Red, White and Blue hunt

Entertaining Game of finding the colors in the American flag.

ADDED June 29, 2008

4th of July is this Friday and here at Today is fun we have loads of great ideas to keep your kids entertained all throughout this patriotic and festive week.

Today’s idea will help get the smallest patriots in the mood by having them look for the colors found in the American flag, red, white and blue. If your kids don’t know what colors are on the American flag this week would be a great time to teach them because flags and displays of patriotism will be everywhere.

 

When your kids have figured out what colors they are looking for turn them loose. When they find the first color “Red” then they can find the next color “White” and then “Blue” then repeat “Red”, “White” and “Blue”.

The idea is very simple and can be used to pass a few minutes at the market or on a car ride or even while you are reading a book this week try pointing out the colors Red, White and Blue when you look at the pictures.

Also don’t forget to drop us an email info@todayisfun.com we will be wearing special 4th of July hats all week (look for this idea later in the week) and it would be great to hear from you!

Weekend Reading -- Racer Dogs

A rousing and rowdy race makes for some fun reading with the kids

ADDED June 27, 2008

A group of dogs, each with its own unique personality, participate in a fast and frenzied car race.

The dogs -- Jack, Trixie, Wags and Stinky among others -- furiously jockey for lead position. (Racer Jack has a habit of mistakenly driving the wrong way, leading to some big problems for everyone.)

The art here is enormously pleasing, and there are many fun details to study. For instance, as the cars speed across each page, you can see a busy, cute supporting character, Pizza Pooch, making deliveries on his scooter.

The story of the race, while completely enjoyable, isn't the main focus. Really, the fun of the book comes from finding all the characters on each page, and seeing what they're up to as the race goes on.

We can't tell you which of these canines takes the big prize (we don't want to give away any plot twists), but suffice to say, it's a hair-raisingly, breath-takingly, and tail-waggingly fun outcome.

Read to those kids, and have a great weekend.

Albert the Aardvark

A fun and funny way for kids to learn letters and alliterations

ADDED June 26, 2008

Ask your kids if they've met Albert the Aardvark. No? They haven't? How about Beulah the Beaver? (She's always quite busy, it seems.) Then there's Connie the Coyote and Donny the Duck-Billed Platypus.

The way our family plays this game is for the adult to supply the kids with the name, and then the kids come up with the animal. The game gets much more fun, you'll see, when your kids can provide both the name and the animal.

Even if your child can only invent gibberish names for the animals ("Frunko the Frog," for instance) as long as they are recognizing and repeating that first letter sound, it's still an approved answer in our book.

Have fun with those kids today, and say hello to Hortense the Hedgehog for us.

(For another fun alliterative word game check out one of our previous posts: Great Gadzooks!)

Coloring Shape By Shape

A fun new twist on coloring and drawing

ADDED June 25, 2008

 

Kids love drawing with crayons and makers. But what happens when the coloring book is all filled in? Or when your child says, "I don't know what to draw now."

Here's a fun way to make a new activity out of drawing and coloring.

First, think of something that your child can draw, something that can be segmented into shapes.

We'll use the example of a tugboat.

You and your kids can draw a tugboat, shape by shape. Here's how: You draw a triangle for the bow and then your child colors it in. Draw a rectangle right next to the triangle to form the main body of the boat. Again have your kid fill it in. Keep adding and coloring parts, shape by shape (a triangle for the stern, a rectangle for the smoke stack), until the boat (or whatever) is done.

The mystery for the kids is a big part of the fun. Don't tell your children what it is they're working on. My kids like to make a guess after each shape. And there is a great deal of excitement in our house when the kids realize what it is they've been so busily coloring.

Here are some other things you and your kids can draw, shape by shape:

a truck
a house
a castle
a teapot
a chef
a monster

If you think of other shape-by-shape coloring items that work well, by all means please let us know.

You and your young artists will have quite a bit of fun on this one, bit by bit.

Fun with Money

An old but entertaining standby: looking at and playing with coins

ADDED June 24, 2008

(This activity is for young kids, but only those old enough to be trusted with coins.  If your toddler tries to run down to the 7-11 and blow the money on candy, well then, he's not ready for this one.  Seriously though, if there's even a chance your child will put the coins in his or her mouth, hold off on this game.)

But if the kids in your house resemble the ones in mine, there are never enough toys on hand.  All the toys -- even the relatively new ones -- have been played with many times already.  So now what?

