Fun Outdoor Play

As summer hits its peak, many parts of the country are experiencing very warm spurts of weather.To cool off here are some fun outdoor games for the kids and anyone else who would like to join in the fun!

Water Balloon Volley

This is a great on a hot summer day!

Each team will need a bedsheet and good supply of filled water balloons. Everyone on the team holds a corner or side of the sheet. Place a water balloon on the sheet. Using lots of teamwork, bounce the balloon on the sheet until you can flip it over the net. The other team must catch it in their sheet and flip it back.

For smaller groups or children, use a smaller sheet or a tablecloth. You can also use a ping-pong ball.

Balloon Head Race

Organize players into pairs and give each team a partially inflated balloon. When the game starts, teams must race to a finish line carrying a balloon between their heads. Don't use your hands! On hot summer days try using water balloons or running the race through a sprinkler. 

Water Balloon Fight

Just a good old fashioned wet and wild game of tag with water balloons! A great way to get cool! Set ground rules such as no hitting in the face or head.

After the water fight is over, or every hour or so, have a race to see who can pick up the most broken water balloons until they are all picked up. Use a plastic milk carton to collect them in, the spout is small enough to collect them and little hands can't reach in and take them out.

Safety Tip: Don't let children put broken balloons into their mouths. Remember, these little broken balloons are a choking hazard, not only to small children, but to anyone. If a balloon breaks in front of a child's mouth they can suck in the balloon when they gasp with surprise,and it can choke them.


Egg & Spoon Race

This is definitely an outdoor activity! You will need one raw egg and one spoon for each person participating in the race. Line contestants up next to each other on a starting line. Racers should have a point across the yard to race to (point B), turn around and come back to where they started (point A).

Place the egg in the spoon. The racer must balance the egg in the spoon, without using their free hand, and make it from point A to point B and back to point A again. If the egg drops, but is not broken, the racer may pick up the egg, while STANDING STILL (no travelling!), reposition it on the spoon and resume the race. The first person back to point A without a broken egg wins!


Water Bucket Relay

This race works best with Rubbermaid containers, the size that you can fit snugly into your kitchen sink. Mark the inside of the container with a marker and fill with water to that marked spot. Just as in the Egg & Spoon Race contestants should have a point across the yard to race to (point B), turn around and come back to where they started (point A). Howeverm in this race, each contestant runs solo. Time each person separately, taking turns.

In this race however, the first person back may not be the winner! Using a stopwatch, or a watch with a second hand, time each contestant and record thier water measurement when they have completed their "lap". The person with the best time combined with the most water left in their tub wins! 

 

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Frugal Entertainment for the Whole Family
Warm Weather Boredom Busters for Your Family
Backyard Discovery Zone
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Fall Fun for Kids  

About the Author:
Amanda Formaro is the entrepreneurial mother of four children. She is the Chief Editor of FamilyCorner.com Magazine. Visit her blog by clicking here.

Reading To Our Children

As parents, we are bombarded with advice on educating our children; homeschool, public school, private school, or tutoring. It's an endless debate that we all participate in at some point. However, I think we can all agree on one thing: we want our children to have an appreciation for reading and literature. This can prepare them for college, working and life in general. So, how do we accomplish this?
 
Start Early

You are pregnant, and friends and relatives start planning the showers or asking about gifts. Of course, start out with the things you need the most. But, then ask for a good lullaby book, a book of rhymes and a few of those indestructible cloth and plastic books for babies. As you go through those months of waiting to have that precious baby, practice those lullabies and recite those rhymes. Story telling is an art every parent can learn. If you read in monotone, too fast or too slow, kids lose interest. Read like you would want to be read to! That little one in your womb will love the vibration of your voice and you will get some needed practice.

Books, and more books...

Children need to be around books. They need to learn that books are special. You can do this by teaching your children to take care of their stories. If you see them writing in one gently but firmly tell them "no". When they are older talk with them about putting them on a special shelf or drawer in their room. Make the books accessible, and trust them to take care of them.

You will find that you can quickly gather a collection of good kid's books by looking at garage sales, finding deals on the internet and asking Grandma and Grandpa to buy books instead of toys! Always be on the look out for books. The library is a great free resource for books, and you can take advantage of story telling time too.

