got pictures of them.  A skating rink?  The kitchen sink?  Things that are pink?  Englebert Humbertdink?  Yep, they're on Flickr, too.

And Flickr is great to use as reference, too.  Here's the next step of our activity today:  type "building" into the search field at Flickr.  You and your kid will find thousands of results.  Have a look at some of the different buildings people across the world have built.  Now type "weird building" in.  You'll find many, many very interesting and sometimes very weird constructions there.  

After you guys have enjoyed those sights, take out your trusty paper and markers.  It's time for you guys to create weird buildings of your own.  As you guys draw talk about what makes buildings "normal" or "regular," and what makes them different and strange.  Also ask, because it adds to the fun, "Would you like to live in this weird building?"

Have fun exploring Flickr and the wonderful world of weird buildings.  

(Today is Fun is not affiliated with Flickr in any way.  We think they're cool, though, and hopefully vice-versa.)

ages 4-12, art supplies needed, educational, good at home, longer activity,

Construction Instructions

Drawn to scale, sort of!

ADDED November 10, 2008

 

 

This fun game is inspired by the instructions that come with a complicated Lego toy.  It's also inspired, to a lesser extent, by those Ikea directions that never seem to work out right (or that always include a reference to some mysterious, not-included part.)

Whenever you get a complicated Lego toy, or a model airplane, there are always instructions included in the box.  You can see how to build the item, and you can also see what it is supposed to look like in the end.

Well, why do you have to buy something to get these kind of directions for your child?  You can make these very easily!

Choose some of your child's toys: blocks, Legos, or Tinkertoys certainly work well.  (But you could really do this with any toy:  even toy cars or Barbies.)  Have a look at the toy you've chosen, so you have a good sense of all the different parts and pieces.

Then take out a piece of paper and a pencil.  Draw 'something' for your child to build with the toys in question.  This could be a house, a tower, a maze, a pattern . . . anything.  Make the drawing clear enough to show your kid what toy goes where.

Now your child takes over.  Hand over the 'instructions' you've created and point towards the toys.  Of course, you can be standing by to help with any questions.  But really, your kid should be able to re-create your drawing with the toys without too much of your input.

(If you're using toy cars or Barbies, you might not be able to draw instructions for a house or tower, but instead make instructions for a pattern with them, or to align them in a specific, interesting way.)

The next step of this game is for your child to draw 'instructions' for you to create a toy construction.

Have fun with your instructions and constructions!  (And please remember to submit bulding plans to the city for approval and to make sure everything is up to code!)

ages 4-12, educational, good at home, longer activity,

House band

Rock the house

ADDED November 07, 2008

Some days kids need an opportunity to be loud and rowdy.  With a few simple household items, you can make a little band that will make the neighbors consider calling the cops.
 
Collect a tissue box, the tube from an empty roll of paper towels, two plastic cups, two spoons, two pencils or even two Hot Wheels cars. Anything percussive will work perfectly.
 
Once you and your child have collected the necessary instruments, crank up your favorite music and play along.  Try and play with the percussion if possible.   If you don't have any musical training, it's not a problem; this activity is about noise, fun and creative instruments.
 
Rock it and make some noise!

ages 2-7, good at home, may rile them up, quick activity, rainy day fun, see our disclaimer,

Savings plane

When you are done clipping, coupons make some fun!

ADDED November 04, 2008

At our house, coupons come in the mail on Tuesday.  After looking through the bounty of savings brought by the postman, we have started a tradition that has really become a soaring success.  We make airplanes out of the coupon pages.
 
I believe the simpler the plane the better, so we usually make the basic model.  The basic model is best because it is very easy for the kids to make and we can make a fleet very quickly, giving us more time to fly.
 
After heading outside and giving our planes some air-time, we will ground the fleet and head off to the recycling bin and wait till next Tuesday.
 
We like this idea because it is a quick activity, and it is great fun to make something fun out of what would otherwise just be simply recycled!  To the skies!

 

good at home, may rile them up, quick activity,

The Big, Big-As-The-House, House-Sized Board Game

New fun with the toys and stuff you already have.

ADDED November 03, 2008

My kids and I have been playing board games for while now and this activity is a new twist on a old favorite, the board game.  With this activity, we will take a few items that you already have and use them in a different way to create a giant board game that can be played literally all over your house.  This game is as big as the house!

To play this game you need at least 20 blocks or Legos and a pack of playing cards or dice.  Each player will also need to select a favorite toy to use as a 'marker', like a bear, doll or action figure.

To start, create a trail around the house with the blocks.  Make it huge -- this is a house-sized game.  Each block in the path will be a space for your game. You and your kids can make the path go under chairs, around furniture, and upstairs.  Send your path thru the tub, slide it down the stairs, you can even make it go outside. Just make sure everyone knows where the trail starts and where it ends.

Each player will draw one card from the deck and then move the number of spaces on the card. For example, if you draw a five, move five spaces; if you draw a king or ace, move eleven spaces.  (Alternately you can use dice to come up with a number of spaces to move.)

Then add some fun rules of your own, at my house each player has to act like their marker when they are moving (roaring and snorting animals are best). Another rule we like to add is anytime your marker lands on the stairs you get to slide to the bottom, this often ends in a lot of stuffed animal tumbling action that is a crowd favorite.

Now that you have your giant, house-sized board game set up, play it!  And when you are done, change it and play again, then tear it down and play again tomorrow!  Also if you have a house that is over 10,000 square feet make sure you limit your game play to just a few rooms, like the ballroom and salon.  And make sure you stay away from the grand piano and elevator.
Have fun!

good at home, good for a group, longer activity, may rile them up, rainy day fun, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

Hug Fight

A really nice kind of fight

ADDED October 23, 2008

Everybody has heard of pillow fights, water balloon fights, and even the perennial favorite from cafeterias across the land: food fights.  

But have you ever heard of a "hug fight?"

Hug fights are best at night, right before bed.  They are actually very peaceful, gentle, and don't take a lot of effort.  To have a hug fight, all you need to do is call out "Hug Fight!" and everyone in the room hugs the person or people closest to them.  After a few seconds someone else yells "Hug Fight" a