informal fun
Filed Under Tips & Tricks | May 19, 2009
Sure the weekends are packed with fun events, but during the week you’re often bereft of ideas to keep your tots entertained. Play gyms and play dates are great, but sometimes messing about at home is a nice break for everyone. We’ve got a few seasonal, fun ideas that don’t require pre-registration or many supplies:
Want to catch up on your gardening? Lure your pint-sized helpers with a little bit of insect science. They’ll be amazed at how an intrepid ant can carry more than its weight in crumbled up crackers, or set them the task of discovering how many different bugs lurk in your garden. A few buckets of water, a watering can and a little shovel will also keep them busy “helping” you water the plants and mucking about digging holes.
Okay, we said not many supplies, but sidewalk chalk should be part of every mama’s arsenal. After all it doesn’t cost much and it offers unlimited opportunities to draw wherever you want, at least when you’re outside. Are your kids looking to you for artistic inspiration? Hopscotch is a tried and true classic. And we always have fun with shadow drawing. Just have your kids stand still – or you can stand still – and draw and decorate your shadows. This is a great one for inspiring crazy poses.
If the weather isn’t seasonal, baking with your kids can provide hours of fun. As long as you can take a deep breath and ignore the mess and enjoy the journey of cooking with them, rather than rushing to your destination of getting the cookies or muffins in the oven. Plus everyone gets to enjoy the results, solving the problem of what to serve for snacks. If you are stuck inside you can also plant herbs for your windowsill. We like to choose something that sprouts quickly – like basil – as kids are impatient to see the fruits of their labours.
Looking for more ideas? During the summer of 2007 when the strike was on and community centres, pools, daycamps and libraries were close we developed a long list of idea for what to do around town. You’ll find lots of gems there. Please note: all event info is out of date.
And here – in no particular order – are previous ideas and crafts we’ve covered that we think are great for easy spring and summertime fun:
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Let us know what you think or share your great finds with us so we can share them with other Vancouver mothers!
We gardened on the weekend (before the rain set in) and my son LOVED it! He got to dig around in the dirt, talk to the bugs and all the while feel helpful.