Super Baby Album

Posts Tagged ‘activities’

Weightlifting is widely popular today. We can find enormous amount of weightlifting tips and tricks on routines for men… What is the weightlifting for women  
Weightlifting for women has become a pretty common and wide spread topic for magazines and web sites. Misconceptions, prejudices and false myths still exist, but with the growing number of women who take up weightlifting, positive changes will appear in that direction too. Weightlifting for women leads to the development of masculine features. This is totally false because, weightlifting for women corresponds to the immediate physical body needs and does not have a major impact on hormone secretion. Weightlifting can help women lose weight, stay fit prevent bone and joint disease and postpone the damage of old age.

The same barbells, dumbbells and machines are encountered with weightlifting for women, but the sports practice makes a difference between the male and female versions of training. More advanced weightlifters will get bored following the tips and suggestions available in e-guides dedicated to weightlifting for women. Intense motivation usually comes with the first results of strenuous gym work. And weight loss is the element that will convince any woman that she is doing the right thing.

Burning down the fat deposits is the issue, even if you replace them with lean muscle mass and the weight remains the same. Tissue firmness, the absence of fat deposits, better body contours, all indicate weight training progress. If you also adjust the workout routine to a health lifestyle with natural meals and plenty of rest, results will be all the more rewarding. Sleeping and eating patterns should also support a weightlifting program.

Stop thinking that more muscles will make you look bulky or unfeminine. On the contrary, weightlifting for women allows for a better definition of the body curves. In order to approach training harmoniously and not turn gym work into a cumbersome duty, it is important to work at your own pace and be informed as well as you can. Don’t hesitate to ask for help or assistance; there are lots of gym trainers that can make a smoother passage through the workout routine so that you may enjoy every minute you spend in the gym. Consequently, weightlifting for women could be a great way to be healthy, fit and content with your body.

Planning your kids’ Halloween party need not be bubble, bubble, toil and trouble. Here are ideas and recipes for a unique party that your little witches and warlocks will talk about for months to come.

When planning a Halloween party, the first thing to do is to send invitations. You can make invitations very easily using your computer and, if your children are old enough, they may like to design and print these themselves.

To avoid the frustration of people turning up at your party who have not RSVP’d, a good tip is to purposely omit the party’s commencement time from the invitation. Instead, try adding the line, ‘Please RSVP to know the party’s start time’ – this should significantly decrease the number of ‘gatecrashers’.

Costumes are next on the ‘to-do’ list and to kids this is one of the most exciting aspects of Halloween. Before talking with your children about the options, bear the following in mind:-

• Select a costume for your child that won’t disintegrate before the night’s festivities are over and one that won’t make the child feel too hot or cold.

• For safety’s sake, ensure the costume will not hamper your child’s movement.

• Face paint is a safer alternative to a visibility-impairing mask.

• If the costume is elaborate, dress your child in simple clothing underneath. This way they can easily step out of it to play games, to take a break or even visit the toilet.

Costumes can be bought, hired or home-made. If you’re considering the latter, there are hundreds of websites with a glut of unique ideas – head for Google!

As with any party, you can choose to either keep the décor simple with streamers and balloons or go all out and create your own Haunted House. When planning the party’s décor, bear in mind the ages of the kids who are attending. Younger ones may find just a few hanging bats sufficiently scary, while most teenagers enjoy a heavily themed venue with scary ambient music and sound effects.

Store-bought cobwebs and dimmed lights are wonderful additions to the Halloween atmosphere too. Older kids delight in sitting down to eat at a themed party table. All you need is a black or purple tablecloth, a vase of dead flowers, tealight candles and a scattering of small party favours to set the scene for a ghoulish supper. If the table is not large enough to accommodate all your guests, use it to display your food and beverages and provide a buffet meal.

Now….what would a party be without food? A quick Google search will result in many Halloween recipes for some superb but gruesome sounding food including Kitty-litter Cake, Baked Bones and Dracula’s Blood Pudding. You can really get creative when it comes to Halloween food but it’s best to keep it simple and not too gross-sounding for the younger elementary ages.

When it comes to quenching thirst… a Halloween party isn’t complete without a bowl of punch. Maybe you’d like to try a Blood Bath? This is made by mixing 64 ounces of cran-raspberry cocktail and four cups of apple juice with four cups of vanilla ice cream. Or perhaps you would prefer a Toxic Punch? For this wicked mix, combine four litres of chilled green lemon-lime soda, 24 ounces of orange juice concentrate, two packets of blue Kool-Aid and a few drops of green food colouring.

