Fun Kids Games – Any Day’s A Great Day For Fun Kids Games!

Any day’s a great day for fun kids games! Rain, shine, or any season is a perfect time to play games. Has it been awhile since you thought about fun kids games? Here’s a short list to jog your memory . . .

Do you remember “Duck, Duck, Goose”? It’s terrific fun, and can be played outdoors or in. And believe it or not, it’s fun for any age! Here’s how it’s played:

• Have the children all sit down in a circle (make a smaller circle for the little tykes).
• One person is “It,” and he or she walks around the outside of the circle, touching the other children’s heads saying “duck, duck, duck.”
• When he comes to the person whom he wants to chase him, he calls “goose.”
• The goose chases the “it” person around the circle, and the one who reaches the empty space first sits down.
• The other one is now “It”!

Add a few twists to the “Duck, Duck, Goose” game and you have another of the most fun children games called Indy 500:

• Have the kids sit in the circle (on the floor, or in chairs) and give each a number and name of a car (example: 1’s are Ferraris, 2’s are Fords).
• The game leader calls out a car name, and those cars have to get up and run around the circle.
• The first person back to their spot wins . . . BUT, the cars can have “mechanical difficulties”, as their leader chooses.
• The leader might choose to holler “run out of gas!” or “flat tire!” or “no muffler!” or “turbo boost!”
• The person has to act/sound out those commands in their attempt to get back to their seat!

Of course, Hide and Seek is always a favorite, and for a sitting game, Old Maid is fun for parents, too! Think back about the games you played, or thumb through some magazines. You’ll get excited to share ideas with your kiddos!

Laughter is wonderful medicine, and fun kids’ games are sure to invoke plenty of good times, whether there are two or twenty participants!

Visit 123KidsGames.com – Educational Kids Games to find a large selection of educational kids games. Board games, computer games, math, reading and spelling games and much, much more. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amar_Mahallati

Outdoor Games and Activities for Toddlers

It’s a beautiful day and your toddler or preschooler is begging to go outside. What to do when you get out? Here’s some simple ideas:

Walk to Park
The walk alone is enough to keep them busy. When you there, of course they’ll even have more to do. It’s a great time for you to relax a bit and enjoy the day, keeping an eye on them while they bounce from one activity to the other.

Play Fresbie
If you have a small backyard, you might need to go to the park to do this. However, if your yard is big enough this is a simple activity you can do at home.

Baseball/T-ball
Another possible at home activity if your yard is big enough. All you really need is some cheap baseball equiptment (plastic ball, plastic bat) for younger children.

Walk around neighboorhood
There’s many interesting things to do while walking around the neighboorhood. You can count the animals and birds you see, count certain colored cars or house, or any number of fun games.

Pool Time
If it’s a nice enough day, you can either fill up the kiddie pool in the backyard, or head to the local public pool. Either way it’s sure to please the kids!

Be sure to see our other ideas for things to do with your children!

About the Author: Kara Kelso is the mother of 2 and owner of several online businesses. For more ideas like this, visit: http://www.idea-queen.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kara_Kelso

Try Choosing Activities Your Child Will Enjoy This Summer

When you are thinking about summer activities best suited to your children, there are several factors to consider.

For those who need it the summer can be used for remedial classes, so that students can begin the start of the next semester more confident in the areas where they were weak performers.

However if this is not an issue, then thinking of the child’s’ personality, likes and dislikes can give clues as to the type of summer activities that would be most meaningful and enjoyable.

The activities available include dramatic and pretend play, camping, swimming, drawing and coloring, reading, sports and the preparation of nutritional meals.

Whichever activities are selected should make this summer experience an unforgettable one for the child; it should also develop their skills and talents in the particular areas of choice.

In addition to such fun activities like reading, singing, coloring, drawing and craft, outdoor trips will expose your child to the beauty of the environment and help to reinforced the need to protect it.

Important aspects to remember this summer include budgeting for the cost of these activities, try to include healthy meals, snacks and beverages while having fun and maintain a high level of supervision to maintain the child’s safety.

So this summer encourage your children to get up from watching television, make new friends, learn new skills, and read more books for fun and educational purposes. The mental stimulation and physical activity will serve them in good stead for years to come.