One idea is to take everyday objects and re-commission them for fun and learning.  For instance, in our house, we play with money.  Quarters, to be exact.

First of all, you're never too young to learn that guy is George Washington, and that he was a great person.  (And there is something incredibly cute about hearing your very young child say the name "George Washington.")

Second, on the other side of the coin, kids like to see the eagle.  Many quarters these days have swapped out that noble bird for other images, and those are fun to find, too.  For instance, did you know that the Oklahoma quarter depicts not an eagle, but a Scissortail Flycatcher?  (It's true.)  And that Colorado's shows some very impressive big mountains?  (Those would be the Rockies.)  More information on these special quarters is here.

Once you're done with the learning quarters have to offer, you'll find they also make fun objects for play.  You can roll them, spin them, or bounce them.  You can stack a handful of quarters and make a tower.  We like to hide a quarter among some blocks as a beginner's "magic trick."

They say money can't buy happiness, but playing with it for a while sure can be pretty fun.

How does your family learn about and play with money?  We'd like to know, so please email us here.

(Thanks to Today Is Fun reader Laurie March for suggesting this activity!  We always welcome fun and creative ways of keeping the little darlings happy and busy.)

Go ashore, sailors!

A fun out-of-doors game to release some of the kids' energy

ADDED June 23, 2008

 

Tell the kids that they are now sailors. (They can certainly be sailors on a pirate ship, if that will increase their interest.)

Show them one part of the yard, which will be their ship. Show them another part of the yard which is the shore. (Ideally, the ship and the shore should be far away from each other.)

Show them a couple other things they'll need to know: how a sea captain salutes and how a mermaid swims (for this, the kids should lie down on the grass and "swim.") One more thing: sometimes on a ship at sea, there are cannon balls being shot from time to time, and when that happens, everybody will definitely want to duck.

Now the motley group of young sailors will need some direction from you. Have the kids stand on the ship and then call out, "All the sailors go to shore!" The kids, of course, have to run from the ship to the shore. As they move, call out, "Salute the captain" or "Swim like a mermaid!" The kids need to react accordingly. When they reach shore, it's time to go back to the ship. Call out, "Cannonball" or "Mermaid!" You get the idea.

This game is fun, it's tiring (in a good way), and it can help show your kids the difference between ship shape and landlubbers. Ahoy!

Monster Class

A fun activity for kids that may involve some growling and howling

ADDED June 22, 2008

This is creative, physical and fun: Have a "Monster Class" with your kids.

You and your kids will all march around the house or backyard like monsters.

But first, you'll need to be the teacher and show the kids how. There are three things to know about monsters:

(1) Each kind of monster walks in its own, special way. ("Big step, little step" is a favorite walk in our house. Also: "stomp, stomp, stomp.")

(2) Each kind of monster does something interesting with its hands and arms as it moves. (Waving arms and claws around, for example.)

(3) And of course, each kind of monster makes a very unique and often unusual noise.

Demonstrate each of those things to your little ones and lead them in practicing how to be monsters. Then, each of the kids can have a turn being the teacher, and you can be the student.

If your child isn't "into" monsters, then you can have "Animal Class" (highly recommended), "Princess Class," "Pirate Class," or "Robot Class."

No matter what, fun is on the curriculum today, and all monsters will get high marks for their efforts!

Weekend Reading: Tick-Tock, Drip-Drop!

An entertaining book about how hard it can be sometimes to go to sleep

ADDED June 20, 2008

Poor Rabbit just can't get to sleep. His friend Mole works hard to eliminate all the causes of the insomnia, stopping the ticking of the clock, putting the purring cat in another room, and so forth.

This book (Tick-Tock, Drip-Drop by Nicola Moon and illustrated by Eleanor Taylor) is highly recommended: the art is delightful and "warm." The story is pretty funny. And it contains some great onomatopoeia words for kids: the clock's tick-tock, the water's drip-drop, the garden gate's bang-bump.

My boys were thrilled when they discovered a somewhat subtle detail: in the background of one of the pages, the garden gate falls on top of Mole for a quick moment while he's trying to close it. They find this moment the peak of comedy!

As always, we don't want to give away any of the plot's twists and turns, but let's just say there's a lot of trouble and not a lot of sleeping.

 

Check it out from your local library, or get it from Amazon here.

 

Get some rest yourself this weekend. And have fun reading!

Have you ever seen a PoodleRex?

Word jumble silliness!

