Host an old-fashioned cartoon get-together or make it a lazy morning activity. I have seen the black and white cartoons on sale for $.99 to $1.99 in a lot of retail chains. Have everyone wear black and white to get in the theme and serve black and white colored food snacks. Try turkey sandwiches on dark pumpernickel bread, white corn chips with black bean dip, and for desserts, break out the Oreos.
Good old-fashioned black and white cartoons can make a fun theme day. If you have never watched one, or else it has been a very long time since you have, they are very, very different from the cartoon humor they have out today. Most are slap-stick style comedy and the humor is dated. Many of these cartoons you will find yourself saying, "Did they just say that?".
Host an old-fashioned cartoon get-together or make it a lazy morning activity. I have seen the black and white cartoons on sale for $.99 to $1.99 in a lot of retail chains. Have everyone wear black and white to get in the theme and serve black and white colored food snacks. Try turkey sandwiches on dark pumpernickel bread, white corn chips with black bean dip, and for desserts, break out the Oreos.
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Who doesn't like FREE?! If your birthday is coming up soon, there are some things that you can get that are free. Some of them require that you sign up for their club. Sephora- Get a free gift your birthday month: Sign up for their rewards at Starbucks: Get a free drink on your birthday if you sign up for their rewards program. Toys R Us: For the little members 10 years and younger, if you join their club, on their birthday they get a free announcement of their birthday in store, a birthday crown, and a balloon. They can also get a call from Geoffrey on their special day! Red Robin: Get a free burger on your birthday by joining their eClub. Bashas: Kids receive a free birthday cake through age 10 if you sign up for their Birthday Club. Kmart: Children get a free $5 gift card and a birthday gift pack if you sign them up for the birthday club. Denny's: Get a Grand Slam breakfast on your birthday. Disney: Receive a credit for a free Blu-ray movie on your birthday, if you sign up for the Disney Movie rewards program. Does not include shipping and handling. Dairy Queen: Get a free blizzard on your birthday if you sign up for their rewards coupon. Birthdayfreebies.com: Sign up and check out what is available in your zipcode for free on your birthday. When you ask a young boy (and some young girls) what they want to be when he/she grows up, a lot of times that answer will be "I want to be a firefighter". That fascination might have a lot to do with the shiny red engines we see streaming past when we are in traffic. A trip to your local fire station is a great way to spark the "what do you want to be when you grow up" conversations. Just FYI, drop-in visits are not encouraged since this is a job that requires quick reaction by the emergency personnel; however, if you call in advance, they will let you know when the next open house or tours are. Most tours give kids (and their excited adults) a glimpse into what goes on behind the scene. The kids may get a chance to take an up-close look at all of the equipment they have on the fire truck and sometimes get to hop in the engine seat for pictures. Consider bringing a store-bought treat for the firefighters since they are on shift for 24 hours at a time and getting to a store can be difficult. Balancing a checkbook has become a lost skill. Since the age of computers and smart phones, it is all too easy just to stuff a receipt in your pocket and then check online to confirm that the receipt went through correctly. The banks make it so easy that they even calculate your balance. While that is wonderful news for the adults who have already had the experience of having to balance a checkbook and, hopefully, are conscious of where they spend money, and even remember to figure in those checks written long ago that someone did not cash, the younger generation is depending on the internet to tell them how much money they spent, without any concern about where, when, and how they are spending it. When you have to physically write down that you spent a whooping $5.99 at a coffee place for a gourmet drink with extra whipped cream five times a week, it might be a wake-up call for them to figure out that they just spent $29.95 a week. That's $119.80 a month! Trust me, a lot of the teens really do spend that kind of money on coffee, yet they ask you for a few bucks for a concert ticket they have been dying to see because they are broke. If this project is done right, you could alter their future spending habits. If they have to face the truth everyday about who is getting their hard earned money and decide if what they are buying is worth the amount of money they are spending on it, at least they are making that choice with the proper information. They might actually consider what they could have bought or saved with that extra money. So, TEACH them how to write and keep a bank balance. Do not let them check their balance online until they have written it down, and only to check for ones that cleared. At