Spring is officially here. But here in Minnesota, it has been foggy, overcast, and drizzling rain all day – not exactly the way I’d like to picture the first day of Spring. But, despite the grey of the day, Spring is popping up all over!

Today the Red-Winged Blackbirds made their way back to our pond and bird feeders. The Robins are in the patches of grass that appear through the snow covered yard. The Canada Geese arrived ON our pond today – not IN the pond, but ON the pond, as it is still covered with a thick layer of ice. The Sandhill Cranes circled over the pond several times, but opted instead for a neighboring corn field. The Chipmunks are out and are digging for food (so much for our once manicured lawn). The ever-present Deer are here, along with the Pheasants – and they are all looking for food. Upon close inspection, I’ve noticed that many of our trees are starting to show buds on them, and I know it’s only a matter of time before they turn into the leaves that provide welcome Summer shade.

We all know that warmer weather is close at hand, and now is the perfect time to get outside and relieve that Spring fever! Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Signs of Spring – here is a fun activity for observing the changes to the trees in your yard.


• Spring Bulbs – start Spring flowers in the comfort of your home.


• Spring Sprouts – start a fun garden indoors – on a sponge!


• Beyond Mud Pies – Spring thaw and rains bring lots of opportunity to play in the mud! Check out this fun activity and have a blast!


• Play in the Rain – here are some fun and unique ways to play outside in the Spring rain.


• Make a Puddle Paddle Boat – here’s an easy boat you can make to play in Spring puddles!

How do YOU welcome Spring in your area? Post your comments!

To prepare for Dance Night, we move the couch aside to make plenty of dancing room in our Great Room. We find oldies from our past to play, as well as new music that our boys enjoy. Once the music starts, it’s time to get up and move!

Not only is Dance Night a great way for our family to have fun together, it’s also a fun way to exercise – especially this time of year when it’s cold out, and there is less to do outside.

Tonight we are going to do our favorite Paper Dance. What’s a Paper Dance, you ask? Well… it’s something you really have to try with your family! Here’s how…

What You Will Need:

• Large Sheet of Paper or Newspaper (one for each person)


• Music

What You Do:

• Designate one person in your family to be “The DJ” in charge of the music for this dance, and give all other family members a large sheet of paper to act as their “dance floor”.


• Have each dancer stand on their sheet of paper and when you are ready to dance, begin the music.


• The dancers must stay on their sheet of paper the entire time they are dancing. If they step off the paper, they are eliminated from that dance round.


• When the person in charge of the music stops the music, each dancer must fold their paper in half, reducing the size of their “dance floor”, and the music resumes. Again, dancers must stay on their sheet of paper while dancing.


• Continue repeating these steps, folding the paper in half each time the music stops, until the last dancer remains.


• Unfold the paper, and start again!

Variations:

• Rotate the family members in charge of the music so that everyone has a chance to be “The DJ”.


• Play music for about a minute each time before stopping and folding the “dance floor”. This keeps the dance going and allows everyone a chance to “move it to the music”!


• With Valentine’s Day just days away, make large red paper hearts to use for your dance floor!

Go ahead…. gather your family together, put on your favorite music, and shake, rattle, and Rock and Roll!

Have a fun night dancing!

You May Also Like:

• Beethoven’s Wig Dance Along Symphonies – Boogie with Beethoven’s Wig! This CD is full of zany stick-in-your-head lyrics set to the greatest hits of classical music.


• Jumbo Dance Scarves – These large colorful scarves are perfect for dancing! They also make great tents, super hero capes, and anything else your kids can dream up!


• Activity Rings – This set has so many uses for active play! Toss them, balance them, jump in them, twirl them on your arms or legs – whatever you do will be fun!

But, since we like to send cards to family and friends, I wanted to find a way to make creating handmade Valentine cards more fun for my kids. I remembered a saying from my childhood – “Yours till the horse flies” – and my kids thought it was cool. So, we’ve been brainstorming to come up with more sayings like this one.

