By Veronica Scott

Time spent with grandparents is special for kids. There is something about the role that a grandparent plays in a child’s life that just cannot be duplicated anywhere else. Time together can mean anything. There are all sorts of fantastic activities that are sure to be a good time and make some meaningful memories. Don’t sit around the house when you’ve got your grandkids. Get out and do something you will both remember for years to come.

Go to the zoo. This is the kind of experience that never gets old. All children love to look at the animals and learn more about them. Take a trip to your local zoo. It gives you a great opportunity to get some fresh air and spend time with your grandkids while admiring wildlife you would only otherwise see on television. There is something about seeing those animals in real life that can’t be beat. Just watch the wonder and joy it brings to your grandchild’s face.

Take a lot of pictures. No matter what it is that you’re doing when you spend time with your grandchildren, pictures are a must. It’s the best way to capture and cherish memories indefinitely. Photos remain for a very long time when well cared for. Have some fun and get camera happy. It’s also a nice idea for creating the ultimate personal Christmas card. Pictures can be used for fun crafts too like scrapbooks or in home made picture frames.

Go out to a movie or do some shopping together. Taking the kids out is a great way to give their parents a well deserved break. But that doesn’t mean you have to sit around. Go to the park for a nature walk or see the latest movie the kids have been waiting for. You might just fun that these activities do wonders for helping you to stay young at heart.

We can all relate to times when we learned something valuable from our grandparents. They lived through times that most of us can only imagine. Take the grandkids out to a historical museum where you may have personal experience with the content inside. It’s a great way to introduce them to a world they would otherwise never know. Take the opportunity to leave them with something significant, a learning lesson that came straight from someone who lived it.

Play games with your grandchildren, even video games on occasion. The best thing about it is getting on their level and being part of what they enjoy. It also will be great fun for them to have you play. Watching Grandma play Guitar Hero is something many of their friends can’t claim. They will be delighted to see something so unexpected.

Let yourself feel like a kid again and try something that you would normally not do. You may be pleasantly surprised by how much fun you have. Grandchildren have a way of keeping you young and high spirited. Embrace their world and have a good time doing so.

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By Aldric Chang

Children love snow; there’s no escaping that fact. And while some adults may also enjoy outdoor activities during the winter, it seems this time of year is perfect for children. This year, why not try some fun things the whole family can do in the snow?

There are so many activities that you can participate in together. Here is a list of seven activities to consider:

1. If you live in a large city, you may be able to find a horse-drawn buggy that you can ride. Normally the buggy provides blankets to help keep you warm. While this is an activity that the entire family can enjoy together, it’s also a great activity for Mom and Dad to do on a special date night.

2. Build an igloo in your yard if the snow is deep enough and packs well. You can build an igloo by cutting out blocks of packed snow or you can shovel your driveway and sidewalk, maybe even your yard, into one place. Be sure the pile of snow is packed down along the way and reaches at least as high as an adult’s knees. Then hollow out the center of the pile of snow to create the igloo.

3. Make snow cream. After a fresh snowfall, go out to the yard to get a large quantity of snow. Mix together two cup of whole or evaporated milk, two teaspoons of vanilla, and 1 cup of sugar. Mix it together with the snow and enjoy. If you aren’t able to get large quantities of fresh snow, reduce the recipe by half.

4. Create snow animals. Everyone tries to make a snowman, and they’re fine for beginners. But why not work together and try to create a snow penguin, snow cow, or some other animal. Mix together water and food coloring to make your snow animals look different and more colorful.

5. Bundle up and take a winter hike. While you’re out, see if you can find and recognize any animal tracks. You may be able to find rabbit, squirrel, and some bird tracks as well as those from cats and dogs. If you live in the country, you may also be able to find deer and raccoon tracks.

6. Act like a kid again. Get down on the ground and make snow angels with your children. In fact, why not make an entire family of snow angels where your neighbors and friends can see them when they come to visit. Use a squirt bottle with colored water and write “Welcome” near the snow angel family.

