Posted by drozzell on May 2, 2009
You have to be a bit courageous for this one, but it can also be fun. Host a sleep-over for a few (not too many!) of your child’s friends. They can bring sleeping bags and sleep on the bedroom floor, or you can clear out the family room or den and have them sleep there. Prepare snacks, cookies, popcorn, and have a movie or two ready to go. I think this works best (at least from the point of view of the parents) for pre-teens; they go to sleep earlier and are not likely to have other friends coming over to visit, but the age limit is up to you and your stamina.
Posted by drozzell on April 30, 2009
Ice has become such a convenience that we don’t typically think about making it. These days, with automatic icemakers and dispensers that deliver ice into your glass directly from the front of the freezer door, you don’t even have to open the freezer to get it. That is what makes this activity somewhat novel. Assuming you can find an old-fashioned ice tray, have your child take some fruit juice, or lemonade, or Kool-Aid type drink, pour it into the tray, and place it in the freezer. In a couple of hours you will have frozen fruit juice, which you can break up into pieces and suck on. What a great antidote for a hot summer day.
Posted by drozzell on April 28, 2009
I live in southern California, so knowing a few words of Spanish is de-rigueur, but anyone can do this. Teach your child to count to ten in a foreign language. Young kids usually enjoy learning something new like this. And Spanish is just an example; you can use any other language in which you ree able to count to ten. This takes no preparation, can be done almost any time, and is as easy as uno, dos, tres.
Posted by drozzell on April 4, 2009
A great article on 8 things to do with kids in the rain here. This is focused on grandparents, but works for all adults with kids.
Posted by drozzell on March 24, 2009
In California where I live, the weather is getting warmer and we can start to think about getting our gardens going. So, this weekend, my 6 year-old daughter and I went out to buy some tomato seedlings and then planted them in our garden. We didn’t so anything fancy here. We just transferred the plants into holes that we dug, partially filled with rich potting soil, then watered them. The whole process took maybe 30 minutes, but in a few months when we get to eat the product of these plants, those tomotoes will be extra special.
Posted by drozzell on March 19, 2009
Frisbee is another old standby, with the advantage that Frisbees are readily available and inexpensive. (In fact, many Frisbees are given away as freebies by stores and other organizations every year.) There is something fascinating about the way a Frisbee spins and floats through the air. Learning to throw and catch a Frisbee may take a little practice if your kids have not used one before, but they will quickly get the hang of it. You really need some wide-open space, either a large yard or a park with a lot of open grassy areas.
Posted by drozzell on March 18, 2009
Planting a tree with your kids is a great weekend activity. Although you can certainly start from a seed or kernel, the results are usually better, and the feedback more immediate, if you get a sapling from nursery. Your child can be part of the process of choosing the type of tree to plant. You can also begin the discussion about the importance of trees in photosynthesis, using carbon dioxide and producing oxygen—the opposite of what animals and people do. Trees can create wonderful memories as well. I remember planting a peach tree as a kid using a peach pit buried about a foot in the ground, and completely forgot about it until the tree came up months later. In a few years we had a bumper crop, and those peaches were always extra special, knowing that they had come from a tree that I had planted.
Posted by drozzell on February 21, 2009
Do you ever simply ask your kids questions, and then wait to see how they answer? I think this is a great thing to do with kids: engage them with questions. Just asking questions is one of the simplest, and probably most overlooked, ways to build a great relationship with your son or daughter. Here are some examples.
What is your favorite color? Why?
What is your favorite smell?
What was your favorite part of our last vacation?
What songs do you like? Are there any you do not like?
What is your favorite animal? Why?
If a genie gave you a wish, what would you wish for?
What is your favorite book or story?
You get the idea, and you will think of many questions of this type to ask. Let your child expound a bit, draw him or her out, and be ready to ask the key follow up question: Why? You will be amazed at what you learn.
Posted by drozzell on February 11, 2009
My 16 year old son and I just finished spending the past two days volunteering together at a humanitarian aid center and a rescue mission in a major US city. While the impetus for doing this was an assignment for a project at my son’s school, the impact this activity made on both my son and myself caused me to realize what a great activity this would be for parents and children to do together. It doesn’t take a lot from us to make a positive difference in someone else’s life. The work can be simple–preparing and packing aid kits or sorting donated clothing–and it only costs you some time. But you and your child will be well-compensated. You will be showing your child a part of life they need to know about, and demonstrating the importance of giving a helping hand to others. Not many activities with kids can offer so much.
Posted by drozzell on February 9, 2009
Everyone needs a set of activities for kids when the weather will not permit you to go outside. Here is something that is great for a rainy day: plan a vacation. Ask your child to think where to go on vacation and what to do while there. By making suggestions you can guide the discussion (for example, your child suggests that the family go on an around the world cruise for 6 months; you can ask what to do about work and school, talk about the expense, and suggest some time and cost boundaries to the vacation). You may be amazed at the good ideas your child comes up with. Another benefit is learning about the things your child would really like to do that, quite possibly, you would not know about. By planning a vacation, you are asking your child in an indirect way to share his or her desires with you.