By Our Example

The best thing we can do as parents is set examples for our children. If they see us reading, and enjoying books they will want that too. My parents were avid readers during my childhood. We went to the small library in our town often, and we had encyclopedias that were always fascinating to us. We loved reading! When I went away to college I found out my roommate had one book with her. One. She didn't leave them at home. She simply didn't own any. She looked at reading as a "chore". Her parents did not set an example, and she had no interest in reading.

Story Time

Set up story times for your children. We always read one or two books and sing songs before bedtime. Every night, no exceptions. If time is tight for some reason, pick a small book. You can read at other times, and when your children start school they will read in class. Your story time needs to be a special time that is never pushed aside. When they are older they can take turns reading too. I believe this is a tradition that will make an impression on your children. It is a special time they will never forget. We have all heard the expression "comfort food". Wouldn't it be nice if your children grew up and had "comfort books" that they could share with their own children?

Your child's perception of reading is based on the example you set.  Make it a good one...for their sake.

About the Author:
Brenda Hyde is a freelance writer and mom to three kids living in the Midwest. For more gardening fun visit her at Old Fashioned Living

FishEyes Rod & Reel with Underwater Video Camera

Nextsport has come up with a cool way to take the guesswork out of fishing. Picture this. You and your keep head out to the pier and drop your line in the water. Hours go by with no nibbles. The kids are whining, no one is catching anything, and the sun is beginning to beat down on you. You leave with an empty fish bucket and a headache. Sound familiar?

Enter FishEyes. At first I thought this was a fishing pole, but what it really is is an ingenious way to determine if the fish are around or not. if the fish aren't there, you can move to another spot and avoid a wasted morning with disappointed kids. Just drop the FishEyes line into the water. There's a camera on the end of the line and a viewing screen on the rod. You'll see a crystal clear picture of what swims below!

FishEyes is meant mostly for pier and boat fishing. You drop it in and the bait basket will attract the fish, letting you see what's swimming around. This tool works best when used in lakes, as rushing rivers will keep the camera moving around too much for a clear visual. FishEyes is not meant to be cast out, the camera is too heavy and will not allow for much distance.

This tool is also great fun around the swimming pool. Drop the camera in and watch your kids swim! Take it to the beach, lower the camera in the water and search for treasures such as shells and starfish.

FishEyes Features:

• Underwater video camera transmits live footage to your LCD screen
• Full-color, full motion LCD screen with removable sun shade
• Allows you to catch the fish you see
• Included bait basket attracts fish to the viewing area
• Video camera with built in LED light for all underwater conditions

Technical Details:

• Requires 4 AA batteries- not included or users ages 8 & up
• Adult assembly required
• Hooks and lures not included

Testimonials:

"FishEyes rod and reel was great for keeping our kids entertained on our last fishing trip, it really is like a fishing video game"


"My kids spent hours playing with the FishEyes on our last camping trip to the lake; they were convinced they'd find the Lochness monster and hidden treasure underwater"


"My husband loved the FishEyes because it finally kept the kids occupied while he fished!"


"I cast it out until it was facing down river and monitored the LCD screen while my friends were casting their lines in front of it. We watched to see which lure colors were attracting the fish better. Worked great!"

Watch the video of this cool gadget:



Find out more information and how to purchase FishEyes on their website

Puppet Play

Have fun and go green with Diana Schoenbrun's Puppet Play: 20 Puppet Projects Made with Recycled Mittens, Towels, Socks, and More. A puppet builder, an illustrator, and an author, Schoenbrun presents 20 puppet projects made with recycled materials easily found around the house.
A lonely sock becomes a wizard puppet. A glove without a mate turns into five little pig puppets. And that tired dishtowel transforms into a lively banjo player puppet—all at very little cost. Diana Schoenbrun's easy-to-follow directions are accompanied by how-to illustrations. Also included are full-color photographs of puppets, as well as a chapter that guides children through creating and presenting their own puppet show. So, the next time the dryer eats a single sock, get crafty, go green, and go play with Puppet Play.


