Games to Play During Thanksgiving Weekend

Just because Thanksgiving Day is over, we don't have to truly let go of the holiday. We have the weekend to bond and play with the kids. Here are a few to engage in. 

Games of chance and dexterity were very important to the Native Americans and Pilgrims as they became friends during the humble year of the first Thanksgiving. These ideas for parents will help children learn the symbolic meanings of this November holiday. Since kids learn through play, here are a few teachable activities to try.

Pass the Stone -- Two teams of players (representing Native Americans) sit on the floor in lines facing each other. Members of the one team cover their hands with a blanket. While a leader beats on a drum, the team passes a stone from one player to the next under the blanket. When the drum stops, the players stop passing the stone. Chose a member of the opposite team to guess which player has the stone. If he/she guesses correctly, his team receives the stone. Repeat the game as long as there is interest. 

Over the River -- Place two strings parallel on the floor approximately one foot apart. Pretend this is the river to reach Grandma's house for Thanksgiving dinner. The object of the game is to jump across the "river" without falling into the "water" (stepping between the strings). Keep moving the strings farther and farther apart with each round of the game.

Feather Hunt -- Purchase a bag of assorted colored feathers and hide these around the party area or yard. Mark one feather as a special token and the finder of this feather will become the chief of the tribe. Invite the players to hunt for the feathers. After all are found, use these feathers to make headdresses. Cut felt or wide ribbons to fit the child's head. An adult can use a low-temperature glue gun and adhere the feathers to the band. Glue the ends together to complete the headband. The Braves and Maidens may wear the headbands during your Thanksgiving celebration. 

The Hoop Game -- The early settlers of America played this game of chance. Place a hula-hoop on the ground (or make a circle with masking tape). A player stands a designated distance from the circle with his/her back to the hoop. Toss small sticks over the shoulder. The object of this game is to land the sticks inside the hoop.

Photo courtesy of mattysimpson/CCO Public Domain on pixabay.com 

Enjoy your holiday together.

Happy Parenting,

Tania :)

Recycle and Make New Crayons

Are you wondering what to do with all those broken and worn-out crayons from past school years? Create a new crayon from all those old ones as a fun weekend craft. This is a great recycling lesson and art project all in one. Crayon cookies provide a rainbow effect in this new art medium. The kids can make swirls and designs with one swoop across the paper. This is a great activity to do on a rainy day or when it’s just too hot to play outdoors. Here are the simple instructions.

Materials You Need:

Old crayons

Muffin tin

Aluminum foil

Oven

White paper

Instructions to Make Crayon Muffins:

Step 1 - Invite the children to remove all the paper wrappings from each crayon. It’s best to use all the brightly colored crayons you have.

Step 2 - Line several cups of a muffin tin with squares of aluminum foil. Make sure the foil covers the entire muffin cup and overlaps along the top edge. The foil makes it mess-proof to the muffin tray and easy to take out after the melting process.

Step 3 - Have the kids break the crayons into pieces between one-half inch to an inch.

Step 4 - Fill the muffin cup half-way with an assortment of crayon pieces in a variety of colors. Continue with this process according to how many crayon cookies you want to make.

Step 5 - Place the baking tin in a preheated 300-degree oven. Bake the crayons for about five to seven minutes. Ovens vary so watch the melting process carefully. Melt them just enough to blend the colors but not to a total liquid where the colors turn into a muddy mess.

Step 6 - Carefully remove the muffin tin from the oven and set it to cool for at least 30 minutes. Personally, once the liquid started to solidify, I transferred the tin to the refrigerator to finish the task.

Step 7 - When the crayon muffins are completely cool and solid, the children can carefully peel off the aluminum foil. Note that the cookies are more colorful on the foil side.

Step 8 - Now, bring out the paper and challenge the kids to make designs and rainbows with their new art medium.

Back to School Crafts Any Kid Can Make

Once again, summer is coming to an end and school bells are beginning to ring.  A way to “beat the back to school blues” is to make crafty projects that will be “cool” for the new school year, as well as, a few activities that will preserve the memories of the summer.  The requirements are simple: some creative materials, a little imagination and access to a computer.  No matter what your child’s age, going back to school is a milestone parents and children can enjoy together while making fun projects. Here are two of my favorites I made with my children years ago and will repeat this project with my grandkids.

