5 Games to Play with Pots and Pans

Through the years, one of the best go to toys for little ones is the kitchen pots and pans.  Here are 5 games to play with pots and pans:

1.  Lid Mix Up - separate all the pots, pans and the lids. Scatter them around a room.  See how quickly the child can find the correct lid and match it up to the pot.

2.  Musical Band - easiest and most favorite activity.  Add some wooden spoons and make some music!

3.  Water Fun - lay a large towel on the floor, pour some water in the pot and hand over a ladle.  Put another pot next to it so your little one can transfer the water from one pot to the other.

4.  Alphabet Soup - Toss some plastic letters or anything you have from around the house (ie cotton balls, cookie cutters, clothes pegs, etc) so the child can pretend to make soup.  

5.  Hide the Animal - Place the pots around the room upside down.  The child can hide his/her eyes.  Pick a small stuffed animal and hide it under one of the pots.  The child can then open up his/her eyes and search for the missing stuffed animal.

Need more entertainment for your little one?  Check out the Toddler Book Pages are a digital download of 10 entertaining and educational pages for baby.   This set includes the following 10 themes: baby, dogs, cats, toys, animals, farm, trucks, outdoors and 2 color identification pages.  Find out more at Growing Play.

Creative Brain Series Question #6 - Factory Owner?

Wake up your brain and your ideas and answer question #6 from the Creative Brain Series - Imagine you own a factory. What would you create and who would you sell it to?

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 answers for question #6 would be a game factory.  I know this sounds trite considering I write a blog that mentions games all the time.  But, I love games and have sooooooooo many ideas for card games, small travel games and adventure games.  Maybe some day I will be able to pursue all my ideas.  
  
Answer Creative Brain Series Question #5
Answer Creative Brain Series Question #4
Answer Creative Brain Series Question #3
Answer Creative Brain Series Question #2
Answer Creative Brain Series Question #1

One Simple Tip to Help Children Be Themselves

Be yourself.  Easier said than done right?  I often tell my children to make sure they stay true to themselves, their beliefs and a moral code.  In summary, be yourself.  

Every single child is so very unique and it is our job as parents, grandparents, teachers, volunteers, ministers, priests or whoever interacts with children to help them to discover their individual talents.  

One simple tip to help children be themselves is to occasionally discuss one on one with them what qualities they each have that make them so special.  For example, focus on three traits, be specific and honest such as:
1.  You are an impressive artist.  The picture you created today was beautiful.
2.  You are a good leader.  Today when we needed the yard cleaned up, you set a great example by helping without being reminded.
3.  You are a talented basketball player.  The three point shot you made was awesome today.

The most important thing is to be honest.  Don't overpraise. Give it a try.  I know sometimes I enjoy it more than the children.  It reminds me how unique each one of my children are!

So for today - Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Taken (compliments of Oscar Wilde).  

Need more motivation?  Check out the whole collection of Motivational Posters and Cards. Try tossing a different card in your child's lunch box to motivate him/her during the school day.

If This Then That - BEST App Ever (Especially for Bloggers)

This may be a bit off topic for the Growing Play blog but it is a super interesting app that I had to share to help organize and streamline your phone apps.  This app can do amazing things once you take some time to set up what will work for you.  I read about the If This Then That app in the Wall Street Journal yesterday if you want to read more about it.  

In a nutshell, by creating simple "recipes" this app allows you to connect apps that don't normally connect.  My suggestion is to download the IF app and just start exploring.  

Here is what I am using it for fun:

1.  get a weather report push notification everyday sent to my phone at 7:00am

2.  get an email notification of free apps released today

Here is the AMAZING recipes I am using for blogging:

1.  every time a new blog post is published from Growing Play it automatically gets pinned to a pinterest board that I selected.

2.  every time I publish a new blogpost, it gets copied into a folder in my Google Drive (how awesome is that!).  Therefore, I am automatically backing up the blog.

3.  every time I publish a new blogpost, it is tweeted

I wish you could trigger a blogpost to Instagram but you can not do that.  You can do the opposite - Instagram to blogpost.  And of course, Facebook is difficult because it only will connect my personal account not the GrowingPlay account therefore I can not automate the Facebook posts.  

My extra tip - If This Then That will also run on your computer.  I find it a little easier to navigate on the full website versus the app.  You may want to set up your recipes on the computer and download the app so that you get all the notifications to your phone.  

One more bonus tip - you could use this app to set all sorts of reminders for children who may need a little extra help with organization or staying on schedule.  You can set reminders to drink water, get some exercise and more! 

Enjoy exploring the app!  It has been a long time since I have come across such a helpful, innovative app to streamline social media. Would love to know if you already use this app or something like it.  Also, come back and let me know if you are as excited about it as I am.

Indoor Camping Party for Family Fun Night

Next time you need something super easy to entertain the kids for family fun night have an indoor camping party.  This is so easy to do and the kids LOVE it!  Now of course, I would prefer if every family actually went camping, but I know their are plenty of people that it is just not their thing.  

So why not give your children the experience of camping without leaving home?  All you need is a play tent or even better make your own fort.  My children have always preferred to make their own forts for the indoor camp out.  Using almost every chair and blanket in the house they have created large indoor tents for sleeping or just hanging out.

If you use a play tent, see if the kids can set the whole thing up themselves without any help.  

For the first part of the family fun night the kids can create the tent.  Toss a bag of clothes pins their way to help clip on the blankets and sheets to the chairs.  Next up, outfit the tent.  Grab some sleeping bags and a few pillows.  Each kid can set up their space.

Now time for some spooky stories.  Grab a flashlight and takes turns telling some good old fashioned ghost stories. 

Don't forget a "fireside" camping treat.  You could make smores without a fire.  Just assemble the ingredients and toss it in the microwave to gently heat it up.  Or wrap them in foil and put them in the toaster.  