When planning your Halloween children’s party, prepare two to three games ahead of time. It’s also a good idea to have an extra little game or activity ready just in case. Children can be unpredictable and you need to be flexible – so, if a game is not working or is not being enjoyed, having a back-up means that you can easily substitute one with another.

Many well known party games can be given a Halloween twist – for instance Pin the Hat on the Witch and Pass the Pumpkin. Halloween’s classic and traditional game however is Bobbing for Apples in a bowl of water. At our parties we quickly follow this (with faces still wet) with a game of Bobbing for Marshmallows – on a plate of flour.

Making ‘Ectoplasm’ is always a big Halloween party hit. This eerie substance is made by combining two cups of cornstarch, one cup of water and a few drops of green food colouring. It is made in seconds, is a great consistency to play with and guests can also take some home in a sturdy zip-lock bag!

It is always a good idea to provide a quiet corner at parties for children who are not into games. Crayons, some colouring-in sheets, a batch of play dough and a few biscuit-cutters will keep little hands occupied. At sites like Hello Kitty Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Hello Kitty coloring sheetswhile little boys would perhaps enjoy the coloring sheets at Pokemon Coloring Pages.

As an extra activity, fill a plastic jar with sweets and have each guest write their best guess as to how many are in the jar. This is a great game to play at the beginning of the party, as guests filter in. Announce the winner at the end of the party – the champion wins the jar! As your guests leave, surprise them with some spooky treats to take home.

One of the simplest and most effective inclusions in the traditional goody bag of sweets and chocolates is the Ghost Pop. Place a square piece of white tissue paper (or kitchen roll paper) over a lollipop, tie with a small elastic to make a head and then use a black marker to draw eyes on the ghost. These small treats also make great prizes for games.

Finally, remember to charge your camera and camcorder and capture each spell-binding moment.

Halloween will soon be here and many parents are wondering how and where to celebrate this spooky annual event.

When it comes to Halloween, there is no lack of variety in what is available. From trick or treating to hosting a scary movie marathon, finding something not to do would actually be more of a challenge! Here are some frightfully good ideas for you that will make for an interesting evening.

If your neighbourhood is a friendly one, you might like to trick or treat. This works incredibly well if you give advance notice to your friends and neighbours of your intentions by leaving a note on their doorstep a few days before Halloween.

Certain neighbourhoods and gated communities really do make an effort to be prepared with treats and some even decorate their front gardens. My children still remember the house of the guy who turned his whole front yard into a dark catacomb and who then sat quietly in the dark as we walked up the path before scaring us all half to death!

If Halloween falls on a school night this year, young children who need an early night will still feel as though they celebrated if you set up a few special treats, some arts and crafts and perhaps a fun movie before bedtime.

Print a few coloring pages and activities for them based on their favourite characters, for instance little girls love princesses and fairies and at sites like Fairy Coloring Pages you’ll find the best fairy colouring meanwhile at Spongebob Squarepants Coloring Pages you’ll find heaps of coloring pages of Bikini Bottom’s most absorbent dweller!

Halloween fancy dress parties are great to both host and attend and if you are stuck for costume ideas, again – head for Google and do an image search! If you have teenagers, they may scoff at the thought of having a Halloween party but may like the thought of a night of terror and suspense. Depending on the children’s age, you could arrange to hire movies such as Hocus Pocus, Psycho or the Blair Witch Project. Just add a bunch of their best friends, popcorn, soda and a pizza delivery for instant teenage heaven.

Scour the web elsewhere too for a variety of activities including paper plate pumpkins and pipe cleaner spiders. Older children may enjoy making slime with two cups of water, half a cup of cornstarch and a few drops of red or green food colouring.

Murder Mystery parties are incredibly good fun and if you choose a theme that is Italian, Chinese or Indian, you won’t even have to cook– you can just order a home delivery – or pick up a take-away from your local Chinese or Indian take-away or from your favourite pizza place. Choose guest with a sense of fun who will get into the spirit of the evening by dressing up and taking on the mannerisms and accent of the character you have chosen for them and you are in for a memorable evening.

To spend the evening playing games with family is also a great way to pass the time. Board games such as Cluedo or the types of jigsaw puzzles that involve solving riddles are just perfect. Prepare some themed nibbles and a few drinks and you will have spent some true Halloween quality time together.

