Left Overs

A day after Thanksgiving tradition

ADDED November 28, 2008

It's the day after Thanksgiving, and in America that means left-overs and Black Friday.

Well, we encourage you to stay home from the stores and play with your kids! Here is a smattering of some fun activities we've posted earlier this year for you to review (or discover for the first time.)

We like to think they're more flavorful and exciting than most Thanksgiving left overs.

• Make a card for someone

• Hide some treasure

• 1,2,3 Quiet Game

• From where do we know?

 

• Look, Ma! No Vowels!

• Use Every Piece

• Coloring Shape by Shape

We're proud of these posts, and some of them haven't been commented on. So if you have a moment, please let us know what you think. And Happy Black Friday!

What I Feel Lucky About

Help your child list things to be grateful for

ADDED November 27, 2008

It's no easy task to explain gratitude to small children.  Some people point out to kids that not everybody has similar nice stuff:  a nice house, nice parents, nice toys, etc.  We're not sure how effective this is, though we certainly respect the attempt.

For small kids, we suggest talking about feeling lucky.  I feel lucky, for instance, to have such a lovely spouse and great kids.

It's very common around this time of year to ask kids, "What are you thankful for?"  We think that question might be too vague, and it might elicit a response such as, "Um, I don't know."

To talk about gratitude with your kids, give them some easy prompts.  (In fact, this could be a car game, too, as you go over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house.)

Try asking with "what is something about _______ that makes you feel lucky?"  For instance, what is something about your friends that makes you feel lucky?

Here are some "lucky" topics to discuss with your little ones, to fill in the blank in our suggested question.

(1)  Their friends, family, and pets
(2)  Things that they play outside
(3)  Things that they play inside
(4)  Things at their school
(5)  Toys or books

Why do this with your kids?  Well, not to fish for compliments or gratitude.  We're sure your kids appreciate you, and if they mention it, great.  If they don't, that's okay, too.

One reason to do this is because grateful people are happy people, and it's never too early to start teaching that tip.  When you feel lucky about something, you are happy, right?  We all have so much to feel lucky about, and to be grateful for, both kids and adults, so why not lead our lives feeling that way?

Happy Thanksgiving!

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.)

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.)

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?

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!

Thanksgiving jokes

Easy to remember and funny.

ADDED November 20, 2008

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.

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.

 

 

Look the moon!

I'm sleepy already.

ADDED November 17, 2008

Here at TIF, we really like the moon, it's big, bright and looks like a big ball.  We shared "First to find the moon" a few weeks back , and today we have another moon activity called "Look the moon."  This activity is best played at night just before bed time; it is a simple activity that even the smallest kids will enjoy so much.   We just know you will be playing every night.
 
First, you need to find a pillow or stuffed animal to play the part of the moon.  Once everybody is in agreement about who or what will be playing the moon, on to the fun. Next make the moon rise in the sky. And when the moon rises everybody puts their head down on a pillow, the floor, or an available shoulder and goes to sleep. Then when the moon lowers on the horizon everybody opens their eyes slowly, stretches and wakes-up.  Then rise the moon and repeat!
 
Try it tonight, remember "when the moon is up heads go down." Good night moon!

 

 

Crazy Letter Sandwich

A tasty, tricky and tremendously entertaining letter activity

ADDED November 14, 2008

In our extended family, there is a darling toddler girl named Mckenna.  She is insanely adorable.

For some unknown reason, my two boys, "Rough" and "Tumble," are entranced by this sweet little girl.  Any activity that invovles a mention of little Mckenna is sure to be a hit.  And so, Mckenna became the starting point for this game.  (When you play, of course you can use a name that has relevance in your family.)

To start the game, I say, "I'm making a sandwich.  Here's what I was thinking to put in it:

•  Mustard,
•  Mayonnaise,
•  Mango,
•  Melon,
•  Mckenna, (yes, that wonderful little girl) and . . .

•  Pickle relish."

Then I ask Rough and Tumble if they can tell me which ingredient doesn't belong in my sandwich.  They know that I can be somewhat tricky, and they quickly catch on to what I'm doing.  Poor little Mckenna stays in my lunch, but pickle relish is out!

After you've asked your kids about your sandwich options, do it again with a different letter.  "I'm making a sandwich.  Here's what I was thinking to put in it:  Grapes, Granola, Goat cheese, Grandpa, a Gorilla and some alfalfa sprouts."

This activity gets kids thinking about letters . . . as well as what belongs or doesn't belong in a group or category.

Because we are who we are, we're including a list of alphabetical ingredients you can download and print.  That way you don't have to think too hard.  Click here.

(Disclaimer:  we at Today is Fun in no way encourage or condone eating kids -- or biting in any way.  This game is just supposed to be silly and fun.)

Good luck making those crazy letter sandwiches!  Bon appetit!

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!

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!

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.)

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!)

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!

Alpha-Candy-bet

Get rid of the extra candy with some reading fun

ADDED November 06, 2008

Because Halloween was on Friday this year, I think my kids got the most treats I have ever seen.  One of their cousins received 136 pieces of candy! That is a shocking number of treats -- an amount so huge that even eating one piece a day (which is the maximum amount kids can eat at my house), it would take 4 months to eat it al!.  Since taking the candy away all together might cause a mutiny, my lovely spouse and I made up an activity that helps the kids chose what candies to keep.  And it gets them reading all at the same time.
 
Here is what we did:   we told them they could keep 27 pieces of candy but they had to find the letter "A" on the wrapper of the first piece of candy, followed by the letter "B" on the next piece and so on until the whole alphabet was represented.
 
So off they went reading each wrapper carefully looking for every letter in the alphabet to maximize their candy returns. For my wife and I, it was fun to hear, "Oh look a Kit Kat. I like those, and it has the letter 'A' in it. Now I need 'B' do you see 'B?'  Butterfinger! Butterfinger has 'B!'"  We also enjoyed hearing the benefits of picking M&M as your "M" candy (because it has two M's)
 
Of course we ran into a little trouble filling out the whole alphabet: the letters X and Z proved a little hard, but after reading the list of ingredients we found all the letters quite easily.
 
In the end each of my kids had 27 pieces of candy, and after they went to bed, my beautiful wife and I played our own candy selection game.  The rules were simple:  what do we like and what should we throw away!  Happy sorting!

Don't spill the tickle!

Training program for young mimes

ADDED November 05, 2008

At night when I am putting my kids to bed, I really don't need much of an excuse to tickle them.  However in my quest for more inventive ways to tickle and make them stay up past their bed time, I created a mime-inspired game called "Don't spill the tickle."
 
It is really easy to play:  cup your hands and pretend you are holding a tickle. Carefully pass it tickle to your child, being very careful not to spill the tickle.  After the tickle has been successfully passed, now it is their turn to pass it back to you. When they are passing, even the smallest bit of shake or wobble will cause the tickle to spill and result in a good tickling.  While the tickling is going on, encourage your child to grab the tickle and pass it back to you as fast as possible in order to stop the tickling.  When the tickle is back under control, keep passing it back and forth until it inevitably spills again.
 
I like this game because if your kids don't want to be tickled, they will be very careful not to spill the tickle.  But if they do like to be tickled, then of course there will be a big spill!

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!

 

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!