Fay Garner-Barrow is the founder of http://www.dora-the-explorer-adventures.com As a strong believer of learning through play, she designed this website to educate parents with preschoolers and young children. This website also offer Dora The Explorer party supplies, toys, books, the personalized DVD and more. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fay_Garner-Barrow

Fun Summer Activities To Do Together or With Their Friends for the Self Confident Parent

“I’m bored!” “I have nothing to do!” “What should I do now?”

Are these some of the things you are hearing or have heard from your child or children this summer? Are you running out of things to do? Here are some fun activities that you can do with your kids. You can even have your kids invite friends and do these activities together.

But first, here is something to think about. A girlfriend of mine had a very good suggestion that will prevent your child from complaining about being bored. She sends them to the refrigerator and taped to the door is a list of chores that she has written down for them to do, when they complain that they are bored. Needless to say, her children never complain about being bored.

As a self confident parent, if you are looking for some things that are actually fun to do, here are a couple of great activities or ideas:

1) Do a craft project together. This is one of my favorites when my kids were younger. You can buy a craft kit or make up your own project, if you are crafty. One of the projects my kids liked to do was to cut out paper snowflakes. Another one was to figure out different ways to fold airplanes and find out which way flew the best. We would also paint wooden cut outs (that I had purchased from a craft store), for instance, gingerbread men during the holidays. There are all sorts of kits that you can buy from a craft store, like Michael’s Arts and Crafts or JoAnn’s Fabric store. Another very simple idea, that I used to do when we had a play group and it was my turn to host, was to take a walk. We would pick up leaves, flowers, etc. We then bring them back and paste them on a page to make a picture. We have also bought the kit to make permanent plates, cups, and bowls. After you order the kit, have your child draw a picture (or if they are very young, you can write their name, date, and trace their hand) with their markers on a special piece of paper. You then send it back to the company who will mail it back with their artwork on a plate or bowl. (For pictures on a cup, the picture is inserted after it is drawn and is not sent in.) In fact, to this day, we still use those plates for our meals.

2) Bake cookies or a cake. My kids loved to help me stir the dough and then when the cookies were done baking, they got to frost and decorate them with sprinkles. A fun thing to do is to make up a story about your decorated cookie before you could eat it. Another great idea, which I usually use at my children’s birthdays, is to buy store bought cookie dough, in the refrigerated section. I usually take a chocolate chip cookie dough and a sugar cookie dough, and press them down on to two pizza baking sheet. I spread the cookie dough to the edges of the baking sheet until it looks like a pizza. Then bake it. After it is cooled, I have my child spread the frosting of their choice and then decorate it with different colored sprinkles and colored icing (from the store and in the ready make tubes). He has a blast. We then add candles to it. Another great idea, is to buy fancy molds. I have, for in-stance, the football stadium Nordicware mold. After the cake it baked, they like to sprinkle different colored sprinkles in the inside of the stadium to look like fans in the stadium.

3) Create memory books. You can buy inexpensive or expensive photo albums. You can give each child their own or share a book and make a family album. Next have your child cut out their favorite pictures from magazines or give them copies of their favorite photos. Use acid-free glue, double stick tape, or special double sided photo stickers to stick the pictures on to their books. Then decorate the pages with acid-free stickers, markers, stamped images, or cut outs. Another great idea is to make dream journals or wishing boards. You cut out things that they want, from weekly ads or magazines, and paste them onto a poster board. You can have them cut out pictures of people that they want to be, for instance, a singer, a dancer, a football or basketball player, a golfer, a doctor, etc. or cut out pictures of their dream house, etc. They can cut out places that they would like to visit. The possibilities are endless. Or you can make a book with a spiral bound notebook and decorate the cover or buy a notebook binder and decorate the cover. Then have your child write down their favorite jokes poems, or memories. You can even copy the jokes or poems and then cut and paste them into their books. You can make autograph books. You take a book and dec-orate it. You then have their friends or relatives write little notes to them or you can start writing little notes to them on a weekly or daily basis. You can write down your wishes, dreams, or special memories of them down.

Anyway, these are just a couple of fun activities that you and your child or children can do with you or their friends that will help foster their self confidence and yours as a self con-fident parent. Have fun!! Have a great summer!