Here are the sayings we have so far – just waiting to be turned into Valentine’s Day cards and gift tags:

• Yours till butter flies


• Yours till the bed spreads


• Yours till the kitchen sinks


• Yours till ginger snaps


• Yours till the barn dances


• Yours till the fire escapes


• Yours till the cat naps


• Yours till the car tires


• Yours till the peanut butters


• Yours till the cookie crumbles


• Yours till the square dances


• Yours till gold rushes


• Yours till bacon strips


• Yours till the ice ages


• Yours till space rocks


• Yours till the hedge rows


• Yours till the cow slips


• Yours till cement walks


• Yours till the video tapes


• Yours till the remote controls


• Yours till the glue sticks


• Yours till ice screams


• Yours till the banana splits


• Yours till the bubble wraps


• Yours till the water falls


• Yours till the sun burns


• Yours till the pool drains

Next, I think we’ll see what we can add to the age-old poem of “Rose Are Red, Violets Are Blue….” That should be fun, too!

Try this out with your kids and see what clever sayings they come up with!

Have fun!
…Yours till the board walks

My kids and I brainstormed today and made a list of all the things we love to do in the snow (in no particular order) – and we thought we’d share this list with you.

• Luge Tracks – We have a nice sized hill in our yard that makes a zippy luge track! We shovel a path in the snow and build up the sides of the track. Armed with a spray tank full of water, we ice the luge track down at night and let it freeze to a smooth, slick surface. When the track is ready, it’s time to grab the sleds and hold on tight! A luge track can be created in any backyard – just shovel snow into a hill, create the track, and ice it down.
• Build Snow Forts – Ah… snow forts. Probably one of my favorite snow activities. Our snow forts include bedrooms (with snow beds), livingrooms (with snow furniture), and kitchens (complete with all the appliances). We haven’t made a snow bathroom yet, but I image that could be fun!
• Annual Snowmen Challenge – Every year I challenge my boys to create 100 miniature snowmen in our front yard. This is so much fun, and the results put a smile on the faces of everyone who sees all our snowmen. I wrote a separate blog post about this at Snowmen Challenge – check it out!
• Snowball Fights – What is winter without good old-fashioned snowball fights?!?! We like to create snow bunkers to hide behind, build up an arsenal of snowballs, then let the flinging begin! Yes, this can be somewhat dangerous, but our rule is – no head shots! We aim for chest or lower. We leave no man behind. Hooyah!
• Sledding – This is the MANDATORY snow activity! Whether you create a hill in your own yard, or head to a local sliding hill, this is one activity that absolutely must be done during winter… and often! We especially like building jumps on the hills for us to fly over! Nothing like defeating gravity – if only for a few moments. This also makes for some spectacular crash footage.
• Snowboarding – This is so much fun! Strap the board to your feet and off you go! 360’s, jumps, and freestyle will certainly keep you warm while on the slopes!
• Riding in a Sled Behind 4-Wheel ATV – Nothing quite like tying a large ice fishing sled to the ATV and pulling the boys around the yard through the snow! Figure 8’s, spirals, and tight corners are so much fun! Speed is not a necessity – little more than walking speed is enough. It’s the twisty-turny action that they love!
• Skating and Playing Pond Hockey – Strap on those skates and head to the pond – hockey at it’s finest! Yes, indoor ice rinks are cool, but pond skating is one of the best experiences ever! And hockey played outdoors is absolutely the purest form of the sport, in our opinion.
• Snow Bowling – Our kids have been snow bowling for years! I wrote a separate article on how to do this at Snow Bowling – get your game started today!
• Track and Snow – Jumping snow hurdles and racing with each other (especially in all our snow gear) is a lot of fun! Check out our Track and Snow article on what we do!
• Shoveling Snow – WHAT?!? No, we actually hate shoveling snow. We just wanted to see if you were still paying attention. Move along.
• Snow Mazes – When the snow is especially deep (24″ inches or more), I LOVE to make snow mazes for our boys! I shovel paths in our yard that weave in and out and intertwine to create extravagant labyrinths in the snow. Just try to find your way out!
• Snow Painting – Snow painting is such a fun way to express yourself. All that pure white snow – it’s an open canvas just waiting for ideas! In addition to painting the snow with our Snow Painting Kit, we also like to line up on one end of our yard, each with a different color of snow paint. We each walk across the yard, creating a snow painted path behind us as we walk – the more curves, spirals, and backtracks, the better! Once we have all created our paths to the other side of the yard, we step over to someone else’s path and then have to follow that path back to the house. Talk about mass confusion and fun!
• Snow “Marble” Runs – Our kids absolutely love marble runs! So much so, that they have been building marble runs out of snow in our yard. Rather than using marbles, we use pinky balls to send down the runs. Just pile a bunch of snow to form a “mountain” and then carve a path for the pinky ball to follow as it makes its descent down the path. The first ball down, wins! Rube Goldberg would be pleased!
• Igloo Building – Every year, we make at least one igloo that our entire family can fit inside. The Eskimold Igloo Brick Makers are a winter staple around here. These things make building igloos a breeze! Maybe this winter, we’ll sleep overnight in our igloo.
• Launch Snowballs – My boys love to launch things (go figure)! We built a large catapult based on the Catapult Kit instructions. We set this catapult on the long driveway and launch snowballs to see who can launch theirs the furthest! What fun!
