Who do we know ABC's?

Find someone you know for each letter of the alphabet

ADDED September 29, 2009

 

You've probably played the game where you go through the alphabet and think up a food for each letter  (Asparagus for A, Broccoli for B, Cake for C, and so forth.)  Or maybe you've played it using animals (Aardvark, Black Bear, Catfish.) 

Well, our idea today is a variation on that time-honored, classic game.  For this one, you go through the alphabet and find people you know whose names start with each letter.  These people could be friends, family, or anyone your kids know.

For A, my boys thought of friends at school:  Ansel and Ava.

For B, they thought of their karate teacher, Bruce, and their aunt, Beth.

C was for two very good friends:  Cole and Carter.

I was flattered to be their entry for D.  (Daddy.)

The kids had almost no problem finding a person for each letter.  (Q was for Quincy on the Little Einsteins. X was for X-Ray, an invisible alien friend they recently made.)  They were enthusiastic to mentally review all the people they know. 

Making the game personal for my kids seemed to increase their overall enjoyment.  They also enjoy thinking about aardvarks and asparaguses, but this variation was just a little more exciting.

If you like this idea, please tell everybody you know!  From A to Z!

Super Point!

Kids have fun wracking their brains. And without realizing it, they're quite nicely occupied.

ADDED September 28, 2009

 

Length:  A good amount of time.  Fifteen to thirty minutes-ish.

Parental Involvement:  Explain it.  Make marks on paper as your kids think up ideas.

Kids Should Be Able to:  Think of stuff in given categories, such as animals, fruits, etc.

As you surely know, sometimes parenting is like a sales job.  Salesmen and saleswomen have to convince customers to buy a product.  Salespeople can't *force* customers to sign on the dotted line.

Well, parents have to convince their little customers, too.  True, parents *can* force their kids to do things with the threat of punishments (and following through with punishments.)  But wouldn't you persuade your kids to get them to do what you want, rather than threaten and punish?

Super Point is designed to keep kids occupied and entertained.

So without further ado, here's what you do . . .

1.  Grab a blank piece of paper and pencil

2.  Tell the kids you're going to make one mark (or one line) on the paper for every correct answer they say.  Each mark on the paper is also a point.

3.  Think of a category, and ask the kids to name as many things in that category as possible.  The categories we've used include fruits, animals, and aliens from Ben 10.  We want big, "broad" categories that contain a lot of stuff.  Because the kids need to name all of it!

(For fruits, for instance, the kids named bananas, peaches, apples, pomegranates, avocados, and so forth.  They got a point -- a mark on the page -- for each one.)

I choose a very high number, such as 150, and tell the kids that when they get that amount of marks on the paper, they get a Super Point!

Oh, and what exactly is a Super Point, you'd like to know?  Um, I don't really know.  I just make a big thick mark on the paper, over and across all the other lines.  I hold it up above my head triumphantly and yell out, "Super Point!"

My 5-year-old enjoyed doing Super Point so much that he didn't want to stop.  He asked me, "Daddy, can we please fill not just one but two pages with lines?  That would be a Super Duper Point!"

Here comes fall

A perfect job for kids

ADDED September 25, 2009

 

Length:  A few fun moments, any time.

Parental Involvement:  Explain the idea and participate whenever you want.

Kids Should Be Able to:  Find colors in the world around them.  Enjoy the fall season!

 

Fall is here, and with fall come the colors of fall.  The beautiful reds, browns and golden hues are starting to be on display everywhere!  If not on trees in your neighborhood, I am sure you can find these colors in a store's windows or any elementary school classroom.

So, as you are running errands, hanging out at soccer practice or walking to school, turn your kids into fall-color-spotters.  Encourage them to look for the colors that will tell us fall is here.  This is an activity that even the youngest of kids can enjoy.  After all, learning colors is something that is always fun!

Start by reviewing with your kids what colors you would see in fall: red, brown, gold, yellow and orange.  Then review with your kids what things turn those colors: leaves, grasses and even some flowers.  Once you are done, tell your kids they are official fall-color-spotters with the authority to correctly identify fall colors at all times.