Lena Tucker is the founder of http://www.successinlifeandmoney.com An avid blogger, Lena is helping to change the lives of others through her articles and blogs about living a successful life, having true self confidence, successful parenting, and all things money related. Transform your life now through her amazing insights at http://www.successinlifeandmoney.com for self improvement tips. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lena_Tucker

Games for Traveling With Children

Summer is here — that wonderful season when we take our kids on trips to enjoy nature and some relaxed family time together. Of course, whether it is the cottage, a camp site, or a resort, we have to get there first and that’s not always easy. Whether driving in the car, waiting for a bus, or waiting at the airport, having something to do with the kids can be a lifesaver! What our family loves to do is to play games. I have assembled here some of our favorite games. The first two are car games, but the rest can work anywhere. Enjoy!

Travel Alphabet: Travel Alphabet is a simple, cooperative car game in which everyone works together to find an object outside that starts with each letter of the alphabet (difficult letters like Q, X, and Z can be omitted). For example, for A, “air,” “airplane,” or “animals” are some possibilities. I like that this game encourages the children to look out of the window and to see the scenery (of course this game doesn’t work at night, but by dark, hopefully, the kids are asleep).

Silly License Sentences: This game starts with the first player challenging the next player to come up with a sentence using the words that start with the letters on a license plate — in order! So if the license plate was AKPA 569, you might come up with, “All kangaroos play around.” The sentences can be extremely silly but must be grammatically correct.

Hum That Tune: Can you guess the mystery song? The first player hums a section of a song for the other players to guess (it must be a song that the other players have heard). The next player can either be the one who guessed correctly or the next player in order from youngest to oldest.

Alpha and Omega (or First and Last): This is a word chain game where the next player must make a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. Players alternate calling out unique words (that have not been said in the game so far) that start with the last letter of the previous word. This is usually played with some restriction of subjects (for instance fruits, mammals, birds, etc.). Usually no proper nouns are allowed (names) unless it is specifically tied to the subject as it is in Geography. It is called Geography when cities, towns, countries or provinces are the allowed words.

Crambo: Crambo is a fun game in which a person thinks of a word and the others have to guess which word it is. It utilizes rhyming, expands the vocabulary and pushes one to think of riddles. All players participate all the time. The player who begins the game thinks of a word that belongs to a large rhyming family (a word with many rhymes), like “mat,” and gives the others a clue by giving a rhyming clue, such as, “I am thinking of a word that rhymes with cat”. The other players try and guess the word indirectly by giving a short, descriptive riddle as their guess. For instance, if a player wants to guess “rat,” she might say, “Is it a small animal with a long tail?” The first player must then guess what rhyming word the challenger is alluding to in their riddle and must answer it, i.e., “No, it is not a rat.” A player can win by guessing the word or by posing a riddle that the first player cannot figure out (it must be a riddle that gives a good description of the word, as decided by the rest of the players). If all the players give up and cannot guess the word, then the first player wins. The winner gets to start the next game. We also play this game with kids smaller than 7 by having an older player give them a little help.

Ghost: Ghost is one of our favourite word games and we often play it on a long trip (the only danger is that I have sometimes gotten so involved that I missed my exit on the highway!) Players alternate calling out letters that could make up a word and the goal is to try and not be the one who calls out a letter that finishes a word, with a minimum of three letters. If you see no way out, you can fake it and call out a letter even if you have no idea if it could lead to a word. At any time, a player can challenge any other player and then they must say what word they were thinking of that the string of letters could make. If they have a word, then the challenger loses. If they do not have a word, then they lose that round. Each time a player loses, they get one letter in the word, “Ghost.” When a player gets the word Ghost (loses 5 rounds), then they are out of the game. At that point, the players might finish the game. The order of first-to-last place is decided on by whoever lost the least number of rounds or they can continue playing until all players but one are “out.” In this game, all words are allowed (not only nouns), except proper nouns (people’s names, place names, etc.). An example with three players: (player 1), “L;” (player 2), “I;” (player 3), “V.” Player 1 realizes that by saying “E,” she would be out of the game and then thinks of the word “LIVING” and says, “I”; player 2 realizes that he is stuck, so he accepts the point and gets a G (first letter of ghost). Variations are:

Advanced ghost: Letters can be added on either side of the word. This makes the game quite a bit more challenging and is a good game for great spellers.

Reverse Ghost: This game reverses the object of “Ghost” which is to conclude with the shortest word possible. The round in “Reverse Ghost” does not end with the first word made if a longer word can be achieved. For example, if “c,” “a,” “t” has been called out to spell “cat”, the game continues with the next player realizing that they can call out “a” to make the word “catalogue.”

