Anissa Mayhew:

I think one of the things that my kids love to do, and if you don’t MIND the mess, you can all participate. We love to make cupcakes together, each child helps in the making and mixing, they help with the scooping and cupping. We use a tart pan (hopefully you have one so it doesn’t drive over the $20), so they are tenny little cupcakes, easy for little hands to manipulate.

Then we put out cups of icing that have been food colored within an inch of their lives and we get busy with all sort of icing, sprinkles, and candies.

Then we set up a line of each other’s cupcakes, the kids choose the “best” out of each person’s finished cupcakes and that one is gifted to someone in the family.

August 24th, 2008 at 7:10 pm

Naomi:

I think a dessert art session would be fun. Have little bowls of cut-up fruit and candy pieces set up on a table and have everyone “draw” pictures on sugar cookies or baked puff pastry sheets spread with a bit of custard or pudding. You could put syrup in squirt bottles or use paintbrushes if you want to get super fancy. If the kids are into it, you could even use Pictionary cards for inspiration…

August 24th, 2008 at 8:23 pm

Alyce:

My kids love to make homemade smores in the microwave. They get to assemble: 1 graham cracker broken in two squares, one square of Hershey’s chocolate and one large marshmallow. After assembly microwave 15-45 seconds depending on the microwave (I watch this closely) then let cool and check before giving to the kids so they don’t get burned.

An activity that we like to do outside is sidewalk chalk. You can have picture drawing contests, practice writing (numbers/letters), draw shapes, draw hopscotch squares, draw treasure maps or a race track, the possibilities are endless.

August 24th, 2008 at 8:39 pm

windycindy:

Hi, Our family enjoys camping out in our own backyard! we put our tent up and enjoys some of the same activities just as if we loaded up the car and headed to a camp site or park. We tell ghost stories, have a fire in our fire pit, here we cook our hot dogs and s’mores. We play board game with the light in the tent and card games are fun. Of course, various chips, fruit and snacks are always necessary. Thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

August 24th, 2008 at 9:15 pm

Adrienne:

My kids used to enjoy making sundaes like an assembly line. Little did they know it was yogurt and nuts and berries that they were making it with at the time. ANd they we would sit around and watch home movies from when I was a kid.

August 24th, 2008 at 9:48 pm

jenny:

wow how cool i love to try and win this it well would be some thing realy grate to have so that you can get a lot of funny things to show off from years from now as to well family thanks

August 25th, 2008 at 12:46 am

Justyn:

Have a dessert picnic in the family room ( on the floor) have each child help with one aspect of the picnic. One helps prepare the dessert, someone sets up the floor (blanket, napkins etc). Gather to have your dessert and while eating it you can play a board game, or read a story together.

August 25th, 2008 at 1:27 am

Ludmilochka:

It is possible to prepare and hide beforehand plates, napkins, spoons for the dessert. And to think up game for children with their search under helps. And at the end of game to prompt, where children can find a dessert.

August 25th, 2008 at 3:12 am

mar:

I like to have a tootsie rool hunt in the basement for the children. After they are all found a snack of hot chocolate or chocolate milk (depending on the season) with brownies is served.

August 25th, 2008 at 4:35 am

Nancy:

Here’s a fun and inexpensive evening activity and snack idea that’s perfect for summer, fall or spring. Try a game of Backyard Blackout Bingo! Beforehand, on a large sheet of paper, draw a large Bingo grid: 5 squares across and 5 squares down. Put a “Free” space in the very center. Now in each square, write down something that can be found in your backyard: a blade of grass, a rock, dirt, a leaf, a tree, a bug, a worm, a vegetable plant, a bird, a plant in a container, water hose, a fence, a toy, a weed, etc. If you like, you can list a certain kind of tree, a specific plant, etc. Depending on the ages of your children you can make this as easy or as difficult as you want! Fill all the squares with an item to search for.

When it’s time for fun, everyone goes out to the back yard and you take the bingo card and a marker with you. Everyone searches for items on the one card - it’s a team effort! As you find items, mark them off your card. When you have found all the items, you have marked off all the squares and you have black-out bingo. Have everyone yell ” Backyard Blackout Bingo!” ( it’s always fun to be encouraged to yell!) and then head back inside.

Now it is time for a snack that’s healthy and seasonal. Ahead of time at the store, purchase fresh seasonal fruit - maybe choose at least one that your children haven’t tried before like kiwi or starfruit. Prepare the fruit with the kids watching and helping (if age appropriate). You can discuss the name of the fruit, where it grows geographically, how it grows (tree, bush, etc). Discuss the skin (Is it edible?), the seeds (how a new plant grows) and the part of the fruit that you eat. How about the qualities of the fruit - does it come in 1 color or many colors (like apples and pears)? Is it large or small? Hard or soft? Does it crunch when you eat it or is it very soft?

Be sure to take some photos of your backyard adventure.(You’re making memories here!) Depending on the number of people you are feeding, I estimate you can do this evening activity for $5 with regular fruit and under $10 if you pick some exotic and unusual fruits. Have fun!
Nancy
allibrary at aol dot com

August 25th, 2008 at 4:50 am

Sandy:

well, sometimes we hide clues thru the house (ok I do because hubs helps too much) and they hunt for things that put togethermake or do something and see if the can solve the hunt..Sometime we will do games but that gets boring, we do scrapbooking making a memory page of whats going on in our lives- with handprints, print out digital pictures, the most fun though is making individual tshirts withpaints- whther handprints or letting them design- you can also get paint a plates to do and take them bake to be fired (can do tiles, etc)Yes we love movies but we would rather be doing things together even if its a campout in the backyard and watching the stars…You can just have them make cards for family bdays coming up..doing things together thats all that matters..even paint ornaments for the holidays even if itsJuly, the point is you are doing something, anything, can glitter and glue an ornament- whatever you have- let your mind go wild

for snacks we make it so easy making homemade pizzas or pizza pockets- anything that you have english muffins, pita bread (can use it for pizza pockets too) or french bread,or bagels- anything works- we take premade spaghttie sauce and drop on cheese- maybe add some pepperoni if we have the slices or whatever vegies and bake till melted - can even microwave- but its something the kids can do- they can spread cheese,sauce- etc- they can make faces with olives foreyes and a pepperonismile- The point is together and its not a sugary snack. We can make 3 minute fudge but its not good for the bellies and this is a real snack that will satisfy the hunger.

August 25th, 2008 at 5:02 am

A Cowboy's Wife:

You could host a mini Olympics. Get the kids competing in running and wheelbarrow races, obstacle courses, water balloon tosses and jumping competitions. Finish off the fun with a mini-Olympic awards ceremony to honor all of the “athletes”. Buy medals at the local dollar store or make your own with construction paper, colored pencils and string!!

For a snack, Sandwich on a Stick

bread
cheese
lunch meat
grape tomatoes
lettuce
pickles
olive

1. Cut up cubes of bread, cheese, and lunch meat (we ordered 1/2-inch-thick slices of ham and turkey at the deli counter).