the end of every week, have them look over the things that they bought that may have not been worth what they spent. If they cannot have a checking account for what ever reason or you give them allowance in cash because they are too young, then get a play checking account and you become the banker. They withdraw money from you, but they have to write it down and balance the account. Most kids have no idea how to even write a check! Consider this: Have you stood in line for morning coffee behind every teen holding up their debit card for a buck or two? (OK I know, there is no such thing as a buck or two coffee at the big chains, but you know what I am talking about). They deal only in immediate gratification. While they might not think it is a big deal, you certainly will if this becomes a life-long pattern. Kids become very good at what they practice. Some of the teens are practicing impulsive spending very well. They will roll their eyes at you and tell you that they can see perfectly fine how much they spend on coffee and "Hey, it's my money", but two points of that argument are incorrect. First, most kids learn by seeing, writing, and then doing. Missing the physical writing skips a step in the learning process. Second, is it really their money? Or are they spending the money that you will have to make up for on other things? If they are not saving for a car, or college, or prom... Guess what? They come to you for the difference. *Side note- This is not only a good activity for kids and teens. Sometimes adults need a back to basics as well. If you are spending more money than you want and are doing the check online thing like the kids, you too are missing the important write-it-down step and skipping out on the consequences of your purchases. The term "It takes a village" should not be taken lightly. When raising kids, we rely on other's input and help. From those lucky enough to have family and friends babysit, to sports club organizations, and even blogs that provide us with ideas, we benefit by the knowledge and help of others. When I was growing up, I was blessed to have been raised in a neighborhood with many cultures. Our neighborhood had an overwhelming number of service men that had brought home brides from their time abroad, my mother being one of them. Our parents didn't have the extra cash to send us to paid after-school activities. To be honest, in that time, it was more rare than common to send your kid to a paid lesson. We learned new things from our neighbors' moms and dads. I learned football from my friend's dad who was a high school football coach. We met at the school close by twice a week, he split us up in teams with a mix of boys and girls, then he taught us the game. He was our coach. I also learned how to make sushi, to speak a little Japanese, and to crab fish from my across-the-street neighbor. Each parent in our neighborhood taught us something. Still today, I make some amazing Japanese food. This can be just as effective in today's world. Most of use have some very talented friends with kids the same age as our own. Set up a swap of skill. Do you have a mom out there that is an avid runner? She can take the kids on a fun run one afternoon a week. An engineering, math-minded dad? He can set up a once-a-week building experiment. A mom or dad that likes to cook? How about a cooking class. If you have a friend that is so overwhelmed that you would like her and her kids to participate, but they have no time and sadly no skill to offer, this friend can provide the food for the cooking class, help drive the kids back and forth, or be responsible for a once-a-month picnic in the park. The benefits of this type of consortium is that you can build strong bonds and friendships between the kids. It also doesn't hurt to have multiple eyes on your kids. In my neighborhood, people actually used to tell the parents when they caught their kid doing something. I didn't just watch out for my own mother when I was up to no good, I watched out for everyone's mom and dad. Another huge benefit is the costs. Let's just take a moment to remember how much business-sponsored classes cost. Join karate? $100 a month. Tutoring? $100 a month. Learn how to play tennis? $100 a month. Heaven forbid you do all three. $300 a month. Think of what your group can accomplish for that kind of money? Now here is the most important part of a consortium, you need to make ground rules and stick by them. Ask around to those people in your groups, maybe send out an email offering what you can do and what you are looking for. Make sure that you are not asking some people to do more than any other. If you want to find five skilled friends, ask for one hour a week. Fill it up Mon, Tues, Wed, Thur, Fri, or even a Saturday. Never ask for more then one day a week. Give people an out. Have them agree to a two month agreement. That way if it doesn't work out or becomes difficult for the person to continue doing, then they don't feel like they are letting someone down. Maybe the next go around, they just provide money to the group events and join back up the next cycle. Potential problems to address: What time of day? Pick a set time. It will not work