Fun-Time Games:
Fun and Games On Demand
To Quell Those Gloomy Blues

Could you use some help right about now with some fun-time games to help your kids stay active and attentive during this whole day?

Whether the problem is rain, illness, school work help-time or just the all important "quiet time" to let someone else in the house get some needed rest, try a few of these fun-time games (or some quick and easy get-aways if time permits) to help the minute hand on the clock swing around just a little faster.

• Food Color Magic

Be careful because certain food allergies must stay away from these games but if safe for your child's situation, here's a couple of fun-time games by using just some simple kitchen basics and a lot of imagination from your child's mind.

1. Pour a package of dry powder kool-aid drink mix into a tub of Dannon plain yogurt and use as a substitute for finger paints. The kids will love the colors and the "paint" is safe to eat as fast as they work on their new project.

2. Make a batch of kid-safe body paint right from your own kitchen. Heat a small amount of white Crisco shortening in the microwave until melted. Pour this into a small container with a tight lid (old film canisters work great). Stir in any oil-based food color and stir until you reach the color and shade of choice.

3. Let the kids have a turn at designing their own clothing with Tie-Dye. Make a container of Kool-Aid per package directions (or multiple colors if desired). Tie some rubber bands around different sections of a white cotton T-shirt and let the banded T-shirt soak in the "dye-bath" for 10 minutes to an hour. The longer it soaks, the brighter the end color results will be. You can use all the same color over the entire shirt or mix and match colors in different sections where banded.

• Car-Wheelin' Fun Sports

This game is a great way to end the boredom and keep your children's mind active and occupied during a long car drive. To prevent it becoming stale and boring though, the inventor, H. Kruger of Indiana recommends you play it only when your vehicle is stopped at a stop sign or traffic light. This way you have a built-in stopwatch also. When the car starts moving again, time is up.

To play the game: Every time the car stops at a traffic light or stop sign, the person in the front seat reads all the letters (only)on the license plate of the car in front of them. The passengers of the car now have several seconds to a minute to come up with a phrase which matches those letters.

Since your mind has to work fast, sometimes the combinations can get quite hilarious. An example could be: TTSA might become - The Tree Spit Apples. Keep trying for a word phrase that somehow makes a little bit of sense but still can become the hit of the trip.

• April Fool's Day

This game is a cute trick for April Fool's Day but I highly recommend if you don't want pay-back at a later time, you better have a "Real Prize" somewhere in the kitchen as a replacement treat for them being a good sport.

Sponge Cake Madness
Buy a package of large kitchen or workshop sponges and draw one perfect circle on each sponge, all the same size. Use the entire area of the sponge (except the corners) as make your circle as big as possible.

Stack 3-4 big sponge circles on top of each other and then icing your "sponge cake" with a can of store bought icing from the tubs. Add a garnish from sprinkles, fresh fruits, small candy pieces or anything of your choice to make your "sponge cake" look very special.

Get the plates, napkins, forks and the cutting knife ready for the guests or family and offer the knife to someone else to cut and serve your elegant dessert.

Just be prepared to see their faces when they find out your offering of sponge cake is really Sponges.

• A Christmas Tradition

This game is great for those large extended families which get together every year for the holidays but they just do not have an unlimited amount of money to buy gifts for that many family members when you all congregate for the day. Using this game teaches the advantages and the joy of giving without sending everybody into poverty.

Before your family get-together, whoever the hostess/host for the day is, pre-print some forms just detailing "Who My Favorite Charity Is and Why". You will need at least as many forms as people who will be attending.(Print a few extras in case somebody changes their mind).

When everyone arrives, explain they have 1 hour (or whatever limit you select) to fill it out and drop it into the container supplied. Decorate a wish box with christmas paper or decorations so you can show everyone the drop box.

During gift exchange, pre-select one person to draw the winning form. You can make a contest out of this if you like (an easy one is select a christmas song to sing, one person at a time and go around in circles giving everyone a chance to sing the next line. Whoever screws it up can either get the booby prize of drawing the winning charity or continue with the game until there is only one person left. The best caroler then gets to make the drawing.)

The drawing has been made, the winning charity has been picked and this year's gift goes to "________".

Have the person with the winning entry explain their selection and why they feel this organization or individual deserves your family's generosity.

Be sure a donation card is ready so every member of all the families can sign it. Have a small note enclosed with the donation though stating:

"This donation is compliments of (insert name) because you are her/his favorite charity. The enclosed gift though is a small token from our entire family.

We all wish your organization a joyous holiday season and best wishes for the New Year!

How do you determine the amount of the donation per family?

This can be done by some pre-set limits. Talk it over with your relatives (the adults) and verify each family will be able to afford your suggestions. Pick whichever one is more popular or come up with your own imaginative way of deciding on a dollar value per family.

• Use a pre-set number such as $10.00 per head etc. for each family member. If your family has two adults and three kids then your family would be responsible for adding $50.00 to the donation.

• Add up the ages of all the kids, double it and then donate $25.00 per adult.

• Add up the ages of every family member and whatever that grand total is, this is the amount your family is responsible for.

• If your kids work by the allowance system at home, request they give up one or two of their pre-set allowances and add a fixed amount for each adult.