2. Slide the cubes onto a skewer with other foods your child likes, such as a grape tomato, a piece of lettuce, a pickle, or an olive.

3. Set out a side of mayo or mustard for dippin’.

lori at thecowboyshack dot com

August 25th, 2008 at 5:42 am

Amy:

A fun activity that my children love is “Tent Storytime”. We drape a large sheet over the clothesline (or you could use a real tent) in our back yard, usually in the early evening, but we have done this in the daytime, too. We spend and hour or so reading aloud from a favorite book, then we make a fun snack like S’mores, toasting the marshmallows over the grill. If it’s a warm day, we might make ice-cream sundaes instead. If it’s getting dark, we bring out some flashlights to read by. Even as the kids get older, they love this special time.

August 25th, 2008 at 5:42 am

Milly:

Scavenger Hunt

Your child can do this activity alone, with a friend or in teams. Give your child a list of items to find in nature, such as a rock, dandelion, leaf or something a bird would eat. Have the kids draw pictures of what they find and finish the hunt by tallying up how many things they ticked off the list.

Snack part–In a medium bowl, mash together the banana and the peanut butter.
Stir in the wheat germ. Roll individual tablespoons of the mixture into balls, then roll the balls in one, or a mix, of the coatings listed above. Chill until firm.
Variation: For a peanut-free version, substitute sunflower-seed or soy-nut butter for the peanut butter, and omit the peanuts and chocolate chips (which can contain traces of peanut).

Milly

bbentle (at) charter (dot) net

August 25th, 2008 at 5:45 am

brandy:

set up a blanket or chairs in the backyard, sit outside and watch the stars. it’s relaxing and the kids can run arond if they get restless. for a snack. if you have a grill, roast marshmallows on the grill, and add graham crackers and chocolate for smores. kindof like a camping trip. total cost $5 or maybe just some popcorn 2.99
balleshauser at yahoo dot com

August 25th, 2008 at 5:49 am

brandy:

you could have art time. have everyone sit around the table and draw a picture of what family time means to them or what they’d like to do. (get ideas for the next family day) then end with a family friendly movie. (the new the little mermaid movie, or the new transformers)
as a snack have some crunch n munch, walmart for 3.00, and some bagel bites. 18 pack for 4.00

August 25th, 2008 at 5:53 am

*Heather*:

I am thinking making dessert Parfaits would be awesome! You can make them healthy, but adding Yogurt, Granola, & Fruit. OR naughty by adding fun things like Candy & whatever toppings you & your children like. Then Maybe have a kids choice movie night & enjoy your Parfaits!
hermashaw@Gmail.com

August 25th, 2008 at 5:59 am

Hetal:

We do board game nights alternate fridays. Food can be jello with fresh fruits and pop corn. Even chutes and ladders keep us busy for 30 minutes.

herry123_us@live.com

Great prize!!.

August 25th, 2008 at 6:23 am

traymona:

Scavenger Hunts are so much fun and any age can play. Have the adults make lists of items to hunt for the children. The children make a list of items for the adults to find. You can play indoors or out or a combination of the two. For a snack, how about frozen chocolate covered bananas.
traymona[at]aol.com

August 25th, 2008 at 6:30 am

CanCan:

One snack that is REALLY fun is to take an air popper (popcorn popper..available at WalMart)and place it on the floor on top of a large bedsheet. Then turn it on and watched the popcorn go all over the place (contained on the bed sheet). Mix fun things with the popcorn like m&m's or chocolate chips, or savory seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, and Parmesan cheese. YUM! You could have the different mix-ins in compartments of a muffin tin, and allow the children to select their own, spooning it into a small bowl with their popcorn that they gathered up.
There is also an easy, no-prep game called "Popcorn":
Everyone mills around in the playing area, you could be moving to music, or whatever, so long as people are mixing around.

The leader then calls out a number and an object. Participants quickly form groups of that number, then use their bodies to make the object. For example, "2, rocking chair!" and you'll suddenly see pairs forming themselves into rocking chairs.

Once everyone's made their object and have been suitably congratulated, then it's time for more mingling and the next object!

Some guaranteed hits:

* washing machine
* toaster
* car
* piano
* waterfall
* old oak tree
* eagle
* elephant

You can always end with "Everyone, roller coaster!"

If you want to get a little more complex with the popcorn snack, you could make popcorn balls. Here is an easy recipe:
Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup popping corn or microwave popcorn
* 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
* 1 cup maple syrup
* 1 1/2 teaspoons butter
* 1/2 cup chocolate syrup or caramel (optional)

Directions:

1. Pop corn according to instructions. If using microwave popcorn, be certain it's not pre-buttered (i.e. use plain popcorn).
2. Salt popcorn, if desired.
3. Heat maple syrup and butter in saucepan over medium-high heat.Stir constantly.
4. When temperature reaches 250 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer, or when a few drops form soft balls when dropped in cold water, the syrup and butter mixture is ready.
5. Mix in the caramel (optional).
6. Remove pan from heat and pour maple syrup butter mixture over popcorn.
7. When mixture is cool enough (approx. 5-7 minutes, use judgment), toss popcorn with syrup and mold into balls.
8. Cool maple syrup popcorn balls on a buttered baking sheet or wax paper.
9. Drizzle chocolate syrup on the balls (optional).
10. Store cooled popcorn balls in an airtight container.

And that's it!

Children have a fun time molding the maple syrup popcorn mixture into balls.

It might be easiest to pick a "theme" for the night, even if it is something as simple as "popcorn"!

onlycancan at hotmail dot com

August 25th, 2008 at 6:45 am

Kathleen:

You could do a hippie night and make some tie-dyed shirts. Pick up a yellow, red and blue packages of RIT dye ($2.25 each and you can combine a little of each color together to create green, orange and purple), and use rubber bands and old tee-shirts (100% cotton one work best).

Serve some “hippie” food like granola, fruit, veggies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and this:

Brown Rice Salad:
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 Granny Smith Apple, diced
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 cup cooked chicken, cubed
3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Everyone could dress up in hippie clothes (read: sandals, braided yarn headbands, flowers in the hair) for dinner too. You could play some 60s music and maybe watch Forrest Gump, since there are quite a few hippie scenes in that (not sure how old or how mature your kids are).

This was a fun idea for a contest entry! I’ve enjoyed reading other people’s ideas.

August 25th, 2008 at 6:57 am

Jenna:

Swimming and homemade ice cream. I am assuming you have either a slip n slide or a inflatable pool and an ice cream maker, if not then these will cost more than $20. The pool itself can provide hours of entertainment for the kiddos. Here is the homemade ice cream recipe.

