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by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff  Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved In the age of computers, video games, and high tech toys, people often forget about the simple things. "But my kids are not going to play without anything missing bells and whistles," some of you think as you read this. You might be pleasantly surprised. Kids are more easily entertained than you think. All it takes is a little imagination, which can equal a ton of fun!
Toilet paper rolls can be many things. Ever tried handing your child an emptied tissue roll? You'd be amused at what they can come up with. My kids have made binoculars, bird feeders, doll furniture, telescopes, noisemakers, and so much more just from toilet paper rolls. Mock binoculars are simple two toilet paper rolls fastened together with tape. Attach string to a toilet paper tube. Then, smother it with peanut butter and wild bird seed and hang it out for the birds. Possibilities are endless! A kid with a box is a kid in heaven. Playhouses, dollhouses, cars, and more! Your kids can have it all with just one box. Have a pile of boxes? The more boxes you have, the better! Just ask my kids who I throw boxes at all the time. Entertain your kids and all their friends with interesting box creations. Construction paper and glue can save the day! Remember when kids used to sit around for hours cutting and gluing things? They still can! Give them the necessary supplies and let them have at it. It's amazing how entertaining a little paper can be. Let them come up with their own ideas, give them patterns, or dive in and create along with them. Yes, kids still love to color! A coloring book and a box of crayons can entertain kids for hours. In fact, spread everything out on the floor and color together. Not only will your kids enjoy this, but admit it - you love to color too! Giant coloring books are great for when everyone wants to color the same picture together. Save the colored pages to use as gift wrap in the future. Collect pieces of nature. Take the kids on a neighborhood adventure. No, not in the car! On your feet! Walk around the neighborhood. If there are trails in your area, even better. Collect pine cones, leaves, dried flowers, twigs, and more. You can use them later in arts & crafts projects, as well as study them scientifically. Getting back to the basics can be a fun and rewarding experience for you and your children. You may even find they enjoy it more than all the latest fad toys. Never throw away non-biodegradable items, unless they're toxic or contaminated. You never know what can be used as entertainment for the kids. You'll be helping save their imaginations, a well as the earth!
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 Image © Redcorn Studios [Matt]; Flickr.com Parents and teachers can make exercise fun with a unique way to cool off and get active on a sunny day. Combining fitness with fun is my favorite way to keep kids active. One activity kids will enjoy playing with their friends is the "Water Bucket Relay Race."
In this water relay race, the kids will get pretty wet, so be forewarned. To play Water Bucket Relay Race, a few supplies are needed. All kids who play will need a pair of sweatpants and a bucket. All buckets should be exactly the same. A kiddie pool is also needed for this active game. First, determine a start and finish line for the kids. The kiddie pool should be at the finish line. The buckets should be at the start line. Each of the kids will stand in front of their own bucket. At the start of the race, each one of the kids will race alongside each other to the kiddie pool and jump in, which should soak their sweatpants. They then should run the race back to their own bucket and squeeze as much water as possible into it. Game play continues until one player's bucket has been filled completely. That player is the winner. If there are more than 10 kids playing, the game can be adapted into a team relay game. The kids should really like this active game and have so much fun running back and forth. The determined looks on their faces while attempting to fill the buckets will make you smile. For those concerned about the physical challenges, when the pants become soaked, it creates extra weight, which gives a good workout, in addition to the racing itself. To make this race even more challenging, try adding a mini obstacle course in between the pool and bucket. One idea for a mini obstacle course is to put out some cones to weave through, a row of batons to jump over, or a row of tires to step through. Be sure to have drinking water, towels and dry clothing on hand for when the race is completed. The kids should enjoy this active race, but when it is over, they will also be happy to get refreshed. *I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff  Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved Are your tweens bored during family outings and activities? Perhaps you just need to switch things up and try something new. You don't necessarily have to spend too much money on fancy gadgets. In fact, that could distract them from family fun. To keep the tweens from being bored, our family is always trying something new. Here are some of the all-time favorites that have passed the 'tween fun' test.