7. Take your dog out to play in the snow. Be sure to bundle everyone up before you head out the door. Bury your dog’s favorite ball in the snow and see if they can find it. Pay attention where you’re burying their ball, however, because later they may want to play with it in the house where it’s warm.

It doesn’t matter if you use one of these activity ideas or choose another entirely, it’s important to find fun things your family can do in the snow. Take the time during winter months to reconnect with your children. You may be cold when you come back in, but you’ll be glad you spent the time together.

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By Nicholas Hurd

There are many benefits to encouraging your child to engage in an outdoor kid activity. Any outdoor kid activity, whether it is just playing outside or engaging in a sport can be beneficial. There are so many activities that you can do with your child, from riding a bike to bird watching to rock hounding so you can make it a family activity.

Play Outside

Whether you are hiking on a trail or just hanging out in the back yard, you can create a fun outdoor kid activity and even learn something along the way. Get a book on plants and learn the names of various plants and trees as you go along. Bring along a camera and take photos of the plants that you identify so that you can make a scrapbook. In your scrapbook add an information sheet from research that you do in books or on the web.

Survivor!

This is a fun outdoor kid activity that you can do just about anywhere. Even if you can’t go somewhere to camp, you can pitch a tent in the backyard to create an ambiance. Get a survival book and learn about various survival techniques. Learn how to identify poisonous plants. Create various scenarios and discuss what you would do in each situation, such as lost in the forest, trapped on a deserted island or stuck in the mountains.

Star Light Star Bright

Get a map of the constellations and take a walk outside to look at the sky. Learn how to identify various planets and constellations and talk about the history behind them. This is an outdoor kid activity that the whole family can enjoy. This outdoor kid activity can also take you indoors to the library so that you can learn about the solar system and stars. You may even want to invest in a telescope to get an even better look at the stars above you.

How does Your Garden Grow?

Gardening is an outdoor kid activity that can teach your child how to grow their own food, the responsibility of caring for a garden and the rewards of seeing plants grow as you care for them. You may want to start small with window boxes or containers and then graduate to turning up ground for a garden. Your child will learn how to weed the garden, dig and plant. You will need some flexibility for this outdoor kid activity because it may turn into an excursion to dig to China or an expedition to locate earthworms.

Pick Your own Fruit

This is outdoor fun for the entire family. Although it is seasonal, it can be a lot of fun. Find places where you can pick your own berries, such as blueberries, strawberries and blackberries. There are also places where you can pick apples, peaches and pears. The whole family can get in on this outdoor kid activity. Pick a little, eat a little and go home and make a delicious blueberry cobbler! This outdoor kid activity will not only provide tons of fun, it will also create precious memories.

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By Kristy Annely

A family reunion with no fun or excitement becomes just another ordinary day, thus making it lose its significance. To make the family reunion unforgettable and enjoyable, it becomes vital to plan some activities and events that can be enjoyed by people of all generations. Any activity that can engage the whole gang, and put them in high spirits, will make this special day more special. By making some effort, and thinking with a creative frame of mind, you can organize a series of fun-filled activities for the whole family.

There are a variety of reunion games like scavenger hunts, card games, tug-of-war, sack races, or volleyball, that can keep everyone engaged and help them enjoy the reunion to the fullest. Then, to commemorate the reunion, you can all plant a tree together. Thus, whenever any family members see the tree, they will definitely think about the rest of the family and the reunion day. To make the day even more entertaining, you can arrange to rent a karaoke machine or a disc jockey, and organize activities like dance competitions. You can also organize a funny dress-up competition, in which each team has to dress up in the funniest possible way. Then show a family movie, with some memories of each family member, to give an emotional and sentimental value to the reunion day. Apart from that, an evening pizza party, or a story hour for kids, can make them participate in and enjoy the day to its fullest.

A fun-filled day with lots of activities that bring all the members close is the best way to celebrate a family reunion.