Aunt Sue Sue's Vanilla Ice Cream

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 (14oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 pint (16 oz.) whipping cream
1 quart (32 oz.) half & half
1 Tbls. vanilla
Whole milk (about 2 cups)

Beat eggs, sugar and salt together. Add can milks and half & half. Mix well. Add vanilla. Slowly stir in whipping cream. Pour into a one
gallon ice cream container. Add milk to fill line.

August 25th, 2008 at 7:04 am

Christina:

Camp out in the living room by making homeade forts and eat fake SMoRES!!! (Fireplace them or microwave them!)

August 25th, 2008 at 7:05 am

peg42:

Our family ranges in ages and one of the best times we have is either camping outside when the weather is nice or camping inside when it’s raining or cold. All the kids love this. We bring books and take turns reading. We bring all sorts of games and we always make smores and have popcorn. This is one of the best times our family has. thanks for this giveaway.

August 25th, 2008 at 7:45 am

Adventures In Babywearing:

This is harder than I thought! I say, if it’s still warm out by you, a fun obstacle course in your yard would be fun- just using what you probably already have like big wheels/bikes, hula hoops, set up different stations they have to do and maybe have teams with one person from each team going at a time. Of course the perfect snack to eat then is popsicles (and lately I totally prefer the Jello pudding pops! Mmmm!)

Steph

August 25th, 2008 at 8:00 am

kygirl:

Wow read some great Ideas, My idea would be to go on a nature walk around your neighborhood, You could ask each of the kids to look for different things like(birds, insects and leaves. Talk about the differnt things of nature. For a yummy after dinner snack I would have the kids help fix trailmix.

August 25th, 2008 at 9:03 am

Bebemiqui:

Okay, here it goes:

Family Fun Fort Night!

Throw all neatness out the window and gather all blankets, pillows, chairs and tables together to make the ultimate fun fort…this can be an indoor or outdoor activity(outdoors may utilize a clothesline).

As a snack:

Lay tortilla chips out on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with your favorite kind of cheese. We usually do 2 layers so that some people can have the crunchy cheese and some the gooey.
Broil in the oven until cheese is melted.
Adults may want to eat them with salsa and guacamole!

bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com

August 25th, 2008 at 9:55 am

mverno:

play hide and seak on a nice warm summer evening out on the lawn

August 25th, 2008 at 10:01 am

Erica C.:

the best thing to do is go to one of the places that has mini golf/putt putt and the bumper cars…and then you can just grab a snowball afterwards!

August 25th, 2008 at 11:52 am

jepnet:

We play light-up frisbee (available at many sporting goods stores) when it gets dark. We break into teams and wear matching colored glow-bands (you can get them at Oriental Trading-cheap). I try to mimic the frisbee shape by serving cheese, pepperoni, and crackers for our snack. It is always great fun and its a super workout as well.

August 25th, 2008 at 11:52 am

Anonymous:

(I thought I submitted this - I apologize if it went through twice)

Hi! How about “Dinner and a Movie”? We do this about once a month with our five kids - ages 10 and under - and they really enjoy it.

We sometimes get a movie from the library (free), watch one we already have(no extra $) or use our free rental at the local movie store.

I have printed up some fake $1 and $5 bills and some movie tickets off of the computer.

We make a sign with the nights dinner written down and the prices for dinner, the movie tickets and the snacks. My oldest usually does this and they are fun to keep and look back on. He likes to illustrate them for the younger kids who aren’t reading yet.

I give each of the kids $11. Dinner costs $5, movie tickets are $2 and movie snacks are $1. Water is free but slushies or juice is $1.

We eat dinner together and each child “pays” for their meal. Dinner is not negotiable - meaning you can’t skip dinner and have an extra $5 for treats.

Each child also has to buy a movie ticket.

Then, after dinner, we place out the movie snacks. These are usually fun-size candy bars in a bowl, popcorn in bowls or plastic cups, small cups of jelly beans (or whatever your favorite snacks are) You could also do fruit snacks or granola bars. Each child lines up and goes “shopping”. Mom or Dad runs the store and gives out the snacks and collects the money.

The kids then sit on the living room floor and get ready for the show. After everyone is sitting down, the lights are dimmed and the movie tickets are collected.

Then the show starts. It’s fun to do it after dark and have minimal lighting (sometimes I walk through with my flashlight - like at the theater )

Then we watch our movie together. We also sometimes stop in the middle for an intermission. Anyone with $ left over can make further purchases.

The kids really enjoy this. It’s fun to see how they spend their money. Some of them like to only buy one thing at a time and others spend it all right away. Also, I give each child an envelope with their “money” in it a little while before dinner. It’s their responsibility not to lose it before dinner. Although we all help look for lost money

Have fun!

C. Smith
smithschool@hotmail.com

August 25th, 2008 at 12:20 pm

ignoramoose:

Sunsets & hot cocoa!

Find a nice spot near your house where you can have a nice view of the sunset–walk or drive a short distance if you need to. Pop up some popcorn, make a few thermoses of hot cocoa, grab your kids and some to-go cups and go enjoy the beauty of nature!

ignoramoose (at) gmail (dot) com

August 25th, 2008 at 12:23 pm

PS:

We are lucky enough to live pretty much in the middle of now where. Now that the bugs are starting to slow down and the evenings are cooler, we’ve started doing scavenger hunts with the kids. I draw out what they need to find since they aren’t reading yet…rocks, leaves, frogs, flowers, feathers, etc. all make the list. My kids get to bring their dessert along and their bug houses to hold their treasures. Even if they don’t find everything, they love being outside trampling thought the swamp and woods!

August 25th, 2008 at 12:36 pm

Stephanie:

Instead of spending the time making a snack, buy some animal crackers at Wal-mart. Have a puppet theatre night! Buy some contruction paper and markers and the older children can make some puppets. The younger kids can scavenger the house for stuffed animals or any other creative character. Then, make teams of 2 or 3 making sure each team has one older child. Each team makes up a puppet show and takes turns showing it to the other kids (animal cracker and juice snacks). Don’t need puppet theater, can use back of couch for hiding bodies and hold up arms with puppets. This activity goes on for much longer than an hour in my house and is not only good fun, but teaches creativity through story building and teamwork.
tvollowitz at aol dot com

August 25th, 2008 at 12:46 pm

Tuesday Girl:

Keep a box with old Halloween costumes for dress up play. When you clean out your old clothes or jewelry let your kids use it for dress up. Old hats, belts, jewelry or shirts are great for this. We have a family fashion show or dress up for a tea party. We all dress up and have iced tea or water and a snack around the table which we set up special just for the occasion!
For a snakc for our fashion show tea party we usually have kebobs. Our Kids love to dip anything, so we put fruit chunks on popsicle sticks and lt them dip their “kebobs” into yogurt or melted chocolate!

tuesdayef (at)aol(dot)com

August 25th, 2008 at 1:08 pm

LisaW:

Go to a nearby park or arboretum. Take along some elementary botany books from your local library and try to identify as many plants as you can. Take a blanket and cookies for a picnic snack. Have fun!

