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 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 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.
Posted by drozzell on January 24, 2009
There are many simple card tricks, including a lot of self-working ones that even a young kid can learn. I recommend getting a book from the library or book store with easy-to-learn tricks and teaching your son or daughter how to carry it off. (It might be a good idea to practice it yourself first!) Then let your child show off for the family or friends. Card tricks always seem to be crowd pleasers.
Posted by drozzell on December 18, 2008
Is the weather too cold for a “camp out”? Not really up to sleeping outside yourself? Then make a “tent” or “fort” with bed sheets and blankets and pretend to have a camp out—really a camp-in, since you will do this activity with kids indoors, not outdoors. You can lay out sleeping bags, or just layer a few blankets on the floor. Bring flashlights and turn off the lights in the room to create the feeling of a dark night. Take turns telling scary stories. No camp-in would be complete without some food to enjoy together. Snacks are even more fun when shared under the makeshift tent you have created.
Posted by drozzell on December 13, 2008
Bowling is a sport that almost anyone can play. In fact, I would say that bowling is a sport that is easy to be mediocre at (though very hard to excel at). For this reason, bowling also ranks highly as a fun activity that is easy to do. It is suitable for boys and girls of almost any age. My teenage son and I often go bowling for an hour in the evening or on a weekend. The sound of the ball crashing into pins is exhilarating, and the great feeling you get if you make a strike is hard to beat. My son and I have fun competing, but I also enjoy using the time together as an opportunity to talk about things privately that he might not want to share with other people.
Bowling is also fun for younger kids as well. Most bowling centers now have side rails that can be programmed to pop up when small kids are bowling, preventing the ball from going into the gutter (sometimes I think I need this, too!). In this case our five year old daughter can bowl with my wife, my sons, and me, turning the trip into a family outing. And even young kids can get strikes. I have watched many kids roll the ball down the lane with barely enough speed to reach the pins at the end, and then see every pin go down. That always brings a lot of smiles, and creates some good memories as well.
Posted by drozzell on December 12, 2008
I decided to stop numbering these posts; it was getting a bit ridiculous. But today’s post is anything but ridiculous.
Want to do something fun with your kid(s) and feel like you are doing something good for yourself as well? How about exercising together. If you are a member of a health club and your son or daughter is teenage or older, think about taking your child with you the next time you go for a work out. But going to a gym is not necessary. Maybe you have some weights or exercise machines at home. If so, so much the better, because you have a ready made location and equipment in place. if you don’t have a work-out area at home, you can do this in your back yard, on your porch, or even in your family room. If your child is older the exercises can be more strenuous. For younger kids, even simple things like jumping jacks, skipping rope, push-ups, and running in place will serve perfectly well. The length of the work out will also depend on the age of your kids—maybe only 10 minutes for a 5-10 year old boy or girl, up to an hour for a teenager. This type of time together is also valuable opportunity to talk about whatever is on your child’s mind.
Posted by drozzell on December 8, 2008
This is a good indoor activity, especially good if the weather is not suitable for playing outside. Puzzles are widely available and typically very inexpensive. Make sure the puzzle is age appropriate, not too difficult so that your child doesn’t lose interest quickly. If you want the activity to be more educational, choose a puzzle with a theme: the world, United States, the solar system. I think it is best not to help out too much, but rather let your son or daughter work the puzzle with only a little assistance from you. You can scratch your head as you pretend to look for a piece, and maybe occasionally nudge it into view if you see your child is having trouble. One of my favorite puzzles for kids who are about 4-5 years old and up is a puzzle of the United States of America with pieces in the shape of the states. What a great way to learn about the 50 states while doing something fun at the same time!
Posted by drozzell on December 2, 2008
A classic activity, and not to be overlooked, is simply reading to your child. Every son, daughter, grandson, or granddaughter loves to be read to. There are so many books to choose from, and so many of them are terrific. The choice of book matters less than your attitude. Just hearing your voice, happy and full of expression, means so much to a child. In my opinion, Dr. Seuss, with his creative invented words and fun rhyming patterns and word cadences, is about the best there is for younger kids. I have enjoyed McElligot’s Pool since before I could read, when my parents read this wonderful book to me, and I have read that book to my sons and daughter more than 100 times since, I am sure.
My wife and I have read to our kids since they were very young. Now, and I think it is partly but not completely nostalgic, my wife still reads to her daughters, even though they are now college-aged. They still love it! And reading to your child costs nothing but a little of your time. The reward will be to build a lasting bond with your child and create special memories that your child will keep forever.
Posted by drozzell on November 30, 2008
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And our new book “Mr. Buddy and Grandy” is available. The book contains a series of short stories about a grandfather and his grandson and the things they did together–written to be read to a boy or girl, but also enjoyable for adults. The overarching theme of this book is that just doing simple things together with a child pays big long-term benefits in building a strong relationship. Click the Buy Now button to pay by Pay Pal or credit card.
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