These are just a handfull of ideas that will keep you occupied this eerie evening – happy howling!

Why camps are so popular? In camps what are the benefits of and possibilities and activities while somebody there? Are there various activities in camps? 
Summer is the time where kids get to go on vacation and parents get to relax after months of tireless work. Summer holidays are used for exciting day trips as well as camps. The excellent weather condition is much awaited for each year and when it does come, there’s no stopping for anyone who wants to have fun.

If you are a parent with kids, chances are that you’d be waiting to send them off to a summer youth camp where they could learn a variety of skills. Summer camp activities are actually quite interesting. Nowadays children are more prone to watching the television, browsing the internet, playing around with friends or simply chatting with them. There’s not much knowledge that one could acquire from it, especially when it comes to leadership and development skills. Many youth camps provide various summer camp activities that help in the development of the child.

Most summer camp activities cover a range of games and other events such as team building activities and creative sessions. If your child is shy and more of the introverted type, this could be their chance of getting to know new people and polishing up their social skills.

In addition to the day camps, there are also the overnight summer camps that are carried out for different campers. Summer camp activities carried out for both types can sometimes vary. Overnight campers are usually provided with food and accommodation.

All summer camp activities are usually conducted by skilled instructors who are experts in the field. Some of the sports that are much enjoyed by campers are football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, golf, etc. Summer camp activities that are carried outdoors include mountain hiking, rock climbing, etc. In addition to these, there are summer camp activities that involve the waterfront. Swimming, waterskiing, windsurfing, rowing, canoeing, fishing are activities enjoyed by both kids and teens.

For campers who love to live with nature, green walking trails, cycling would be ideal. There are also summer camp activities that include white water paddling, depending on the camp location.

Apart from the adventure games and other sports activities, there are also creative sessions that campers could enjoy doing. Craft programs such as pottery, beadwork, sculpting, etc can be beneficial for someone who has a liking towards it.

Camps are fun and can be a place of improvement because there are many various activities available for youths and children in the camps. How about the Jewish camps?
If you are a Jewish parent wishing to give your child a stronger understanding of Judaism, in addition to letting them have the time of their lives, a Jewish camp is what your child needs. A Jewish camp is ideal if you do not live in a Jewish community and want your child to meet other Jewish children.

Whether to settle for one day camps or for those that stretch up to several weeks is your choice and you can choose the perfect Jewish camp for your kid depending on his/her likes and dislikes.

Individual attention is something that your child is guaranteed to receive at Jewish camps. The camp staff is well trained in handling kids of all ages. The main objective of such camps is to create a better Jewish community by encouraging the campers to work together as a team. The activities provided at Jewish camps not only provide the campers with various life skills but also help to strengthen there Jewish identity.

Gender specific Jewish camps too operate in certain parts of the country although the most common ones accommodate both boys and girls. If you belong to a particular denomination, then it is best to ask details from the community itself. Then there are other camps which does not particularly look in to which denomination one belongs to. Therefore, at these camps you will find a mixture of children with different Jewish backgrounds.

It may make things easier for your id to fit in if you could just walk him/her to the camp before enrolment. If there’s any special attention or facilities that your kid needs, these should be brought to official’s notice well in advance.

In Jewish camps the start over time is 8am and end time is 9pm with activities such as skills building, sports and spiritual practices being carried out throughout the day. In some Jewish camps , campers can choose to study the torah or even Jewish law. Jewish camps are only available in certain states, so do your research before making your final decision. Make sure to apply early so that you can be sure of your child securing a place at the camp.

Availability issues may also arise due to the high demand that Jewish camps have. However, early reservation will save a lot of trouble for you. The best news is that scholarships and grants are available in most camps so even if you can’t afford it, there’s still some hope left for your kids.

Camps are really popular and perfect source for experience and joy. In camps you can find wide scale of activities and programs to improve different skills. How about the Christian camps?
Chriastian camps can be both fun filled and educational on the level of religion where children of all ages share their spiritual experiences together. So if your kids enjoy spending time out from home, a Christian camp could be the ideal. If a family camping idea sounds like fun, you could enrol at a Chriastian camp that accommodates the whole family during summer vacation. There are so many camps out there designed for various groups, so careful research and planning will have to be done to choose the best fit for the family or children but it is sure to benefit every participant.

It is important that each child plays a major role in choosing the Christian camp they want to attend when their parents start making arrangements for them. It is best to check around with other parents to find out where their kids are going because children that go along with their friends are more likely to have a relaxed and rewarding experience especially when it is an overnight camp.