• Snowball Target Practice – My kids are really into precision and love to throw snowballs at targets. They make a series of snowmen or snow shapes on one side of the yard, then throw snowballs at these shapes to see who can knock down the most shapes in three throws. Arcade games at home!
• Build Snow Cities – Why stop at a snow fort? We build snow cities! Sometimes the cities consist of houses, garages, and roads connecting them. Other times the cities consist of skyscrappers and sky walks. Let your imagination loose and create snow cities of your favorite places to visit!
• Snow “Crop Circles” – We think crop circles are cool, especially when they are made by us… in the snow! Yes, the Aztec people had awesome designs carved into the land, but I bet none of them ever wrote “I Love You Mom!” in HUGE letters in their backyards! Hearts stomped into the snow, and colored with red snow paint sends the message loud and clear!
• Snow Pyramids – This was a really fun challenge a few years back, to create a pyramid that would last throughout the winter. The boys made snow bricks with our Mega Brick Maker and then carefully positioned the bricks to form a pyramid that was taller than my husband! Egyptian architects would have been proud of our precision.
• Snow Tic-Tac-Toe – This is such a fun game to play, especially when licking a clean snowball! Just draw a tic-tac-toe grid in the snow and use snowballs and snowsquares (snowballs formed into squares) as your playing pieces.
• Snow Totem Poles – While we love the typical snowman, snow totems are even more fun! Stack snow squares until you have the height you desire. Use your hands or plastic knives to carve the details into your totem poles. Be creative and have fun!
• Snow Stonehenge and Easter Island – There is nothing more intriguing than to see a replica of Stonehenge or the gigantic faces of Easter Island in your backyard – made of snow, of course! Pile snow, carve away, then sit back and enjoy!
• Snow Houses and Castles – Our snow houses and castles don’t have ceilings, but we build the tallest walls possible and include all the amenities you would find in a house or castle. Sometimes we spray them with water so they freeze solid and last almost all winter long!
• Skiing (Both Downhill and Cross-Country) – Zip down the slopes or across a field with skis straped to your feet! The feeling of cold air on your face is exhilarating!
• Snow Tracks – We have a lot of outdoor creatures where we live. It is a lot of fun to head outside in the fresh snow and track the animals that have visited us. Rabbits, coyotes, squirrels, mice and more! The snow allows the tracks to be preserved for us to see. It’s also fun to follow the tracks to see where the animals go!
• Fox and Geese – This classic game in the snow is fun for our entire family! Click Fox and Geese for complete details on how to play this game.
• Snow Sculptures (Especially LARGE Sculptures) – I’ve already mentioned Stonehenge and Easter Island figures, but why stop there? One year, I created the tallest snowman ever! It was so tall, I had to build snow steps up the back of the snowman just to finish off it’s head! Build big!
• Snow Caves and Tunnels – You know all the snow that gets piled along the sides of the driveway from shoveling? Well, these huge piles make perfect mountains to carve out caves and tunnels! Of course, we want our kids to be safe and not have the cave collapse on them, so we monitor this activity closely – and never let them play in the tunnels alone. Carving out a cave with tunnels is such a fun activity for kids! If you don’t have a lot of snowfall, make your own piles by shoveling snow to form a large hill. Then, start digging!
• Snow Lanterns – Snow lanterns make snow play at night more fun! Make snowballs and then stack them to form a pyramid. Before you place the last snowball in place, position a flashlight, glow stick or votive candle inside the snow pyramid, then place the last snowball on top. The light will seep through the cracks of your snow pryamid and make the most beautiful glowing lantern in your yard! Make dozens of these snow lanterns when you are hosting a snow party in your yard!
• Snow Hide and Seek – My kids like to take the typical game of Hide and Seek to a different level. The seeker counts to 100 while all the hiders run off and hide. The upside to this game of “snow” hide and seek, is that the seeker can follow the tracks to find the hiders. But… if the hiders are smart, they will make their tracks almost impossible to follow!
• Snow Angels – Yes… snow angels are still one of the simplest pleasures of playing in the fresh snow. Just walk out into your yard, flop onto your back, and start swishing your arms and legs to form your angel. Make an entire yard full of angels!
• Snow Monsters and Aliens – Snowmen are fun, but snow monsters and aliens are even more fun! Using the same techniques for creating snowmen, build monsters and aliens in your yard! We like to make at least a dozen aliens (walking away from their crashed snow UFO) and then put glow sticks into the snow aliens to light up their eyes! Creepy fun!
• Snowball Races – Ready? Set! Race! Make your snowballs ahead of time, then roll them across your yard to see who’s snowball will travel the furthest to win the race! It’s snow much fun!
• Catch Snowflakes on Our Tongues – You are never too old to simply enjoy catching snowflakes on your tongue! Just tilt your head back, stick out your tongue, and have fun! Oohhh – brain freeze!!!
• Snowmobiling – If you are fortunate enough to own your own snowmobile, you know how much fun this activity is! Thrilling sprints across fields and lakes! Carving through deep powder! Touring down beautiful wooded trails! Or just bombing around the back yard. If you don’t own one, perhaps you could rent a machine for a day, or go for a ride with a neighbor. It’s an experience everyone should try! Grab your helmet and lets ride!
• Snow Fires – After you’ve played all day in the snow, it’s time for a fire. Dig a firepit in the snow, gather some branches and watch the flames dance around and melt the snow around them. We like to add several packets of Funky Colored Flames to our fires for an even more brilliant display! Obviously, this is an adult supervised activity.

