Parenting Q&A

Q:  Do you have any ideas for things my kids can do that would be a fun change of pace and maybe sort of educational?

A:  Yes, I love this kind of thing!  Now, I must admit that some of these ideas aren’t original with me.  I find them in family magazines, home school books etc. but those are great resources so I encourage you to look into them if you’re really interested in creative ideas. 

Food: 

1.  I have let my children “cook” from as early of an age as 3 years old!  I set them at the table with a placemat and a bib or paint shirt.  I provide them with a bowl, a spoon, measuring cups, a muffin tin and a measured amount of dry ingredients such as flour, cinnamon, sprinkles, rice, oatmeal (the more variety, the better).   Then just watch their creative juices flow!  They can measure, add, mix, and then pour into the muffin tins.  When the playtime is done, you simply dump it in the trash and the mess is gone!  Our older kids still ask to do this! 

2.  Another idea is to make lunch time fun and different. Make what we call “Fun Lunch”.  I get out a large platter and fill it with sliced ham, sliced cheese, crackers, carrots, popcorn, cut-up granola bars, peanuts, raisins, or whatever you have in the cupboards.  I put this in front of them and you would think I was serving a feast!  They get so excited seeing so many choices.  And they seem to really enjoy being “in charge” of their own lunch since they get to decide what they’d like to eat from the choices on the platter.

Bath time:

For a treat, I occasionally will make washable paint for the kids to play with in the bathtub.  Get a muffin tin and squirt shaving cream in each hole.  Then put a drop or two of food coloring in each one and stir to blend it into the shaving cream.  Hand this to the kids in the tub and let them smear it all over the tub, the walls and themselves!  It is fun, it will not stain and it washes right down the drain.  Warning:  don’t use scented shaving cream.  This amount of shaving cream gets really strong smelling if it’s scented and can burn their eyes (trust me from experience!)

Snow: 

1.  Bring bucketfuls of snow in and dump it in your bathtub.  Let them use their sand toys in the snow in the tub!  They stay outside of the tub, leaning over to play.  This way they stay warm and clean and when they’re done the snow can just melt and go down the drain.

2.  If you are sending them outside to play in the snow, this is a fun thing to do.  Fill a clean spray bottle with water that’s been colored with food coloring and send it outside with them.  They can spray it on the snow to color the snow bright colors!   And when the snow melts, it just disappears.

Miscellaneous:

1.  Take the paper off of old crayons and break into smaller pieces.  Put these crayon chunks in a muffin tin and into the oven at 200 - 250 degrees (ovens will vary).  Watch the crayons and take the tin out when melted.  When cooled completely, pop them out of the muffin tin and let the kids color with new, fun multi-colored crayons!

2.  Take a clear glass and loosely stuff it with paper towels.  Wet the paper towels and slide beans between the glass and the paper towel so they can be easily seen.  Put in a warm place and leave for a day or two.  Let the kids get excited with you in seeing the bean burst open and begin sprouting in your glass!  It’s a great opportunity to teach them about seeds and plants AND the awesomeness of God as our great Creator!

I hope these suggestions stir an excitement in you to try new things and watch your children explore, learn and play!

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