August 25th, 2008 at 1:12 pm

cdziuba:

I am a mom of 4, this contest is right up my alley! First, buy a few boxes of Fruit Loops and Cheerios, and some red string licorice. Place the cereals into bowls, and give each child a piece of licorice (knot one end). Have the kids string cereal necklaces and bracelets. Even adults have fun with this.

I’d serve a fun snack mix of pretzels, goldfish, Cheerios, and mini crackers, all mixed together, and a nice fruit punch. cdziuba@aol.com

August 25th, 2008 at 1:30 pm

Sara G:

My friend did this with her kids, she made a nest shaped dessert out of golden grahams cereal. She made it like you would rice krispies treats, but used more butter and peanut butter. Then she put a few blue peanut M&M's in the nest to look like little robin's eggs. She gave a little lesson about nature and caring for animals. Then went on a walk to look at birds. It was fun and YUMMY!

August 25th, 2008 at 1:33 pm

That Crazy Mom:

We have “pizza and a movie” nights here.

For the pizzas, we make tiny pizzas using English muffins, pizza sauce, pepperoni, black olives, mushrooms, Canadian bacon and cheese. Everyone gets to make their own so there’s no fighting over who wants what on their pizza. They love putting their own toppings on.

For the movie, our local Wal-Mart has a great selection of movies for $5. We’ve bought Big Daddy, My Cousin Vinny, Secret of Nimh. I’ve found some great movies from my childhood and teen years on that rack and its fun to watch them with my kids and introduce them to what they consider “old” movies.

August 25th, 2008 at 1:37 pm

souldolphindream:

This is one that our whole family loves. We do a outside scavenger hunt. We break up into teams and make up clues-you can make it age appropiate-since your children are all under 8 you can do picture clues. You can hide 2 prizes. It can be as little as some jelly beans/ We get them from the walmart here 2 bags for a dollar. That way that both teams win and you dont have any upset kidos.It keeps them on the move in a postive way and the hour will fly away.

A great snack that I love to make is rice cripsy treats. it is easy to make the kids can help and you can add anything into that you want. We have made bowl for each person and it is so fun to see what the person or child next to you will add

August 25th, 2008 at 1:41 pm

Wehaf:

I would make and bake your own play dough. Flour, salt, and water will make play dough, and then you just have to add food coloring for different colors. You and all the children can then make fun shapes, and bake them so you can keep permanent reminders of the evening’s fun. I would make and play with the dough (making it is half the fun!), and then when you put things in to bake, clean up. While they are baking, have a berry salad with whipped cream (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries). Just laugh and enjoy dessert, and when you are done the baking should be over.

urchiken at gmail dot com

What you need:
Flour
Salt
Water
Food coloring
Strawberries
Blueberries
Other berries or fruit
Whipped cream.

August 25th, 2008 at 1:45 pm

Melissa:

A fun and cheap activity is making homemade ice cream, what could be better than that. Besides, it’s an activity and treat in one!
INGREDIENTS
• 1 pasteurized egg
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup rock salt
• 1 pound crushed ice

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, instant pudding, milk, half and half and vanilla. Pour the mixture into a 12 ounce size coffee can. Cover the top with plastic wrap, and then the plastic lid. Place the filled coffee can into an empty 34.5 ounce coffee can (the big ones). Fill the empty space with crushed ice, sprinkle generously with rock salt, and cover with the plastic lid.

2. Roll the cans around on the floor for about 20 minutes. If the center of the ice cream is still soft, place the containers in the freezer to harden.

You can try different recipes too which is fun and you can of course do this multiple times. Afterwards you can always have a sunday bar with it too. Yum!
jeepcutie82 at msn dot com

August 25th, 2008 at 2:27 pm

Sheila:

Use a “Sorry” game as your starting point. Either use a regular game (taking out the evil 11’s - these “knocking out” cards can be hard on little ones), or draw your own similar one on cardboard. Even young children can be helped to count and recognize the numbers on the cards. For playing pieces, each player gets 4 of the same color of gum drops, or small cookies, or jelly beans. This game doesn’t take a long time. It moves quickly. It is brightly colored. It improves counting, etc. The extra “playing pieces” are snacks.
Sheila
chiliburger@icehouse.net

August 25th, 2008 at 2:35 pm

Sheila:

Buy 2 cans of white frosting, or make your own with powdered sugar/butter/milk. Divide one can of the frosting into small containers, and color each with a
different food coloring. Thin frosting is better for the art. Give each person a sheet of paper, and let them make art with the frosting. Use your 2nd can of frosting to let them frost graham crackers for their snack with milk.
Sheila
chiliburger@icehouse.net

August 25th, 2008 at 2:41 pm

Erin:

My kids are still too little for this one(23 mo. & 6 mo.), but the game that my family loved when I was little was - Candy Spider Web.
Set it up in a room that the kids are not in, or send them outside, or whatever.

You will need -
a sandwich baggie for each child
A different candy topping in each baggie
a lot of string
Different colors of string will make it easier for the younger children

Tie a baggie to the end of your string & hide it.
Then "spider web" the string all over the room. Once you are satisfied with it, cut the string & leave at the edge of the room. This will be the starting point for everyone.
Now just tie another baggie on to the string and add to the web.
End the string at the same point as your first string.
Repeat again & again for each child.
Using the same color string for the whole web will make it the hardest. You can use different colors, to make is easier.
Once all the baggies are found, everyone shares the candy topping they found with each other.
Make ice cream sundaes together
Eat!

August 25th, 2008 at 2:44 pm

mannequin:

This is a fun AND advantageous thing to do. With summer vacations all but over, if you’re like me, you now have lots of photos strewn all over. Heck, even if they’re holiday pictures , it’s still fun and it promotes lots of fond memory conversation.
All the supplies CAN be had at Wal Mart for less than $20. You’ve probably got some supplies on hand already!
Here’s what to do:

Get out your family photos and let each person create a scrapbook layout of their very own special memories. We take turns picking out the pictures to avoid conflicts. Naturally, everyone seems to want that one picture in a million!
Get out your cardstock , patterned paper, pens, adhesives and blings like stickers or die cuts for the little ones. Remember? That’s what you’ll get at Walmart AND you’ll have money left!
Each scrapbook becomes so much special because it was created with loving hands that fondly remembered that special day AND they’ll remember the night you all had fun scrapbooking!

August 25th, 2008 at 3:23 pm

The Saunders Family:

We love to play flashlight tag. It’s simple, play when it is dark enough to see the lights, but not so dark the kids might get spooked. You simply turn the light on and shine it on the person to “tag” them. Make a homebase for the tagged and when someone runs around them and says “Lights Out” They are all free to play in the game again.

When we’re done we usually light up a small campfire and make some s’mores. Who can resist a gooey marshmallow, sweet melted chocolate and crunchy grahmn cracker creation. And who can eat just one!
mom2maria at hotmail dot com

August 25th, 2008 at 3:49 pm

agordon10:

We go to a local park where they show movies under the stars…for free!

