#children activities

[a-gentleman-of-note]

Memories Never Made - No. 1

"Sweetie, look what I have here. Here, you can hold it. It's a handmade basket I found at an antique shop. See how all the strands of wood are woven in and out? Isn't that neat?

"Now, you and me, we have a special project. A 'project' is something you work on that sometimes takes a while. So for the first part of this project, we need some dead leaves, like the ones all over the yard. Now later, I'm gonna rake them up, but before I do, I need the most beautiful leaves you can find out there. So you have an important job — your part of our project is to go fill this little basket with the most perfect leaves you can find. There's all kinds of beautiful leaves, and they come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, but I want you to find the best ones, put them in this basket, and when you think you've got enough, bring them back to me. Do you think you can do that?"

"Good! Now remember, don't leave the yard, and don't go past the creek. And only leaves — not twigs, or flowers, just perfect leaves you find on the ground, okay? You ready? Go get 'em, little angel!"

"Oh, what a wonderful collection of autumn leaves! Let's see what you got...

"Oh these are some good choices! You got some red ones, and some orange ones, yellow,....okay, this one's nice, but it got crunched, and we want only the best. Here's a BIG one, and one shaped like a fish...

"Okay, now. I got us a photo album, but we're gonna be using it as a leaf album. See how the pages are a little sticky? I want you to find the 10 best leaves — you choose, and when you find them, we're gonna put each of them right in the center of each page, front and back on all 5 pages, okay?

"Now you have to be sure of the ten best, so choose them all first before you start sticking them to their pages, because once you stick it on the page, you can't change your mind..."

"Because if you try to pull them off, the leaves will break apart — see how brittle they are? — and then your perfect leaf will be ruined. And neither of us will be happy about that.

"So make sure that's the leaf you want for that page. Choose them all first, then stick them on to their pages one by one, one for each page. Bring it to me when you're all done."

[Images courtesy of Tumblr bloggers]

[blenchymcbovril]

I hope everyone's coping well with the current lockdown wherever you are!

I was recently given a list of things people could do to entertain themselves and/or their kids during these trying times and asked to illustrate it. 

So here we have my illustrated A-Z of lockdown activities!

[freedominsidethebox]

Dear Diary,

So this is awesome. Two live reindeer! They were really cute. The line to see them was super long, but both Monster and my nephew were exceedingly patient. Even better, they loved it. Monster would have stayed and watched them all day if allowed. Although, Monster would have climbed in the pen with them if we had allowed that too.

12/8/18, Westminster, Co

[lnvocation]

How to spend a happy summer with children?

How to spend a happy summer with children, in fun and in nature?   

We love the summer, let's love it, because it is the moment when we can feel free with our children , appreciate the sun, play in nature, discover the world without limits or timetables !

In all these outdoor activities , to be carried out in summer and on hot days,  without fear of mosquitoes : protect ourselves well with Autan products, always bring fresh water, wear 100% cotton garments and a hat ... and let's enjoy the wonderful nature of this season.

Cycling: Ride with the whole family! Even take the toddlers with you. Ride together through the fields, woods. Ride slowly... talk with each other and have fun! 

If your kids are less than 1.5 years, you could have a bike trailers or bike seat so kids can ride with you. Toddlers can use balance bikes which could be a very fun for them.

Prepare vegetable garden: It does not take much to start a small home vegetable garden. We can plant small tomato or zucchini plants in the garden or make a vegetable garden directly on the balcony . In this case we need medium-height pots and good soil, to plant tomatoes, lettuce, aromatic herbs.

It is important because children can make a commitment to life: to grow, to take care of, to wet their plants, to reap their fruits, to cook them.

Washing the car: which is not only a gesture of cleaning and is not just a way to play with water when it is hot, but it is above all the way to take care - all together - of something that belongs to the family.

It is important to make children understand that what we own is precious, and does not clean itself . Everyone can help keep the things of the family in order, each with its own strength.

Campaign in Backyard: it can be in the yard, or on a day at the park, or even in the living room. If we do not trust to sleep outdoors with the children, we pitch the tent a day along the river, or our favorite park, to live with our children an outdoor day, to adventure , getting the wood to turn on the fire, exploring the nature that surrounds us.

It is important because in this way children can spend time in close contact with nature , take off their shoes, make a connection with natural environments.

Making soap bubbles , playing with water, spending hours on the lawns playing without worries. Enjoy a beautiful summer evening, not too hot, to run around soap bubbles, blow them, catch them, feel truly free in nature .

It is important for the sense of freedom that this game can offer, and for the type of movement , consisting of racing, jumping, bending, stretching.

Skating: Teaching to go on the roller, overcoming fear, increasing one's self-esteem, finding one's center of gravity. With all the appropriate protections, let's measure ourselves on the skates for an afternoon, letting the children run alone, without our worries.