Turn walking into an adventure. Asking your tweens to go on a walk may bore them. But only if you make it seem like a chore. Instead, turn it into an exploration. Take a walk on neighborhood trails and bring along specimen containers and other investigative tools. A note pad is great for drawing observations and writing down interesting discoveries and theories. A magnifying glass can help when inspecting insects, leaves, animal tracks, and more. Binoculars are useful when watching birds and other creatures at a distance. Flash back to when all we used was imagination. Today's tweens are often so into technology that some rarely use their imaginations. Think back to those fun little games you played, such as Telephone, telling ghost stories, Truth or Dare, and more. Remember all the fun you had playing these games with friends and family? Play them with your family and if your tween has her won ideas or variations, go along with them. These games are not just a good source of entertainment. They can also help bring families closer through the power of laughter. The best part is that they can usually be adapted to fit all age ranges. This is an important aspect in a large family like ours. Scavenger hunts are cheap, easy, and entertaining. It doesn't take strenuous planning to set up a scavenger hunt. But the resulting fun and memories are priceless. Create a list of items for each child to find in the backyard or area park. These should be easy things to find in nature, such as a dried leaf, a fallen twig, or a rock. Your tweens (and even the younger kids) can be given a reusable grocery bag for collection purposes. It's up to you whether to make it a competition and award prizes or just let the kids go to it finding the items. If you want to mix things up even more, instead of the list, give the kids a treasure map or one clue at a time as each item is found. Tweens and music go hand-in-hand. Turn up the music and have a family dance session. But don;t play just your music. Let the tweens choose music as well. I know, I know, some of their choices will be worse than nails on a chalkboard - at least to your ears. Save the complaints about it for another time and just enjoy the time with your kids. Understanding the music your tweens listen to can help you understand them more as well. The kids might even be able to teach you a new dance. You know they will feel you need the lessons. Wacky sports can be a big hit with tweens. Have you ever tried blending sports together? For instance, try playing soccer or basketball while skating. Invent your own sports by mixing up and combining two or more sports with each other. Safety first, of course, but other than that, be creative. Water Balloon Golf is one of the more interesting combination games my kids and I enjoy playing together. This one is best played on warmer days. If it's a good day for swimming, then it's a good day for this golf variation. by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff  Image by alberth2 via Flickr.com Pile the kids, the the suitcases, and the ice chest in the car and you're ready to go on your vacation or road trip, right? Wrong. Without something to keep them busy, those kids are going to be antsy in a hurry. So what are the ten favorite busy toys on our big family's road trip and vacation list? By order choice of the kids, here they are, saving the best busy toy for last.
Busy Road Trip Toy #10: Video Games While video games are not my favorite thing for kids to play with, they can sometimes be beneficial to keep kids busy and entertained when used in moderation. They are great for travel, only if there are headphones and a game system for each kid. Otherwise, be prepared for noise and arguments. Video games suitable for traveling can come as a low-cost hand-held with one or two games pre-installed or as a portable game system, such as the Nintendo DS or Sony PSP. These game systems will have games that come on cartridges that can be inserted into a slot for play. Busy Road Trip Toy #9: One-Piece Puzzles One-piece puzzles, such as the Rubik's Cube or the Tangle Jr. are great for entertaining kids on long car rides. These take time to figure out and it can be exciting for the kids as they complete each step. In addition to Rubik's Cube and Tangle puzzles, pocket-size maze and pinball games also are great one-piece puzzles. Busy Road Trip Toy #8: Etch-a Sketch The Etch-a-Sketch is a classic busy toy for kids and is still one of the best busy toys for long road trips. Etch-a-Sketch is a good example of a toy that is not only entertaining, but also can relieve stress and enhances creativity in the brain. Busy Road Trip Toy #7: Trivia Cards Most kids enjoy playing trivia games, such as "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" or "Brainquest". Many people with kids have at least one trivia game lying around. To make a trivia game more adaptable to a road trip, simply use only the cards that come with the game or purchase the travel addition, if applicable. Leave everything but the cards at home. To play trivia in a car, just ask the questions and whoever shouts the answer first gets the point. If you choose to keep score, a notebook can be used. My kids love trivia and request it often, whether at home or in the car. Busy Road Trip Toy #6: Pencil & Word Puzzles Crossword puzzles, tic-tac-toe, word searches, Sudoku, and other pencil puzzles are great for road trips. Not only are they fun for the kids, but they can also be educational. Pencil puzzles are a sure bet in our household when it's time to choose busy toys for family road trips. Busy Road Trip Toy #5: Mad Libs Mad Libs are technically a pencil puzzle, but since they are so fun, our family would give them their own category. You can either purchase a Mad Libs book or take along a notebook and make your own. Either way, this is a great way for a family to get in some laughs together. Some of the stories can really turn out hilarious. We like to keep the best ones for reading at a later date when someone needs a good laugh. Busy Road Trip Toy #4: Journal Not only are journals a great way to keep kids busy, but they can be dual-purpose by providing a source for the family to look back on for memories. Plus, it gives parents that fun, but sneaky way way of fitting in that writing practice kids should have every day. Busy Road Trip Toy #3: Books Reading should be a huge part of a child's life. It's needed for so many daily and life activities and responsibilities. A road trip is a great time to fit in some extra