Okay… so we’ve shared our ideas with you. What do you like to do in the snow? Post your comments, and let us know!

This is a really easy tradition to start, and one that brings lots of smiles and laughter as you count down to the new year.

Here’s what we do…

What You Will Need:

• Party Favor Bags (one bag for each hour that you want to countdown, and a set of bags for each child – for example, if you have three kids and want to count down 5 hours, you will need 15 bags) – we recommend using bags of the same color for each child (for example, we use all blue bags for one son, all green for another son, and all red for another son)


• Small Prizes (see list below for ideas)


• Clock Face Printable (one clock for each hour)


• Scissors


• Glue Stick

What You Do:

• To assemble your Countdown Bags, print the clock faces that you want to use for each hour that you are counting down. Cut the clocks out and use a gluestick to adhere the clock face to the favor bags. You will need one complete set of Countdown Bags for each child.


• Place a small prize into each of the Countdown Bags. We recommend using the same item in each bag for each child. For example, place a Pinky Ball in all the 3:00 bags; a Glow Bracelet in all the 4:00 bags, etc. This way, your kids will ALL receive the same gift each time they open an hourly bag.


• Fold the tops of the bags over to keep them closed until ready to open.


• To start your countdown, every hour – on the hour – give one Countdown Bag to each of your kids. For example, if you are starting at 3:00pm, give each of your kids their bag with the 3:00 clock. Then at 4:00pm, give your kids their 4:00 bag, etc.


• Continue counting down the hours until “midnight” (whatever hour you decide that will be) by handing out a Countdown Bag every hour. After the first hour, your kids will be watching the clock in anticipation of the next bag!


• Carefully flatten the bags after they have been opened, and you can save them for the following year. Just store them in a large plastic ziptop storage bag for safe keeping.

Ideas for Small Prizes:

• New Year’s Eve Noise Makers – may your voices be heard in the new year!


• Unique Pencils, such as a Twig Pencil or a 3-Mile Pencil – to help you write your goals for the new year!


• Small Bouncy Balls (such as a Pinky Ball or even Coal Bouncing Balls) – here’s to bouncing into a new year, full of energy!


• Retro Ball Blowers – here’s hoping you achieve all your goals in the new year!


• Fortune Telling Fish – to good fortune in the new year!


• Balloons or Flying Saucer Balloons – to lofty hopes and dreams for 2011, and that you will achieve them!


• Mini Test Tube Touchable Bubbles – to bubbly personalities and enthusiasm for a new year!


• Blank Tickets with special favors written on them that your kids can redeem


• Super String Thing – may all your obstacles and problems be quick to overcome in the new year!


• Morse Code Flashers – remember to have fun in the new year!


• Spiral Glitter Wand – here’s hoping you see magic in every day of the new year!


• Happy Hearts Stone – a heart to remind you how much you are loved every day of the year!