Make sure your fall color spotting is fun.  When you find a tree with your favorite colors (or one that is just beautiful) give it a name, and when you walk by make sure to say hi and comment on what beautiful fall colors it has on display.  Just make sure everybody knows that you know that trees can't talk back!

 

Bottle Cap Toss

A make and play activity

ADDED September 24, 2009

Today's activity is a simple craft and game all rolled into one famous activity.
Here is what you will need to start:  construction paper, tape, a pen and a bottle cap.
 

Photographic memory

It's kind of like a quiz show

ADDED September 23, 2009

Next time you are in waiting with your kids at the dentist's or doctor's office, here is a fun game you can all play.  All you need is one of those gross waiting room magazines and players.

First, pick one of the magazines and thumb through it looking for a picture with a lot of things in it.  Something with a crowd or busy market scene would be perfect.  Then let your kids look at the picture for 30 seconds.  When time is up, close the page and ask them a few questions about the picture and see what they can remember.  Whoever gets the most questions right will get to chose the picture and ask the next round of questions. 

(And really, this game is so fun for me and my kids . . . we don't always wait until we find ourselves at the doctor's!  It's fun in your house, too.)

A variation of this game is -- when you're at the park -- to tell your kids to look in a given direction for thirty seconds, and then tell them to close their eyes and tell them to recount everything they've seen.

With a fun activity like this a trip to the doctor's office for shots might not be so dreadful.  It'll be almost memorable.

Deep Space in Cyberspace

Explore distant planets . . . right on your laptop

ADDED September 22, 2009

Today we have some links of some great kids' space websites.

So take a little break from homework, piano lessons, soccer practice and play dates.  Sit down for a few minutes with your kids and check out our amazing solar system!

Here are some Deep Space pictures from The Smithsonian.

Here is the NASA kids site which has a lot of great kids space information.

NASA Kids even has fun games like Rocket Builder.

Another cool site is the NASA image of the day.

My kids were interested in how the International Space Station was made and we found this site that told us all about it!

Here is a great astronomy dictionary.  It is very useful if you need to know how high it is until you reach the Stratosphere.


Let us know what links you and your kids like and we'll post them for all to see!

Dice fun.

Roll some today!

ADDED September 21, 2009

Here at TIF, we are big fans of games that are easy and can be played with things you have on hand.  We also love math.   When you combine our love of math with simple, on-hand items, you can end up with lots of fun games. 

Today your on-hand items will be one or two dice and a pad of paper.   Using the dice, you can play all sorts of games . . . and math fun is a fortunate by-product.  Here are a few games we made up (but I am sure you and your kids can make up even more):

Make a Math Mountain

Draw a mountain and along its side, draw the numbers 1-6.  Then roll the dice until you get a 1.  After rolling a 1, keep rolling until you get a 2.  Keep rolling until you reach the top of the mountain.

It's a big number.

The purpose of this game is to make a big number.  To make a big number, roll one dice three times.  If on the first roll you roll a six, put this number in the hundreds column, the second roll you get a five put this in the tens column and the third roll you get a two put this number in the ones column.

Dice battle.

Very simple game that can be played with two or more players.  All you do is roll the dice and the person who rolls the biggest number is the winner. In the event of a tie, roll until somebody wins.

Have fun with your dice and don't forget to use the comments section to let us know what you think!

Thanks to ravages for the photo!

Do a Mitzvah

It's an extra, little, nice thing

ADDED September 18, 2009

 

 

Length:  A few minutes, any time.

Parental Involvement: Explain it.  And demonstrate it in action.

Kids Should Be Able to: Be good to others.

 

Today is Rosh Hashahah, the Jewish New Year. 

In honor of that auspicious occasion, today's post is inspired by something a Jewish friend taught me.

The isn't really an activity per se, but it is something that you can teach your kids and do with them.

The idea here is a "mitzvah," which I think translates, in this case, as a "extra little nice thing" to do. 