My Summer Vacation Shirt

Preserve your kids’ summertime memories on a tee shirt—a great way to “show and tell” everyone at school how you spent your vacation.  First you need some pictures that you took on a digital camera. Download these on a computer; crop and adjust the size you want.  There is a special paper that can be bought at office and craft stores that is fabric on one side and an iron-on material on the back.  This paper can go through your ink-jet printer capturing photos that can be placed onto your shirt.  You and your child can also download clip art on the computer; just type in school, vacation, or summer clip art on any search engine to find the sites.  Download and print these on special paper too.  Now that you have all your materials printed, just cut, place and press them on with an iron (parent supervision needed).  Voila, a special shirt that will let the memories of summer live on!

Buy your fabric transfer paper HERE.

Recycled Jeans Lunch Sack

Cut a 12-16 inch section from the leg of the jeans above. Turn the bag inside out and sew the bottom pieces together with a seam.  Fold over a half-inch strip around the top and sew it down to make a casing. Through an opening left in the casing, thread a 3-foot length of cording or ribbon and knot the two ends together.  Now, turn the bag to the right side. You can download some clip-art on the computer to the special iron-on paper and place these designs on the bag. Have your child write his/her name and make other enhancements using fabric paints. These lunch bags are definitely handy—if they get dirty, just toss them into the washing machine!

Fabric paints can be bought HERE. 

Get creative during these last few days of summer. Going back to school doesn't have to be dull -- make it bright and happy with these cute projects.

Happy Parenting,

Tania

Photos courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

My projects have been posted on other sites and magazines in the past. 

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links or advertisements. I earn a small commission if you shop through them, which helps fund this website so I can continue to bring you informative and interesting content. 

The Summer Olympics: Are You Ready?

The Summer Olympics 2021 is happening in Tokyo, Japan. Did you watch the opening ceremony? Take time to view some of the events with your little athletes at home as this is history in the making. Below are a few activities to do with the children to enhance these global games.

Olympic Ring Art

The Olympic symbol of five rings is displayed everywhere. The ring colors of blue, black, red, yellow and green represent the colors of all the flags of the world. Show the kids a picture of this flag on the Internet or in books, and then proceed to this craft. Pour paints of the colors above in shallow containers. Give each child an empty cardboard toilet tube (you will need five) and invite them to dip the end into the paint and then print a circle shape onto a piece of white construction paper. Have your kids copy the Olympic flag with this technique overlapping the circles to make the rings. Younger children will just enjoy making the circle prints with these art tools.

To make the bow and arrow craft (that I made) check this site.

Let Your Home Games Begin

Young children have a hard time understanding the idea of teams, winners and losers. So, in your games, make sure that everyone is a winner. You can invite your children to try some of the following Olympic activities:

 • Discus throw: use paper plates and see how far the children can toss them.

 • Javelin: let the kids throw plastic straws and measure where they land.

 • Shot Put: throw ping-pong balls or paper balls.

 • Relay race: invite the kids to run a distance passing off a stick (it’s safer to use an empty paper towel tube). For younger children, there is no need to have teams.

 • Bicycle or tricycle races: create an obstacle course at your home where children can ride safely. Use plastic cones if available. If you have a stopwatch, the kids may want to know how many seconds it took them to finish the course.

Olympic Music

Enjoy singing this song with your kids to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat."

Run, run, run so fast

Fast as you can go.

I’m running in the Olympics now,

I’m going for the gold.

Jump, jump, jump so far

Mark where I land.

I’m jumping in the Olympics now,

I’m going for the gold. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Change the verses to sing about other events in the Summer Olympics such as throwing, swimming and gymnastics. Conduct your closing ceremonies with lots of praise and award colorful homemade ribbons! Remember everyone is a winner in your own Olympics!

Enjoy the next weeks of the Olympic games. Until my next blog post.

Happy Parenting,

Tania

Photos courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved
Article text by Tania Cowling may not be duplicated without permission of this author.
Ideas in this article have been published in parenting magazines during previous summer Olympics.

Fish-Themed Activities For Children

It's summer and many families spend these days fishing, boating, at the beach and maybe visiting an aquarium. Here are ways to help children develop knowledge about the creatures that live under the sea.