Preacher’s Cat: This is another fun game where kids get to practice matching adjectives and names while travelling through the alphabet. Each child says, “The preachers cat is a/an __________ cat and his/her name is ____________” with an adjective in the first blank spot and a proper name in the second, both starting with the same letter of the alphabet. The first player starts with “A”. For example, the player could say, “The preacher’s cat is an awesome cat and her name is Angeline.” Play continues all the way through the alphabet, skipping X. Usually we play this just for fun. We have no winners or losers and help out a child who asks for help and is stuck.

Follow the link for more great game descriptions

Aaron Rosenthal is the owner of “Imagine and Learn” an online store dedicated to educational games. He is also a math and physics teacher and a homeschooling father of four. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Rosenthal

Camping – Fun For the Entire Family

Taking a camping trip can be a fun and affordable vacation if you enjoy the outdoors and nature. Camping offers your family the opportunity to explore the great outdoors and spend quality time together. There are no televisions, computers or other distractions to take away from family time.

State and national parks in the U.S. make camping easier with various facilities and maintained camp grounds. They have such services and amenities as garbage disposal, hot showers, guide maps, barbecue pits and first aid stations. Some have boat rentals, camper hookups and horseback riding. There are also things to keep the kids entertained and busy such as movie screenings, campfire sing-a-longs and other planned activities. Many have a convenience store which can come in handy if you forget something or need ice to fill up your cooler. Some also have cabins and hotels rooms for rent if you don’t want to rough it.

There are many state and national parks and there’s sure to be one in your home state within driving distance. Camping enthusiasts also fly or take long road trips to choice parks such as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone. Choosing your park is made easy with the use of the internet; most state parks have websites which have maps, amenities, fees and accommodations. Many also allow you to book campsites and check the weather report.

Once you’ve determined where you want to take your outdoor holiday it’s important to book a camping space. In the summer and during pubic work holidays parks can be booked months in advance so plan early. If you show up at the campground without a reservation you may be lucky but most times you’ll be turned away. If you want to avoid the crowds, visit parks during the week and go in the fall or spring when the weather is still nice but the kids are in school.

State parks charge entrance fees which go towards the upkeep of the park and its amenities and services. The charge is either per person or per vehicle and children under 16 years old are generally free. It is a nominal fee but if you’re planning on camping a lot, it may be cost effective to purchase a state park pass which usually pays for itself in just three or four visits. There are discounts available to seniors over the age of 62. National parks also offer an annual pass that provides access to all federal recreation sites that charge an entrance fee.

When determining where to set up camp, some prefer to be in a more secluded location. Keep in mind that the more secluded you are the farther away the amenities. Families usually don’t mind being in a more populated area so they are near the showers and restrooms and can socialize with fellow campers.

Camping is a fun way to enjoy the great outdoors and spend quality time with your friends and family. Make sure you plan ahead and book early especially during peak travel times.

Johnathan Bakers’s informative papers can be encountered on several web publications associated with Murcia and La Manga. You can learn about his comments on La Manga and Torrevieja over at http://www.alicante-spain.com/benidorm.html Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Johnathan_H._Bakers

Rainy Day Fun – Crafts For Kids

Rainy days can be so boring for a child…and just as hard on moms. So we give some ideas to brighten your day and chase their rainy day blues away!

Shadow puppets

In a room that is fairly dark set up a flash light so it is facing a wall. Have the children make hand shadows…If they get really good at them they could even put on a little play.

My box home

As a little girl some of my best times were spent making Barbie homes out of medium card board boxes. Paints, markers, crayons, fabric scraps, glue, and so on were used to fashion wall paper curtains and the like. The ideas and possibilities are endless!

Little boys can make garages for there cars as well.

Magazine Story

Take ten pieces of paper. Staple them together. Have you child go threw a magazine and pick out 10 pictures to cut out. Tell him/her to paste one on each page. Now what ever order they are in the must right a story, the story should have some thing to do with the pictures on each page. This can be a real challenge but is endless fun and giggles.

Puzzles

Have you child search for a few pictures they like in an old magazine. Paste these pictures onto heavy cardboard. With a paint brush, brush on a coat of clear drying glue such as Elmer’s glue. Let them completely dry. Once they are dry cut them up into different shaped pieces. Now you have a puzzle for this rainy day and rainy days to come! Store in zip lock bags.