for everyone, there is nothing that you can do about that. If you are looking for an after-school activity group then make it right after school or before most dinner times. Since you cannot please everyone, make that clear in your email from the start. Something like, "I am looking to start an after-school activity swap. I know that it is impossible to work within everyone's schedule. I wish I could, but I cannot. I am looking for four parents to host a different activity at their home one day between Monday and Friday starting at 4 pm to 5 pm." The first person to say, "I want to participate, but I can't at that time, can you change it?" let them know that you would love to possibly attend a consortium that they start. Add in that, hopefully, they can participate next cycle. Someone offers up something that makes you roll your eyes? Underwater basket weaving not your thing? Don't knock it. It can be the one thing you never thought your kids would enjoy. Give it a whirl. My child doesn't want to do a specific activity? There really is no easy way to say this. Do you give your child a choice whether they get to go to the school or to the dentist? Enough said. Kids learn from trying things they think they will like as well as those that they do not. Each cycle is only for two months. At the end of that time, opt out for that activity. You do NOT have to go to every activity in your consortium. Some kids do have other outside interests. Of course, you can always plan that "necessary" activity on the day your kiddo really tried it and it did not work for them. That way you have no hard feelings. One of the mom has six kids and the rest of us only have one or two. That happens. The best way to deal with this is to understand the kids will only be with each person for one or two hours a week. I have always found it beneficially to mix single and dual kids in with families that have more kids and vice-versa. It opens their views to other families structure. That does not mean however, if one of the activities is a craft hour that might cost a lot more per child, that it is unreasonable to ask that any child over lets say two, pay a $5 per class cost. Remember put that in your email. One of the kids can't behave or doesn't get along with the others. Again, while this is frustrating, it is part of life and how children learn to tolerate others when they are older. As much as we would like, children will not always encounter people they get along with. Does that mean you should have to put up with a kid interrupting every class? Of course it doesn't. Put it in writing. Maybe have each "teacher" give out a sticker for the kids that listen. That can clue in a parent that a child might be having social difficulties. Maybe a group treasure chest for so many stickers collected. It is also appropriate to ask the parent to stay with the child during the lesson because "Little Johnny may not be as interested in the lesson as I had hoped. He prefers to chase my cat and Mittens has been in hiding ever since. Can you come and help see how I can get his interest?" Most importantly, relax and enjoy your child's new group of friends. They will all remember you fondly as they grow up because of the memories you helped create in their lives. There is no better day than today to help someone make their dream come true. If you have not heard of Kickstarter, it is a website designed to ask for funding on businesses and projects. The requesting person makes the pitch to you, the viewers, then they offer you items based on the amount of money you pledge. To encourage more pledges, the rewards are tiered. The basic pledge may have a reward such as a thank you or some other small token gift, the highest pledge amount can be something incredible, like them coming to see you with a personally signed item. I have been pledging for quite some time since I appreciate all the creativity out there. A few years back, I found a orchestra cover band whose uniqueness made me a fan. The band I am referring to is "The Miracles of Modern Science". Check out one of their videos below on YouTube. Now, there are some items that are pretty silly that still get a lot of sponsorships. Check out the "potato salad" guy. He is way over his requested funding. I have to give him credit, it was a clever move for a salad he would eat himself and did not guarantee how good it would taste. But there are many, many more great ideas. I recently pledged the cooler/blender called the Coolest Cooler. This item would make a unique gift for a few of the upcoming holidays. As of this post, there is only forty-three days left to join that project. Obviously, I was not the only one to think it was a great idea. The coolers are now over-funded and they have really received an amazing amount of press. They are in fifth place for the top kickstarter fundraisers! https://www.kickstarter.com Let the kids keep their cellphones for this game! Make sure you have everyone's cellphone numbers and start a group text of "what is this object?". We have done a post previously about playing a hide-and-seek hunt with a cellphone, this is less of a hide-and-seek game and more of a what-is-that-picture activity.