August 25th, 2008 at 3:55 pm

Kristen M.:

My kids love to put on puppet shows. Materials are easily under $20 depending on what kind of puppet you want to make. “Splurge” on a spring-loaded curtain rod to put in the doorway (hand a blanket/towel over it to create a screen).

Material ideas: paper bags, socks, sequins, markers, feathers, yarn, pipe cleaners, glue, googly eyes, fabric scraps, construction paper

Make your own story to tell or use a familiar story like the Three Little Pigs (or tell your own variation of a familiar story).

Snack: Pigs in A Blanket

August 25th, 2008 at 3:58 pm

lrbodine:

For a family night - we once carved watermelons in the summer time. You basically do the same thing that you do with pumpkins but the rind is a little thicker and it’s fun to eat while you carve and dig the fruit out. It’s best if you do this outside and put out a tarp or lots of newspaper since it’s messy! But I’ve never had so much fun or laughed so hard at his adventure. We carved and then put candles in them and took pictures. Dessert can be the watermelon or another summery treat like watermelon sorbet or something similar.

August 25th, 2008 at 4:04 pm

oona:

We just attended a birthday party with this activity and it was a big hit with all ages!

Gather all the musical instruments you can find in your house and have a rock and roll party. The kids can decorate shirts to wear as the members of the band (can buy plain tees and make stencils to spell out words or make images) Buy a few fabric markers for this. Turn on a microphone and let the kids go wild making music!

A cheap and fun snack for your party would be to buy ingredients to make cookies from scratch, make the cookies in the shapes of instruments or music notes. The kids can decorate cookies with frosting or sprinkles.

Thanks!
foxsquirrelrabbit(at)gmail(dot)com

August 25th, 2008 at 4:40 pm

LINDALSHOT:

This is probably too simple but we like the have a night just to play board games or work a puzzle. It’s just nice to turn off the TV for awhile.
Popcorn is our healthy snack.

August 25th, 2008 at 4:48 pm

Katharos:

We love dessert pizza! All of the kids can participate. You either use sugar cookie mix or buy the pre-made tubes that you roll out. Make a “pizza crust” out of cookie dough for each person (or just a couple big ones). Bake the dough, cool, and cover in your choice of cake frosting.

Once frosted you can decorate the pizzas with fresh fruit (berries, sliced kiwi, etc.). Add a bit of pretend play by setting up a pizza parlor, taking orders, providing table settings with shakers of chopped nuts, coconut or sprinkles.

You could parlay the activity into a lesson in basic math or dining etiquette.

August 25th, 2008 at 5:02 pm

divrchk:

We’ve been digging into my old board games. The kids are amazed!

August 25th, 2008 at 5:39 pm

Katharos:

Tae a hike around thee block. Make it like a real hike with backpacks, homemade maps, flashlights, walking sticks, compasses, water bottles and of course homemade trail mix.

Trail mix ideas: let each person customize their own. Ingredients can include a variety of dried fruits, coconut, nuts, dark chocolate pieces, mini marshmallows, pretzels, sunflower seeds, etc.

August 25th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

Anonymous:

You could all go on a treasure hunt for them to find objects. That would be extremely fun.

Nora
neneelynn@yahoo.com

August 25th, 2008 at 5:48 pm

Katharos:

Have a theme night! Pick a movie to watch, then create a theme around it.

Ex. rent The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything (Veggietales), make pirate costumes, eat Pirates Booty (a snack sold in most grocery stores and probably walmart), serve goldfish crackers or swedish fish candies.

August 25th, 2008 at 5:55 pm

jennifer:

Our family has a campfire in the backyard with smores and scary stories once a month. It’s nice to get away from the tv for a night and just talk! Thanks russellkids6@gmail.com

August 25th, 2008 at 5:59 pm

EJW:

Our family favorite is to play with sidewalk chalk on our back deck. We work on colors and shapes and staying in the lines!

August 25th, 2008 at 6:24 pm

Ames:

Snack - I would recommend making rice krispy bars together - it’s so cheap and easy - and kids love to get sticky

For your fun - our family LOVED to play either croquet or bocce ball outside in the nice weather. Now… both of these lawn games are available at Walmart, however, I think you would want a set that’s nicer than $20. I would think that you could maybe “splurge” and then divide the $$ by the amount of times you use the game…

August 25th, 2008 at 6:29 pm

Kristie:

Maybe because we’re approaching fall and football season, this came to mind, but I thought a Family Tailgate Party would be fun. Just cook out on the grill for dinner like you would if you were tailgating. You could play an alcohol-free game of beer pong-just put some sand in the bottom of the plastic cups and have the kids try to bounce the ping pong ball into those. You could come up with your own scoring system. You could also play touch football and if there happens to be a game on TV, that everyone would be interested in, you could watch it. I think you could be really creative with it and make it fun for everyone.
For a snack maybe you could make football shaped brownies. I did some for Super Bowl this year. You just cut them into diamond shapes instead of squares and then melt white chocolate and put it into a ziplock bag. Then you cut a corner off and squeeze out the chocolate to make the lines of the footballs on the brownie-the kids could even help!
It shouldn’t really cost much to do beyond the dinner. Basically just the brownies, cups, sand, a ping pong. I guess if you didn’t have a football, you’d need to pick one of those up or just use a kickball to improvise
khmorgan_00 [at] yahoo [dot] com

August 25th, 2008 at 6:38 pm

Karen:

Free concerts in the park is one of our fav summertime activities !

August 25th, 2008 at 7:17 pm

Stacy:

Make your own pizza, camp out in the backyard, tell ghost stories and roast marshmellows.

August 25th, 2008 at 7:20 pm

Tamara:

We make rice Peaunut Butter Krispy Treats. Then I put together a little scavenger hunt for my two childrem to find things in the yard. If it not raining or if it is raining I adjust inside or outside. The one with the most finds gets to pick a prize out of my goody bag.

August 25th, 2008 at 8:14 pm

Brooklyn Sweetie:

How about a Health and Fitness night?

Activities:

1. Time how many times can you hop or jump in 20 seconds.

2. Relay race - Give each team a teddy bear. Put the children and adults on teams. Have a relay race to a tree and back. Each member hands the bear off to the next member

3. Limbo time - Get a broom stick and see how low all the kids (and you and hubby) can go

4. A game of red, light green light is always fun.

3. Again with the two teams have a short scavenger hunt either inside or outside. Give them a paper with these five items (or pictures of five items in the house or yard):

* Something green
* Something that begins with the letter “R” (or whatever you have a lot of in your house or yard)
* Something round
* Something shiny
* Something old
* Something with a handle

For Dinner:

Build a salad funny face- Put out bowls with lettuce, cubes of chicken, cut up veggies that your kids like (tomato, cucumbers, carrots, etc) or that you want them to try (tiny broccoli trees,etc.) . Put out some salad dressing (lite ranch or lite thousand island). Give everyone a plate and have them build a salad with a face for dinner.