As you can see, you can come up with any type of formula, whichever works best for your families. Each family then brings a check or the cash for the amount of their donation to the day of the party. All of the donations get pooled together and is sent as the offering which is being donated courtesy of your family group.

As a special treat for the person with the winning entry, have a special small token gift put aside for just their benefit.

• Brains A-Buzzin'

This game is great for the whole family actually.

Although it is great practice for a child having trouble in school with a certain subject (spelling, math, geography etc.), role playing it like a game is a fantastic way to help your child learn without them even realizing they are studying.

Pick an opportunity when the whole family is home for that time of day, usually at breakfast or maybe dinner hour. Possibly you can rotate subjects which need to be covered (spelling for two weeks, geography for two weeks etc.) and it is the responsibility of every family member to come to the table with a question for everyone else at the table.

Spelling could be a word of the day program. Let the kids go first (after all they are the youngest), each person, one at a time gets to pronounce their word, and ask the other to spell it. If that person can also use it in a sentence correctly and give a definition they win a point for the day.

Keep some kind of prize system available for each 2 week period for reaching a certain amount of points ( don't have to clear the table on Tuesdays, get to watch an extra hour of TV or computer time for one night). Prizes don't have to be anything fancy, just interesting to the kids.

Any subject can be set up and "taught" using this system. Give bonus points for certain exemplary performances (maybe they stumped Mom or Dad with one of the questions, or maybe they got two questions right instead of one).

It won't take long until you will notice the whole family loves to get in on the fun trying to make sure they get their turn - and get it right - plus their skill level on each individual subject will become more advanced with each passing day.

• Instant Pick-er Up-per

Supplies Needed

• assorted colors and sizes of balloons
• assorted colors and sizes of curling ribbon
• helium tank- optional

After your child goes to bed (and is asleep), start filling some balloons from a helium tank (or just blow them up with good old-fashioned hot air). Tie them together in groups with ribbon (2 or 3 to a group) and keep a few singles. Add some extra long curling ribbon streamers, a few simple easy toys at the bottom for weights, (matchbox car, colored pencils with a small tablet, a lollipop, barrette, action figures, plush toy etc.) and now you are ready with your fun-time games. Take your balloon bundles to your child's room and place them all over the room. Tie them to chairs, the cedar chest, drawer pulls, the bed, just anywhere you can attach a ribbon. Leave several groups floating in the air in the middle of the room for color also. Be sure your ribbons are all different lengths so some balloons are high, some low, some in the middle. Leave the room again quietly and listen for the squeals of pure delight in the morning.

• Bunny Talk At Easter For The Egg Allergic
  

This is one of those so simple ideas you just have to wonder why did I not ever think of it before. Our thanks goes out to Melinda Trudeau for this excellent tip on how to allow the egg allergic child to also have some fun coloring easter eggs each year.

Supplies Needed

• hard-boiled eggs in the shell
• 1 piece wire whisk from your kitchen drawer

Place the egg inside the bottom part of the long-handled wire whip. Use tall thin cups or glasses to place your dyes into so the whip will lower right down into the dye. For added safety's sake, use all-natural food dyes directly from your kitchen instead of the store bought dyes on the market.

Allow your egg allergic child to hold the whip from the very top of the handle and keep the camera ready for the look of sheer delight which crosses their face as they get the opportunity to dye their very first easter egg.

• Headfirst Volleyball

Supplies Needed

• one volleyball net or just a rope, long piece of fabric or anything you can stretch to make a makeshift volleyball net

• One extra large inflated balloon

This game is a riot because half the time that balloon just does not seem to go where you want it to.

Obviously, this is heads only - No Hands - and it is usually easier if you do not set a limit to how many "hits" are allowed per side until you get some practice and your players are a little more experienced.

Set a number for game before you start, the referree throws the ball in to start and enjoy!

• Date-A-Day

This fun-time games selection takes a little prior planning but have you ever noticed when families have a few days off or go on vacation, they almost always pack the luggage and then the car and head off to a plane, train or just drive to another part of the world.

What's wrong with your own hometown or surrounding communities? Have you ever taken the time to explore it with your kids?

How about trying some of these suggestions next time you have a few hours that day, or an entire day free from your normal work schedule. Split up the kids and give each some quality time each day trip or take the whole gang for a mini vacation for this fun-time games adventure.

• Check around and you will find most areas have nature trails, wildlife ponds or refuges, a butterfly house, local museums such as plane, trains, cars, toy, educational or recreational museums. Then it is not uncommon to find a local strawberry patch (pick them and eat them- they just seem to taste better that way). It could be blueberries, blackberries or apples. Just use any fruit as it comes in season.

• Do you have a local or close farmer which will let you visit for the day. Milk the cows, feed the chickens, wash the pig, brush the horse, harvest a crop, (pick some fruit or berries- not using the machinery, by hand of course), or check out the local farmer's market and bring back some bounty and make your own shortcakes (or buy some from the bakery while you were at market.) Add all kinds of accessory toppings such as sprinkles, ice cream or whipped cream, jello squares (or whatever your allergy will allow).

Many, many communities have interesting places to see that you never even thought of as an attraction. Let your kids imaginations run wild, bring along a nature book or two (if you are headed for the nature trail or the zoo) and spend the day just having some fun-time games.