Creative Family Fun

Your one-stop shop for kids activities and family fun

Terri Thompson

Weekends: Unplug

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Is this a familiar scenario? Almost-empty coffee mug, a little Pinterest browsing and a very lazy morning.

It happens most mornings around my house and I’ll admit that sometimes the time stretches much longer than it should.

There are times when I have to be on the computer and times when I just want to. But, no matter the cause, my laptop is a pretty integral part of my life.

The coming week, April 30-May 6 is Screen-Free Week which is a week created by a Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood to encourage families to step away from the TV, computer, and even the iPad and find other ways to have fun.

I’ll be honest with you, I’m just not sure how much we will be participating. I do know we’ll cut back on TV time and I hope the weather cooperates so we can spend that extra time outdoors. This past week with 3 of the 4 family members down with the stomach flu, the TV was on A LOT. But, we needed it and I don’t feel bad about it. But now that we’re healthy, it’s time to cut back again.

But, what about me? What about that laptop? Do I need to unplug? Why, yes, of course I do. Screen-Free Week has got me thinking about how I can do that.

I’m not going to cut it out this next week. In fact, I can’t. For various reasons, I will need to check e-mail on a daily basis.

Also, I still want to provide you with things to do with the family. If you’re looking for things to do away from a screen, check my archives! I’ve got over 200 posts full of activities for you and your family to do!

One thing I have decided is that I will be unplugging on occasion. Not just next week, but all through the year. I do need to get away and feel that relief.

And that, is what Screen-Free Week means for me. It’s a reminder. Stop working, watching, and doing and just enjoy the moment. Read a book, watch birds, go for a walk, swing, bake cookies… the possibilities are endless! Unplug and enjoy!

What about you? Will you be participating in Screen-Free Week?

10 Ways to Explore Nature in Spring

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Spring is such a beautiful time of the year to get out and explore nature. Everything is fresh and new and there is so much to see and explore. Here are 10 fun ways to explore nature in spring.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

1. Look for signs of life. Look for tree buds, new flowers, fresh green grass, or a bird’s nest. Childhood Beckons recently went on a Signs of Spring Nature Hunt and found all sorts of beautiful things.

2. Look closely. Take a pair of binoculars, a magnifying glass, or your camera and look up close at nature. Examine a tree or a flower. Take a close look at a rock. I have some great tips for looking up-close at nature here.

3. Play in the rain. Jump in a puddle. Spring is the perfect time to play in the rain! Grab a rain coat and some rain boots and have a little fun. Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas recently had fun in the rain. Wordplayhouse shares five fun ways to play outside on a rainy day.

4. Plant a seed and watch it grow. There is no easier way to learn about plants and how they grow than to plant one yourself. It’s fascinating and kids love to water and care for their tiny little plants. Juggling With Kids show you how to make simple toilet paper tube planters, a great way to start those plants growing.

5. Dig for worms. Grab a small shovel or just use your hands and dig in the dirt. Examine the soil. How does it feel? What does it look like? And if you find a worm, yay! Your work paid off as you examine the worm and watch it wiggle. When you’re done, release it and watch it dig back into the soil. If you want to try to raise your own worms, Let the Children Play has a great post on creating worm farms.

6. Look for wildlife. Observe the birds in your backyard. Watch a turtle sunning itself on a log. Or, maybe you can find a toad hopping through your garden. Watch and learn. I have some great tips for teaching your children how to observe wildlife.

7. Do a weather experiment. Spring is an active time of the year for weather. Rain, thunderstorms, and often severe weather can occur. Weather Wiz Kids has a large selection of experiments you can try. Or, you can check out my post of 10 Ways to Learn About the Weather.

8. Learn about the wind. What makes the wind blow? Watch how it moves the trees or the grass. How does it feel on your skin? Fly a kite and see how the wind helps it stay up in the air. Or, make some homemade wind chimes, like these from Hands On: As We Grow, and listen to the beautiful music the wind makes.