Fish Stories

Cut out fish shapes from construction paper. From old magazines, cut out interesting pictures and glue these onto the fish. Place all fish into a box. Invite the children to pick a "fish" from the box. Look at the picture and try to incorporate it into a fish story they make up. This is a fun game for a group of children or with the family.

Pick Up Fish (A fine motor game)

Remember the game of pick-up-sticks? Here is a fish version. You will need two containers, one empty and the other filled with fish shaped crackers. Invite the children to use tweezers to move the crackers from one container to the other.

Fish Dramatic Play

Have the children pretend to be fish swimming in the water. Ask, "What type of fish do you want to be?" Tell them to lie on their stomach with their arms close to their side. Now, have them wiggle their body and try to move. Ask, "How would you rest when you are tired? How would you eat? Where would you hide if there were danger?" Have the children describe what they imagine in their underwater world. Act out the following verse.

There is so much activity beneath the sea.

The crab crawls, the eel wiggles,

The octopus swims, the jellyfish jiggles.

Dramatize the creature you want to be!

Fish Net Mobile

Save one of those net bags that oranges or potatoes are sold in. Hang this in a favorite spot. Invite the children to make colorful paper fish cut from construction paper and decorated with art materials. Punch a hole at the top of each fish. Attach the fish to the net with hooks made by opening paper clips.

Going Fishing (Snack)

Give each child two paper cups. One with fish shaped crackers and the other with peanut butter. Give the children a carrot stick and tell them to dip the end of the veggie stick (fishing pole) into the peanut butter and then go fishing into the crackers. The peanut butter makes the crackers stick to the carrot stick. Kids love to see how many fish they can catch!

Children love fish themes and you can enhance these ideas with books, songs and even movies like the movie Finding Dory. There is a mysterious and beautiful world down under the sea, so as you are having fun with fish activities, children are learning through play.

Photo courtesy of Flickr  

Celebrating July 4th With the Kids

July 4th is the birthday of our country and the most important of all our national holidays. This holiday commemorates the adoption on July 4, 1776, of the final draft of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress to proclaim America’s freedom from British rule. Every year Independence Day (July 4th) is the legal holiday celebrated throughout the country with picnics, parades and firework displays after dark. Just as you celebrate birthdays of family members, use this day to have a birthday party for our country.  Decorate the house, prepare festive foods, play Americana games; get the family involved in activities relating to this historic event. Here are some tips to make this a “sparkling” holiday.

Recycled Noisemakers

it wouldn't be a celebration without noisemakers. Here are two simple ones to make from recycled trash and a few art materials. 

The first shaker is made with plastic water bottles. After you clean the bottle (dry it) and take off the label, brainstorm with the kids what you want to put inside for noise and for a pretty display. My gang chose sparkly pipe cleaners, wooden beads, jingle bells, feathers, and such. There are endless possibilities. To make sure the contents do not spill out, run a bead of glue inside the lid before screwing on the top. These bottle shakers are so cute to make for other events such as birthday parties, New Year's Eve, and more. What a fun take-home craft!

The next shaker is using empty soda cans. Clean the cans and let them air dry. Invite the kiddos to fill the can with pebbles, rice, or coins. Tell them to be careful of their fingers when filling the can. The opening is sharp.  When finished, tape the opening closed with heavy-duty tapes, like duct tape. Proceed to wrap the can with construction paper and decorate with drawings, stickers, and other baubles you can glue on. Top the can with a cluster of ribbons. I found that the clusters you buy from the gift wrap section of your favorite store works best (and easy). Sometimes you can find these ribbons at a dollar store.

Around the USA Game

You can't have a successful party without a game or two. This one is fun and makes you think!

Gather the family together and have them sit in a circle.  The first player announces, “I’m traveling around the country and in [state] I visited [place].  For example, “I’m traveling around the country, and in New York I visited the Statue of Liberty.”  The next player must repeat what the first player said (“I’m traveling around the country, and in New York I visited the Statue of Liberty”) and add another phrase like, “and then I traveled to Pennsylvania and visited the Liberty Bell.”  Play continues around the circle with each player repeating previous phrases, and then adding a new one.  As a player forgets an item in the list, he/she is eliminated from play until one winner remains.

Wishing you all a happy and safe Independence Day!