Dessert - fruit salad and a scoop of frozen yogurt

After dinner take individual pictures of all of the Healthy Athletes posing (group pics too).

August 25th, 2008 at 8:17 pm

b-me:

I would give all of the kids glow necklaces and send them outside to stargaze and watch/catch fireflies. Snacks include chocolate milk and smores warmed up by the grownups inside. Thanks for a great contest!

August 25th, 2008 at 9:06 pm

Abby:

My sister gave me this great idea and we have since had fun doing it as a family. After dinner we have a milk shake night. We let each person decide what kind of special things they would like to add to make their own personal yummy shake. Then we all get to eat and share/sample each others goodness.

Abby
ajcmeyer AT go DOT com

August 25th, 2008 at 10:03 pm

Abby:

Oh I forgot to add the activity even though I think the process of making the milk shakes alone is an activity. But lately my girls have kept us busy with their puppet shows they have put on for us.

Abby

August 25th, 2008 at 10:05 pm

kagey10:

oh this is easy greasy peasy. Do you remember Bozo the clown? Ever heard of Cornhole? well make it yourself! all you need is buckets, or plastic baskets and small balls, or beans bags (prefered!) and try and get each child to throw them in in a line, start with the closest then work their way back. it is fun and funny to watch as they try and move forward. Snack is EASIER, FRUIT! it is summer, get some cantaloupe and cut and snack a way. see I saved you money.

August 26th, 2008 at 1:36 am

Bonnie in FL:

We have 7 children and hubby once found some burlap sacks and the kids loved to do sack races We also did wagon and wheel barrow races We do alot of of water balloon fights but keep the kids out of the chicken coops cause sometimes they throw eggs instead of balloons and we also do allot of popcorn

August 26th, 2008 at 4:27 am

alexis:

Because we have a 2-yo, we have to do something at his level. We buy a huge multi-pack of Play-Doh and get out the cookie cutters. He could do that for hours!

Thanks!

ashleyalexis[at]gmail[dot]com

August 26th, 2008 at 5:10 am

idahomom:

In the summer our family fun nights are camping in the Idaho mountains. It is so nice to get away from all the electronics and just sit around the fire and talk.

August 26th, 2008 at 5:18 am

Irishmama:

We get the Home Depot Idea book and do crafts…….our latest is makeing stepping stones with cement and the sea shells we collect at the beach. Each child makes his/her unique design. Oh, and of course homemade ice cream for a treat.

August 26th, 2008 at 5:40 am

Buki Family:

silly but fun. we have an annual tradition…usually on mothers day, where we sit around and eat chocolate covered strawberries, the boys serve us wine or sparkling grape juice for the kids..you know, anything fancy… and then we all howl at the moon. see who can howl the longest/loudest. very silly, but fun tradition.

August 26th, 2008 at 6:15 am

Stephanie:

We have family coloring nights. My husband and I each color with one of kids in the book of their choice. Once everyone has colored one page, we switch kiddos.

August 26th, 2008 at 6:53 am

Staci:

My kids love the 88 cent toys from Walmart. We lick up a variety of them and some Jello. I make the Jello ahead of time on cookie sheets. The kids just enjoy playing with all the cool new toys (like the paddles with the ball, light up squishy balls, etc.) We like to get ones that at least 2 of use can play. After we play for awhile, we whip out the Jello sheets and cookie cutters. The girls make their own jigglers and it’s tons of fun.

August 26th, 2008 at 7:03 am

laura:

With back to school, I think themed evenings would be fun. I read this idea on a blog (I think on dandee), so I cant take original credit!

Let the kids pick a topic they want to learn about or understand better, and you can do this over a months time, so you have them pick 4 topics for 4 weeks in the month. It can also be a way to create more than one activity night during the week.

For example: 1st topic is 'presidents'.

Monday night- Have an early dinner and go to the library on a field trip for an hour to rent 1-2 books about presidents. Or go to the library after school and rent the books. In that case, I would just talk about the books they found and what interested them in the books that night, so you are stretching your activities. Snack: string cheese (good for on the go!).

Tuesday night- Read the book/s you rented at the library and discuss what the kids learned from the books. Snack: presidential muffins (recipe here: http://dineanddish.net/2008/07/table-talk-food-family-love/)

Wednesday night: Go online to learn about the flag, and pledge of allegiance. Who created them, when, why? Then have a team trivia game about the information from Monday night and the flag. It doesnt have to be hard trivia, each person can actually create 2-3 questions on their own and put them in a hat for someone to draw from. Snack: crackers with a slice of cheese on top and a dot of mustard (for fun!)

Thursday: Have a presidential fashion show. Everyone creates then shows off their best presidential costume. Provide old t-shirts, ties, puffy paint, pre-cut stars or designs with fabric glue, 1-2 hats from goodwill, etc. Snack: yogurt parfaits (granola, low-fat vanilla yogurt, fresh fruit). Be sure to have a prize for best costume!

Friday: Find a movie or cartoon to rent that is related to presidents. Snack: finger sandwiches cut out with star cookie cutters (PB&J, cream cheese and cucumber, peanutbutter fluff, etc) OR popcorn.

You dont really have to do something every night, but you get the idea. A general topic can lead to multiple ideas or activities and give you/the kids lots to do.
laurachilton {at} hotmail {dot} com

August 26th, 2008 at 7:18 am

laura:

Another idea would be finding a letterbox… it’s a scavenger hunt for a hidden prize in your area. You can find out how many and which letterboxes are hidden in your neighborhood by clicking here:
http://www.letterboxing.org/

Try to choose a recent letterbox though, as some have turned up empty.

Would be a good weekend late afternoon/evening activity (but more so in the summer, when there is a lot of light until late). Usually there is a stamp in the letterbox, so be sure to bring a piece of paper, OR have the kids make themselves ‘passports’ and stamp them with each letterbox you find. Can do this activity all summer long!

Snack to bring along: Rice krispie treats (why not, if it’s the weekend?!) or for a healthier option, try these sweet potato bars (not just for breakfast):
http://www.parents.com/recipe/bars/sweet-potato-breakfast-bar/

laurachilton {at} hotmail {dot} com

August 26th, 2008 at 7:30 am

Anonymous:

My son loves to cook so I am always looking for fun things we can make together. A few ideas include rice crispy treats, monkey balls, and sugar cookies. I know that sugar cookies are usually a holiday recipe but why not make them anytime of year. If there is a holiday approaching you can decorate the cookies for that holiday. Get cookie cutters in various shapes including letters. The kids can spell their name in cookies and decorate them any way they choose. The making of the cookies will definitely keep them busy for an hour then they can try a couple of cookies once they are cooked. This is a messy activity but they are only little once.

My email address is phyllis_eiring1@verizon.net.