• Glow Necklace, Glow Bracelets, or Glow Sticks – may you light up with creative ideas for fun adventures in the new year!


• Jelly Belly Cocktail Classics – Cheers to a new year!

Variations:

• Choose the hour that you want to celebrate the beginning of the new year – for example, for very young children, make 8:00pm your “midnight” time. Start your countdown at 3:00pm and make a Countdown Bag for 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, and lastly for 8:00.


• The hourly prizes or small gifts can be anything you’d like to use. For example, use items from the list above – or use cookies, fruits, or even special postcards that you’ve written to your kids. Be creative!


• This idea also works when you are counting down days to an event – such as a holiday or a birthday! Instead of opening a bag every hour, open a bag every day as you countdown!

Have fun with this idea – and Happy New Year to you!

Copyright © 2007-2010 Escapade Direct LLC. All rights reserved. All content on this site is property of Escapade Direct LLC and may not be used without our written permission.

What You Will Need:

• 1 Large Bucket or Tubtrug filled with water


• 1 Brick or Heavy Rock


• 6 inch length of String


• 5 Straws


• 1 Plastic Shopping Bag


• 5 Paper Clips


• 10 Mailing Labels (they work as tape)


• 3 Binder Clips


• Scissors


• 1 Balloon inflated to a 4 inch diameter (this size cannot be altered during the task)

What You Do:

• Gather all the materials you will need, then fill the bucket or Tubtrug with enough water to cover the balloon, plus at least 2 inches extra water.


• Place a brick or heavy rock in the bottom of the bucket.


• Place all the materials from the above list near the bucket or Tubtrug,and make sure there is plenty of room around the bucket for your kids to work.


• They have one minute to think about a plan without touching the materials, and then five minutes to build their idea.


• Let them know you will give them a signal when there is one minute remaining in the build time. Make sure they understand the rules before you give them the task! Otherwise, they may start thinking about a solution, and not focus on the rules!


• Now give them the task: Inform your kids that they are to work together as a team to devise a method for submerging an air inflated balloon under water.


• Let the team know that the balloon must be submerged before the time is up – and, the balloon must be completely submerged and remain submerged for a minimum of five seconds.


• Encourage your kids to communicate with each other, to cooperate with one another, and to work together as a team.


• When your team is ready, start the timer and see what creative ideas they come up with!

Tips:

• Make sure to have extra inflated balloons on hand, in case one pops.


• When the task is completed, talk to your kids about how creative their ideas were. Compliment them on how well they communicated with each other during the task, and how they cooperated with each other. Recommend ways in which they could improve communication, cooperation, and teamwork – but always end with positive commendations and lots of praise!


• Try any variety of items found around your house for this project. Ask your kids what items they think should be used.

This activity gets kids thinking in creative ways, helps them practice problem-solving skills, and encourages them to work together as a team.

Try this with your kids! Be creative and have fun! Post your ideas to share with others!

Today was an overcast, rather wet day where we live. We noticed there were quite a few snails crawling along the patio this morning. My kids were wondering where the snails were coming from, and where they were going. AH HA! One of those perfect, natural teaching opportunities! We wandered out to the patio to see what we could learn…

What You Will Need:

• Snails or Slugs


• Clear Observation Tank, such as our favorite 1-1/2 Gallon Aquaria/Terraria Tank with Cover


• Plants, or leaves from plants (we used hosta leaves, since the snails seem particularly fond of them)


• Magnifying Glass or loupe


• Paper or a small Blank Book


• Crayons or colored pencils

What You Do:

• Gather a few snails or slugs from your yard. The best time to find them is early in the morning, when the plants are still wet with dew. You can also find snails or slugs in moist, sheltered places like old flower pots or under boards or logs.


• Gently place the snails or slugs in your observation container, along with a few plant leaves.


• Watch the snails as they move around. Are they crawling up the walls of the container? Are they crawling on the plant leaves? You may want to add a short twig or even a craft stick to the container to see if the snails will crawl on these items.


• When snails crawl, they leave behind a trail of slime. Can you see this trail on all the surfaces the snails are crawling on? Does it matter if the surface is wet or dry? Smooth or rough? Place a small piece of black construction paper in the observation container and watch for the snail trails.


• Place small pieces of food and non-food items in the container with the snails. Observe what they like to eat. You might want to try apples, lettuce, grass, or even cardboard!


• Hold the clear observation container up so you can watch the snails as they crawl along from underneath! You might even be able to watch the snails eat! Use your magnifying glass to get a really close-up view of the underside and mouth of a snail. Amazing!