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By Helene L Zemel

I am probably giving away my age, but I can remember a time when we all ate our dinner at the same time; we did not have 300 plus cable television programs to choose from each day; and children did not spend countless hours playing video games, talking on cell phones, or sitting in front of computer screens. When I came home from school, weather permitting, I was expected to go outside and play. My friends and I would go to the playground, play ball, jump rope, and play running games.

Children today are frequently stressed out by many hours of homework, a longer school day, over-scheduling of extracurricular activities and the pressure to take college level courses for advanced placement before they are intellectually ready for it. I have heard of children getting by on only a few hours of sleep each night because of the long school day and an excessive amount of homework. One teen that I knew even skipped lunch to meet the demands of a high school curriculum which would award her college credits upon graduation. Frequently both parents are at work outside the home, and there is no parent present to see that the child engages in wholesome outdoor activities during these afternoon hours.

Children today are more likely to be found surfing the internet, playing video games, talking on the cell phone for hours, or watching television or the VCR (all sedentary activities) than engaging in sports and recreational activity. It is no wonder that we have seen an increase in such lifestyle disorders as high blood pressure, obesity, and type 2 diabetes-disorders that are preventable and even treatable by attention to diet and exercise. This increase has been seen in both children and adults. A recent survey showed an increase in prescription medications taken by young people for hypertension and hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol).

In a message from former Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, M.D., written for the Shape Up America program, Dr. Koop stated: “A survey conducted by Shape Up America has revealed that child care responsibilities are interfering with the efforts of many families to get more exercise and at the same time we know many children are now overweight or obese. The solution is a commitment on the part of the entire family to spend more time together. I encourage you to choose activities you can do together and support and reward each other’s efforts to be more active at home, at school, at work, and in your communities. I urge you to replace the use of food as a reward for good behavior and offer to take a walk with your child instead. The pleasure of your company is the best reward your child can receive and the best gift you can give.”

This is good advice indeed. Start a family fun night and take turns choosing an activity. The family can engage in both indoor and outdoor recreational activities depending on the time of year. Remember that not all activities have to be physical. Board games are always fun for the family to play and encourage thinking skills, strategy, eye/hand coordination, and most importantly family togetherness. Choose a variety of games that are appropriate for all ages and skill levels involved in order to keep the chosen activities interesting and fun for all involved. Remember that the “family that plays together stays together.”

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By Ingrid Lee

Fun Activities for toddlers on those rainy days can be easier than you think. You have to come up with some fun indoor activities. Use these on rainy days, and even when Winter comes around. It is amazing how as parents we can get creative right along with our toddlers.

Keep the Craft Bag stocked and ready. Crafts are great, but remember that you should always try and create different and new activities also. There may be just a short little rain storm and you don’t want to make crafts.

So here are some of my family’s fun activities for toddlers that I hope you will Enjoy!!!

Indoor Treasure Hunt Game

Materials Needed:

1. Small toys or snacks
2. Treasure map. you can make up an easy one out of paper. (optional)

Directions:

1. Have an indoor treasure hunt by hiding several small toys, books, or special snacks around the house.
2. Give your child clues or draw a map that leads to the treasure.

Paper Golf

Materials Needed:

1. Construction paper or newspaper
2. Tape
3. Golf or tennis balls
4. Styrofoam cups or plastic cups

Directions:

1. Make golf clubs for each player by rolling up several sheets of newspaper or (you may use construction paper) and taping them securely.
2. Put the Styrofoam cups in different areas of the house that will serve as the “holes”.
3. Use your golf club to try to roll the ball to the hole.

Bake Cookies

One of the best fun activities for toddlers is baking cookies. My toddler loves to help me bake cookies. Of course it can be more of a mess but who cares. They will be learning and having fun at the same time.