~*~*~ Tami says: "This is a great book to direct your kids' energy toward working on fun projects instead of being "plugged in" all summer in front of the TV or video games. Put on a puppet show, host a puppet birthday party, have fun at a sleepover...so many ways to use this book!"

Suggested Retail Price: $14.99 US, $16.00 Canada

Glow Crazy Distance Doodler

What kid doesn’t love glow in the dark toys and coloring?  Now add that to being able to color on the walls without mom freaking out and you’ve got Glow Crazy.

Glow Crazy uses a light wand that beams light from up to ten feet away to make its mark on the reusable canvas decal provided. No mess! (The canvas decals stick on the walls, ceiling and windows but do no damage. They stay stuck for the most part and peel off with no trouble…So if you’re worried about your little one staying up all night playing just take the canvas off the wall!)

Kids & Moms love:

You can draw free hand or use stencils.
A new creative way of showing off artistic abilities.
Beats the heck out of shadow puppets!

What’s In the Box?

Dual Action Magic Light Wand
2 Large Reusable Wall Canvas Clings
4 Stencils
Tip booklet

 ~*~*

Tami says: "This is a toy that will keep the kids busy for a while! You can lay the clings on the floor or on a table or stick them on the wall (love the fact that you can remove the clings and there's no residue left behind!) and then turn out the lights and let the fun begin! There are endless games and activities to do with the magic light wand....from tic tac toe, to writing a story, to drawing wild pictures. To use the stencils, all you need to do is shine the wand on the stencils and voila! the picture will appear. That's not all...you can "erase" your pictures with the want or just wait for them to fade away. Great fun to hang near your child's bed or on the ceiling for nighttime activities. Would be great to keep the kids entertained at sleep overs, too!

Keep the Kids Busy with These Exciting Travel Games!

With summer vacations coming up shortly, show the kids that there's life beyond video games by introducing them to some great travel games such as:

Chips Game 
Roll the dice, then take out the matching chip point total. But don't get stuck with too many points left over, because the player with the lowest point total wins!! It's fast and fun!

The suggested age to play the game is 8 and up but my 7 yr. old had no problem keeping up with the game and even beating her brother at it! My kids challenge each other to winning this game all of the time. One great thing about this game is that it doesn't have a lot of bulky pieces with it. It comes altogether in a little pouch. My son even packs it in his backpack to play at school with his friends during their "free" time instead of texting
the whole time!

Suggested ages: 8 and up
1-4 players
Suggested Retail Price: $5.95

Squiggle 20 Questions 
SQUIGGLE® 20 Questions is a guessing good time! It’s entertaining and thought-provoking for kids and adults.

To Play: One player spins the wheel and turns the squiggly line into something in that category without the other players seeing. When ready, the other players get to ask up to 20 questions before they give their best guess of what was drawn. The player who guesses correctly gets to draw next.

My family and I have had a riot playing this game. No two people will see the squiggly line on the paper as the same thing. You will laugh and be
surprised at the things that people will come up with! It's a bit challenging
for my younger daughter but that was to be expected since the recommend
ages are 10 and up. This game will bring out the hidden artist in you. Hahaha!

Suggested ages: 10 and up

Suggested Retail Price: $4.99

Mind Jewel 
The object is to transform all the gems into a beautiful jewel. Deceptively difficult, all the gems are connected by a string that twists and snaps to create a sphere. It’s a beauty!

This game is more challenging than you think. Once you stretch out the string of gems, putting it back together takes some thinking and swift moves. It's a great challenge game for kids to see who, if anyone, can
put it back together!

Suggested Retail Price: $9.99

A Review - Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do

Are you looking for a fun way to spend some family time together without any complaints from the kids? Slide the new Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do into your XBOX 360 Kinect and get ready to have a romping, silly, good time!

Take your family on a virtual trip to the carnival with over 20 games and attractions to chose from! Catch coins at Gold Rush Mountain, twist and turn with the Crash Test Dummy, watch out for those tornadoes while racing in the Hot Air Balloon Race and one of our favorites, mimic the mischievous Monkey Barker in Monkey See, Monkey Do. Collect tickets for your winnings and turn them in for wacky prizes!