• Use a magnifying glass or loupe to look closely at the shell of a snail. Describe the shape, rings, and colors of the shell.


• Record your observations on a piece of paper or in a blank book – include things like the size of the snail, the color of the snail, the shape of it’s shell, and what it likes to eat. Draw a picture or sketch of the snails.


• Create a snail obstacle course or even a snail circus! Try to get the snails to crawl along a length of rope, up a ladder, or even along the bridge of your nose (as my adventurous son likes to do). Be creative!


• When you are finished observing and learning about your snails, make sure to release them back where you found them. Or, relocate them a safe distance away from the hostas!

Variations:

• We were curious to see how quickly a snail can actually move. We used chalk to place a small mark next to a snail on the patio, then measured 1 foot from that mark and drew a circle with a 1 foot radius around the original mark. As soon as the snail started to move, we timed the snail to see how long it would take for it to travel 1 foot. Of course, the snail didn’t make a straight trail, so we repeated this same procedure several times to get an average amount of time it took the snails to reach the 1 foot mark. After we recorded the average time, we poured water within the chalk circle and placed a snail in the center again. We tried this several times, timing each trip, to see if the snails moved quicker or slower when the patio was wet versus dry. Our patio is fairly smooth, so we tried this same procedure on the much rougher surface of the driveway as well. What did we find out? Well, you’ll just have to try this for yourself to obtain your own results – but let’s just say, no speed records were broken today!


• My kids wanted to see if a snail would travel faster uphill or downhill, or if the slope would even matter at all. My son positioned a smooth board at various angles and tried to coax the snails to crawl up and down the boards, timing them as they moved. I think we all learned a real lesson in patience during this procedure!


• Snail races?! Really?! Okay, we had to try it! We positioned snails at a starting line (drawn with chalk) and we each tried to entice the snails to move by placing bits of food in front of them. The first snail to the finish line, wins! Recommendation: Keep the race course very, very short – otherwise you might just fall asleep waiting for them to finish a long endurance race.

One Step Further:

• Did you know that snails have teeth!? Yep! Snails have a long tongue that is covered with roughly one quarter of a million teeth in different shapes and sizes. The teeth allow the snail to tear off small pieces of food to eat. Incredible!


• Many gardeners do not like having snails in their gardens. Some people use things like pennies or coffee grounds in an attempt to repel snails. Experiment with a variety of different household items to see if you can find out what will repel a snail away from your plants. Please make sure to use things that are safe, and with adult permission and guidance.


• With an adults help, research the different kinds of snails and slugs that are in your area. You could use books or the internet for your research. How many different varieties of snails and slugs do you have in your yard?

Next… we are going to observe the snails that live in the ponds! But that’s another adventure for another day…

Copyright © 2007-2010 Escapade Direct LLC. All rights reserved. All content on this site is property of Escapade Direct LLC and may not be used without our written permission.

My kids and I have been having a ball (no pun intended) playing golf. But not the traditional kind of golf that requires a manicured golf course, expensive equipment, or funny pants. Instead, we’ve been finding fun ways to play “golf” at home.

Here are two games we came up with. Both games can be played by kids and adults of all ages and abilities.

Have fun!

Circle Golf

This is a fun game to practice putting skills. The object is to sink putts from 9 different positions on a circle in the fewest number of strokes.

What You Need:

• Backyard Area or Park


• Small Golf Club, Croquet Mallet, or even a small board


• Golf Ball, or other small ball, such as a Pinky Ball (the deeper the grass, the bigger the ball may need to be)


• Plastic Cup or Jar


• String, Garden Hose, or Long Jump Rope
  
• 9 Markers, we like to use Marker Rounds (they have so many uses)


• 1 or more Players

How to Play:

• To prepare for the game, use string, a garden hose, or a jump rope to mark off a circle in your yard that is about six feet in diameter.


• Place 9 markers around the perimeter of the circle. Don’t worry if they aren’t equally spaced. Each marker represents the “tee” and players will start putting from these positions.


• If you are playing in your own backyard, and you have permission, dig a small hole in the center of the circle, and place a plastic cup into the hole. Save the grass you cut out, so you can fill the hole back in later. If you are playing in a park, or don’t want to dig a hole in your yard, lay a plastic cup or jar on its side so it faces the first tee position – the cup will serve as the hole. The cup will have to be turned toward each tee as the player moves around the circle.