Indoor Camping

We all know this one. It was so much fun growing up and making a tent out of blankets and chairs. However now, you can buy those indoor pop tents for the kids that fit right in your living room. These are nice! The old fashioned way all you’ll need is a couple of chairs and a blanket. My toddler will play for hours like this. Make a “pretend campfire”. Shut off the televisions. Fun activities for toddlers can take place in their imaginations. Allow them to come up with great ideas on their own. Buy a sound machine or an outdoor sounds CD to make it more realistic!!! The great part moms and dads is there are no mosquitoes or bugs. YEAH!! So bring out the sleeping bags and have FUN!

Hide and Seek

Any size of house is great to play this fun game. Every child loves a game of hide and seek. Especially toddlers!!! Couches and closets make the best hiding spots. Whether you have a big house or small house this game can be played everywhere.

There are just a few fun activities for toddlers that my family and I enjoy. Even though it rains, the kids can still have fun. I enjoy spending time with my toddler. I choose to live by this motto: “Enjoy your children and spend lots of time with them, before you know it they will be teenagers.”

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By Nicole Munoz

When camping with kids, what activities are best? There are the old standbys of hiking, fishing, swimming, and kayaking. For parents, these activities can be as useful as Badge Clips. But what about the times between those activities? There are the times when your child is waiting for a meal to be served. There are the times after dinner when there is not enough time or daylight to go on a major camping activity. And there are times when your kids just need a break from “regular” camping activities. Regardless of when they are used, these activities will ensure that there is never a dull moment for your kids, during the next family camping trip:

1. Making skits a hit. Kids love to be in the limelight, so camping skits give them the opportunity to do their best Shakespearean impersonation around the campfire. You can find several camp skit scripts on the Internet. Make sure that you rehearse the skits with your kids. One child can even serve as a narrator, to make the skit more dramatic. When your kids perform the skit for you, make sure that each of them is ready for his or her part. Also, the older kids can help the younger kids, and particularly with lines.
2. Mother Nature up close and personal. A Coleman for Kids Nature Viewfinder makes an excellent tool to allow your little ones to explore their world. Within the campground, they can examine the soil, plants, sticks, rocks, and insects in the area. Also, they can investigate the grain in the picnic table, and count the knotholes it contains. You can then teach your kid about how knotholes can help to estimate a tree’s age.
3. North by northeast. First, all the children must learn where North is on the compass. Have them choose one object that is directly north, south, east, and west. A chosen leader then shouts out one of the four directions. Then the kids must race to the object that is in that particular direction. The child who last touches the object is eliminated from the game. After a few rounds of the game, you can add the intercardinal points (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest). Then add a new object in each of those four locations, to make it more challenging.
4. Making an impression. Drawing and coloring make excellent activities for kids, and this activity allows them to nurture their artistic skills. Along with your Clear Vinyl Badge Clips, make sure to pack some blank sheets of paper; and colored pencils or a pack of crayons. At the campground, have your child collect objects with textures, such as leaves, tree bark, and stones. The kids should gently rub the pencil or crayon over the image, allowing an image to magically appear on the paper. Put a label on each picture, to remember what it is, who made it, and where he or she made it.
5. Beyond marshmallows. With this activity, children do not cook using a campfire. They can eat the campfire itself! Gather a paper plate, fork, spoon, and a cup of clear water for each kid. The ingredients should include coconut (shredded), licorice, pretzel sticks, raisins, and red hots candies. The plate is the campfire site, the spoon is a shovel, the fork is a rake, and the cup is a water bucket. Meanwhile, raisins form the fire ring, coconut is the tinder (for starting the fire), kindling should be represented by pretzel sticks, and a sprinkle of red hots signify the campfire’s coals.

Family camping trips can be about more than hiking. Using some fun activities can make camping as effective as practical Mylar Badge Clips. Happy family camping!

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By Jon Mumford

Outdoor Activities

Aside from the obvious hiking, gardening, water fights, snowball fights, and various sports that you can play together as a family, there are also some more unusual activities for the outdoors. Try learning something about astronomy. Get a telescope and sit on your roof (if possible) and watch the stars with your kids. There are lots of great winter outdoor activities if live in an area with lots of snowskiing, sledding, and making a giant snow fort or other “snow creations.” These are all great ideas on how to get your child off the couch and get some exercise as a family.

