Pretend Popsicles Freebie

Download and create these pretend popsicles to open up your pretend ice cream shop.  It is available in color or black and white.  Combine coloring and creative play with this freebie.  

Check out all the other pretend play printables from Growing Play.

Category Hot Potato Campfire Game

Here is a fun game to play around the campfire - Category Hot Potato Game.  You will need one marshmallow for your "hot potato". Download Category Games or the Category game freebie. Cut apart the category cards.  

How to play:
1.  One person is IT and holds the marshmallow.  Pass the marshmallow to the person on the right.  
2.  Pick a category and start to pass the marshmallow to each person around the fire.
3.  The person who is IT has to think of three items related to that category before the marshmallow makes it all the way around the campfire back to him/her.

To make it harder:  pick a category and a letter.  Start with the letter A.  The person who is IT has to think of three things in the category that starts with the letter A.  For the next round move on to the letter B.

To make it easier:  pass the marshmallow around the campfire twice while you think of three items from the category.

To add in some tasty fun:  The player to the left of the person who is IT, has to eat the marshmallow to end the round.  Therefore, the person who is IT can continue to name things from the category until the marshmallow makes it around the campfire and the last person eats and swallows the entire marshmallow.  

Here are some more games to play while you sit around the campfire.

Creative Brain Series Question #3

How have you been doing with the series?  These questions make you stop and think right? Here is question #3 - Name as many things as you can that you would change about a pet to make it easier to care for.

This post is part of the Creative Brain Series from Growing Play on creativity, imagination, outside the box thinking, something quick to do while you are waiting or a boredom buster.  The series will include one question every couple of days to get children and adults to think on their feet.  There is no right or wrong answers just try to be creative.  Spend 1-2 minutes to think or just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind to share your answer.  

Here is my answer to question #3 - I would teach my dog how to open and close the door so he could let himself outside.  (Our dog barks like crazy when someone comes over.  But, he won't make a sound when he needs to go out).

Answer Creative Brain Series Question #2
Answer Creative Brain Series Question #1

Creative Brain Series Question #2

I figured I would get this Creative Brain Series going fast and furious.  Here we go with question #2 - Imagine that you are trapped in the witch’s house in the story of Hansel and Gretel. What would you do or say to escape?

This post is part of the Creative Brain Series from Growing Play on creativity, imagination, outside the box thinking, something quick to do while you are waiting or a boredom buster.  The series will include one question every couple of days to get children and adults to think on their feet. There is no right or wrong answers just try to be creative.  Spend 1-2 minutes to think or just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind to share your answer.  

My answer to question #2: Our father is a dentist, if you let us out he can fix all your cavities. (remember answer quickly - my answer is the first thing that popped into my head and then I couldn't get it out of my head!)

Write your answer in the comments.

Answer Creative Brain Series Question #1

Creative Brain Series Question #1

Here is the first post in the Creative Brain Series from Growing Play on creativity, imagination, outside the box thinking, something quick to do while you are waiting or a boredom buster.  The series will include one question every couple of days to get children and adults to think on their feet.  There is no right or wrong answers just try to be creative.  Spend 1-2 minutes to think or just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind to share your answer.  

So here we go.... drum roll please....question #1 is - If you could create any type of vending machine, what would you sell and why?  

My answer: I would sell holograms so I could be in two places at once!

Share your answer in the comments section.

Switch It Up Drawing Game

Here is another super simple pencil and paper game to play. You can play with one person or a large group.  Everyone grab a pencil and paper.  Start by drawing one object with your dominant hand. Now it is time to switch it up and try drawing a different way.

Try drawing with:
1.  your non-dominant hand
2.  the pencil in your mouth
3.  the pencil in your toes
4.  your head upside down
5.  your eyes closed
6.  your dominant hand after you spin around in a circle 10x
7.  a super tiny pencil (use a golf pencil or smaller)
8.  a huge pencil (duct tape the pencil to a wiffle ball bat)
9.  your paper taped to the underside of a desk (Michelangelo style)
10. a round of Silly Sketches

What crazy ways can you switch it up?

Silly Sketches includes 10 drawings to create by following 6 simple directions.  There are 10 drawing starters for each silly sketch to make the activity easier if necessary.  This is suitable for one child to complete or for a group of children.  This electronic book is in black and white.

This download encourages:  drawing skills, ability to follow step by step directions, creativity, visual motor skills and visual perceptual skills.

As with all our products, the activities are reproducible to use over and over again with all the children that you teach.
Get sample game page from Silly Sketches

Remember this is an electronic book.  Following payment you will receive a link to download the book.  To purchase the Silly Sketches download for $1.99 with credit card click on the ADD TO CART button.

Do You Ever Dream of a Totally Different Life?

Some days I find myself dreaming of us all running away to live somewhere else.  It is usually a cabin in the woods.  I don't want to go alone.  I want to bring the family with me. It is just that on some days, I get tired of the hecticness that real life brings with it.  Drive here, work, meetings, homework, laundry....

In my imagination, I dream of that cozy cabin in the woods where we don't have to do any of those things (oh yeah and my toddler would be completely independent in the cabin too)!  We can read, play games, fish, explore the outdoors and no one can interrupt us.  Sounds selfish I know, but one can dream....