By "extra," I mean that you don't have to do this thing.  For instance, when you go out to dinner, tipping the waiter is not "extra;"  it's expected and pretty much required.  Taking a moment to say to the waiter, "Thanks so much.  You really paid attention to our party,"  is extra.  Make sense?

A perfect example of a mitzvah, as it was explained to me, is letting someone merge into the lane ahead of you.  You don't have to do it -- and a lot of times you don't want to let another car get into traffic in front of you.  But doing that is an extra, little, nice thing to do.

Kids don't tip waiters or drive cars, though.  So what kinds of mitzvahs can they do.  Well, quite a few:

•  Pick up a piece of litter and throw it away.  (By the way, as far as I'm concerned, if a kid drops trash on the ground, they're required to pick it up.  That's not a mitzvah!  This one pertains to litter that the kid didn't cause!)
•  Helping clean something else that isn't their responsibility, such as helping Mom with the dishes or Dad mow the lawn.
•  Call a grandparent just to say hello.
•  Offer to help a sibling with a chore.
•  Tell Grandma that she looks pretty.
•  Say hello to an older person in the market.

What else can you think of?

A mitzvah always makes you feel good after you've done it.   Doing mitzvahs would be a great habit for your kids to have.

If you guys don't want to use the word "mitzvah" for any reason, you could replace it with the phrase "little nice thing." 

Have a Happy New Year, or at least a very happy weekend with your kids!

 

The Magazine March

Use your head. It's fun!

ADDED September 17, 2009

 

Length:  Fifteen minutes or more.

Parental Involvement: Explain and demonstrate. And compete!

Kids Should Be Able to: Use balance and coordination to control their bodies.

 

If you've visited our site, Today Is Fun, a few times, you know that we have quite a few ideas for children's activities.  Some of our ideas are meant to help kids learn, other ideas are designed to get kids' imaginations fired up, and some ideas are supposed to just encourage a bunch of fun.

Today's idea would fall into that last category:  just a bunch of fun.  And to be frank, this activity is a bit goofy, too.

For this somewhat goofy activity, all you need is a magazine and a kid or two.

Balance the magazine on your head and choose a point ten or twenty feet away.  Tell your kids that you're going to walk to that point, with your "new special hat."

Your kids' job is to stop you.  They are allowed to do anything *friendly* in their power to stop you from balancing the magazine all the way to the distant point.  This includes lying in your path, telling you jokes, and even giving you a hug or tickle. 

(We need to emphasize:  we don't want any violence, so please use your judgement, persuasion and authority to ensure that this game is harmless fun for all.)

Have a number of tries.  Sometimes you'll make it all the way with the magazine on your head.  Sometimes you won't.  The attempts are supposed to be fun for you and for your kids.  That's really all that matters.

If your kids want, they can each take a turn balancing the magazine and walking, too.

(If you grew up watching the Brady Bunch, as I did, you may remember the episode where Marcia balanced books on her head to improve her "poise."  If your kids' poise is improved by this goofy activity, then great.  If your kids think I have no poise because I referenced Marcia Brady, well, um, I might agree with them.)

Enjoy.  Having a little fun (and a little balance) in your life can't be a bad thing!

 

(Thank you to sflovestory for the cute balancing act photo above!)

Aliens are all around us! Look at their faces!

(Or animals. Or people. It's exciting, though!)

ADDED September 16, 2009

 

 

Length:  Fifteen minutes the first day.  After that, a fun activity that will keep popping up!

Parental Involvement: Explain the idea. Help your kids find some examples.

Kids Should Be Able to:  Study the world, use their imaginations.

 

Sorry if the title of this one sounds a bit paranoid.  But it's true!  Aliens are all around us!

This is another activity that my kids just love.  They talk about it a lot and bring it up out of the blue.

It's simple:  you look around your environment trying to find "faces."

We're so used to seeing faces, we don't very frequently take a moment to think about what they consist of.  Well, a face usually contains two eyes, which look like dots and are aligned with each other. Below the eyes there's usually a nose(which is kind of vertical), and then a mouth under that (which is, in case you haven't noticed, horizontal.)

