P A R E N T    T O    P A R E N T

I'm Bored!

I can't imagine what it is like to be bored...I am too busy just trying to stay on top of life. But those young folk and adults in my home do find time to be bored...Do you think they would share...their boredom with me or you

Ideas to keep them busy and out of your hair!

Nothing To Do Jar (Fun or Chores)

Write different activities on slips of paper and put them into a jar or bag. I use this for both fun and chores. Let them reach in a win an idea!

Household Scavenger Hunt

Lost and Found Hunt....Keep a list of lost and found items that are always misplaced...socks under the bed...dishes not in the kitchen....food on the floor...dust bunnies under the couch...you can think of your own and send them off looking for the lost items....the prize "Baking Cookies when 30 items each are found."

Learning Hunt....Shapes, sizes or letters....Sounds like...Make a list of about 30 items for them to find -- something round, something red, something that makes noise, something that bends, etc.

Indoor Olympics

• Cotton ball or scarf throw
• Broad jump
• Marshmallows on Spoon Race
• Clothespins in a Bottle

Make medals to encourage personal goals or accomplishments to try to go farther each time, so they are only competing against themselves.

Making Gifts

Pictures, mosaics and painting in frames are always great...Keep the art materials handy. Pick up old frames at summer garage sales...much cheaper than the store or check out a surplus or dollar store.

Magical Mixes of soaps, scents and mixes ....cake mixes...bread mixes...drink mixes...take a look at our magical mix sections and have fun...Canning and glass jars with decorated covers make great presents.

Check out Magical Craft Mixes

Snow Fooling

Snow Boxes Fill up a dish pan with snow or if you are energetic and have a lot of snow fill up the bathtub! Put a vinyl tablecloth or painters plastic on furniture or on the floor. Bring out the beach shovels, buckets, spoons and even cookie molds. We also add different colors to it using food coloring. This activity has definitely helped on those 'Mom I'm bored' days."

Spray Painting Snow Save those little cleaning spray bottles and fill them with food color and water....then go out and paint the yard!

Ice Castles

When it gets below freezing we begin freezing old buckets and cut off milk cartons with colored water....The paper milk cartons work the best...We add color to the water and begin saving out castle blocks to build our snow and ice castle...The colored blocks look like stained glass when the sun shines on them

Bad Weather ...Bad Hair Day? Take a Day Off

Have a slumber party. Stay in your pajamas all day. Watch movies (pick educational but fun one) Eat popcorn for breakfast. Curl up under a blanket.

Make a fort and do school in the fort -- under the table, under a blanket or in a different room.

Go get your pup tent and set it up in the living room for a summer school camp out day.