• One at a time, each player putts their way clockwise around the circle, beginning at the first tee and progressing through the other eight tees after successfully putting at each position.


• Players should keep track of the number of strokes taken at each position. Have the other players count the strokes aloud as the putter plays. This involves the other players and helps everyone remember the number of strokes taken.


• The player to complete the course in the fewest number of total strokes is the winner.

Variations:

• Change the diameter of the circle to a larger diameter for more challenging putts.


• If you prefer, have player one start at the first tee and record the number of strokes, then player two plays the same tee, etc. When all the players have completed the first hole, play begins again on the second hole, and so on.

Driveway Golf

Here is a fun game to play on your driveway! The object of the game is to flip or toss a small object along a “golf course” drawn with chalk on your driveway or sidewalk, in the fewest number of “strokes”.

What You Need:

• Driveway, Sidewalk, or any Paved Surface


• 2 or more Players


• Chalk


• Small Object for each Player – a small stone or bottle cap works well

How to Play:

• The first step to playing Driveway Golf, is to design the course. Have each player draw a golf hole on the driveway – one hole usually consists of a tee-box (starting point), fairway, and the green (putting surface where the hole is located). Hazards such as water, woods or sand traps are also common. The hole should be represented by a circle that is about three inches in diameter. Use your imaginations when designing each hole along the course. For example, a hole could be located on an island in the middle of a pond, or be surrounded by trees, sand traps, and water hazards. Be creative!


• Once the course has been drawn, number the holes from 1 to 9 (or 1 to 18 for a longer game), then determine which player will tee-off first.


• The first player should crouch down by the tee and toss their object toward the first hole.


• Objects that land partially or wholly in a hazard, must be placed outside the hazard, and a penalty stroke is added.


• Play continues through the course, through the last hole. The player with the fewest total strokes wins the game.

Variations:

• Use chalk to draw a score card on the driveway, as shown, to keep track of the number of strokes each player has for each hole.


• When playing with young children, you may want to allow them a “handicap” and let them tee-off closer to the hole.


• Create in color! Use a variety of colored chalk to create your course – blue for water hazards, green for trees, and brown for sand traps – you get the idea!

You Might Also Like:

Card Golf – This card game allows you to play golf anywhere! We also include score cards you can download and print from all the major golf courses in the world!

Dirtbag Footbag – Get active while playing with a footbag! This eight panel, hand-sewn, sand filled footbag (sometimes called a hacky sack) is what all the kids are asking for! It’s perfect for beginners and pros alike! Available in four colors.

Classic Marbles – In addition to fine-tuning small motor skills, playing marbles helps children develop social skills, learn to take turns, recognize and solve problems, negotiate, learn to cooperate and develop empathy. And… it’s just plain, old-fashioned fun!

PitchCar – All the excitment (and skill) of racing! Choose your favorite car, design and build your track, and with a flick of your finger, you’re off and racing! We’ve even created our own PitchCar Golf game! See the bottom of the product page for details on how to play.

FalsaWood Boomerang – Looks like it’s been carved by hand out of real wood, yet it’s made of a soft, safe material for indoor or outdoor fun!

FalsaWood Ball – Looks dangerous when it’s thrown at you, but it’s falsawood, soft and safe!

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When I was a kid, I would build forts inside our house with my brothers. And now that I have kids of my own, it is fun to pass along this Friday Night Fort tradition to my own kids.

After dinner, after teeth are brushed and pajamas are on, it’s fort building time! The kids get busy gathering necessary supplies. Sometimes their forts include blankets stretched across chairs with many pillows underneath to serve as a comfortable sleeping surface. Sometimes the forts don’t have a ceiling – but instead simply have pillow walls. Old fashioned clothes pins, bungee cords, blankets, comforters, and pillows are typical indoor sleeping fort materials. Small, cozy enclosures are the norm.

However your kids design and build their fort, you can be sure this will be an activity your kids will remember the rest of their lives. And just maybe, they will pass the tradition along to their kids someday.

Our Fort Building Tips:

• Sheets and light-weight blankets work great for building forts inside. To secure a corner of the blanket, twist a marble or small stone in the corner of the blanket, open a dresser drawer, tuck a blanket wrapped stone inside, and close the drawer. This keeps the blanket secure.


• Old-fashioned clothes pins or plastic clamps will hold blankets or sheets to window ledges, bed frames, dressers, or chairs.