reading. Letting the kids pick their own books can help ensure that they will actually read them. Busy Road Trip Toy #2: Coloring Books & Crayons Coloring books and crayons are always a big hit for road trips with kids. Most kids enjoy coloring and it's a fun, yet calming activity that will keep them busy for a while. To throw in some education with it, just choose coloring books accordingly, such as a shapes and colors one for preschoolers or or a world geography one for teens. Yes, many teens do still color. And who are you trying to fool anyway? Many adults do also. Busy Road Trip Toy #1: Mom By kids choice, the best road trip toy of all is mom. No kidding. Yup, that's right. The best toy is free. Depending on your family, a dad or a big sister could hold this position instead. This is the person with all the jokes, songs, silly stories, scary stories, and creative ideas. No packing is needed for this busy toy. Feel free to substitute as necessary. RELATED: What Not to Bring on a Road Trip With Kids *I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network *One or more products or companies may be mentioned in this post. The author may benefit from affiliate sales, if applicable sales are made. However, the author did not receive any direct compensation or monetary benefit from mentioning these products. by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer  As a mother of 4 who also often has other people's kids in tow, I have had plenty of experience with kids in stores. Now it's time for me to share those tips with other parents. Children can be cranky, demanding, and downright stubborn in the grocery store. Some will throw a fit because they cannot get what they wanted. Others will simply wine and complain throughout the store. There are children who actually behave in the store, but it usually takes a little creativity and quick thinking on the parents' end. A stroller for anyone under 4 is great as well. I have compiled a list of things that ease the stress on the parent by keeping the children busy, entertained, and happy in the grocery store.
Create a Family List at Home and Stick To It Before ever stepping foot in a store, this should be done whenever possible. Create a grocery list together as a family, being sure to include something everyone requests. Make it known that the family is not going to be purchasing anything that is not on the list. Stick to that plan. Even if you see something you needed, wait until the next trip. That will show the children that everyone has to follow those rules. By including everyone in the process, you are also ensuring that you have at least one thing that everyone will be happy to purchase. Let each person put all the ingredients in their cart that go with their favorite meal and snacks. Never Give In No matter how much whining, screaming, complaining, arm flailing, or whatever other antics a child performs, do not give in, ever. Giving in just once gives the child the idea that you may do it again and it will ultimately make the fit worse next time. The more times you give in, the worse the fit will be each time you say no. But, if you stick to meaning what you say, the child will eventually realize that no matter what they do, you will not give in. Grocery Store ABC Kids love a great game. Not only will this be fun, but it will take their minds off of asking for things or running and playing in the store. The youngest starts first and the oldest (one of the adults) goes last. The first person looks around for something that starts with the letter "A". Once they have found it, they will say. "A is for apple (the underlined word is the name of the item the person found). Now the next person needs to find something that starts with "B". They will say "A is for apple. B is for bananas." Each person must name the items that came before their item and then name their item, as shown in the last example. The game continues until the players reach the letter Z or the grocery trip is over. Set Consequences Be sure the children know what consequences they will have for acting up in the store. This should be discussed prior to leaving the house. Be sure they know that if they are good, "x" will happen. If they misbehave, they will do "x" or that "x" will be taken away. Always follow through. Remind them of the consequences right before you step into the store. I Spy Grocery Game This game is played just like the traditional "I Spy" game, except the items will all be found inside the grocery store. The first player (youngest able to play) will find something and say something about it that will help the others identify it. For, instance, if it was a banana, he or she could say "I spy something that is yellow with a blue sticker". The remaining players will then call out guesses. The first player to guess correctly will spy something next. This game can last throughout the entire grocery trip. Let the Kids Help Most children love to help with miniature tasks, such as putting items into the cart. By letting the kids help with this task, you will not only speed up your shopping trip, but they will be so intent on that task, they just may forget to ask about things or play around. The key to this method is to keep them so busy, they do not have time to count how many items their siblings have placed into the cart in comparison to theirs or to even think about doing anything else. Discuss Last Night's Dreams Discussing dreams is a fun and easy way to pass time. If the child did not dream the night before, they can always discuss a dream from another night. Not only will this activity keep the children busy, but it will be a great bonding tool. The time will seem to go by much faster as well. What Would You Do With $1 Million This is an old favorite. Many people like to discuss this topic. Grocery shopping is the opportune time. This one can sometimes take so long, it may even continue on the car ride home. Each person should tell everyone what they would do with a million dollars. As with the other games, the youngest should go first and the oldest should go last. *I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer  (c) Lyn Lomasi Love may not be the first thing some envision when they hear how many kids are in my house. How in the world do you avoid chaos with four kids? That must be a nightmare! No, I can honestly say that I love it. I am not saying every day and every moment is perfect. But I truly enjoy being a single work-at-home mom with a house full of kids and I wouldn't reduce the number for anything in the world.