When registering for a Christian camp for families it is ideal to find a program that involves a lot of activities and choices for lessons. With a variety of options, each family member gets a chance to fully enjoy themselves before participating in activities that include the entire family. Physical activities usually stand at hiking and swimming while there couldbe arts and craft lessons and bibile studies that go along these activities that enrich the experience you receive.

Couples who wish to register in a Christian camp should talk about what they want the program and experience to involve. An ideal choice of program would grant the couple to communicate, as it is a important feature, whilst it gainsays their relationship as well.

Christian camp activities are usually designed to give a sense of protection and family belongingness to children. Activities such as parent days, storytelling and letter writing help kids recall their actions at home and be part of their family experiences with other children.

Choosing the proper Christian camp will require some research and work put into it. Propositions from friends and other families will surely help narrow down the selection. The essential thing is to select a program that is in favor of the participant in terms of interest and activities.

When the kids get home from school in the afternoon and say ‘I’m bored’, at least you can point them towards doing their homework – however – when it’s the week-end or school holidays – you know that it won’t be long until you hear ‘I’m bored’ several times a day!

Times are tough economically but entertaining kids has never been an expensive enterprise -  so here are eight ideas to keep your children busy, creative and active during these long summer months.

Milk Jug Bird Feeders – Rinse out an empty plastic gallon milk jug with lid. Cut a window in the front of the jug, and make two small poke holes for the perches. Insert sticks for perches and fill the bottom of the jug with bird seed. Depending on the ages of the child, let them figure out the best way to secure the perch and if they wish they can decorate the birdfeeder before hanging it on the balcony or in the garden.

Aluminum Can Crafts – Paint an empty, rinsed out tuna can with acrylic paint or spray paint. Decorate with glitter and glue – scavange for stickers, buttons or  lace too.Once completed these make cute little holders for hair accessories, paper clips, rubber bands, keys, jewelry etc. Apply the same idea to an empty soup can to make a pen or pencil holder. These are great to give to dad to take into the office.

Coloring in – Coloring in was the staple activity of many summer holidays when I was la litle girl. If you have access to the internet, have some paper and a printer, it means you don’t even have to pay for a coloring book. When it comes to coloring pictures, you really can’t go wrong with Disney and at sites like Disney Coloring Pages you’ll find the best colouring pages of Disney

Coffee Can Stilts – Using two 1-pound coffee cans, turn each can upside down so that the plastic lid is on the bottom. As a parent – and using a screwdriver - poke two holes, one on each side of the can. Using some rope, thread through holes in the cans. Tie off inside the can and practice walking on them. Kids can decorate the cans if they so wish to make them more personal.

Jar Candles – Save the stubs of candles. When you have several saved, melt them together in a double boiler. Color the wax by adding small pieces of wax crayon to the mixture. Pour the wax into glass jelly or mason jars or metal cans. Use cotton yarn for wicks and decorate the outside of the candle holder with acrylic paints. After dusk – light your candle…but always surpervise your children around flames!

Paper Towel Rain Makers – Young kids love noise makers such as maracas. Color, paint and decorate paper towel rolls. Cover one end of a paper towel roll with waxed paper (for extra noise!) and close it off with a rubber band or three. Pour a handful or three of dried beans or split peas in the open end and close the open end the same way as the other. Poke toothpicks through the rolls at different intervals to add a ‘rain shaker’ sound – like the ones the aboriginal people of Australia create.

Paper Towel Tube Holders – Decorate a discarded paper towel tube with paint, markers, stickers and crayons. Once decorated this is  a colorful carrying tube. Roll up drawings and pictures and put them  inside the tube  to take them to  their teacher, grandparents, friends or relatives.

Pet Rocks – Pet rocks have stood the test of time and any rock can be turned into a pet rock with a lick of paint and some googly eyes. First, find smooth, flat or round rocks. Be sure to clean off any mud or sand and dry completely before starting. Paint with acrylic paints. Decorate faces by adding yarn for hair, googly eyes, glitter and any other bits and pieces you like. I always add freckles on my Pet Rocks!

Enjoy the summer holidays!

Here are a dozen play-time ‘recipes’ to help keep your children entertained during the school holidays. Here you can learn how to make homemade goop, papier mâché, cinnamon ornaments, soap crayons and much more besides. When the kids say, “I’m bored!”, print this article and stick it on your fridge – it will be one of your best weapons against the ‘boredom’ gremlins!