Indoor Activities

Have a family “cultural night” where each person dresses up as someone from another culture that they are interested. Prepare food for each ethnicity and know some facts about each. This will be educational and fun.

1. Try “Skittle bowling.” Take the family bowling and bring a large bag of Skittles. For every turn, someone has to pick a Skittle out of the bag. Each color will represent something. For example, red could mean that you have to bowl left-handed. Yellow could mean that you have to bowl backwards.
2. Have some family fun by having a karaoke night or stand-up comedy night. You could even turn it into an impromptu talent show, if your child can do something unusual like juggling or head stands.

Holiday Activities

Holidays are important occasions that can quickly turn into nightmares without some planned activities. Children thrive on structure and routine and holidays tend to disrupt that. Here are some ways to have family fun in spite of the chaos.

1. Make Christmas gift baskets for people in need. You can contact your local Social Services agency to get a list of people in your area that are elderly, disabled, or needy. This is great way to teach your children about giving back.
2. Make a gingerbread house or some ornaments for your Christmas tree together as a family.
3. Turn your backyard into a winter wonderland with candle luminaries.
4. Transform your basement or garage into Santa’s workshop. Set an afternoon aside to help your children gather up all their old toys and fix them up to give to needy children.

Now, we know that all of these will not work for EVERYBODY, but find the ideas that work for you. The idea behind having fun as a family is to be a team. Family fun doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated, just memorable.

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By Noel Jameson

If you’re sick to death of video games but still want to be involved in your kids’ lives, why not let the Wii Fit lend a hand? This revolutionary combination video game system and workout device is fun for young and old alike. So if you’ve been thinking about caving and buying your kids that Nintendo Wii this Christmas, do yourself a favor and pick up a Wii Fit as well. You won’t regret it!

Benefits of the Wii Fit

Unlike most video games, the Wii Fit is all about movement. Your kids won’t be sitting on the couch with a controller in hand for this one! Whether you stick with the standard workout game that comes with the system or decide to try something else, everyone will be up and moving.

Do It as a Family

The Wii Fit is fantastic for kids and adults in all shapes and sizes (although if body image is a concern, you may want to avoid the “body test,” which will announce your weight and body mass index for all to see). They have various levels of activity ranging from hardcore workouts (like the strength exercises) to fun and games (such as balancing activities).

There’s more to Wii Fit than Wii Fit, too. Well aware of how successful the system has become, Nintendo is primed to release a wide variety of games and activities to work with the Wii Fit balance board. Just a few of the new ones out this year include Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum 2009, which is aimed at teens and adults, and the Active Life Outdoor Challenge, a similar concept made for younger kids.

Whether you stick with the original or broaden your horizons, you’re bound to have fun getting Wii Fit as a family.

Other Wii Games are Fun, Too!

The news gets even better: the Wii itself is a fantastic opportunity for family fun and games. While there are many games that don’t use the balance board and aren’t directly targeted at improved physical fitness, there are a lot of them that still require movement — such as Wii Sports, where you swing at balls or have boxing matches using the handheld controllers.

It’s not necessarily a workout, but it’s still a step up from sitting on the couch — and a lot of fun for kids and adults alike, too. So don’t shy away from video games this Christmas season — just make sure the Wii Fit figures somewhere on that list.

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By Gregg Hall

Family get togethers are lots of fun and besides getting to catch up on all the latest news the kids get a chance to play together that may be a rare occasion. There some things you can do to make these times a lot more fun such as games and other activities. Some of our best memories have come from these events.

There are a number of activities you can do depending upon what the family event is. If the event is a family reunion maybe you can have some competitive games playing things like Monopoly or chess. There are many board games that could be played where you could play as a team; the popular family feud is even available as a board game.

In our family, the reunions always focus on the children and yours is probably no different. For the smaller kids you can get out a bunch of coloring books which they will all enjoy sharing and coloring in. You can also let them put together puzzles that are appropriate for their age. For the older kids there are numerous activities from crossword puzzles to mazes. They can also help with making food and cookies in the kitchen!