Happy Parenting,

Tania :)

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Zoo Play At Home ~ Animals From the Art Cart

Children love animals! A trip to your local zoo is bound to be a hit, but when that's not possible you can have lots of zoo fun at home. With a variety of animal activities and with a spark of imagination you and your kids can 'take a walk on the wild side!'

From the "art cart"

With paper, glue, paints, crayons and the recycle bin, your child can create a menagerie of animals at home.

Gentle Giraffe - Cut out the shape of a giraffe on yellow construction paper and let your child put spots on it with a bingo marker or ink stamp. 

Slithering Snake - Your children can make a snake out of a paper plate. First, draw a line that goes around and around from the edge to the middle and stops. Next, invite your youngster to sponge paint the plate (dab, dab, dab) with green and brown poster paints. When dry, the kids can cut on the line (lots of curves) to make a spiral. Punch a hole at the top, thread in a piece of string and hang the snake. It will wiggle and cause lots of giggles!

Zebra Stripes - Draw and cut out a horse-shape from white construction paper. Using black poster paint, invite the children to marble paint this animal. Do this by placing the paper shape in a baking pan. Tape it down on the bottom of the pan with a rolled piece of tape. Coat a couple marbles with black paint and then place them into the pan. Your kids can tilt the pan back and forth, letting the balls roll over the animal. Children love to see this "horse" turn into a zebra. As a variation, ping-pong balls can be used.

Thumbprint Monkeys - Give your children a piece of construction paper with the outline of a tree drawn on it (older children can draw their own tree). Set out inkpads and felt-tip makers. Let your kids make thumb print monkeys all over their tree picture. To create monkeys, have them press a thumb on an inkpad and make two thumb prints, one above the other on the paper. Then complete the monkeys by adding faces, arms, legs and tails with the markers.   

Playing zoo can be loads of fun and a good way to bring out all the stuffed animals your child has hidden in her room. Whether you have a rainy day or one where staying home is the call, creative play is so productive to your child's development.


 

Previously posted on Examiner.com

Pictures courtesy of Pixabay.com

Enjoy animal fun with the kiddos.

Happy Parenting,

Tania

Rainbow Craft for St. Patrick's Day

During St. Patrick’s Day on March 17^th  legends arise about tiny shoemakers living in the forest called Leprechauns. These mysterious little men are supposed to be rich and hide their gold in black pots found at the end of the rainbow. It is supposed to be good luck when you see a rainbow, so involve your child in making one that not only is a St. Patrick’s Day craft, but one that teaches about the colors of the rainbow. Teach your little learner the name “Roy G. Biv” (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) and he will never forget the order of colors in a rainbow.

Materials:

• Sky blue card stock or construction paper
• Tempera poster paints (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet)
• Black construction paper
• Shiny pennies
• Pencil
• Heavy-duty glue
• Safety scissors
• Paper plate

Directions:

Step 1 – Prepare your work area covering the table and floor with newspaper. This craft involves finger printing with paint and can get messy. You may even want your child to wear a paint smock to protect her clothing.

Step 2 – Place a dollop of paint (one of each color) onto a paper plate to look like an artist’s pallet.

Step 3 – Draw an arch on the sky blue paper large enough for a rainbow that covers two-thirds of the page.

Step 4 – Invite your child to use his pointer finger or thumb to do the printing. First, dip into the red paint and make fingerprints along the lines of the arch. Wash that finger with soap and water and then proceed with the next color that is orange. Continue this procedure one row after the other with yellow, green, blue, and violet paint until the rainbow is completed.

Step 5 – While the paint is drying, cut out a pot shape from black construction paper. Parents may need to draw the pot and the child can cut this out using safety scissors.

Step 6 – Glue the pot shape on the sky blue paper at the foot of the rainbow.

Step 7 – Search for shiny pennies and glue a few on the black pot. You will need to use very heavy-duty glue or a low-temperature glue gun to adhere the pennies.

During this craft session talk with your child about how and why rainbows appear in the sky adding a little science to this art project. A rainbow is a circular arc of colors that appears up in the sky when raindrops are illuminated by the sun.

Then tell the fictional, but symbolic story about the leprechauns and their gold. Storybooks are helpful with this task. Legend says if a leprechaun likes you, he will share this gold and other stories say you must catch the leprechaun for him to lead you to his fortune. ‘Tis the luck of the Irish – Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Until next time,

Tania

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved
Permission needed to reprint this blog