Kids Playroom

DIY: Hard To Find It Game

Last Christmas my kids and I were sitting in a waiting room and were all enthralled with one of those fun Hard To Find It Games. They had all sorts of random objects in a cylinder that was filled with colorful plastic beads. It was so much fun, we had a hard time putting it down! It was like a mini scavenger hunt to find all the things on this list that were hidden in the colorful beads. I knew we had to have one at our house, but when I checked on purchasing one, I was shocked at how expensive they were! So I went to town creating my own from objects I already had around the house. Here's what I did:

 1) Gather your supplies: any PLASTIC BOTTLE (mine was an empty mouthwash bottle that I dug out of the recycling bin). WHITE RICE, FOOD COLORING, and SMALL RANDOM OBJECTS around the house, maybe about 20 or so. Here's an idea of a things that are in ours:

• Barbie shoe
• an old key
• penny
• paper clip
• dice
• lego
• plastic googly eye
• pencil eraser
• Plastic beads that have letters on them (I have a letters that spell out the names of my kids, and they have to find all the letters of their name).

...whatever - just clean out your junk drawer in your kitchen, and you're bound to find a few things to put in the mix.

2) Color your rice. Just separate your bag of rice into 3-4 small bowls, add drops of food coloring and allow it to dry completely. 

3) Type up a list of the things you have gathered (you might need to save your list - ours has been misplaced several times). 

4) Combine all of the objects into your plastic bottle, and glue the lid shut! 

This will provide tons of entertainment, and is also something that adults like to do. One of my kids got this out at a party one time, and the adults played with it as much as the children! It's fun entertainment that's away from the TV, and will keep the attention of little ones when you need it to. You're welcome. 

Halloween Treats Without The Sugar

I have just packed lunches for my two school kids for tomorrow. These sweet treats are nutritious, and will be a fun surprise when they open their lunch boxes and find spider peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ghost bananas and tangerine "pumpkins." 

I wish I could be a fly on the wall to watch them. 

The festivities of Halloween are probably just as fun for me to participate in as it is for my kids. The one thing I don't enjoy is the insane amount of sugar that my kids bring home on Halloween. Most years we still have candy leftover on Easter to fill eggs!! For this reason, our house doesn't give away candy from our door. When I first made the decision to move away from the candy, I wondered if I had turned into that lady from my childhood who gave away cards that had the 10 commandments typed up on them. Am I THAT lady?! No. And here's why - believe it or not, kids appreciate something other than candy, if it's fun and different! 

Try one of these non-candy treats:

1. Popcorn bags (this is what I do, and I wrap then with orange  and black ribbons) 

2. Trinkets from the dollar store. You can find Halloween pencils, small crafts, and prizes in the birthday party favors section.

3. Bags of pretzels 

4. Glow sticks. What kid doesn't love glow sticks? They also help trick-or-treaters be more visible when walking around at night. 

5. Tattoos 

Have some ideas of your own? We would love to hear them! Share in the comments below. 

Exercising with the Kids

Exercising is an essential part of health. It's benefits are countless! Besides the obvious perk of a toned body, exercise helps in a lot of areas of a person's life that maybe aren't so visible. It reduces risk of heart disease and diabetes, it is a great stress reliever and mood enhancer, and is great for your brain, as well!

I have a personal goal of exercising three times a week, but as a stay-at-home mom, sometimes that gets a little tricky. I've found several ways to get my workout in without stepping foot into the gym. Here are a few ideas to get you moving and incorporating some fun play time with your kids: 

1. Set Up An Obstacle Course.  I got this idea last spring when I entered the Shape Diva Dash with some mommy friends. We crawled over tires, under "spider webs," over walls... It was a BLAST! The whole time, I was thinking, "the kids would love this!" Create your own obstacle course, and have the kids help you set it up. It will build their excitement, and make it even more fun to complete. Use sidewalk chalk to draw your own "tire run," place objects in the grass to jump over, set up stations for jump-roping or jumping jacks, use an area of your yard to do a crab walk, etc. Make it fun and let your kids see you having fun. You will build memories with them while enjoying the time together moving and being active.

Set up an obstacle course and get moving with your kids!

2. Take Your Workout to the Park. Mornings and evenings are my favorite times to go to the park with the kids. The equipment usually isn't crawling with families, and its usually cooler than in the middle of the hot, summer day. Use the equipment to get an excellent work out in while your kids play, or ask them to join in the fun and get moving also! I've used the bottom of the slide for one-legged squats and elevated push ups, ran laps around the perimeter of the play equipment and basketball court, done "box jumps" using the park bench, utilized the monkey bars for pull ups and have tried desperately to travel from one end to the other. (Have you tried crossing the monkey bars lately? It's not an easy task). Try searching the internet for playground workouts, and go prepared for a fun time with your kids. If this is a little out of your comfort zone, bring a friend and have her join you. 

3. Throw a Dance Party! Dancing is a great cardiovascular workout. Set the timer for 20-30 minutes, put on some snazzy, upbeat tunes and dance away with the kiddos. Get crazy!

*GoFish is a Christian kids band that we enjoy listening to. It's upbeat and I don't have to worry about the content. I'm always on the lookout for some similar music for the kids. If you have any suggestions, leave a comment below.

4. Follow the leader. At our house, we have a loop that goes through our living room, kitchen and hallway that is perfect for follow the leader. Each person gets a turn being the leader one loop around the house. I incorporate things like high knees, butt kicks, lunges, side galloping and skipping. Get creative. 

5. Do a workout Video together. Kids love these, but I've found that I have to do a little bit of 'set up' beforehand, to keep the interruptions to a minimum.If everyone has their own water bottle, workout mat (I've just laid out towels for them to use as their mats), and extra equipment like resistance bands or weights if your using them, things are pretty smooth sailing. 

If you have other ways to get moving with your kids, please post them in the comment section. I love finding out what other moms are doing to keep their children active and healthy!