There are infinite games available to choose from and if you are looking for board games in particular you can find tons at your local Wal-mart, craft stores, and many sites on the internet. You can find many ideas for games and other activities that will not cost and arm and a leg. Some the things that you will find are free. For example, you can use construction paper that you probably already have lying around along with some paper bags to make hand puppets for the younger kids. They can also make craft items to give to older relatives or even people who may be in a nursing home that would enjoy the gift of a child’s handiwork.

By teaching your children on how to enjoy playing these games and how to play with others you are teaching them valuable life lessons not only about creativity but also problem solving skills. It also makes them more oriented to family and community. It is far better to organize board games and other activities for family reunions and get togethers than to have the children gathering around the computer and playing games on the computer. It is the interactive human oriented games that will create memories and bring everyone closer together.

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Crafts are a wonderful way for families to get some quality together time, as well as learn a new skill, refine an existing one, and make something beautiful in the process. One great way for kids and parents to have this time is by making their own jewelry. While it isn’t restricted to mom and daughter, they will be the ones who are most often interested in this skill.

Making jewelry is not complicated, for the most part. In fact, many things are easy. However, if neither mom nor daughter have much confidence in their ability to make something that looks nice, they may want to buy a kit that has complete instructions. Kits are available in hobby stores for making earrings, watches, bracelets, necklaces and even rings. The family can decide what they would like to make and then get the corresponding kit.

If they want to strike out on their own, there are lots of options available. Perhaps one of the easiest is earrings. The materials are usually inexpensive and they are great for beginners. Mom and daughter can go to a crafts store that sells jewelry-making items and can pick up some rhinestones, plastic shapes, metal pieces and other little things that might make attractive earrings. One idea is to take a paper plate along and arrange earring ideas on the plate. Don’t forget either backs or French hooks for the jewelry!

Assembling the earrings can be done either with a low-temperature hot glue gun or with jewelry glue. Most of the time, the only equipment needed is a toothpick and perhaps some tweezers. This is another great advantage to making earrings.

Watches are also fairly simple. Many craft or hobby stores sell the watch movement, and the crafter can pick out fancy stones to decorate the crystal, or cut lengths of ribbon or fabric to make the bands. These can be as elaborate or simple as the crafter wishes. For grosgrain ribbon, the crafter needs to remember to buy a buckle to fasten the watch, and to treat the edges with Fray-Check, or something similar, to keep the cut ends from raveling, as grosgrain is prone to do. Jewelry glue is probably the best option for attaching anything to the watch crystal. Even a low-temp hot glue gun could damage it, or the movement.

With a pair of small, needle-nose pliers, a crafter can even make charm bracelets. Most hobby stores sell charms and chain, so all that is necessary is to buy a suitable length of chain, clasps and charms. The crafter uses the pliers to secure the charms in their places on the bracelet. This is also a great place for mom and daughter to showcase their personal tastes, since charms are available to represent nearly every hobby and interest.

For younger girls, mom may want to try purchasing plain headbands and decorating them with rhinestones, to match a dress or outfit. Most little girls love anything that looks like a crown, and a sparkly headband is an ever-popular item. Make one of these, and have fun watching the little one be “crowned” Miss America every day for a couple of weeks. Mom can use the same idea with a white headband and some leftover tulle. Voila! A bride is born.

Necklaces are also a popular craft item. Many craft stores sell chains of varying lengths, and the crafter just needs to buy some items that can be glued together as a pendant and put on the chain. This is among the more goof-proof jewelry crafts. Chokers are popular, as well as easy to make. The crafter can purchase a velvet ribbon and a brooch or other decorative piece that will slide on the ribbon. Safety pin the edges together and the crafter has a choker.

There are so many options and varieties available, that a crafter should never feel at a loss for ideas. Making small pieces of jewelry is relatively inexpensive, but the time spent on the project with a child is priceless.