So, to find or make a face, you need:  two dots aligned, a vertical line underneath, and then a horizontal line underneath that.  That's it.

When we have to wait somewhere, I used to encourage my kids to look for faces.  (As I mentioned, now they excitedly encourage *me* to find faces.)

 

 

If your kids are ever interested, you could talk to them about the simplicity of faces, as I did above:  two dots, vertical line, horizontal line.  Similar to yesterday's post, you just don't need a ton of information to communicate effectively.

I'm glad my kids like this activity so much.  I have to admit, it is very fun when the point a "face" out to me that hadn't crossed my mind.

Give it a try.  There are less fun things to do with your time.  Face it!

 

As Few Lines As Possible

Conserve your energy -- and have a ton of art fun with your kids!

ADDED September 15, 2009

 

 

 

Length:  Fifteen to forty-five minutes.

Parental Involvement: Explain the idea and give a quick demonstration.  Play with the kids and guess it up!

Kids Should Be Able to:  Draw.  Count lines.  Interpret drawings and be creative.

 

Look at the picture above.  Do you know what it is?  If you guessed a cat, I thank you!  Every artist appreciates being understood and recognized.  Now have a look again, please, and count how many lines are up there.  If you counted five, good job and congratulations.  I used only five lines to create that kitty.  And that's the idea here today:  how few lines do you and your kids need to depict common objects and animals? 

When we do this one, everybody in our house starts with their own paper and pen and five lines. 

We all take a minute or two and, when a drawing is ready, yell "Done!"

Everyone shows their drawing, and we all try to guess what it is.

(For the record, we call it a "line" that someone is drawing until that person lifts their pen up off the page.  So one line could be wavy, squiggly, a spiral, etc.)

 

 

 

Sometimes we also start drawing and counting lines.  We try to draw in a way that people can guess the subject of the drawing by using as few lines as possible.  Believe it or not, my fine, bright kids correctly guessed a shark and a chess king after I drew only two lines!  We're all very proud.

 

 

(One of my boys has somehow invented an opposite of this game.  He is very proud that I have not yet figured out his drawing.  He keeps adding lines each day -- were up to about seventy now -- and I still don't know what it is.  He's delighted.  I'm confused -- but we're both busy and having fun.)

 

 

It's fun for kids and adults to see how much can be communicated with as little information as possible.

With this fun activity, kids will be *lining* up to participate again and again!

Ball Bounce Bonanza!

(Actually, it's more throwing than bouncing, but three B's in a row was too irresistible to pass by.)

ADDED September 14, 2009

Length:  Thirty minutes to an hour.

Parental Involvement: Explain the idea.  Watch it in action.  Egg the kids on as desired.

Kids Should Be Able to:  Move their bodies. Throw a ball.  Compare distances.

 

This magical activity works for kids of any age!  It also does a fine job getting some excess energy out and it gets your kids' minds into the action, too.  Also, it's quite simple!

(Have we done a thorough enough sales job yet?)

Here's what you need to do:

Have your kids round up all the balls your family owns.  We need tennis balls, soccer balls, bouncy balls, beach balls -- you name it.  If it's a ball, it's fair game.  

(With one exception:  no hard balls, and that means no marbles and no golf balls.  We don't want anyone getting hit in the head and getting hurt.)

Next, help the kids take the balls to a big open space.  If your backyard is big, then that will work nicely.  Othwerise, a local park would be perfect.

Next, the kids should start throwing the balls.  But not in random directions -- the goal here is to see how far each of the balls will go.

So -- logically -- once all the balls have taken flight, your kid should go inspect to see how far each went, and which is the "winner" of the farthest flight.

(If your kids are old enough and so inclined, they can use a ruler or measuring tape to see exactly how much farther the "first place" ball passed up the runner up.)

Of course, to really test this, your kids will need to try many times.  Will the ball that wins the first time take first place again on the second try?  How about the third try?  

