Need Ideas to Do with My Kids!

Library, swimming lessons at the local pool (even in winter), walks in parks to see the ducks, zoos, play groups, children's museums, art museums (no touch places), ice cream parlors, etc.

go to www.familyfun.com
I use this for crafts, activities on rainy days, holiday projects, birthday parties, Halloween costumes, recipes, etc.

Hi K.,

Regal Cinemas offers free movies in the mornings (check their website for movies, times, locations). It is for kids and so the movies are appropriate and the free price tag means you don't have to be stressed if they make noise (they won't be the only ones!). You can also check out Cultural Passes at the library to get into places for free, like the Children's Museum, Japanese Gardens, Portland Art Museum, etc.

This time of year, we spend a lot of time visiting local farms and picking fruits and vegetables (you can google tri-county farms for ones near you). Most of the farms also have kids climbing structures and/or farm animals for them to see. Then you can bring your fruit home with you and make something to eat like zucchini bread, fruit smoothies, fruit salad, etc.

My daughter took an art class through the rec department and they used interesting things to paint with...driving toy cars through the paint and onto paper, so the tire treads make designs, kitchen utensils like potato mashers, marbels, etc. My daughter also likes playing in her rice bin (Rubbermaid container filled with rice and shovels, cups, etc. Her favorite part is burying things and finding them again!).

Water is also a favorite- kiddie wading pools, sprinklers, city fountains, water table (like a sand box), etc.

Dear K.,
Wow can I relate to you I have 3 children ages 4 and younger and am very overwhelmed. My four year old son is especially active and gets bored easily so I wrote a list of "activity ideas" for the kids and stuck it on the wall as a reminder....some of my ideas were builing blocks or legos,coloring, painting, playing with bubbles,puzzles, dance to music, dress up, building a fort with cushions, make someone a card, read books, or sing songs and tell make believe stories together. Sometimes they work for me, so I hope I can be of some help to you!

God Bless,
J. F.

Hello!
I recently checked out this book at the library for new ideas to do with my toddler. It's cute little crafts that you can do that are really easy. And the best part is there is a really simple way to make it on one side and another side that shows what you can do differently to make it more interesting for older kids.

It's called Crafty Kids by Rosie Hankin. Its one of the best books that I've found so far. I'm actually going to buy this one.

I checked out a bunch of books on craft and play time ideas for kids and then I marked the pages I really like and then make copies before returning the books. This way I have a bunhc of ideas to refer to.

Hope this helps at least some!
Good luck!

Hi K.,

Check your local library. Many times they have great activities for children, story time, etc. Also the link I attached. Metro Parent Magazine comes out each month and gives a daily schedule of wonderful activities. Oaks Park Preschool summer and winter - FUN for your age of children, OMSI, Children's Museum, many water parks on warm days, the Zoo. Some of these cost $$. Although many in the Metro Parent are free. Good Luck. My daughter is 6. Through the years, she has always needed to be entertained...Metro Parent was so helpful to me. Enjoy!
http://www.metro-parent.com/current_issue.html

Hi K.,

I'm someone who in the past has been guilty of overly trying to entertain my son. But then I got pregnant with our second last year and slowed things down and have learned that you don't need big outings or activities to have fun. So far as at home, art is a favorite in our house. My son is six years old and I keep bins of art supplies........crayons, markers, paints, stickers, construction paper, old magazines to cut pictures out of. At Michael's they have little art kids and I've bought beading kits for $1 where my son can string beads and it's good for fine motor skills. As far as getting out with all three, the Tualatin Hills Nature Park is a great and free place to walk around with kids and let them burn energy. Commonwealth Lake Park on the Portalnd/Beaverton border is another great place. I also print a lot of free activities off the internet....coloring pages, word searches, mazes and I do give my son some computer time for learning games. There's tons more but I hope this helps at least a little!

homeschool art searches are my answer! try here
http://www.teachartathome.com/HomeschoolIdeas.html
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/karinebauch
http://www.auntannie.com/

treasure hunts, backyard nature hikes, cooking

I'll gather supplies together with instructions so we can just grab them out of my closet

have fun most of all;)

I know summer is almost over but, we try to participate in the summer days activities. There is a group of moms that go to various parks, music activities, zoo trips etc. Our church also has one set up. I also try to take the kids to the library. We just started and they love it. We check out books that they get to pick which makes story time at bed time even exciting. They can't wait to read together the books they picked. My girls are 2 and 4 this September. I also watch a five year old and another 2 year old. So your kids are the perfect age. The library even has movies the kids can pick out. We try to avoid getting a movie every time since they get plenty of tv time without help, but it is a nice treat. Also I believe they are over now but the theater has free movies for kids in the summer. Something to keep in mind for next summer. I know we haven't had the best summer but we try going on nature walks through the neighborhood to point out new things they can find. Also a joy to them is playdough. It entertains them for hours and it is something they can't do all the time so they really enjoy it. It does take some supervision depending on the age of your kids but as long as you have a table they can use it at it usually isn't to bad of a mess. Hope a few of these help, I know it can be hard to find new things to do after day in and day out to try to fill. Have fun and remember they will be off to college any day.

Maybe you could plan a cooking project with them. They could use butter knives and cut up fruit for a fruit salad that you and your husband could praise them for at dinner. It could be a regular cooking day every week.

There could be a different sort of project for each day like: cooking day, painting/drawing day(fingerpainting,chalk sidewalk, crayon resist etc.. ), Outing/visiting day, library/storytelling day and so on. I would take a little planning on your part, maybe on a monthly basis, but then you all will have it to look forward to.