ADDED June 19, 2008

Kids are always pretending to be animals. At any time a zoo full of hamsters, hyenas or hippopotami can be found thundering thru the house.  The question that always comes up is, “Dad, what kind of animal do you want to be?” I usually choose hippopotamus because they float around, listen to the zookeeper (my daughter)  and don’t get into a lot of trouble.

But sometimes when posed with this question what I’ll do is take two animals and create a new animal. It is really simple, take the first part of one animal and combine it with the last part of another animal and presto you have the fearsome ham-opotamus, the deadly hip-yena or the poorly behaved hy-ster.

Try this idea in the car or at the dinner table.  It is fun with sound effects and acting (I always encourage gentle acting), but I love to see their imaginations light up when one of these mythical creatures appear

Here is a list of my favorites The Rabburtle (Rabbit and Turtle), Buffmunk (Buffalo and Chipmunk) and Rhinokey (Rhino and Monkey) are all favorites.  And in my sons mind nothing is better then the ferocious PoodleRex (Tyrannosaurus Rex and Poodle) I just wish we could house break him!  

Next time you are asked, “what animal do you want to be” Let us know what you and you kids come up with. We are just an email away info@todayisfun.com or leave a comment.

Morning Muffins

A simple muffin recipe makes any morning fun.

ADDED June 18, 2008

Certain mornings cold cereal does not work. So what the kids and I like to do on a weekend morning is make this simple mini blueberry muffin recipe. It is quick, easy and has little clean up so you can get on with other things. It is also best if we can make the muffins and not wake up Mom. Try it this weekend I guarentee everyone will be pleased with the results.

 

For some reason I memorized this recipe. So what I like to do is have my kids test me every time we make these just so I don’t forget something important. I like to think it helps them with reading and I can empathize with them as they memorize spelling words. They also do a majority of the measuring and all batter testing.

If you don’t want to memorize the recipe (and I don’t blame you) print it out and let your kids do the reading and measuring.

Try it and let me know how it goes. When I say everyone can do it I do mean it.
1. 2 cups of flour
2. 1/2 cup sugar
3. 3 tsp baking powder
4. ½ tsp cinnamon
5. 1/8 tsp salt
6. 1 egg
7. ¾ cup milk
8. 1/3 cup butter
9. 2 tsp vanilla
10. 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix all dry ingredients add wet ingredients and fold in blueberries (or cranberries or chocolate chips!)
Fill greased mini muffin pans
Bake for 10-15 min or until golden brown.
Sprinkle tops of muffins with a little cinnamon & sugar or powdered sugar and eat!

 

Let us know how it goes and email us at info@todayisfun.com photos of the results.

 

*Original recipe for muffins can be found here
http://www.bfeedme.com/mini-fresh-blueberry-muffins-recipe/
Thank you!

The Table Captain

This Simple entertaining and helpful clean up game.

ADDED June 17, 2008

It would be very easy after dinner for everyone to rush away and leave Mom with the clean up. But this does not sound very fun for Mom so what we decided to do is make a game of clean up.

The kids and I take turns being “The Table Captain”. Table Captain is a very important job because they are the Boss, the one that makes sure every thing is cleared off the table and the only person who can give final approval to clean up process.

Here is how we do it, feel free to let me know what works for you. At our house The Table Captain decides the order things will be cleaned up in and is also available to answer any questions about what needs to be cleaned up should anyone forget where the dirty dishes go (this happens to me a lot). We all work together (even the Captain) clearing dishes, bagging leftovers, loading the dishwasher, pushing in chairs and wiping down the table and sneaking scraps of food to the dog.

When we think it is done we ask the Table Captain if the job is complete and only the Table Captain decides it is truly clean. Some Table Captains at my house are very tough.

I like this activity because everybody takes turns being the boss. We all know that when the team works together we can get the job done quickly and the kids really like telling their parents what to do. Don't forget to drop us a note and tell some of you entertaining Table Captain stories.

Sticker Story.

An activity that is sure to stick.

ADDED June 16, 2008

This is a fun activity for a lazy summer afternoon. Take some stickers and one piece of paper. Have you child put all the stickers on the paper. They can be upside down, on top of each other and all over. When all the stickers are applied to the paper now the fun begins.

Look over the page for little scenes or still life portraits that have happened accidentally on the page. Point out how it looks like two of the stickers are having a conversation or how one sticker is standing on its head in a tree. As these scenes begin to develop you and your child can start to make up a story about the action on the page. They usually are short and at my house definitley silly, but Mom always loves to hear all about it.