Boring is overrated. With four kids around, I never have to worry about getting bored. There's always plenty to do and I love that. Don't know how to sit still? Have some kids and they'll keep you entertained, for sure. Whether it's a game of hide and seek, having family movie night, or even chasing around the mischievous one, there's always something to keep me going. Ditch the eery silence! Some people might like a quiet house but I find that quite unnerving. I love the fact that my house will never ever be quiet during waking hours. My kids see to that for me without even trying. There's no such thing as calling the Ghostbusters around here. It's too loud for that. What ghost in its right mind would even dare to take a step in this house? More kids means less money on clothing. Say what? Kids grow so fast that one barely has time to wear an outfit before it gets handed to the next. Sure, each kid does get their own new things. But it's nice to know that most items will get their fair use in before donating them to the local shelter. I don't need the T.V. for background noise. I've never been a fan of television, unless the NBA is on. So it's a good thing I have lots of kids. They provide plenty of background noise during my day-to-day tasks and I love it because it helps me get my work done. I can have a fancy dinner every night. Who needs to go out to eat when you have a bunch of little chefs-in-training around? My kids and I take turns cooking and sometimes we all cook together. Every night is gourmet when the food is made with love. No one wants to come disturb me while I'm working. I work at home, which means I prefer no company during certain hours. Having a house full of kids remedies that situation. Everyone knows that if they come over, I am not going to ditch my kids. So, many just avoid me altogether. We love it because it means I have more time to work and the kids have extra time to learn. In-house hair stylists keep me well-groomed. There's no need to go to a fancy salon when I have three girls in the house. OK, so I let my son in on the fun, too. Shh, don't tell their dad! I think my kids have more fashion sense than the 'professionals' these days, anyway. Last-minute parties are all the rage! We have enough people to throw a decent party without even making a phone call. We can just throw together some homemade pizza, pop some popcorn, pop in some music, pull out the board games, and we're good to go. We do of course invite others sometimes too. But it's so cool that we don't have to. Everything I do is amazing! At least that's how the younger kids see it, anyway. Mommy is a magic miracle worker who can make anything happen. When's the last time your boss thought you were as awesome as Santa?....never? Yeah, I thought so. I love having lots of people in my house who think I'm the most amazing creation ever - and guess what? I think they are too! There's never a shortage of love. Having a bad day? Try hugging a kid and watch how quickly those troubles melt away. Each time I see one of the kids smile or hand me one of their latest crafty creations, the worries I have disappear in a flash. Love is the cure for everything and when you have four kids around, there's plenty of it. Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi *I originally published this on Yahoo! Contributor Network (some words were changed here, due to outdated info) |
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Lyn Lomasi is founder and owner of the Brand Shamans network. She is your brand healing, soul healing, marketing & content superhero to the rescue! Running a network of websites, tackling deadlines single-handedly, and coaching fellow writers, brands, & entrepreneurs to be thought leaders is her top priority.
While rescuing civilians from boring content and brands, this awesomely crazy family conquers the world, managing Intent-sive Nature while going on Upstream Parenting adventures & lessons, sometimes in an RV. They strive to cuddle with lions and giraffes. Until then, they settle for rescue dogs and cats. By supporting us, you support a single parent, healer, and minority small business that donates to and/or stands for several causes, including homeless pets, homeless people, trans youth, equality, helping starving artists, and more! A portion of all proceeds from our all-inclusive store, Intent-sive Nature goes toward worthy causes. For guidance in the world of freelance writing or for advice on her specialty topics, Ask Lyn. Archives
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