Word Walk

Fall is coming, and that is one of my favorite times of year to take walks. And I can't think of a better time to take a word walk with your kiddos. This is how a word walk works. You make word strips with a bunch of descriptive words.

Example words:
soft
rough
smooth
small
large
blue
green
(These are just a few ideas to get your brain working. You can think of a lot more.)

You place these words in a bag. As you take your walk, hike, or go to the park, you have your kids take turns pulling out a word. Once they have picked a word, have them find objects around them that are described by the word. It's fun for the kids, but it is also a teaching opportunity. And let's not forget the exercise you get from the walk. :)

As your kids start to have a better understanding of many descriptive words, you move on to comparisons. Your strips start to say things like:
"What is smaller than a cat?"
"What is larger than a car?"
"What is taller than your Dad?"
"What is shorter than you?"

Summer Relay Races

With summer picnic season upon us, why not have some fun relay races for your kids. AmazigMoms.com and funandgames.org have some great ideas for relay races. If you have any fun picnic games you have played, please post them here or email us.

Geocaching

Some girls at work were telling me about this. It's pronouned "geo-cashing" like cashing a check.

Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook and "treasure," usually toys or trinkets of little value. Today, well over 800,000 geocaches are registered on various websites devoted to the pastime. Geocaches are currently placed in over 100 countries around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica. (wikipedia)

My friend L did it when her family went to West Virginia. You find the GPS coordinates only. You find the area and such for the "prize." L had purchased souvenirs from Utah, and when they found the "prize" they left their "prize" in it's place.

You need a GPS receiver and to sign up at the Offical Geocaching website (It's free). Let me know if anyone out there has tried it. It sound like a fun family activity. It would be a modern day treasure hunt.

****The official site (www.geocaching.com) answers any questions you may have.

Happy Hunting

Fourth Of July Crafts

I found some fun and easy 4th of July craft from familyfun.go.com. I couldn't decide which one I liked best, so I picked a couple to share.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Acrylic paint
	Drinking straw
	Paintbrush
	Paper (or card stock)
	Water
Time needed: 30 Minutes or Less

1. For each color, in a paper cup, dilute some acrylic paint with water to a runny consistency.

2. Using a paintbrush, drip a few drops of paint onto a piece of paper or card stock (be sure to rinse the brush between colors), then hold a drinking straw directly over each puddle of paint and blow gently to create a spectacular starburst effect.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Balloon
	Ribbon
	Dried lentils
Time needed: 30 Minutes or Less

1. To make each rocket, use a kitchen funnel to pour 1/3 cup of dried lentils into a round balloon. Then blow up the balloon so it's about 16 inches around and knot it. For the finishing touch, tie several long ribbon streamers around the neck.

Time to run around and get some exercise.

Dance Time

One of my favorite things to do with my niece and nephew is dance time. We put in a Disney CD and turn it on and dance around the room. We have made a game of it before too. We take turns copying each other's dance moves, or act out animals while we dance, or (my favorite) we lay on the ground and no one jumps up and dances until someone guesses the name of the song that is playing. (That way I at least get a break between each song :) Watching kids dance can be pretty funny.

If anyone else has some good "get up and go" activities, please email them to me. I always need a good way to get exercise with kids, because I don't have time to do it alone.

Olympics

Since the Olympics are coming this summer, why not have a Family Olympics. There are activities you could use on the following links.

Family Super Star
Let's Go Fly A Kite
Family Olympics

You can google a lot of other ideas. These are just a few. If you get really ambitious, you have have an Olympics with will your kids and their cousins. Or if you are really ambitious, have a Neighborhood Olympics with all the neighbor kids. Or use it as a FHE activity and teach about good sportsmanship or the importance of exercise.