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Monday, December 22, 2008

60 Things to do with Kids


Now that it’s winter, I’m catching up on my huge pile of magazines. You think your pile is high? Try being a freelance writer and trying to keep up with researching different magazine markets.
So I came across this article in Grand Magazine (a magazine for grandparents) on 60 Summer Memory Makers to do with kids ages 2-15. Though some of the items are geared toward summer (hey – the article was published in the May/June issue), there are some evergreen ideas to beat the boredom when your kids are off school or when you're visiting relatives during the break.

A few samples: (the ideas are from Grand, the additional text is mine, so no copyright infringment here)

1. Paint pottery at a studio (try Laurel Street Arts in San Carlos, Aran’s Art Studio in Castro Valley, Color Me Mine in Daly City, All Fired Up in Burlingame, and Fire Works in Mountain View.

2. Pick up Litter: okay I realize this doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, but if it’s a decent day, this is a great way to teach some civic responsibility and get outside in a pretty area. Go to a park or just walk down the street and make the area cleaner. And then get the kids a treat.

3. Skip rocks: find that open body of water and let loose.

4. The thrift store scavenger hunt: come up with a list of odd items to find (you don’t have to buy them). And then let the kids search for them. Grand’s idea for items: a 2-slice toaster, four pink sweaters...).

5. Make thank-you notes. Be creative, whether hand making them with paint, crafted with add-on items or made on the computer.

6. Picnic. This may not be an outdoor activity in December, but have a picnic in the kitchen or living room, or in front of the fireplace.

7. Make a video: and then post if for the family on You Tube.

8. Perform scientific experiments. We’ve been meaning to do this one – making sugar crystal sticks (which I did in 7 & 8th grade for my science project)

Read the full list of idea memory makers here.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks, Debbie! I wrote those 60 things ... and it's fun to see them popping up again to give grandparents some ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Debbie! I wrote those 60 things ... and it's fun to see them popping up again to give grandparents some ideas.

    ReplyDelete