Yesterday I heard one about a puppy who liked to ride dinosaurs to go camping. When the puppy and the dinosaurs got to the campground they made friends with a family of hamsters and roasted s’mores. Now that’s what I call a story.

Water Painting

Part of our Summer activities series

ADDED June 15, 2008

A great way to pass an afternoon is to head outside and give your little ones a small cup of water and a paint brush. Sit down on the sidewalk you are now ready to paint. The water will make the cement dark, this is your paint and sidewalk is the canvas. Help you child practice letters, numbers or even words if you are fast enough. Explain how evaporation works and before you know it a whole afternoon has done just that. Have Fun!

Weekend Reading -- What Daddies Do Best

In honor of tomorrow's holiday, some fine reading for kids and Dads

ADDED June 14, 2008

 What Daddies Do Best, by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, is a cute book showing some busy animals (who happen to be Dads and their kids) engaged in a lot of fun, together-time activities.

 

Some examples:

Daddies can teach you how to ride a bicycle.

They can give you a piggyback ride

and take care of you when you're sick.

Daddies can watch the sun set with you

Daddies can read you a bedtime story

and kiss you good-night.

As always, we don't want to give away any of the plot's twists and turns. You'll have to pick up a copy off Amazon or at your local library.

 

But no review of this book would be complete without letting you know that the really nice thing about it is that when you turn the book over, there is another story for you and your kids to read. This additional one is called What Mommies Do Best, and is just as cute, charming, and pro-parent.

 

Have some fun reading this weekend, and Happy Father's Day!

 

 

DON'T Knock Down My Tower

A rowdy, rough-housing, fun and physical game

ADDED June 13, 2008

First, a warning. Most of our ideas are pretty mellow, and nobody will get hurt while trying them. This one is different. Be careful! Somebody could get hurt.

This activity can get a little rough, and it might be a fun one to do with Dad over the weekend.

Okay, now that we've offered that disclaimer, here's the game . . .

Set up a stack of things: dominos, blocks, whatever you have available. It should be a 'tower,' and it should be a foot or so high.

Now you tell the kids, "DON'T knock down my tower!"

If your kids are like mine, they'll immediately see the game here, and they will absolutely want to do just that very thing.

The object is for the adult to try to stop the kids from knocking the tower down.

That's it. The kids do whatever they can to knock the tower down, and you do whatever you can to stop them.

This can be difficult, especially the more children are involved in the activity, and especially if your kids are determined and wily, the way mine are.

Because this game can potentially be rough and can involve some falling down, you'll want to play it somewhere that offers 'soft landings:' on the grass, for instance, or on a nice thick carpet. And it's a better game for older kids than for littler ones.

Have some fun with Dad this weekend. And whatever you do, don't knock down my tower!

 

(See the post right below this one for some great, possibly last minute ideas and suggestions for Father's Day.)

Some Father's Day Suggestions

The big day is almost here . . . and we're here to help.

ADDED June 12, 2008

The American people have set aside one day to honor dads.  That day is coming right up, in case you've forgotten.

 

(We've heard there is a small but vocal group of people who are lobbying Congress to have Mother's Day stretched into Mother's Week, or Mother's Month, in honor of all the work that Moms do for their kids.)

 

To make Father's Day special and memorable for your kids' Dad, you don't have to work too hard, and you certainly don't have to spend much money. A couple of small, special activities and commemorations will definitely do the trick.

Here are a few quick suggestions to make Father's Day a hit in your house.

1. Put together something for your husband that includes a photo of your kid or kids. Kinko's can make a for-the-car plastic coffee cup that they can put a photo in. You could also write "Best Dad Ever" or something to that effect on there.

2. Plan an activity that gets your husband out and about with your kids. A picnic for the family in a park could be a lot of fun.

3. Make the whole day special: a special waffle breakfast, a family walk around the block, etc. Do special, different things and tell your husband that it's in honor of him!

4. Make some signs extolling your husband and hang them around the house when he's sleeping. (For some free ones that we made and that you can download, click here.)

5. Have fun and be happy! This might be obvious, but the more you are upbeat and celebratory, the more that attitude will pervade the whole family.

Here's hoping you have a great Father's Day in your house. (And if you need any last minute suggestions or advice, feel free to email us at fun@todayisfun.com).

Family Survey

Take a fun survey of your family's preferences

ADDED June 11, 2008

An easy-to-do, fun conversation starter with the kids.

Make a chart on a blank piece of paper. On the far left, create a column called "Question." Next you'll want to have a column for each person in the family, Mom, Dad, kids, and so forth.

