Free Fun With Your Little Ones
If you’re anything like me (which you should hope you’re not!) you are always looking for fun stuff to do with the kids that won’t cost a fortune. Life gets mundane, and jazzing it up a bit with something out of the ordinary can certainly do us all some good. Here are some of the ideas we’ve used in the Keavy home that have brought smiles and laughter to our clan without breaking the bank:
Bubble Wrap Hop When you get a package in the mail with that really COOL bubble wrap enclosed…don’t throw it out! Save it up for awhile until you have enough to fill the entire kitchen floor. Take an hour off of life and go on the “bubble wrap hop” with the youngin’s…hop…pop…snap to your hearts content. Guaranteed to bring instant joy!
Winter Picnic Am I the only one who gets those winter blahs and blues? In Minnesota…we still have snow to look forward to for a few more weeks. When conditions aren’t right for sledding or snowman building…why not embark on an adventurous winter picnic? I never imagined this could possibly be fun until we tried it one day (per the nagging of a friend!). We wore our snowsuits, packed a thermos full of ramen noodles and made a day of it. Find a place under a bridge, or in a park reserve where you can set out on winter exploration!
Dark Hide-and-Go-Seek Remember that good ol’ hiding game we used to play when we were kids? This is just that…but with a little spin. Wait until the sun goes down, turn off all the lights and use the entire realm of your home as the backdrop for a mysterious game of family hide and seek. Our family really enjoys this one.
Belly Button Puppets O.K., I know this one is fairly unconventional…but it’s also the one with the most requests from my kids! We have enjoyed turning our belly buttons into fanciful belly puppets. Simply use face paint, or washable marker to draw a face around your belly buttons…the hole is the mouth, and the eyes will be placed on one side of the belly (you’ll be lying sideways for the performance). Lie sideways on the floor, and cover your head and legs with blankets so only your stomach is showing. Then (this is the gross part!) use your hands to move your belly jelly for the talking effect of the puppet. Have the whole family make their own puppets…and act out a Shakespeare play (A Mid-Stretchmark Nights Abs?)! Hilarious and fun!