Washable window paints
A selection of tempera paints (powdered or premixed)
Clear dishwashing liquid
Mix powdered paints with dishwashing liquid until they resemble house paint. Line the window sashes with masking tape and spread newspaper under the window area to protect flooring. To erase paint or to touch up any mistakes, just wipe the paint away with a dry paper towel.

Home-made coloring books

Go online and download a dozen or so coloring book pages and collate them into a coloring book. Put this aside for rainy days or for long car/train/plane journeys. Little boys love images of cars and trucks while little girls prefer coloring book pictures of fairytales and princesses. At sites like Pokemon Coloring Pages you’ll find many Pokemon coloring

Cinnamon ornaments
3/4-1 cup applesauce
1 (4.12-oz.) bottle of ground cinnamon
Mix the applesauce with cinnamon to create a stiff dough. Roll out to 5mm thickness. Cut out a shape with the cookie cutter and make a hole for the ribbon using the end of a drinking straw. Carefully put aside to dry for several days – turning occasionally. This recipe makes 12 sweet smelling ornaments/drawer scenters.

Goop

2 packets of cornflour
2 cups of water
Several drops of food colouring

Place newspaper or plastic sheets on your work surface. Mix the ingredients in a large bowl. Children love goop’s squishy consistency. You can also use coloured or black paper to make goop paintings if you wish. To remove goop from carpets, allow it to dry, then brush vigorously or vacuum. The great thing about goop is that it may be re-used after it has dried out. Crumble it into a powder then restore it to its original consistency by adding water a tablespoonful at a time.

Funny putty
2 tablespoons of white glue
1 tablespoon of liquid starch
Food colouring
Mix glue together with the desired food colour. Pour starch over top. Swish it about so that all the glue is covered. Let set 5 minutes. Squeeze off extra starch and knead until mixed.

Bubbles
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of glycerine
2 tablespoons of liquid dish soap
Mix water, glycerine and soap. Pour in sugar. Add food colouring if desired.

Papier mâché

1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
1/2 inch strips of newspaper
Balloon/s

In a large bowl, mix flour and water – add more flour is mixture is too sloppy (dripping). Place newspaper strips into the gooey mixture, then smooth onto blown up balloon. Cover the balloon completely twice, letting it dry in between layers. Do not cover the balloon’s knot. Dry in a warm place for 2-3 days then hold the knot and pop the balloon with a pin. Paint, glitter and decorate the balloon as is or cut in half so you have a bowl/hat shape to embellish.

Modelling/play dough
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
water
food colouring

Mix the ingredients and knead to a dough consistency. To speed up the drying process, place the dough artwork in the oven on a low heat.

Soap crayons

1 3/4 cups of soap flakes

50 drops food colouring
1/4 cup water

Mix water and soap flakes together. Add food colouring and put mixture into an ice cube tray. When hardened, pop the ‘ice cubes’ out. These soap crayons are fun to write with on the tub and tiles when bathing. If grouting stains, spray with a weak solution of bleach.

Sand dye

Fine sand

Water

Food colouring

Paper cups

Plastic spoons

Fill paper cups half full with sand. Next, add water to cups to completely cover sand. Add food colouring until you get the desired colour. Stir with plastic spoon and let set for 15 minutes. Pour off the water, spoon sand onto paper towels and spread the sand out to dry. Use sand to make pictures (spread glue on paper and sprinkle sand on top) or to fill pretty bottles in layers.

Cornstarch Art/Finger-paint

3 tablespoons of cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

2 drops of dishwashing liquid

1 cup boiling water

Food colouring

Combine cornstarch and cold water – stir until smooth. Add dishwashing liquid. Pour the boiling water into the bowl and stir well until the mixture thickens. Add food colouring and let cool. Use as you would finger paint.

Puffy Paint

Flour

Salt

Water

Tempera paint

Mix equal parts of flour, salt and water in a bowl. Add a small amount of tempera paint to the mixture and pour into a small plastic squeezy bottle. Repeat this over and over to make as many colours as you wish. Squeeze onto heavy paper or cardboard to make designs. Mixture will harden into puffy shapes.

Colourful Salt

1/2 cup salt

5 to 6 drops of food colouring

Add food colouring to salt. Stir well. Cook in the microwave for around 1-2 minutes or spread on waxed paper and let the salt air dry. Store in an airtight container and use as you would glitter.