Write a simple either-or question in the first column, and then ask it to your kids. "Which do you like better, purple or yellow?" Write each person's response in their column.

Here are some categories we used, that will undoubtedly spark ideas for you. Which do you like better:

 

Chocolate or raisins
Ketchup or mustard
Blue or green
Purple or yellow
Dogs or cats
Manta rays or sea horses
Cows or horses
Drums or guitars
Flutes or trombones
Crayons or markers
Batman or Superman
Climbing up or sliding down

Baths or showers

Shouting or whispering

Quarter or penny

 

For my family, a big part of the fun is learning about charts, and studying the one we make. Another part of the fun is reviewing each family member's response, and finding similarities and differences. "Oh, Mommy and I both like ketchup more than mustard--but Daddy really likes mustard!"

Kids' Games: Throw for Your Dinner

A fun throwing game for kids that works indoors or out -- and the stakes are rather high

ADDED June 10, 2008

 

With summer coming in and temperatures on the rise, we're going to be providing some ideas about having fun outside. However, sometimes it's nice to stay indoors, out of the heat, and this idea is a physical activity that can work for those times, too. You can play it inside or out.

You'll need three to five tupperware of varying sizes and shapes. You'll also need one of your child's durable plastic toys that is about the size of their fist. In our house, we have some plastic toy vegetables that work perfectly.

Arrange the tupperware on the floor (or grass) a few feet away from your child. Tell them they can't move their feet, but they have to get the toy into one of the tupperware. Of course, they'll have to throw.

They get an unlimited number of chances.

Kids enjoy this activity. It seems to be the right amount of challenging for young kids: it's hard and requires some trying, but it's not too difficult.

To up the stakes a bit, I always tell my boys that they can't have any dinner unless they get the item in each of the tupperwares. (They know I'm joking, so they're not too traumatized.)   It is fun to hear a 3-year-old say, after his throw goes wide, "Oh, no!   No dinner for me!"

Plate it up!

Yes, yes. Technically this is playing with your food. But it's fun and educational, too.

ADDED June 09, 2008

 

Plating is what they call it in restaurants, when they put food onto a plate with an eye towards the presentation.

This is simple, fun, and possibly educational thing you can do in your own home. Do some plating that stimulates your kids' brains.

When I serve peanut butter on toast, I quickly cut the bread into many small triangles and spread them around the plate. My kids are immediately intrigued and are sure to comment on what they see. In the process, of course, we learn about shapes and spatial distances.

I do other sly things with the kids' food, to get them to take notice. I'll put three different kinds of fruit on three different little plates. I'll serve banana slices as a stacked tower or circling the edges of the dish. Anything to mix it up and get them talking.

A little creativity can provide an instant topic of conversation, and help kids have fun and learn something, too.

So have fun, and plate it up!

Free Father's Day Signs to Color

You print, your child colors, and Dad gets teary-eyed at how thoughtful you guys are

ADDED June 08, 2008

Yes, another major holiday is upon us. Father's Day is this coming Sunday, June 15. Now we know you've dedicated yourself to shopping for this event for months now, you've fought the crowds at the local mall, and now you have many, many presents all lined up. Or maybe not.

Either way, why not add these coloring pages to the celebration? It's a fun activity for your kids during the week, and it will help the house look great on the big day.

 

Festive Sign #1
Festive Sign #2
Festive Sign #3
Festive Sign #4

Simply print the pages and turn them over to your home's resident artists. Once suitably beautiful, you might want to tuck these away in a drawer until Sunday, and then have your young ones help tape them up where Dad will see them.

We'd be happy to see some of your creations if you could email us pictures. You can also email us at fun@todayisfun.com if you need more Father's Day suggestions.

Have a Happy Holiday!

Jumper Helper

A little boost for kids can be lots of fun

ADDED June 05, 2008

Okay, this is a very simple idea. We hope it's not too simple, and that you don't demand your money back...

This is a good activity for a spare minute or two. I play it with my four year old while his younger brother is getting his diaper changed.

Your child is standing around, maybe while waiting. You say, "Ready to play Jumper Helper?"

When you get a yes answer, hold both of the child's hands. You say, "I'm going to count to three, and then you jump."

You count. On three, when your child jumps up, you pull them up by their hands, lifting them just a little farther up into the air (like 1 or 2 extra inches.)

It's super simple, and kids like it. Try it out -- it's fun.