One of the best features of the new Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do video game for the XBOX 360 Kinect is that there's no video game controllers required! The game works with your body movements and voice recognition. No more worrying about accidentally tossing a controller at your television. 

Get the family up and moving. You are also exercising without realizing it! Once your try this game, you can't help but laugh! It's ok to be silly. In fact, the sillier you are, the more tickets you will win!

Don't forget the popcorn and cotton candy for a night of total fun!

Rated "E" for Everyone. It's a fun time for all!

Available nationwide April 12, 2011

I was provided a free copy of Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do to review.. I was not compensated for this review, all opinions are 100% mine. 

The Pocket Disc - amazing crocheted frisbee

Have you ever seen these? They are called Pocket Discs. Little frisbee-type discs that are basically crocheted, they don't hurt if they hit you, are waaaay easier to catch, and soar through the air with ease! You can even play with these indoors. They are SO FUN. How many games of frisbee have been stopped cold when someone gets a hard disc to the face or ends up with a bloody lip? Won't happen with this amazing invention!

We have played with ours in the house, out in the yard, in the pool and when we went camping. Fair warning though, don't play with them in a lake as they will sink and you will lose it. Then you'll be really upset that your kids just lost the best family toy of the year. Luckily, my 11 year old was persistent and ended up finding it, yay!

I love the story behind this fabulous toy too, read this except from their website:

"Savanna Groft, a third grader at the time, was assigned a project at school. Her teacher asked her to crochet a round placemat as part of her handwork studies. Savanna’s initial efforts yielded a round disk, but because she had not added enough stitches, the disc curled under forming a small lip. This placemat of sorts sat on a table in her living room until Savanna’s friends, Hannah and Ellie came over to visit. On a whim, Hannah and Ellie’s dad, Chris, picked up the disc and threw it. It sailed across the living room and the Pocket Disc was born."

How fun is that? Check out their site to see all the cool designs, watch videos, read testimonies, and for a chance to win one of your own! Even if you enter, you should buy one right away. These rock and they are only $9.99! Go. Now!

Review: The Wilderness Resort

Thinking about waterparks as a vacation destination this summer? Or perhaps you're hoping for a cold weather getaway this winter? Check out my review on The Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells. You'll love all they have to offer.


Read the review here

Great Wolf Lodge: Fun in any weather!

Waterparks are all the rage these days. Suite style guest rooms, family friendly entertainment, and full service indoor water fun, what's not to love? Wisconsin Dells, in south-central Wisconsin, has been hailed the "Las Vegas" strip of water parks, hosting a variety of indoor and outdoor slides, rides, and good, clean family fun. 


It doesn't matter if it's the middle of summer or the dead of winter, visiting a water park provides splashing family entertainment all year long. 


See our review of The Great Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin Dells here.

Fall Fun for Kids

Looking to make some sweet fall memories with your little ones? Here are some great ideas to get your family laughing, smiling and enjoying each other's company during these crisp autumn days.

Hit the trail. Kids love to be outside. The out-of-doors is a huge playground and children are naturally attracted to it. Exploring some of the hiking trails in and around your community is a great way to spend time together.

While you're walking...

Collect leaves. Take them home and arrange them on a piece of poster board measuring approximately 17 inches by 12 inches. Smooth a piece of clear contact paper over the poster board on both sides, laminating the board and leaves. Now you have a special placemat to use for the remainder of the season.

Contact your local library to ask where you can find a guidebook on local flora and fauna. Take it on your hike and try to identify as many different trees, plants, and critters as possible.

To see the rest of this article, visit Fall Fun for Kids on FamilyCorner.com

Fun at the Beach Survival Kit

If you live near a beach, whether it be the ocean or a lake, it's a great way to enjoy time with your kids and keep away the boredom bug. If you don't live near the water, but are planning a vacation to the beach, here's a list of items that are a must have!

Sunscreen
This is probably the most important item in your beach bag. Make sure that you have sufficient sunscreen protection for yourself and your children. The sun's ultraviolet rays are at their strongest during the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., so limit your time in the sun during those hours. Choose a sunscreen lotion that is at the very least 15 SPF, more appropriate for children is an SPF of 30 or more. Be sure to adequately apply the sunscreen to all exposed skin, including ears, nose, and neck. Speak to your doctor about sunscreen and babies under 6 months of age. Don't forget your lips! Bring along sun protective lip balm with an SPF of 15 or more. An Aloe based after sun lotion is a great way to soothe your skin after a day in the sun, apply after your day at the beach.

