Create a pirate ship, a photo booth, a corner market, or just a place to play hide and seek. This is an incredibly easy think to do. You can be as simple or elaborate as you want. It's amazing how kids will find ways to use their imagination by just cutting a few holes in a box.
Play-doh made from scratch is incredibly easy, and you can make an endless array of colors with basic food dye. Plus, it doesn’t have that awful commercial-brand smell. Spread the outdoor tablecloth on the floor, and give them dull knives, a rolling pin, and some cookie cutters.
Take a walking tour of San Francisco's best and famous chocolate eateries. Either do your own self-tour or take one by www.gourmetwalks.com. These tours are at 10:30am Wednesdays and Fridays and 2pm Saturdays.
For your own walking tour:
This is a fun and healthy activity for most any age. Kids just love playing with food.
What You Need:
* 1 large grapefruit
* 1 honeydew or canteloupe melon
* About 12-15 medium-sized strawberries, hulls removed
* Fresh pineapple, cut into slabs 1/3” thick
* 24-30 Short (~7”) bamboo skewers
* Two cookie cutters: one round, about 1-3/4” in diameter, and one flower shaped, with 4 or 5 petals, about 1-1/2” in diameter.
* Fresh mint, if available
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a dynamic social activist and key leader in the Civil Rights movement from the 1950’s until his assassination in 1968. His famous speech delivered during the March on Washington in 1963 is the inspiration for this activity that is rich in creativity and imagination. Your child will create a colorful collage using her own illustrations and magazine pictures to bring the last part of the speech to life visually.
Your kids are bored. Maybe it’s a rainy day outside. Or it’s just a long hot summer. You need some indoor activities for you and your kids. Here’s a list of twenty-five thing to do that will put fun back into your day.
1. Build the tallest card tower you can.
2. Get out all the stuffed animals and turn you living room into a zoo, complete with admission tickets and treats.
3. Make the neatest dominoes track and let the littlest child push the first domino to see it all fall down.
4. Write a newsletter about what you families doing and send it to all your relatives.
All you need for this fun activity is a small plate, a plastic drinking straw, dish washing liquid and tap water. Place two drops (that's all you need!) of dish washing liquid in the center of a plate. Carefully run tap water onto plate, pointing water over the dish soap to create some foam or bubbles. Carefully place the plate on a flat, sturdy surface, such as the kitchen table, and have your child point his straw into the water. To create bubbles, blow gently and slowly into the sudsy water.
Snow days are lots of fun for kids, who enjoy the novelty of missing school as well as playing in the snow, but can be stressful for parents faced with missed work, a houseful of kids and muddy boots everywhere. With an activity bag and fun ideas saved up for long snow days spent at home, you can enjoy the day as much as the kids -- almost.
Engage the children in snow activities after breakfast, which is a great way to unleash their pent-up energy and enjoy the wonder of snow and ice. Encourage them to build snow forts and snow sculptures -- and even if they are old enough to do it all themselves, they might appreciate some help with the construction.
Take a break from the chilly outdoors to engage in art work (after a snack, of course!) or a craft project. I stock up on small craft kits and tempera paints for days like this--and the kids love having a project to work on. Allow boots and winter gear to dry by the fire, or throw them in the dryer to get ready for the next outdoor adventure.
Board games and cards are an excellent way to while away a few hours while you are waiting for the drizzle outside to stop. Many beach houses even stock cards and board games for just such occasions. For younger kids, play fun games like Go Fish and Memory. Older kids will enjoy playing more complex games such as Rummy, Hearts and Spades.
