Managing the Kids During Thanksgiving
I have 6 sisters and 2 brothers and they are all married with 3 or more children. With 41 kids running around during Thanksgiving, there is planning and preparation required to keep the kids away from the kitchen and the adult’s sanity in check. I have been designated as the “Fun” uncle (a term that might accuse me of being Immature), and this assignment has always fallen to me. Here are 5 ideas to keep the little ones entertained:
- Talent show
This is always a favorite with my in-laws, each person gets to share with the rest of the family a talent they have developed. Magic, dancing to Twisted Sister, juggling to Sweet Caroline and a hundred other “Talents”(a term used very loosely) have been shared and lots of laughter have followed.
- Home Run Derby
All you need for this is a waffle ball, a bat and somewhere to hit the ball. I would play this every year with my nephews and nieces and each year they improve and I get worse. It reminds me of the Cosby Show when Theo admits to his neighbor that when he was younger his dad let him win, now he lets his Dad win. Somehow, in the Home Run Derby, Grandpa always manages to get the longest hit, but it is when everyone is not paying attention.
- Kubb
Kubb http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubb is a Swedish lawn game, the object of the game is to knock over the kubbs on the opposing side, and then knock the “king” over, before the opponent does. Let me translate that into children talk, “You get to throw sticks at each other. I could not image anything bad could happen with this.
For the family that wants to have the older people prove to the younger ones that they are still in charge, Ping Pong provides the ideal set up.
- Coupon Clipping
One hallmark of Thanksgiving dinner is the newspaper laying in the living room floor and the whole family searching for what they want for Christmas. The children can make lists and the adults can find where the Doorbuster savings will be.
With these ideas, the kitchen will be free of children stealing rolls and the adults will be able to give proper language to their frustrations, when the pumpkin pie is not cooking correctly.