Are you sick of paying top-dollar for the latest piece of over-hyped and over-priced plastic? Answer “What can we do now Mum?” by making and creating activities from items you already have around the house or that cost nothing at all.

1. Shops. Save all your empty grocery cartons for a week or so and you’ll soon have a shop any aspiring grocer would be proud of. Gluing down the flaps makes cereal boxes, jelly packets etc. look unopened. Clothes, shoes, and toys can all be used as “stock”. Paper bags and real or play money add to the fun.
2. Paper balls. When the kids keep arguing suggest that they throw something at each other! Paper balls are easily scrunched up from torn out magazine pages to make “ammunition”. When it’s time to pack up and tidy, stand the waste paper basket in the middle of the room and see who can throw the most in. A rolled up magazine can be fashioned into a good “bat” too.
3. Doctors/Nurses. A roll of white toilet tissue makes this game much more fun as Dads, Grans, teddies or dolls are mummified before your eyes. Plastic medicine spoons and cardboard box hospital beds for toy dolls are extra props that make the game last longer.
4. Tubes. Cardboard tubes from kitchen roll or foil make instant telescopes for sailors or pirates, or tunnels to roll marbles through. Littlle babies love to watch things disappear then reappear out of the bottom. Don’t leave them alone with the cardboard tube though as they will probably suck it.
5. Cardboard boxes must be about the best free toys you can get hold of. Push in the ends of large ones to make tunnels and caves to crawl through. Draw-on windows and doors with felt tip pens to create a house, add a flag and portholes to fashion a boat or paper plates and a steering wheel for a car.
6. Miniature gardens. The foil trays that pies and prepared foods arrive in make lovely containers for miniature gardens. The children can enjoy hunting around the park or garden for twigs to make trees, moss for a lawn, stones to arrange as a rockery or a waterfall. Keep twigs or stones where you want them with a little blue tack or plasticine. Add toy people or animals and maybe a little water if the container is watertight. This can be a very creative and enjoyable exercise if you have children of very different age groups to entertain. A variation is to use play sand (not builder’s sand – it stains everything yellow) to make a beach scene, maybe adding shells, stones and a blue paper sea.
7. Paper puppets. A picture of anything – a colorful bird, clown’s face, cartoon character, carefully cut out by an adult and stuck to the top of a strip of card about five inches long and one and a half inches wide becomes a very easily made puppet. These give such pleasure and are so easy to make that you will probably end up with dozens of them. Magazine pictures can be stuck on to folded card to make theatre set background and wings.
8. Potato prints. After cutting a potato in half, draw on a simple shape. A triangle, circle or star perhaps. Cut away the rest of the potato, leaving a shape to dip into paint and print on to paper.
9. Skittles. Skittles can be improvised from large plastic soda bottles that once contained cola or lemonade. A little sand or water in the bottom makes them more stable. A good game for learning to count.
10. Dens. Building a den must be one of the most memorable parts of childhood as we all seem to recall the bliss of blankets draped over the airing rack in the garden or over the backs of chairs indoors. Even today’s sophisticated kids seem to find the thought much more exciting than just erecting the shop bought plastic play house. The secret is to give structural engineering advice about making the thing stay upright, but let the children do as much as possible themselves. Really large boxes of the type that washing machines and fridges come in can be had for the asking from the big electrical goods retailers and are useful for rooms within dens. Indoors, one of the simplest dens can be made by throwing a large sheet or old tablecloth or duvet over a table. Cushions, torches, biscuits and comics or books will all be needed at the housewarming.
11. String. Children find a million uses for string, from tying up toy “baddies” to making a washing line for doll’s clothes. It can be tied to chair legs to make a jump, dipped into paint and twirled on to paper, plaited, knitted with, made into a parachute or mobile, used as a measuring aid or for learning how to tie shoelaces and bows. It need never linger in the kitchen drawer again.
12. Sewing cards. Stick a picture on to a postcard or draw a simple duck, car or teddy shape. With a sturdy bodkin needle, push holes around the outline of your design approximately one inch apart. Using brightly colored wool in the bodkin or a long bootlace, thread in and out of the holes.
13. Create a personalized coloring book for your children and/or their friends by printing free coloring pictures from the Internet. Little boys love coloring pictures of cars and trucks as well as those of favorite characters such as Bob the Builder or Pikachu. At sites like Pokemon Coloring Pages  you’ll find  Pokemon coloring while at Princess Coloring Pages you can print and color  many  suitable for little girls.
14. Stilts. You need to do a little drilling for this one. Take two strong tins (coffee or clean paint tins are ideal for this) and drill a hole about one inch from the top on opposite sides of the tin. Insert a length of string and knot securely. Check that the handle is at a comfortable length for the child before knotting the other side. These are always very popular, but never leave young children alone with them especially near stairs or steps.
15. Cafes. Children’s tea sets are a handy prop for this game, but a picnic set or microwave cookware is just as good. Giving the waiter/waitress a little notebook and pencil to take orders and making a tall white hat from a cylinder of paper for the chef will add realism. Sit dolls and teddies around as well as willing Aunts and Grannies for extra customers.
16. Playdough. Mix together two cups of flour, one cup of salt, one cup of water, one tablespoon of oil and a few drops of food coloring for an easy to make dough that will keep for about three weeks if you wrap it in polythene and keep it in the fridge. All you have to do is knead the mixture well. Divide the mixture up first if you have more than one color available.
17. Obstacle course. An obstacle course can turn a rainy day into an adventure. Use whatever you have available. A bench allows you to walk the plank, make cushion stepping stones across shark infested seas, through a cardboard box tunnel, up a chair mountain or through a duvet cave. The wilder your imagination the more your children will love it.
18. Easy boats. Recycle your empty / discarded margarine cartons. Use them as miniature vessels (boats) for the bath or paddling pool. These are so easy that even the very young can help to make them. Cut out triangular sail shapes from white or colored paper. Make a little hole at the top and bottom of the sail so that you can poke through a straw to create a mast. Let the child fix this to the bottom of a clean margarine tub with a lump of plasticine or perhaps blue tack. They sail extremely well and will even take a couple of toy people on an exciting cruise.
19. Capes. Nurses, kings, queens, Batman, Superman – they all need capes or cloaks. Luckily they are easy to make by attaching ribbon ties to an oblong of fabric in the color of your child’s favorite caped character. Keep an eye on them though as anything tied around the neck could be dangerous.
20. Leaf art. Collect leaves and draw around them. This is fun for young children and an educational tree identification game for older children. Color in the details with crayons or paints. The leaves could then be stuck on to paper collage style or dipped into paint and then pressed firmly on to paper for a lovely leaf print.
21. Make a puzzle. Stick a favorite picture on to card and allow drying with a heavy book on top. Cut into pieces, how many depending on the age of the child, for an almost instant and personal puzzle