August 26th, 2008 at 7:37 am

Ellie:

S’mores and camping in the backyard. Roasting marshmallows on the bbq or fire pit, put up the tent, and tell stories. Family Fun!

August 26th, 2008 at 8:08 am

mom2bears:

We like to have Celebrate Summer nights. We set up the slip and slide in our backyard and let the kids play until they are tired of the water. We like to cookout over our firepit. We roast hot dogs and marshmallows which the kids love to do. Then when it starts to get dark, we grab our bug catching kits and hunt for lightening bugs. When it really gets dark, we start playing a game of flashlight tag. After all this activity, the kids are pooped and ready for a good nights rest.

August 26th, 2008 at 8:16 am

ecky:

ok…i’m gonna try to explain this one well.

you need: two big hershey’s bar. wrap them individually in a lot of newspaper so they look like they are different shapes.
each “package” needs a pile of random dress up clothes, two random cooking utensils (like a beater and a spatula) and a pair of dice.

to play: the family sits in a circle with the piles in the center. one set of dice goes around the circle one way and the other set heads the other way.

roll the dice. if you get random numbers pass the dice along. if you get doubles you run up to the corresponding pile of clothes and try to put them all on. then you use the random utensils to try to open the package. meanwhile the dice are continuing to pass. if someone else rolls doubles the person wearing the clothes needs to take them off and give them to the next double roller and they have to put them all on and try to get the package open.
the object is to get to the candy bar.

it is really fun and makes some great pictures.

for a small family you can have just one package and one pair of dice.

elkesten at yahoo dot com

August 26th, 2008 at 8:55 am

kdkdkd:

We have two favorite activities that help with the nighttime wind down. One is crafting, we all sit at the table and each can do what they like and are able to do (color, glue, fold, sculpt, place stickers, etc…) The other is story time where we all cuddle in bed and I read a chapter or two of whichever book we are working our way through before lights out. It is great for memory development to talk about what happened in the book the night before in the morning at breakfast.

August 26th, 2008 at 9:11 am

Parker Family:

One of the best inexpensive family nights we would do is a service night. It teaches your kids to help others, something that can be lacking in this world.

You could make plates of goodies and then ding dong ditch them to neighbors or people in need. Also, you could go through their clothes with them, or toys, and pick some to give away to someone in need. Then you either deliver them to someone you know who might not have much, or a homeless shelter, or a women’s and children’s center. You could even go and visit a nursing home, and have your kids sing, or put on a skit for the residents there. A lot of them love to see little ones and love to have company, no matter what they do! Maybe they could draw pictures and leave them there with the patients. I’m sure it will be something they would treasure. Then there is always a free car wash that they could do, all that it needs is soap, water, buckets, and towels. All could be found super inexpensive at WalMart. There are plenty of other ideas out there of service, like a service scavenger hunt, or making letters or cards to mail to the troops in Iraq. the list goes on and on.

I bet a service night would be a big hit, and your kids would get the wonderful feeling of helping someone else.

As for a treat, we loved fruit pizza. What you do is take your favorite sugar cookie dough (either hand made or store bought, but hand made is cheaper!) Roll this out like a pizza crust on a pizza pan, or a cookie sheet. Bake it at 400 Degrees for 10 minutes. Let it cool, then top with the “sauce” (1 8oz pkg of cream cheese, 1 8 oz container of cool whip, 1/2 c sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla- mix till everything is blended together) then add pieces of fruit. Right now fresh fruit is pretty cheap, especially peaches, or nectarines. You can let each kid have their own section of the pizza and let them put their favorite fruit on there, and decorate it however they want, or you could just do it yourself beforehand. It’s fun to make flowers using the peach slices as petals with a grape in the center, or that works with mandarin oranges. Be creative!

OK, I think my comment is long enough, and I hope you get the idea! cutiecoversnmore(at)yahoo(dot)com

August 26th, 2008 at 9:25 am

Parker Family:

Well, here’s another idea, if you don’t want to do a service night. How about a family olympics. You could divide up into two or three teams, create names for yourselves, and do all sorts of fun relay races.

Some could be having to carry an egg on a spoon from one side to another, then trade off so everyone on the team gets a chance. The team to finish first wins. (Use a hard boiled egg!)

Then there is the Gold fish cracker stick game, where you take a garbage bag (which I assume you already have!) cut a hole at the bottom that would then slip over the head so it becomes like a protective shield for the clothes! Then take some swim goggles (can be bought super cheap at WalMart right now if you don’t already have them!) Put them on one person, and cover their face with whip cream (we did shaving cream, but i think whip cream would be safer for little kids) get the kind in the can it’s easier to apply. Then have them sit a certain distance away from their team, and each person on that team has 10 goldfish, or those small oyster crackers would work great too, and they have to throw them and try to get them to stick in the whip cream. The team that has the most crackers stuck in the whip cream wins.

Then there are water games- have a full bucket of water on side and an empty one on the other (or you could use mixing bowls that you already have to save money) take a plastic cup that has a hole in the bottom and they have to dip the cup in the water, run to the other side, and dump that into the empty container. Then run back and hand the cup off to the next person (Or have them stand by the empty container, run across to get the water, run back to dump it in the empty one and hand off the cup to the next teammate) continue until everyone has had a chance, and the team with the most water in the bucket wins.

Another water game would be the over under one, where each team stands in a row with a container of water at the front of the line, and an empty one at the back. Each person has a cup of water. The person in the front dips their cup in the water, and then proceeds to pour it over his head to the person behind them. They have to try to catch as much water as they can in their cup, and then they proceed to take their cup through their legs and pour it while the person behind them catches as much as they can. Continue this over and under till the last person dumps it into the empty container. Do this for a set time, like 30 seconds, or 1 minutes, and the person with the most water in the bucket at the end wins.

Frisbee golf is another fun one where you can put a hula hoop on the ground (or even just a circle of rope) and have each team take turns throwing a frisbee (or plastic plate) trying to get it into the circle. Keep track of how many throws it takes to get it into the circle, just like golf, and have a “course” set up where they move from “hole” to “hole” (the circles) the team with the least amount of throws to finish the course wins.

Then, at the end, you could have “metals” for the teams-gold, silver, bronze made out of cardboard circles painted that color, with a ribbon attached. Have a ceremony with them standing on stairs, with the gold on the highest step, etc. Then play each teams favorite song while they stand there and sing. Or you could skip the entire ceremony and just have the winning team get to pick dessert first.

Speaking of dessert. We always liked no bake oatmeal cookies.
2 c sugar, 1 cube butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 c milk. Bring to a boil add 1 c chocolate chips or 1/2 c peanut butter and 3 c oatmeal. Drop spoon sized amounts onto wax paper and let cool. Super easy to make and yummy too.

August 26th, 2008 at 9:46 am

Keep It Classy, Jen:

What about a great night of dress up/fashion show! Halloween is just around the corner and kids LOVE to dress up…during intermission your six youngins’ can enjoy a light snack:

Rocky Roads

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate)
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 2 medium eggs
* 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 cups peanuts, salted cocktail
* 2 cups marshmallows, mini

Preparation:
Melt chocolate pieces, chocolate and butter in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat.

