Posted by drozzell on November 29, 2008
If you prefer a healthier option than cookies, try this fun, quick and easy alternative. Slice some fruit and cheese and create a fruit and cheese platter. Pick whatever items your child likes—grapes, apples, bananas, pears, peaches, nectarines strawberries, orange sections, tangerines. There is almost always something in season. Add some whole grain crackers such as Triscuits to eat with the cheese. Depending on the time of year, there are often local specialties. I grew up in an area with many strawberry farms where you could even go and pick your own. During the season the strawberries were plentiful and delicious. Sometimes it is fun to experiment with less common fruit like mangos, dates or figs. Your son or daughter will almost certainly enjoy this!
Posted by drozzell on November 28, 2008
This activity is always popular. Everyone likes cookies, and baking them can be almost as much fun and eating them. Easy-to-make recipes are widely available (Nestle’s Toll House, for example). If speed and easy clean-up are priorities, you can just go for the slice and bake variety—they are surprisingly good! Your child can help arrange the clumps of dough on the cookie sheet. A tradition at my house is to taste a little of the raw cookie dough. In 10-15 minutes your cookies will be ready to eat!
Posted by drozzell on November 27, 2008
Teaching a young child to use his or her imagination is great fun, and helps teach a useful skill. A game of pretend can be spontaneous or planned, but however you get started let the stories evolve as you and your child each tell part of the tale. Let your stories develop and build off of each other. Some of my favorite story lines are living in Alaska, going deep sea fishing, camping in the mountains in the snow. Just make up what happens as you go along, taking turns to add to the adventure. As this is Thanksgiving, your story line could be about being a Pilgrim and having the first Thanksgiving feast with Native Americans. You will be amazed at how creative young kids can be.
Posted by drozzell on November 26, 2008
This is a great activity for parents or grandparents. Assuming you have one or more a pet dogs, a great way to spend time with your son or daughter (or grandson or granddaughter) is to simply take the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood together. You are doing something that you need to do anyway, but with the bonus of having a chance to walk and talk with your child. He/she will love holding the leash for at least part of the walk, and you both get some light exercise as you have a chance to talk together without the interruptions that you might get in the home. Don’t forget to carry a doggie bag to pick up after your pet, if necessary. Doing this also teaches a good lesson to your child or grandchild.
Posted by drozzell on November 24, 2008
There are always errands to take care of, but you can turn these into a parent-child activity by bringing your child along. Going to the hardware store, the drug store, the grocery, the newsstand—your child will enjoy accompanying you while you do all of these types of things. You meet people together, talk to people, buy a few items that you need, and while you are taking care of your errands you have the opportunity to look around the stores and talk about things that you see. Hardware stores are especially good places to go with young boys because of the variety of items on display. Tools, nails, nuts and bolts, light fixtures, gardening needs—you may get a lot of questions about what these thing are for, and this is your chance to talk to your child about them. Tell him about what you see and watch his eyes sparkle! For a daughter, let her join you to shop for a few items at the drug store or grocery. Explain why you choose one product over another. Running errands with your child is both educational and relationship-building.
Posted by drozzell on November 22, 2008
Most people over the age of 50 have been to a farm at some point in their lives. If you know a farmer, or know someone who knows a farmer well enough to arrange a visit, I highly recommend this as an outing. Farms are great places to see another way of life and to spend time around horses, cows, chickens, pigs, and other animals. Most farms have dogs and cats as well. There is a lot to see and talk about. Getting a chance to look at tractors and farm equipment up close is a great experience. Talking about the different kinds of crops and how they are harvested, picking vegetables, feeding the animals—all these are interesting for young boys to see and learn about. Kids can watch and sometimes take part in the feeding of animals. I will never forget the smile on the face of my son as I watched him feed an apple to a horse for the first time.
Posted by drozzell on November 19, 2008
As places to buy fresh produce and get something to eat, farmers markets have really caught on in recent years. Many towns now designate one day of the week for a downtown farmers market, and just going and walking around the stalls to look at all that is offered makes for a great outing. Grab a snack while there, or even get a fresh grilled sausage, hot dog or burger and have a fresh-squeezed fruit juice. Fresh strawberries or a watermelon brought home from a farmers market seem to be more special, and somehow often taste better, compared to something bought from the supermarket.
Posted by drozzell on November 16, 2008
Ok, this can be a bit messy, but it sure is fun—and tasty! Pancake mixes and recipes that yield a pancake batter in less than 10 minutes are readily available. I like the Bisquick recipe myself, but many others give similar results. Let your child or children help with the cooking. You can have your son or daughter mix the batter and ladle the batter onto the griddle. Show him or her how and when to turn the pancakes with a spatula. The best part is eating the results. Try different kinds of toppings on the pancakes and talk about which you like the best. My favorites are maple syrup (or regular syrup), powdered sugar, different flavors of jam, honey, cinnamon-sugar. YUM!
