She's got some great discussions going on, the last one specifically about kids and T.V., check it out.
What I would like to ask you friends and family readers is what are the top three activities you do with your children besides have them hanging out watching T.V.?
For example, we have an "art drawer", where they can go and find the materials to paint and draw and clay (I really need to replenish the play dough, any good recipes out there?) to their hearts' content. We have a drawer in the kitchen that houses all of this junk, tons of paper, etc. and they have full-reign of the kitchen table. This activity occupies them for 30 minutes to an hour depending on the "project" given. By the way, if I haven't told you yet, my favorite watercolors are the Ikea art kit ones, their color is the best and they are the best deal (I find myself buying the Crayola watercolors a lot, and they seem expensive to me for their short life and dull colors). The $5.99 kit 
comes with pencils and thickish crayons too, which are great. I bought 2 more packs last week (just to have an extra on hand or for a quick gift, since I really won't need it for a year or so, really the colors hold so well and are quite vibrant.) and the pack of Ikea paper $4.99. I haven't yet allowed them to do this over the new carpet in the basement (AK would die), but I think it would be awesome and I definitely have room for some easels and the huge PB Kids paper roll and the darling craft table set-up shown above (in my lovely dreams). Maybe we should have gotten the "family friendlier" carpet? Check out the darling budget craft tables at Ikea, like this one for $19.99 
(ours is currently outside, but has the art marks to prove our love). Maybe we should have gotten the "family friendlier" carpet?
Along these lines, etc. what are your favorite diversion, creative, chore-related, etc. tactics to avoid the drone of the T.V.? And if you feel to elaborate, what are your T.V./movie rules?
11 comments:
The "Family Walk" hit the spot today! They returned rosy-cheeked and smiling! We also love to play Rubicube (games in general), the boys are way into building forts out of their bunk/loft beds, making and then delivering treats to unexpecting loved ones. Thanks for the tip on the IKEA art supplies! I'm all over that!
I will have to hit IKEA this week:) I am working on less TV and the weeks that I do, it's great. We love the NB library and the pool. And chalking on the street, singing songs, readings books...She is little so it's not the same.
Our IKEA just opened on last Wednesday. I am waiting for a little while for the newness to go away. It is crazy up there I have heard. But thanks for the ideas on the craft items there that you like.
I think I was lucky to have several years on Oregon farms-the kids had room to roam, trees to climb and adventures to create...at least that's what I thought was going on! I also recommend cooking with kids-really overlooking the mess is hard for some but important. Hang on girls!
P.S. I've copied down the healthy alternative recipe for the WW banana bread; sounds good! Thanks for the link. Soooo good when we can start our kids out eating the healthy stuff and they don't get corrupted (white flour products were hard for my taste buds to give up but my intellect won out/dictated what was best for the body). My kiddos ate almost everything from 100% WW, bread, cookies, pancakes etc.
Thanks for the tips. I love all of your ideas, I will implement some tomorrow...
Also, like my lucky farm-bred hubby, who btw today had some 'obviously went to a one room schoolhouse Schuble elementary school' question about 1st grade for H, like "does he go all day" and "what do they do for lunch". I had a great laugh at my farm boy! Anyway, like my farm bred honey, I often think about what the pioneers did to entertain their children in their often one or two room homes and all of the work those ladies and gents really had to do!
Those mini IKEA tables are darling, in fact, one for Henry's room is at the top of my "I Want" list right now. Fun alternatives to TV: Henry and I LOVE to go to the petstore, it's like a short, mini, free version of the zoo -- and you get to hold the puppies. we also frequent the library at least once a week--free books, movies, cds, to check out, and lots of puzzles and puppets to play with while we're there. Also, I think kids are usually happy to amuse themselves with the simplest of things--a cardboard box can be transformed into a play house, an army hut, a table-top...kids can entertain themselves for hours with the endless possibilities of an empty appliance box. that's all i got...love this post. creative play is something I'm really, really trying to foster and encourage. Can't wait to see what other people suggest. And thanks for the shout out...you're too kind.
Jumping on the trampoline. If we want to get out of the house but not make a scene in public (I REALLY try not to take my 4 to the store), I'll have a picnic at a park. There are so many here, that they have fun taking turns and choosing where we go.
Great suggestions by all- but don't beat yourself up by having a little break and letting the kids watch a little T.V. - there are days where T.V. is the greatest gift to me... I know I know, I sound so lazy... but I think sometimes if we are not always entertaining our kids- or if they watch a little boob tube- we think we are failures.
Thanks again for all of your input. Starting at about 8 am (we all slept in pretty well!) we went from dough making to dough playing to cut and paste "homework" (thanks to Chelsea L) to making pancakes with the Creers to babysitter (which I allowed a movie) to bike riding to swimming at Kate's to more bike rides until 9PM and now reading. We filled in pretty well. Let's see how we do tomorrow...
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