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 23, 2008
For the cost of a first class stamp you can treat your child to a very simple pleasure. Have your son or daughter write a letter or enclose a picture or drawing and mail it to himself/herself. If your son or daughter cannot yet write, help him or her draw or color a picture and enclose it in an envelope. Then, help your child address it to himself/herself. The final step is a trip to the post office or nearest mail box together to put the envelope in the mail. This simple activity is fun twice—first when the letter is sent, and then again when the letter is delivered. Another idea is to have your child send a letter to his/her grandparents (or the opposite parent) as a surprise.
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 20, 2008
Fishing is perhaps the classical father-son or grandfather-son activity, but girls like it as well. Teaching a young child to fish is one of the quintessential times for bonding and relationship building. It can be very simple. Just fishing from the bank at a local pond or lake with a bamboo pole and worms is easy, inexpensive, and usually yields results in the form of some caught fish. Opportunities are plentiful in most parts of the country. There are farm ponds, lakes, and rivers in every state. The specific type of fishing will vary from place to place, but the basics are the same. If available, trout farms and catfish farms offer a near certainty that fish will be caught and can be taken home for dinner that same evening. My daughter’s first fishing trip was a success, catching bluegill which I prepared for dinner–yummy! I encourage every parent to go fishing with his or her child, boy or girl.
Posted by drozzell on November 19, 2008
Yes, I’m serious! This is obviously predicated on your liking sushi, but if you do, going to a Japanese sushi restaurant is a blast. Sit at the sushi bar, talk to the sushi chef, and let the chef recommend things that your child can try. Your child will get a chance to experience a very different kind of restaurant from the usual places children go for lunch or dinner. The variety is amazing, and everything is fresh and healthy. If your child is adventuresome, a variety of different fish, eel, octopus, squid, shrimp can be sampled. Things can get pretty exotic if you like, with delicacies like roe and sea urchin. And if you must have cooked fare, that’s always available, too. Teriyaki chicken, beef or salmon are standards. Just order what your mind and stomach can handle, and enjoy the experience. I guarantee that your child will be talking about this for a while!
Posted by drozzell on
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.