K.:

I got into the habit of taking my kids to the library in HIllsboro (not sure where you're located) and then to the park in the mornings, and then they would take a nap in the afternoon. While they were resting or sleeping, then I would rest also and think of things to do like coloring, cutting out things, making dinner with me, or easy things like that.

Your kids are still at an age that they would probably love to do those things. I would suggest looking online to see if there are any resources to help you keep your kids focused on what you want them to know-ie, for the next school year. This is what I did (although I used the library instead) and I found tons of meal planning that the kids got to help with.

So in essence, they (the kids are 1 and 4) help me do the dishes, they help me do laundry, they help me cook, they enjoy washing the car with me, and then when we are done (this only takes about an hour or 2 without the car situation), then we move onto arts and crafts or coloring. They love that kind of thing!!!!

Plus, the benefit of teaching them young that you are their mom and not their maid makes a huge impact. They tend to appreciate their toys and other items in the house a lot more.

THat has been my experience, and I've been doing this since my 4 year old was 1. Take it or leave it, but this is the way we do it.

I hope the best for you.

Kim B.

Hey K.,
What about everyone learning a little sign language? You guys could start with just a couple signs (for the baby's level), and add on from there. Sign can be used anywhere you go and with almost anything you do. It's fun and also helpful with communication! If you want more info, see www.kinderworkshops.com/signingsweetly.html

The Lord is also my hope, strength and inspiration in life!
Love, ~L.

Good Morning K.,
I felt the exact same way with my two girls. I knew that I was a great Mom and wife but felt so uncreative. Other Moms were scrapbooking and doing little things that I really had no interest in. So what I decided to do was involve them in my routine. After all we are all created different and our job as parents is to teach them all the best that we know.
Kids at that age love to be helping and feel like the BIG kid. When I swept the floor their job was to hold the dust pan, put away the shoes ect. When I did the dishes, they washed the plates. When I cleaned the bathroom, they took the rugs outside and shook them. When I cooked, they made some thing too. The grocery shopping, we opened the cupboards and made a list together. When I paid bills, they got to put the stamps on. When I needed to e-mail, they got the paper and crayons and we would scan and send their pictures. When I did the laundry they helped sort and fold the socks, towels ect.
It just made the things I needed to do more enjoyable than trying to keep them busy with their own things.
Now they are 15 and 17 and my sister has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and I am going to be leaving them for a few months. I know they will manage. My husband works a two week on, two week off schedule away from home and they will be able to stay home and keep things in order, just because I involved them in my duties their whole life. And in-between God will give you ideas to entertain them with.
Good Luck, Annie G.

Hi K. - I have just turned 6 and 4 year old girls and a 6 month old baby. My girls also play very nicely together most of the time, but when they get bored I do have a few activities ready to propose to them:
- Playdoh. If you want a quick and easy homemade recipe just PM me.
- Coloring (Markers for the 6 year old, crayons for the 4 year old)
- Puzzles
- Games (Connect 4, CandyLand, Chutes & Ladders, Go Fish, etc)
- We paint suncatchers
- We do makeup/fingernails/hair with my old stuff
- Dance to music in the front room
- Put up a tent in the yard to play in
- Walkie talkies have been keeping them busy for two days!
- Refrigerator box from a friend has been decorated, cut into, remodeled, etc
Michaels and Biglots are good sources for cheap entertainment. Good luck!

Hi K.,
I just had my 4 yr. old grandson and 2 yr. old grandaughter with me 4 a week. I was not set up at my house yet-with a bunch of toys, swingset and all the great things they have at their home. We had a very fun time together with some very simple things. I got out a bunch of measuring cups of different sizes, bowls of various size, pots and pans, cups and BEANS. I did keep a close eye on our 2 yr., just in case she wanted to put something in her mouth-she did not. We counted beans-filled various cups to see how many it took to fill the bowl-spelled our names and made pictures with the rug as our backdrop-we played follow the leader with a bean trail-drove our little cars through Bean Land-spooned beans into pots. We had a great time cleaning up by using all the different items we had brought out to play with as tools to gather the beans. My grandkids also went home with a few growing bean sprouts that we had germinated but putting them in a wet paper towel, checking them daily watching their growth, adding a few drops of water as needed. I joined in with the activities on the floor with them as we counted beans ect...I let them be creative and just asked questions like- what spoon would hold the most beans and such. I did not try to control the activity-I let them each create at their own level-they loved it!
It's the simple things in life they need-Back to basics-They have to grow up so fast now a days!
God Bless
T.
www.iloveyourstories.com

Here are a few things we do - Scavenger Hunt - outside or in, make a list by using pictures (draw or find stickers) and give them each a list and have them find the things on it. When we go on walks we take our list and they can find things on the way (ie... pine cone, leaf, white rock, flower, or pick colors or numbers), we also Paint (I set up a kids table or on the floor in kitchen and put the paper down and paints and let them go for it - card games - memory games - hide and seek is good also. I also go to the craft store and get age appropriate crafts, they have kits that are not to expensive. good luck and have fun!

We do alot of crafts around here. I have a cabinet full of art supplies and the kids help themselves, we used plastic bins before we got the cabinet. Walmart has stationary and art supplies and is not too expensive. Costco has big sheets of cardboard to give away that make good posters, cars and houses. We do glitter and paint, too but outside if possible. Check out the sewing store for fabric, felt, yarn and doodads. I bought a gallon of white glue from home depot and pour it into a paper bowl so they can slop it on with a popsicle stick. The problem is finding room for all their "creations" when they are done.

I agree that the library is a great place to find activity ideas. We've been through "how to draw", holiday crafts, origami...some of these items make good Christmas gifts for grandparents.