Take a picture of something, anything. It can be an animal, plant, mineral, what ever you want. Take several pictures of the item from extremely close up so it shows just the color and the texture of the item. Then, in stages, take pictures of the same image, just zooming out to full view. Send out the first text with the very first close-up picture. Give them a time in which to guess what the object is. Continue to send texts as you move outward from the object until someone guesses what the picture is of. Sort of like a slowly reversing zoom lens. There are some camera phones that will allow you to take one picture and crop/edit to look like it is a zoom. If you have just such a camera then this will be easier and you might be able to use images you already have stored on your phone. If not, things with odd textures and colors work the best for that ah-ha moment. One of the best ways for kids to spend some time, if that time has to be spent online, is on a virtual website that allows them to explore places they cannot see in person. We have looked at virtual zoos and even Times Square on New Year's Eve in past posts, but this time our virtual location is The White House. The actual White House is online! They have interactive video tours, still-shot photography, maps of the grounds, and general information. Having been lucky enough to have visited The White House, I was surprised to see that in more recent years that the large tennis courts have now been renovated into a sport court with half tennis and half basketball. They have hosted a few games and tournaments on that very court. So even if you have been there in the past, you might be surprised at the more recent changes and renovations. One of the interesting things we heard about when we were on our tour almost ten years ago was that The White House has a full bowling alley and a movie theater where the president and the first family gets the opportunity to see movies, sometimes before they are released to the general public. I couldn't find it on the virtual map, but I was told it was there. Maybe you can find it? Go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/inside-white-house/interactive-tour and check out the tour. You can also browse their www.whitehouse.gov website for videos on concerts held there, live streams, and podcasts. I remember the very first time I had to do a trust fall. It was at a teen retreat when I was in high school. Now, if you don't know what a trust fall is, it is when you have to fall backwards and hope the people you are with don't let you fall. This activity it is designed to build trust in a community.
This trust fall has now been built to a much higher height (I mean a really high height!). There are a few great companies out there that have taken this concept to the extreme and built high ropes walks and pole climbing (where you have to stand on top of the pole with no rails to hold onto). Now you do have a harness that they can securely bring you down with, if you fall, and your team belaying you, thus the TRUST factor. I went to a high rope course with my "at risk" group of which I am a mentor. We headed out in the early morning and spent a whole day trying to help each other over walls, walking on a beam and helping each other not fall, climbing up what looks like a telephone pole, and last, walking across a high ropes course designed to scare the heck right out of you. The purpose is to encourage you to work as a team to complete the challenge and to build each others trust. I loved it! I actually think this should be a prerequisite to those couples engaged to see how they could work together under pressure. Heck, this would be a great engagement gift. As for the teens, this would make a great family activity with them because face it, you would be totally cool and, of course, sometimes teens need to remember that their parents are the ones they should always trust when they are in a jam. There are many rope courses around the US but here is one. onedayadventures(dot)com/ If you have ever considered being a mentor and you live in Arizona you can check out the Phoenix New Pathways program. Most other states have Youths At Risk programs as well. I stumbled upon a great website that I want to pass on to all the parents, teachers, and caregivers in reader land. It is called Project Noah. Project Noah is an interactive website where participants can learn about wildlife and contribute to scientific research! You can download or just view images on your smartphone of adorable (or creepy) photos of animals, bugs, birds, reptiles and even fungi. The images are categorized and placed on a map to tell the readers where they are located. I Love This Website! It is a great example of an educational website that may encourage a future scientist, zoologist, or entomologist in your family. This would be one of those reasons you would not mind your kids on the phone playing and sending photos. Visit the www.projectnoah.org website for more info. |
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