Bean Bag Pals

You will need a 10×10 square of felt, thread, needle, a parent to sew, beans or rice, tacky glue and scraps of different color felts to decorate with. Mom or Dad should sew the squares together all the way around, all but about 2 inches. Turn the square inside right. Fill with the beans or rice and sew closed. It can be decorated with the scarps of felt to make animals. Googly eyes are fun to add as well but are not recommended for children under four.

A Gift of Comfort.

Not long ago when I was in the hospital having my son, I was given a special heat pack for my back. It was very simple and would be a great project for children to help with. My suggestion is have your child make about 30 and donate then to a labor and delivery floor.

Rice Sock Heat Packs

You will need white men’s tube socks ones that have no preformed heal medium is a good size.

You will need uncooked white rice (not minute)

You will need ribbon any color or colors you like.

Gift tags that tie on.

Fill each sock two inches from the top.

Tie a length of ribbon tightly in a knot attach the gift card and then make a bow.

On the gift tag write the instructions for use (you could make gift tags on your computer and print them all out) Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until it reaches the desired warmth. Enjoy!

These work great, stay warm for a long time. If your child makes them to give away it is an added bonus of pride!

Dress Up

My children have a tote full of dress up clothing. I did it inexpensively threw yard sales, Dollar Stores, Halloween clearances and Good Will. I pick up things such as jewelry, hats, sun glasses, badges, fancy dresses, costumes and other articles of interest. Many times I save new things to add on a rainy day or another day they have nothing to do. It generates new interest and hours of play. One reader even mentioned the idea of theme boxes. Such as a fairy box if that was what your little girl was into or a princess or a firemen ect. I think that is a good idea for but also I believe a good mix of things inspires imagination and creativity.

Driving Mat

A huge poster board or cardboard is great to let your little one paint roads on for his cars In fact I bought my sons a light colors rug remnant (it was cheap) about 4×5 .It can be any size you like. My sons used fabric paints on the rug. They painted lakes, roads, airports trees and so on. If you decided to do the poster board you can use crayons or markers as well. They had a really great time making this one rainy day and still enjoy it to this day. When they are done they just roll it up and put it away. Card board milk cartons can be saved and painted to make little decorative houses and stores as well as stores to place on their car mat. Be sure to wash them well, dry them and staple them closed.

© 2003-2004

Jennifer & Gregory Gove

About The Author Jennifer is the owner of simply moms.com. She is a full time stay at home mother living on the coast of Maine.To see more articles, parenting community, chat, baby name finder and more. Visit her site at http://www.simplymoms.com admin@simplymoms.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Gove

Fun Things To Do At Home With Children

Having seven children – five of them boys – they love spending time outside getting muddy. However as the nights draw in and the weather becomes wetter and colder outside play has to be cut to a minimum most days. The problem with staying inside to play though means that the first choice is either watching television or playing on the play station. Not wanting to encourage too much ‘couchpotatoism’ in my children I have to keep lots of fun and entertaining ideas up my sleeve to entice them away from the box and also to stimulate their minds and curiosity.

Of course I do allow them to watch television and we even have a subscription to Sky television. There are some wonderful programmes these days that teach children all about history, science, travel and cookery – and of course, they don’t realise that they are learning because they are having fun! Children, like adults, also need some time out in which to relax and chill out, but too much time in front of the TV means they may become a little too relaxed and don’t get to burn off their excess energy and so end up fighting with each other.

My children vary from newborn up to twelve years and so finding activities that they can all enjoy and which don’t wreak too much havoc can be a challenge at times. We have a big table which we try and use for most activities. This helps keep the mess all in one place. I also try and seat each child not to close to the child next to them – less chance of WW3 breaking out over who has which colour pen and less chance that one of them will be stabbed in the eye!

The table-based activities that seem to go down well include the following:

Playdough – all children (and parents!) seem to like playdough. We prefer the cooked sort because it lasts up to a week if stored inside the fridge. There are various recipes available online and you just have to work out which suits you best. Never known what people use cream of Tartar for? Make playdough and you will find out that it is a vital ingredient! I also advocate adding salt because this stops little ones eating it. After being used daily for a week it’s not the sort of thing you want your child to be eating!