The merits of arts and crafts such as drawing and coloring for kids are regularly argued by child development experts, educators and parents alike… especially so for the real impact they have on child development. However, it is difficult to disagree with the top three reasons why we should all encourage the children in our care to take part in arts and crafts.

Creativity – Ask anyone what the first personality characteristic arts and crafts develop in a young child and most will answer ‘creativity’. And they are correct. Everyone has natural talents and skills and it is possible to improve and boost them… even if you only have a little natural talent. Creativity enables your child to try out and profit from new
ideas, options and alternatives in any future career. Kids learn to do things in new and alternate ways and literally profit from thinking “out of the box”.

Perseverance – Perseverance is perhaps the single most important quality for any successful individual – be they a a business person, sportsman or other professional. In fact, most well-known breakthroughs in life have been attributed to perseverance alone. Arts and crafts improve everyone’s level of perseverance. For instance, children learn to keep trying until they complete the task, be it a sculpture or a coloring in sheet. If something goes wrong… they are encouraged to perservere by trying different ways and means and the outcome is a wonderful piece of art that they have created.

Concentration – Akin to having perseverance, developing concentration is another quality well-worth having as an individual. Drawing, coloring, sculpting, painting and even doodling will definitely teach your child to focus on one specific task at hand… ignoring other distractions. In short they overall concentration will definitely improve.

Even from a young age children can draw and color – so give them blank pieces of paper or coloring in sheets so that they can scribble away to their hearts content whilst also improving their fine motor skills.

For example little girls enjoy coloring images of princesses and fairies and at sites like Fairy Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Tinkerbell coloring

Little boys on the other hand tend to prefer images of cars, trucks and machinery – however, favorite characters such as those from Disney movies are also hits with little boys.

Give your child several opportunities to experience being creative, concentrating and perservering through the fun medium of arts and crafts. Provide them with materials and resources and the occasional canvas so that they can be creative and feel pride in what they create.