Once the balls have been thrown a bunch of times, you could change the activity up a bit.  How about having the kids roll them?

We hope you guys enjoy this one.  In fact, we hope you have a ball.

Little Tiny Bits Collage

You might have to squint a little, but it's there!

ADDED September 11, 2009

 

Length:  30 minutes to an hour.

Parental Involvement:  Provide old magazines, catalogs, etc.  Help with cutting and gluing as necessary.

Kids Should Be Able to:  See color and spaces imaginatively and re-purpose them!

 

Grab some old magazines, scissors, paper and glue. For today's craft, we will be making a collage, but the trick is to use small pieces of paper and glue them together so that they form a larger image. 

In testing this out, we decided to make a banana, so the first thing we needed was the color yellow.  We searched a few magazines for little bits of yellow, making sure they were small but not too small. We found a street sign, flower, pillow, shirt, chair and table cloth -- all yellow.   We noticed that a banana has a brown part on the top, so we looked for some brown and found a lady with brown hair and a brown lamp.  After that, we were ready to glue.  Together we worked slowly, piecing and gluing our parts until we had a banana. Here is what it looked like.

 

This craft is a great imagination booster because you are forced to look at things differently.   You need to use imagination to form an image.  And you also have to deconstruct the image down to its smallest parts and re-form it into its final form.  Personally, I thinks it great all around.

Today's activity might be a little abstract, but that's okay, because art speaks to people in different ways.  The beauty of being an artist is you only need to make something that you like, and if others find it beautiful, all the better.

And speaking of which, we hope you all have a beautiful weekend!
 

We Remember

Hug your kids today

ADDED September 11, 2009

We remember the many lives lost.  We will never forget.

 

We salute the many men and women who have kept our country safe over the eight past years.  Thank you.  We will never forget.

 

A quote from Charles Johnson, from his blog, Little Green Footballs:

 

"Today, I’m remembering the children who were killed [on 9/11], who started their morning excited about taking a plane flight, and ended up as pawns for one of the most cowardly atrocities ever conceived by religious fanatics. May they rest in peace."

 

The world is a rough place.  Hug your kids today and every day!  And never forget.

Spot the Number

They are all around you, kids -- can you spot them?

ADDED September 10, 2009

In the past we have reviewed the "secret codes" that can be found all around us.  If you missed that post, it's great, and you can find it here. But today we have a fun activity for kids of all ages.  It is simple and encourages math, observation, reading and questions.

Have you ever noticed that every packaged food item has a number somewhere on it telling you how "much" is contained within?  For example, some have 16 ounces, others have 12 fluid ounces.  Some are 5 pounds and others are one gallon.  What do all these numbers mean?  Ounces, pounds and gallons? All are units of measurement and all contain numbers. Numbers equal fun. Think of it a treasure hunt for numbers.

Put your young kids in charge of these numbers.  Every time they see a "contents" measurement, they should report it to you.  As they get older, they can also make comparisons:  those two bags of pretzels look the same, but that one is actually bigger, because its number is bigger.  Older kids can also learn about partial weights; they can learn about the number after the period in "16.3 ounces," for example.  Those post-period numbers mean just a little bit more than the number, but not quite big enough to get to the next number, you could tell them.

Next time you are at the market encourage your kids to look on the bags, boxes and containers of your favorite products to see if they can spot the number.  Who knew that the front of the cereal box could be so much fun?!

(About 17.3 pounds of fun!)

Balloon Bounce

Simple fun with what you have on hand

ADDED September 09, 2009

If you have a balloon and string, then you have the necessary materials for a fun game that can be enjoyed by children of all ages, inside or out, standing or sitting.

Here is what you do:  Tie the piece of string between two chairs inside or in the backyard. One person stands or sits on one side of the string while the other person does the same directly across from them.  Then see how many times you can gently bop the balloon back and forth without it hitting the ground. 

To keep the game going, change positions after a good bit of bopping.  For instance, if you've done well while both sitting, have one person stand.  Then try both people standing.  You could even try the bop-back-and-forth while lying on the floor!