My children like to make animals and spaceships out of playdough but cake cutters are also useful and you can also bake the figures made and paint them at a later date. We don’t often do this in our household because painting is currently banned. Due to one of them painting some of the new words they had learnt in the school playground on the living room wall and also inscribing them on the brand new pine doors around the house we have withdrawn all paint and felt-tip pens from the house.

Another activity which they all seem to enjoy is scrapbook keeping. We tend to go on a big family holiday once a year and so in the months leading up to this we collect travel brochures about the places we are going and cut out pictures and the children then write about what they want to do and see when they get there. Then we watch the news and read the newspapers and cut out any articles or pictures relevant to the places we are going. Our family holidays tend to involve a lot of driving and visiting places so this is easy to do. We are also Disney fans which means pictures are usually easy to find. Cutting with scissors, obviously, needs to be supervised closely (especially the boys) but it’s good to let children develop their cutting skills from quite a young age. The plastic scissors designed for children we tend to find are useless for cutting more than a stamp in half and so we do use real scissors – but since these are good at cutting your own or your sibling’s hair a responsible adult does need to watch every move. We have had a few near misses with fringes going missing….

As I mentioned earlier, I am not a fan of colouring pens and paints. These treats are reserved for school time and playgroup. My house has just been redecorated after someone drew a picture of me on the dining room wall. It was horrendous and had to be painted over to remove it. I therefore only allow crayons and colouring pencils into the house now. Woe betide any relative who gives the children pens for Christmas! The children tend to lose patience with crayons quite quickly – they just don’t seem to colour that well, and so colouring pencils are favoured. For paper we pick up cheap copying paper from the supermarket (they don’t like drawing on the back of printed scrap paper) and also use rolls of wall lining paper for larger projects. In fact the latter is great for collages too – glue made from flour and water is very cheap and quick to make and washes out of clothing easily.

When the children feel in the mood to be crafty, having tired of drawing on their siblings’ arms and legs, another favourite is for the boys to make and decorate paper aeroplanes and the girls like to make pasta necklaces. Macaroni seems to work best and I occasionally allow them to get some paints out – but only in small quantities and Dad’s old shirts have to be worn to prevent their clothes getting too stained. The planes are then thrown all over the house so the next hour is spent clearing up the mess and retrieving the planes from the toilet and other off places where they have ended up.

Away from the table one of my favourite activities for them is to build an assault course – this reminds me of being a small child when I used to pretend to be a horse and set myself obstacle courses. We use cushions and chairs mainly due to lack of space but quite a lot can be done with these. Blankets can be held between chairs to create a tunnel and these are great fun. When they get bored of the obstacle course they use the blankets to make a tent between the sofa and the chairs and often sit there for ages talking about smugglers and sinking ships.

There are plenty of other things that we do at home and having such a large family means that each and every child manages to contribute their own ideas. The downside is that the mess created is unbelievable but the sound of laughter and smiles on happy faces far outweighs the mess – and even the odd scribble on the wall can be forgiven. After all they won’t be children for long and when they have left home there will be plenty of time for us to enjoy a clean scribble-free house!

Jane Bishop is the owner of 2 online children’s clothing stores – Milliemoos Children’s Online Resale which sells nearly new and new brand name and designer children’s clothes and Amalaika Disclunt Designer Clothes which sells discounted children’s designer clothes and shoes. Visit her sites at http://www.milliemoos.com and http://www.amalaika.com to kit your child out in the best for less. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jane_Bishop

Fun Things to Do with Your Kids this Summer

10 Fun Things You Can Do With Your Children this Summer that Won’t Break the Bank

For a family with small children like my own, a big family vacation in the summer isn’t always an option. But just because your summer entertainment budget is small doesn’t mean you and your kids can’t have lots of fun this summer.

Here are ten ideas to get you started on lots of fun this summer – on a budget.

1) Water + Kids = Lots of Fun

Put everyone in bathing suits and turn on the sprinklers. Fill the plastic pool that’s been lying around the garage all year. Get some inexpensive water guns at the dollar store and fill up some water balloons. Believe me, your kids won’t need any further instructions. Just keep plenty of towels around to dry off afterwards.

2) Your Child on Paper

Get a large sheet of packing paper, or use some leftover wallpaper. Any big sheet of paper will do. Ask your child to lay on his or her back on the paper and use a pen or pencil to draw the outline around him or her. Let your child paint features, clothes etc. When the paint dries, cut the shape out and hang this life-size picture of your child up.

3) Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk

Use the recipe found at http://www.kinderinfo.com/crafts/sidewalk-chalk.htm to make your own sidewalk chalk. Use it to let the kids turn the driveway into a piece of art, or and use it to play hopscotch.

4) Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Do you have a baseball team in town? It doesn’t have to be a major league team. In fact tickets will be a lot cheaper if it isn’t. Take the kids out to a minor league game or even watch your high school team play.

5) Backyard Camping Trip

Don’t have time to take the kids on a camping trip this year? Just camp out in the backyard or even in your living room. Your kids will enjoy it just as much as going out into the woods, and it will give you a great chance to spend some quality time with your kids uninterrupted by TV, video games etc. For more tips on how to turn this into a fun event, read Backyard Camping Trip at http://www.kinderinfo.com/articles/backyard-camping-trip.htm

6) Take the Kids to Work

Have your kids been curious what Mom or Dad do all day at work? Take them with you for a day or even just a few hours before they have to go back to school. Of course you may want to check with your employer first. If he doesn’t like the idea of having a child hang out in the office all day, ask if it would be ok for someone to bring your child in for an hour or two. Get your child involved while he or she is visiting with you. Ask him or her to help you with some of your everyday tasks.

7) Game Night / Movie Night

Dig out some of the board games that have been sitting in the closet for ages and play games for a few hours. You can even share some games that you enjoyed playing as a child.

Movie Night is another great way for the entire family to spend the evening together. Rent a family movie, make some popcorn and have everyone watch the movie together.

Lemonade Stand

Encourage your children to open a lemonade stand. They’ll be busy all day making posters, and lemonade of course, setting up the table and selling the lemonade. This is also a great time to work in some math practice by working with them to figure out the cost of each glass of lemonade and how much they need to sell it for to make a profit.

9) Treasure Hunt

You can keep the kids busy for hours with a fun treasure hunt. The idea is to create a series of clues that the kids will have to follow to get to a little prize in the end. You can draw the item where the next clue is hidden on a note card, or give them a written clue. For example, “The next clue is hidden under a chair in the house”. Put another clue under one of the chairs saying that the next clue can be found hanging in a tree in the yard. This can be as simple or as elaborate as you’d like.

10) End of Summer Party

Invite the kids your child has been playing with all summer for an End of Summer Party. You may want to have their parents over as well, to give you a chance to get to know each other. This doesn’t have to be fancy, just ask everyone to come over and grill some hotdogs in the backyard.

For more Summer Fun Ideas for Kids, join the Kinderinfo Newsletter at http://www.kinderinfo.com/newsletter and we’ll also send you our ebook “Summer Fun”, which is full of even more great ideas to have a good time this summer. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susanne_Myers

Many Baby Shower Fun Activities

There are many baby shower fun activities. It is the activities that really make a baby shower a great event. Games can help guests get to know each other, get everyone involved in the party, and give the mother-to-be and everyone else a good laugh. There are some common games that seem to make the round at every baby shower and then there are some newer, unique games that are starting to make baby showers more fun than ever before.

Classic baby shower activities include games using baby items or where people guess the mothers belly size, but some of the newer games are all about making guests get crazy. One of the most fun games now showing up at baby showers is the baby bottle drinking contest. Guests are all given a baby bottle filled with juice or water. Whoever drinks their bottle the quickest wins. It is not as easy as one might think. Drinking from a baby bottle takes a lot of work and watching people try to guzzle it is hilarious. Another crazy game is the diaper game. In this game melted and crushed candy is placed inside a diaper. Guests then have to guess what type of candy it is. They are allowed to smell or even taste. Watching adults peer and smell and stick their finger into these ’used’ diapers is sure to produce laughs. Along the lines of making guests look goofy is a feeding contest. Guests pair up and one puts on a bib and the other person stands behind them and puts their arms around them to act as the bibbed players arms. The player in the back has to feed the player with the bib. The first to finish win. This is a messy game that is also a great photo opportunity.

These are just three of the new games people are using as baby shower fun activities. There are many more ideas that can be found in baby magazines or online.

For more information concerning baby showers please visit The Baby Shower Zone - a website that specializes in baby shower thank you balloons Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Bock