Protective Barriers
Sunglasses that block ultraviolet rays, sun hats with brims, and beach umbrellas are all wonderful items to have along for added protection. Babies under 6 months old should wear protective clothing, a brimmed sun hat, and if possible, baby sunglasses that protect from harmful UV rays. Babies should not spend a lot of time in the sun, but when they are, keep them protected! A frist aid kit with band aids, an antibiotic cream, and other essentials is an excellent idea as well.

Chairs & Blanket
There are chairs made specifically for the beach, they sit low to the ground and fold up neatly, often they include a handy shoulder strap. Don't count on the beach having chairs for its guests! A blanket is another nice thing to bring along. Not only is it comfortable to sit on, but it's a welcome comfort from the hot sand on bare feet.

Read the rest of this article and get our checklist for your Fun at the Beach Survival Kit!

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Bird Watching Tips

Bird watching is a fun, inexpensive activity for families. You can reserve a special space for bird feeders anywhere in your yard, and throughout the year watch the variety of birds that come to visit. Here some tips for feeding the birds:

*Buy inexpensive feeders; many are under $5.00, and the birds just love them. You can also make tray feeders out of scrap wood and place them on the ground. Get creative! Try this simple craft for making feeders out of one liter soda bottles.

Try different things and see how the birds respond. Many will eat sunflower seeds placed in a hollowed out grapefruit placed on a nail head on your deck. This is a great "experiment" for the kids. They can record their findings in a notebook, and keep track of which birds show up during the different seasons.

To see the rest of these great tips, visit Bird Watching Tips on FamilyCorner.com

Taking a Road Trip with Your Baby

To Grandmother's house we go! And you'll be in the car for five whole hours how can you make the trip enjoyable with a baby along?

Learn about it
There's no question: Marathon car trips with a baby on board take a good amount of planning and organization. But it can be done - and yes, it can even be fun!

Planning the trip
In the hustle that precedes a trip, it can be easy to let things happen, instead of make things happen. Be proactive in making your trip decisions. Contemplating these questions, and coming up with the right answers, can help make your trip more successful:

• Does your baby sleep well in the car? If yes, plan your travel time to coincide with a nap or bedtime so your baby can sleep through part of the journey. If not, plan to leave immediately after a nap or upon waking in the morning. Don't fool yourself into thinking your baby will behave differently than usual in the car just because it's a special occasion. 


• Is it necessary to make the trip all at once, or can you break it up with stops along the way? The longer your baby is strapped in the carseat, the more likely he'll become fussy. Planning a few breaks can keep everyone in a better frame of mind. 


• When estimating an arrival time, have you factored in plenty of extra time for unplanned surprises? A diaper explosion that requires a complete change of clothes or a baby whose inconsolable crying requires an unexpected 20-minute stop are just two of the things that can easily happen. 
  


• Do you have everything you need to make the trip pleasant?

To see the rest of parenting expert Elizabeth Pantley's tips, go to Taking a Road Trip with Your Baby on FamilyCorner.com

Backyard Discovery Zone

Many zoos and nature centers have "discovery zones" for kids to learn about different animal skins and other items in nature. You can do the same thing in your backyard. All you need is a bandana to use as a blindfold, paper and pencil, a table and nature from your backyard.

Setting up:
Using your picnic table or other flat surface, place items from your backyard in a row. Prepare this step where the kids can't watch. These are the types of items you can use:
Leaves
Flowers; especially ones that have interesting texture such as globe thistle.
Seed pods like milk weed (open it up to the silky part), acorns, pine cones, and flower seeds too.
very tiny stones
grass

Basically, you want to look around your yard for any type of natural item that the kids can feel and try to identify. Set up each item in a "station" with a number in front of it. This becomes your Backyard Discovery Zone.

Using Your Discovery Zone
For ideas on how to use your discovery zone visit Backyard Discovery Zone on FamilyCorner.com


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