9. Take care of your yard. Learn about nature by tending to it. Pull weeds and make a few dandelion chains while you’re at it. Plant seeds and tend to your garden. Plant flowers to beautify your yard. Learning to take care of nature teaches respect for it.

10. Collect nature. Look for flowers, sticks, or rocks. Nature is all around in spring and it’s fun to collect a few pieces. Set up a pretty nature display in the house. Or, make a nature wand like these from Sun Hats & Wellie Boots.

*Bonus Activity: Use your ears! Listen. what do you hear? Do you hear the birds? A cricket chirping? Strings, Keys and Melodies shares a great idea for a nature sounds walk.

How do you like to explore nature in the spring?

Creative Family Fun Nights: Family Interviews

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It’s not always easy to come up with ideas for the whole family that don’t require money or a car trip anywhere. So, that’s why I’ve decided to start sharing some of my ideas for family fun nights.

Set aside a night and after dinner pledge to spend time together as a family, laughing and having fun.

This activity, Family Interview, is designed to help you get to know each other better and have fun while you’re at it! All you need is paper and pen.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

You may need to do a little bit of prep ahead of time by thinking up the questions, or have the family come up with them over the dinner table.
Then comes the fun part, take turns asking each other the questions and see what fun things you can discover about each other!

Here are some sample questions.

For the kids:

Name?
Age?
Favorite color?
Favorite food?
Favorite song?
Favorite book?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
If you could be any animal in the world, what would you be?
Who is your hero? Why?

For the adults:

Name?
Favorite color?
Favorite food?
Favorite book?
What was your first pet’s name? Tell about it.
What was your first job?
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Who do you admire? Why?

Let the questions lend themselves to stories and further conversation. This is a perfect way to reconnect as a family and get to know each other better.

What questions would you ask?

Weekends: Clean Greener

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Since Earth Day is coming up on Sunday (April 22nd), I wanted to share a way that I have consciously moved toward being greener.

About a year ago, I got serious about greening my cleaning routine.

I was always uncomfortable with using all the harsh cleaning chemicals around my pets and children, so I started researching ways to eliminate those chemicals.

That’s when I met my two best friends, vinegar and baking soda. Combined with a spray bottle and a pile of old rags, I can clean my house from top to bottom.

Vinegar:
I mix vinegar with water in a 1:1 ratio and add to the spray bottle. I use this for counter tops, window sills, window, mirrors, and bathroom fixtures. Combined with an old towel, it gets the job done.

I put about 1/2 cup vinegar in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for a couple of minutes. When it’s done I let it sit in the microwave for a couple of minutes and then wipe the microwave interior with a rag. All those icky bits of splattered food just comes right off! Plus the warm vinegar will now work wonders on any hard water stains you have around the house.

If you have stainless steel appliances, a rag dipped in vinegar will shine those fingerprints and smudges right off!

Baking Soda:

I keep my baking soda that I use for cleaning in a glass Parmesan shaker I found at the dollar store. It looks cute and I no longer have to deal with a soggy baking soda box! Combined with a rag or scouring pad, it can be a life saver.

I always hated cleaning cookie sheets until I discovered that baking soda combined with dish soap will get all those stuck-on bits off. I just grab my shaker and shake a bit on and then scrub with a scouring pad. It comes right off!

You can also use the baking soda for cleaning sinks and tubs.

Baking soda is also an effective odor remover. Sprinkle on carpet and vacuum it up. Good as new!

Now you’ve seen how I’ve made my cleaning routine greener. Do you have any good green cleaning tips?

Kid’s Co-op

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It’s Friday and you know what that means? It’s time for the Kids Co-op! Link-up your favorite kid-related post and make sure and check out all the fun that has been linked up from other bloggers!

Each week the Co-op is getting bigger and bigger! Here are just a few of the great things linked up last week.

School Time Snippets shared this great idea for a Tic-Tac-Toe Chore Chart. I’m going to have to try this!

 

Now it’s your turn to share! Please join up and share your favorite post. (And, we’d love you forever if you’d link back to us!) Your link will show up on all of the hosts blogs. It’s time to link up, visit some new blogs, and have a lot of fun!