It is important to learn the sense of balance, and also to measure one's limitations and fears , not to be afraid of falling and starting over.

Organize a picnic, with seasonal fruit and vegetables, healthy foods prepared directly with children. And instead of bringing technological games, balloons or other toys, let's just bring books . Books with fables to read together, books that talk about nature and insects, leaves, goblins and fairies, woods.

It is important to find the serenity of nature, to live it fully, to discover its great beauty.

Watch the stars , spend an evening away from home, until late, and then give yourself a long night's sleep the next morning. For example during the Night of San Lorenzo, with a telescope : look for falling stars and observe planets and constellations.

It is important to talk to children of infinity, and eventually to talk about evolutionism and religion , making us the questions about life together: who we are, where do we come from, we are alone?

Be on barefoot , spend a day along the river or the lake, or by the sea, or even at the park to step on barefoot grass.

It is important to rediscover our relationship with natural elements , feel part of nature, feel a sense of freedom and well-being. Without being restricted by mosquitoes, burns or heat: we can be part of nature every day, and we can start now! Have lots of fun and enjoy in fullest. :)

[christthatshinesthroughme]

The Spiritual Growth of Children Chapter 1 - Part 3 Why don’t You Try It..

Are you ready to give it a try?

If one or more of your children are under the age of eight, why don’t you take a few minutes some evening this week and do the following activity. It’s all mapped out for you. Remember, you can do it!

__________________________________________________________________

Let’s Pretend

Scary Shadows

What you’ll need ahead of time:

A flashlight, some construction paper, and scissors.

What to say and do:

[Say the following statements to your child. Actions to take are in italics]

“Let’s close our eyes. Imagine we’re walking in the woods.” [Take your child’s hand, but stay on the bed.] “I’m pretending that I see a deer in the woods. What do you see?” [Let your child share some imaginary sights] “I think I hear a woodpecker going rat-a-tat-tat on a tree. What sounds do you hear?”

“Now open your eyes. Why don’t you draw some of the animals we might see on a walk in the woods? I’ll cut them out for you.” [When you’ve finished, turn off the lights and turn on the flashlight.]

Let’s go walking through the woods again, this time with our eyes open. Oh, look! What’s that?” [Shine the flashlight on the figure of one of the animals, projecting its shadow onto the wall. After you’ve done a few, let your child use the flashlight.]

“If we were really in the woods at night, do you thin any of these shadows would be a little scary? Which ones?” [After your child responds, gently squeeze his or her hand.] “You know that if we were really in the woods at night, I’d hold your hand tight and keep you safe.”

“What are some of the things that sometimes seem scary to you?” [Listen to your child’s fears without trying to explain them away.] “Did you know that God stays right with you to keep you safe when you are scared? Listen to what David wrote in the Bible about being scared: ‘Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid. You [God] are with me” (Psalm 23:4a NIrV).

What to pray:

Say this prayer over your child.

“Dear God, Thank you that I can hold ________’s [your child’s name] hand and keep him/her safe. And thank You that You love __________[your child’s name] so much that You stay with him/her no matter how scary things get. Next time __________ [your child’s name] gets scared about ______________ [list some of the fears your child mentioned], help him/her to remember that You are taking care of him/her. Amen.”

__________________________________________________________________

So did you try it? What did your kids think? Did they enjoy it? Not only are there many more ideas just as simple and effective for you to use with your kids, but hopefully you will be able to add your own ideas.

You can change your children’s views of God and give them a solid foundation with Him. Through prayer, patience and a positive plan designed for your unique family, you can take on the role of spiritual trainer in your home. You can provide a whole series of positive “snapshots” of moments, events, words, and attitudes that will stay with your children throughout their lives. You can reframe, restore, or replace any negative pictures they might have with positive pictures of faith - positive moments captured in memory forever.

And in the process, beginning one family at a time, one precious life at a time, the larger picture of the nation and world will change as well.

[freedominsidethebox]

Dear Diary,

Sometimes my nephew feels like Monster is a baby sibling that interrupts every activity he tries to do. Other times, they work really well together. Building a gingerbread house together managed to fall into both categories. Even so, they had a lot of fun and most of the candy ended up on the house and not in their mouths.

12/21/18, Westminster, Co

[cambridgemontessoripreschool]

(Under The Aegis Of Jalsa Ventures)

[littlebellesmama]

A Day at the Hermann Denkmal in Detmold

Last weekend we decided to make a little trip to Detmold. My husband’s relatives live nearby, and another relative with her family was visiting them for a sleepover. It had been a while since we spent a whole day together. We knew it would be a good chance not only to catch up but also to enjoy one of the most famous landmarks in the area, the Hermann Denkmal. Before heading out, we stopped by…

A Day at the Hermann Denkmal in Detmold