This is a great game for kids learning how to count and good exercise.  It'll work for elementary school kids, but younger kids especially get a kick out of this one.

That is it: simple, free, fun with what you have on hand -- the best kind!

 

thanks to gorbould for the inspirational photo!

Hide the fun

And guess away the day!

ADDED September 08, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grab three cups and a small toy.  Give them to your kids . . . and you have the makings of a whole bunch of entertainment.

We have all seen the cup and balls magic trick.   You know: the magician puts a ball under one of three cups, the audience tries to follow which cup the ball is under and never can (because it is magic).

Today we are not going to teach any magic -- we really don't know any -- but what we do know is how to entertain kids.  So set up the cups, hide the small toy, mix up the cups and let them guess where the toy is.

This activity is especially "magical" for younger kids (three and under), who will ask for many repetitions.  They can also exercise some coordination and motor control by trying to trick you with the ball and cups.  (Please, no wagering, people.)

Hidden fun is just a guess away. Have fun!

In Celebration of Labor Day

Good bye summer!

ADDED September 07, 2009

 

Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. While summer may be over,  the fun need not be done.  We have plenty more in store, so stay tuned.  And if you have not subscribed to our daily activities email, please do (you can do that here).

 

We have had a full summer of great activities that are educational, free and create special ways for you and your kids to spend time together.  If you are looking for something to do today or later this week, don't labor!  Instead, check out seven of our most recent, greatest hits and make today fun!

 

1. Emerge

A coloring activity that will make the fun come out. And come forth. And just generally emanate.

 

 

2. Bring Me The Alphabet!

A fun game for beginning spellers

 

 

3. Kid's Activity: The Family Handshake

Every family should have one!

 

4. Founding Fathers Tag

They gave us Independence, let's give them a game!

 

5. Five senses walk

A treat for them all

 

6. Paper Bag Monster Masks

Very easy and fun. If you don't get too scared.

 

7. Race Car Paper

Because your kids draw it, they get to rule the road

 

Have fun!

The What-I-Learned-Today Journal

What did you learn today?

ADDED September 04, 2009

 

Length:  Five minutes a day.

Parental Involvement:  Explain the idea and give some examples.  For the first couple of days, help the project get off the ground.  Help younger kids by writing down their thoughts.

Kids Should Be Able to:  Learn and remember!

Here is a special kind of diary for your kids to keep:  the What-I-Learned-Today Journal.

The idea here is simple:  every day before or after dinnertime, your child should write one or two sentences about something they learned that day.

The entries should be very, very short -- one or two sentences at most.  Here are some examples:

If your kids are younger, but you think they'd still enjoy this activity and benefit from it, you could help them with the writing of the entries, of course. 

Your kid should not write a lot of words -- short and sweet is the rule.  This should quick, not a chore.

Why do this?

Well for starters, this daily activity will serve to remind your young ones that they have the opportunity to learn each and every day.  In fact, most days kids probably (learn new information or skills without seeking to.  The What-I-Learned-Today Journal is meant to encourage them to look at the world for new tidbits to learn and to recognize new learning opportunities when they pop up.

Learning is a big part of childhood, and this journal will help record that part of your kids lives.  Both your kids and you will be able to look back in the W-I-L-T journal and remember learning events.  This will provide some future enjoyment, we promise.  ("Dad always starts cooking stuff without checking the fridge first!")

Frankly, I think the W-I-L-T journal is something we should all do -- adults included.  Life is fun and full when our brains are learning.  I just might start one myself...

 

(Thank you to Aislinn Ritchie for the fine kid journaling photo above!)

Grid Drawing

Some minor constraints can lead to some great creative results

ADDED September 03, 2009

 

Length:  Half an hour or so.

Parental Involvement:  Explain the concept, admire the results.

Kids Should Be Able to:  Draw.  Have coordination enough to fill in small boxes.