• Folding chairs make great fort frames! Place several folding chairs around the perimeter of your room. Drape a large blanket or sheet over the chairs and secure the blankets with tape, clothes pins, or clamps. Instant fort roofs!


• Try using adhesive backed, removable picture hanging hooks on the walls (the kind with the peelable adhesive strips for easy removal). Hang cord or string from hook to hook to create a drape line. Drape light sheets, blankets or tarps across the cord to form your fort. Instant tent!


• Fort building can be done outdoors too, when weather permits. When we build forts outside, survival from the elements is the priority; robust materials like scrap lumber, plywood, branches, ropes, and tarps serve this purpose better. Outdoor forts are designed to fend off everything from a light rain, to an attack from a T-rex – or whatever the kids imagine the fort needs to protect them from.
  

Go ahead, help your kids build a fort inside your house tonight. Sleep in it with your kids. Create memories. Have fun!

This activity helps kids with math, reading, planning, and life skills – as well as helping them learn about good nutrition. A sort of “home-ec” lesson that’s a lot of fun! And you never know… you might just end up with a professional chef in your family!

Here’s how it works…

Restaurant Planning and Preparation:

• Schedule – One Saturday night a month, each kid gets to run his own restaurant – right at home. They become the restaurant owner, chef, host, and waiter.


• Cuisine – Provide the kids with cookbooks that they can use to plan their meal.


• Groceries – After reviewing the cookbooks, help the kids make a grocery list of the ingredients needed, and have them help you shop for the groceries.


• The Name – The restaurant “owner” chooses a name for their restaurant, and then uses an Art Board to design a sign for the restaurant. This is a great way for kids to be creative! They get to practice different lettering styles, experiment with colors and logo designs, and learn marketing skills!


• Branding – The owner also uses larger Art Boards to create custom placemats to be used by family members. TIP: Use both sides of the art boards – one side for one restaurant, and the other side for a different restaurant.


• Menu – The owner uses a sheet of paper from a Sketch Pad to create a custom menu to present to the rest of the family. Just fold the paper in half, design a cover, and write the menu on the inside.


• Ambiance – Kids might want to create additional artwork to hang on the walls or windows in your diningroom to help create the desired ambiance for their restaurant. The pages from the sketch pad work great for this! They might also like to choose music to play in the background during a meal – this can really add to the experience!

Preparing the Meal:

• Once all the above steps are done, and the scheduled date arrives, the restaurant owner becomes the chef and is ready to prepare the meal!


• Let kids experience as much of the cooking and meal preparation as possible, but because a kitchen has certain hazards, be sure to supervise this step, and assist when needed.


• While the meal is cooking, the restaurant owner decorates the restaurant with their signs, placements, posters, and menu. Depending on the meal, this step might need to be done before the meal preparation begins.


• When the meal is finished, the owner/chef becomes the host and can seat family members in the diningroom restaurant. Then the host becomes the waiter and serves the meal. Bon appetit!

Tips:

• Our family likes to have Restaurant Night on a Saturday night. We find this allows for greater flexibility because Saturday evenings are usually the least hectic. Pick a night that is relaxing and fun for your family!


• Take pictures! Make sure to capture your kids restaurant experience on camera. It’s fun to look back on how they decorated their restaurants.


• Remember to give your kids lots of praise throughout this activity, even if the meal doesn’t turn out to be 5-star restaurant quality! They’ll take great pride in their restaurant endeavor, if you support their efforts.


• If your children are too young to do this activity on their own, it’s a lot of fun to help your kids and work along side them, giving them opportunities to mix, measure, stir, etc.


• If preparing a dinner seems intimidating to your kids, try this activity with breakfast or lunch, as these are generally simpler meals.


• Use this opportunity to help your kids learn about safety in the kitchen. Show them the proper way to use kitchen tools and utensils.

Adult supervision with this activity is a MUST – stay safe!

You May Also Like:

Real Slate Chalkboard and Chalk Board Holder – Use this chalk board and holder to write your weekly menu on.

DIY Drinking Strawz – These unique straws making any meal more fun!

Cool Jewels – Make a batch of diamond-shaped ice cubes to serve in your favorite mealtime beverage!

United States Cook Book – A fun cookbook with recipes from every state in the USA.

US History Cook Book – A cookbook with recipes from various historical places and events.

Healthy Body Cook Book – A cookbook full of healthy recipes that are easy for kids to make.

Cook it in a Cup – This activity set provides a fun way to introduce your kids to cooking!