(Jumper Helper is in no way related to Hamburger Helper or General Mills, in case you were wondering.)

 

Portable Game Books

Print out these handy games for anytime fun.

ADDED June 04, 2008

The other day I was looking for a simple organizer that I could print out and fold into a small pocket size to do list. I happened upon this very handy little organizer at
http://www.pocketmod.com/v2/
and as I looked thru the options for coordinating my life I found you could make little books of Tic-Tack-Toe, Dots and Boxes or a Blank Page for Doodling even little frames to make your own stories in, all you have to do is print, fold and cut to create a little portable game book to take anywhere. I immediatley printed some out and put them to use.

They really are a lot of fun and super simple to make. We have been playing a game of Dots and Boxes after dinner for the past 3 nights (this game can be very long) and the Tic-Tac-Toe book really came in handy during a recent Doctors visit and I can’t wait to use the Doodling book at a restaurant very soon.

I made five little booklets to print and take. I really like them. Let me know what you think!
Click link below to download in pdf format and print!

1) Tic-Tac-Toe
2) Dots and Boxes
3) ½ Tic-Tac-Toe & ½ Dots and Boxes
4) Blank pages for coloring
5) Make your own story

If you are having trouble folding the paper look here for a quick primer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAb31rIeGZo
and if you forgot the rules of Tic-Tac-Toe look here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tic-tac-toe
also if you are not quite sure how to play Dots and Boxes look here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dots_and_Boxes
and of course you can always email us here to let us know how it’s going.
info@todayisfun.com

 

A little help and a lot of learning

Daily chores made fun with the help of your little one!

ADDED June 03, 2008

On laundry day the little ones in my house always like to help. But all the good jobs are taken. Dumping the mountain of dirty clothes that’s to heavy. Folding clean clothes is too hard. Sleeping on the pile of clean or dirty clothes that’s the dogs business. So what to do? Have the littlest ones sort the clothes. You can’t wash whites with colors -- and you have to do it anyway -- so put ’em to work.

It’s really not that hard. Three piles:  white, dark and colors. If they don’t understand, this is a great opportunity to teach while you work together. Explain and show them what pile the clothes go into. Before you know it the job is done and back to the fun. An unexpected bonus: training for college laundromats.

 

What jobs do you give your little ones? Drop us an email at info@todayisfun.com or leave a comment!

The Eggs are gone, but the fun has just begun

Make recycling items into toys

ADDED June 02, 2008

 

The other day my beautiful wife was cleaning out the refrigerator and putting away some groceries.  She set aside and empty egg carton for recycling.  Our daughter asked if she could have the carton.

 

“I could paint it and make it into a ride for some of my toys," she said.

 

“Great idea," I said.  And that is exactly what she did.

So that got me thinking about what else we have that can be recycled for fun. With a little cleaning and some tape, paint or stickers, all sorts of things that were heading to the recycling bin but could be put into the fun bin.

So over the next few days, we were playing with empty water bottles in the tub, stacking tin cans left over from a pot of chili and making tunnels for hot wheels from tubes of empty toilet paper rolls. It has been fun to try and see something else in what we would have just thrown away.

We do this all the time!  And now this is not a parent guided activity. My kids are always on the prowl for new things to reuse and play with.

And when the fun is done you can still recycle, of course. We would like to hear what recycled toys you come up with. Be safe and have fun.

Jump, Hop and Skip.

Help make kids tired legs even more tired and stop complaining at the same time with this entertaining idea.

ADDED June 01, 2008

We have been trying to walk places lately. With gas prices being what they are I see both a health and financial benefit.  However little legs sure grow tired when they are asked to walk places. I do imagine if we were to walk to a toy store I would not hear one complaint but three blocks to the market and you would think we were walking uphill both ways.

So what I will do is make the mundane exciting. I will tell my kids, “let’s jump the next five cracks in the cement” and like magic their legs are healed and we are off jumping over the next five cracks. Once we have finished our hopping they will usually ask what is next and from there the game is on and the complaining ends. I will have them hopping, skipping, jumping, running forwards and backwards, they will be worn ragged and looking at the smiles on their faces you would not even know it.

What is great about this game is once it is started it really does not stop till we get to where we are going and usually we are having such a good old time we can not wait to get our shopping taken care of so we can get back to the hopping, skipping, jumping, running forwards and backwards.

This is a great activity for the mall, giant super store parking lot (hand holding required) or even a sporting event (again hand holding required) because you never park near your seats. Let us know where this idea works for you!