How about a Minute to Win it themed camping activity? Walk around outside and gather a bunch of small twigs.  Put them on a tray.  Open up a bag of marshmallows and scatter them around the room.  Place a bowl on a table.  The object is to poke your stick into the marshmallow and bring it back to the table to remove it using another stick.  Place the marshmallow in the bowl.  You can not use your hands to pick up or remove the marshmallow off of the stick.  See how can get the most marshmallows in the bowl in one minute.  Don't want to toss the marshmallows around the room?  Just put them on a large tray on a different table than the bowl.  

Need more game ideas?  Read a previous blog post about games to play around the campfire that require no materials.

The younger kids will simply enjoy sleeping over on the floor in something they created themselves.

Check out more family fun night ideas.       

Best Apps for Family Fun Night

Most of the time, you will find our family playing cards, games or a team challenge for a family fun night.  Occasionally though we will grab the ipad or the iphone and start playing a group game.  Here are our favorites (this post contains affiliate links):

1.  Family Feud - great team game for old and young.  The older ones type in the answers but the younger ones can definitely shout them out.  We don't go in order we just work together to get them all.  

2.  Heads Up - best iphone group game EVER!  Kids version is the best but sometimes that gets too easy.

3.   Word Charades - try and get the group to guess the word at the top without saying the other words.  We modify this game to keep everyone involved.  Just take turns and see who can get the highest score.  For the younger ones, you are allowed to say the words at the bottom of the card.

4.  94 Seconds - Work together to see how many category words you can get correct in 94 seconds.  Again, we modify the rules by saying the category and the letter out loud so everyone can help.  One person types in everyone's answers.  

5.  Life or Monopoly - At home we absolutely play the real board game.  But in the camper with tight quarters or the car, the video game is perfect.  

What is your favorite apps for family fun night?

6 Not So Great Things My Kids Have That I Did Not...

I was thinking the other day about how much childhood has changed since I was growing up.  I find myself more and more saying it just isn't as good as it used to be.  Perhaps I sound like a grandmother, maybe it just comes with age but here are 6 not so great things that my kids have that I did not:

1.  School Bus Transportation - In our area, even if you can see the school out your front window you are still entitled to a school bus ride.  My kids don't even have to walk to a stop - you get picked up right at the end of my driveway.

In comparison, I walked one mile to school, home and back for lunch, and home again at the end of the day for all of elementary school.  I did take a bus to high school (it was about 3 miles away) but did have to walk to a bus stop.  We had so much fun walking to and from school - a few of us would always land up meeting along the way.

2.  Chain Restaurants - There are so many restaurants to choose from today.  Everyone has a kids menu of some sort.

No matter what you tell me, when I eat out I eat more (mostly because there is waitress service so I get to sit down for an entire meal!) And, we wonder why we have an obesity problem in the USA.  Obviously, there was McDonald's, Burger King and a few more when I was a kid but not nearly as many as today.  Plus, it was a huge treat to go out to eat.  People just ate at home for the most part.

3.  Organized Sports - My children get to participate in organized sports from the age of 4 years old and up.  There is a sports team for each season and if you so chose you can play 2 sports during one season or play on 2 teams during one season.  The kids parents are there at every game cheering the participants on - hit or strike out...Good job!

I, too, had organized sports but didn't start until 4th grade, rode my bike to games and no parents came to cheer us on.  We had LOADS of fun - lots of chatting and laughs.  I can't even remember what positions I played in elementary school.  I do remember it was fun and never a chore to attend.  Oh yeah, and the seasons where only about 8 weeks long and you never played 2 sports at once or on two teams unless you were training for the Olympics. 

4.  Cell Phones - Isn't it great today - kids can get in touch with anyone at anytime and parents can check on their kids.  How wonderful!

When I was a kid, you needed to carry a dime with you in case you needed to make a phone call.  You were "out of touch" from your parents or friends hours or even days at times.  There is something to be said for quiet time.  There are certainly times now I wish I could be "out of touch" even for a few hours.

5.  Constant Safety Net - As parents, we protect our children the best we can starting in infancy.  Put them in car seats, try and eat healthy foods, wear helmets, etc.  Of course we can not think of everything but we have thought of we are on top of it.  Get a bad grade in school, don't worry kids Mom and Dad will call the school and see where the teacher went wrong.

When I was a kid, we did not have car seats (in fact one time my sister and I rode in lawn chairs.  My brother actually had a car that had milk crates for seats).  Not saying we should not use car seats just sharing a funny story.

But, we were able to play outdoors without helmets on every two seconds.  Sometimes I see my children actually playing tag with helmets on if they were just riding their bikes.  Again, I am not saying kids should not wear helmets.

Regarding school, If I did poorly, the teacher was always right and I should have done better.

6.  Internet and Cable Television - At the click of a button kids can find any information or get homework help.  Want to watch a children's television show?  Turn on your tv at anytime and you can find kids shows.

As a child, we pretty much only watched tv Saturday mornings because that was the only time kids tv was on (maybe David and Goliath on Sunday morning if you were desperate).  After school and weekends you played.  You went outside and found friends to hang out with.  If  you needed information, you went to the library and looked it up.  

Listen, don't get me wrong there are lots of conveniences that we have now as parents.  But overall, I do wish my kids sometimes were being raised during a different time.  Here is how I try to make that time:

• limit television and video game use
• only play sports during that season
• eat out about 2x month 
• let the teacher be right 99% of the time (can't seem to give up that 1%)
• invite kids over the house for free play time
• they do ride in car seats and wear helmets (but I do remind them to take them off when playing tag)
• give them some independence where parents are not present
• play outdoors 

What do you wish your kids had from when you were younger?