 

Give your kid some crayons and blank paper, and they'll be able to whip up something creative and beautiful.  But sometimes staring at a blank page can be daunting.  What to draw?  There are so many possibilities.  Ironically, limiting the possibilities a bit and adding some constraints can be very freeing.  A whole new artistic, creative product will result!

Today we'd like you to encourage your kids to draw within the lines -- many lines.  Have your kids use graph paper and fill each box with a different color, in order to create a beautiful and artistic masterpiece.

If you don't have any graph paper handy, just download ours here for free and print it out.  Easy!

Museum-quality kid art is just a few filled-in grid squares away!

Tick Tock, The Internal Clock

This is either really interesting and helpful -- or it's just plain weird

ADDED September 02, 2009

 

Length:  Minutes on end.

Parental Involvement:  Explain the concep, test it out.  Maybe help with some timing, if need be.

Kids Should Be Able to:  Exercise some concentration and count to high double-digit numbers.

 

Okay, today's activity might be a little offbeat or nutty, but please bear with us!  It has some practical applications and benefits, we promise!

This one is better for older kids; we're thinking age seven and up.  This activity requires concentration and the ability to count to some relatively high double-digit numbers.

This activity also can help reduce noise and increase silence, if you ever find yourself wishing to experience either of those.  (A practical benefit, right?)

The idea here comes from a world-renowned physicist, Richard Feynman.  He discovered that whenever he timed himself as he silently counted to a certain number, his speed was consistent -- he was never more than a second or two off.

Here's the method.  We'll explain it to you, dear reader, and then you can put it in your own words for your children:

 

Next try to figure out a number that should take you a minute of counting.  You might need to try a couple of times.

If this all works -- and so that we seem less nutty here, we passionately hope it all does work -- you can use this trick in the future to help you entertain yourself (and your kids): 


Okay, tomorrow's post will not be in any way weird or all about tallying sheep when you can't fall asleep -- we promise!

More fun ideas for you and your kids are on the way tomorrow.  You can count on it!

(Thank you to woodleywonderworks and to dionhinchcliff for the timely photos above!)

Tribute to Color

Kaleidoscopically good times!

ADDED September 01, 2009

 

Length:  All day long!

Parental Involvement:  Explain the concept and participate where you want.  Also, planning some color-coordinated meals and outfits in advance would help.

Kids Should Be Able to:  Use their creativity while appreciating our colorful world.

Today we continue with our "wrapping up Summer break" series.  For a more detailed explanation of what this week's posts are all about, click here.

I think we've all seen Sesame Street, where they cleverly dedicate each day to a letter.  "Today's letter is Double-U," they say, and it's simple, fun, and -- frankly -- brilliant.

Well, we're not here to try and compete with Sesame Street.  Isn't there enough room in everybody's hearts for both Today Is Fun and Sesame Street?

But if that show wants to celebrate letters of the alphabet, well, we'd like you and your kids to celebrate colors.  For the next week or so, celebrate a color each day.

For example, tell your kids that Monday is "International Purple is Pretty Day."  (Or possibly, "Green is Great" day.")

Try to work the color into your day as much as possible, for instance (if you were doing "Orange You Glad It's Orange Day?"):

•  Everyone should make some orange artwork.  Use crayons and color a subject that is mostly orange, such as the sun or an orangatun or an orange monster or . . . whatever!
•  Eat foods of the chosen color:   oranges, cheddar cheese, carrots, carrot muffins, and of course, carrot cake!
•  Wear clothes of the special color.  Everybody in orange!
•  Use Google to search for any of your kid's favorite things.  Then click "images."  Just under the Google logo on the left, click "show options."  On the bottom of the option columns, you'll see small squares with each color of the rainbow.  Click on the day's color, and you guys will see only favorite images in the special color.  (We searched pirate and clicked the purple square to great effect.)
•  Work the color into your conversation whenever possible:  It's almost time for dinner, I pink.  I reddy love you.  Good night, my purple kid!  Silly, yes, but colorful.

Add a little color to your end of summer days, and have fun!

(Many big thanks to the very generous and talented Pink Sherbet Photography for the outstanding colorful photo above!)