Beat eggs until foamy. Mix in sugar, salt and vanilla. Blend in chocolate mixture. Stir in peanuts and marshmallows.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Store in refrigerator; remove just before serving. Makes about 4 dozen.

Thanks for an AMAZING giveaway!

jen@poshpointofview.com

August 26th, 2008 at 9:48 am

Kyra:

OK! We start out by making mini chocolate chip muffins together. Our son is only 2 so we make them straight from a Krusteaz box that we get at Wal-Mart. These muffins taste exactly like chocolate chip cookies, and if you make the mini muffins they only take 12 minutes to cook. Then we load up the muffins and plenty of water into the wagon, along with an assortment of balls, shovels, and buckets, and head down the street to the park. Our activity night isn’t very complicated but we cook together, play, and exercise together. The snack isn’t outrageously healthy, but not too bad. All the balls and things we bring to the park keep us there for quite a while. Would love to win this giveaway, thanks for the chance!

August 26th, 2008 at 10:02 am

chris:

we have an early dinner, eat outside and then take a walk into town to Dad’s Diner to get the kids ice cream cones (can’t bet $1 for a kiddie cone)!!!! It’s a great summer evening

August 26th, 2008 at 10:37 am

David:

A Treasure hunt! It was always fun when I was a kid. I think it would have to have clues to what the dessert would be. Either cake, brownies, or an ice cream mountain. It could be done in under an hour and under $20.

August 26th, 2008 at 10:43 am

Sara:

You and your kids are about to embark on a video scavenger hunt! The idea is to gather the items from your neighbors to make themselves an evening treat - Festive Jell-O Popcorn Balls. Part of the fun for the kids would be to keep that part a surprise, they won’t know why they are collecting these items/ingredients until you get home and tell them what you are making.

Moms role: Write down the following check off list to bring on the hunt
Keep time, telling the kids they have to hurry (pre-set the time limit depending on the skill of your kids)
Have these items on hand in your cupboard just in case, all of which are available at Wal Mart.
Dads role: Video tape the hunt.
Encourage the kids to hurry (but remember to be polite)
Children’s role: The goal is to get one item from each neighbor. Knock on the door, tell the neighbor you are on a Scavenger hunt, show them the list asking if they have one item on the list that they can please give to you.

List:
1. 1/2 stick of butter
2. One packages marshmallows (10 1/12 oz.) Might only get a few cups here and there from different neighbors
3. One box of Jell-O brand gelatin (3 oz.) any brand
4. 1 bag of microwave popcorn (unbuttered) (each bag equals about 7 cups therefor needing 2)
5. 1 bag of microwave popcorn (unbuttered)
6. A few tablespoons of any kind of candy sprinkles
7. About one 10 inch strip of wax paper (for each child) This is optional

Make the FESTIVE JELL-O POPCORN BALLS according to the following recipe as a family while daddy is still recording:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1 pkg. (10-1/2 oz.) JET-PUFFED Miniature Marshmallows
1 pkg. (3 oz.) JELL-O Brand Gelatin, any flavor
3 qt. (12 cups) popped popcorn
A few tablespoons of candy sprinkles

MICROWAVE butter and marshmallows in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until marshmallows are puffed. Stir in gelatin mix until well blended.

Pop popcorn according to package directions.

ADD to popped popcorn in large bowl; toss to coat.

SHAPE into 16 balls with greased or moistened hands over waxed paper.

ROLE in sprinkles

Enjoy the treat while watching the video together!!

Cost of materials: $4 (IF you purchase all the ingredients)

Coffee for mom and dad from Starbucks: $6

Clean up cost: $0

See the smiling faces while the kids watch themselves on T.V.: PRICELESS!

Have a fantastic family night!

Sara
marriedroses@yahoo.com

August 26th, 2008 at 10:53 am

kira:

I always think making brownies or cookies is a blast and while they are cooking, play tic tac toe and practice writing letters and numbers with chalk on the driveway. when the brownies are done, you can decorate and eat.

August 26th, 2008 at 10:58 am

moushka:

The biggest thing in our family is sharing. So each week one person gets to choose what we will do for family night. It works great and each person gets to plan and look forward to their special night.

August 26th, 2008 at 11:02 am

moushka:

The biggest thing in our family is sharing. So each week one person gets to choose what we will do for family night. It works great and each person gets to plan and look forward to their special night.

August 26th, 2008 at 11:03 am

royaldixie:

A big snack hit in my house are frozen yogurt cups. Take a yogurt cup and remove the lid. Place them in the freezer for one hour. After one hour, remove the yogurt cup and place a popsicle stick in the middle, like those available at Wal-Mart in the craft section. Freeze the yogurt cups for another 5-6 hours. I usually do them in the morning and by nighttime you have a healthy and delicious treat that my kids love!!!

An activity that my children love is going outside and collecting insects. I know this sounds weird but they have contests as to who can collect the most bugs, the biggest bug, the smallest bug etc. Mom and Dad are usually the ones responsible for holding the jars that the bugs are kept in. Summertime is great for fire flies and they are not the easiest to catch!

August 26th, 2008 at 11:07 am

dcala:

I think a good family night activity is putting on kids music channel on cable and having a dance contest. You can bake chocolate chip cookies while you are dancing away.

August 26th, 2008 at 11:13 am

reb:

Make homemade icecream. We do this all of the time. Let the kids pick the flavor and let them help put the ice and salt in the maker. They love that they helped make it and when they are done, you have a snack.
rebbi511 at peoplepc.com

August 26th, 2008 at 11:35 am

mogrill:

we make the tubes of cookies (3 or 4 kinds) and play fun games like twister!

August 26th, 2008 at 12:15 pm

socialwork4kids:

One of our favorite snacks in the summer is frozen grapes. The kids and I pick the grapes apart and freeze them early in the week to use later. We then grab our bag of grapes and head outside to look at the starry night. We like to make up silly names for stars and see if we can find any designs on a clear night. The best family activities, in my opinion, are free and encourage creativity and conversation.

August 26th, 2008 at 1:03 pm

design6565:

FOOOOOD FIIIIIGHT!!!!!!

Finally! The kids get to make a mess with our blessing…. they LOVE it! The only ingredients you’ll need are as many tubs of cool whip topping as you’re willing to pay for, and little foil tart tins, or cupcake cups. Oh, and some food coloring… because it HAS to be colorful for the great photo op that this presents - (Pull out the Flip!!!)

Put a couple drops of food coloring the the various Cool Whip tubs, stir it up, plop the whipped cream into your chosen “vehicle”. And lay them all out on cookie sheets in preparation for the frenzy.

Mood music is great for the impending battle, the more dramatic the better… think Rocky or William Tell overature. Make sure to begin the mayhem with plenty of drama and build up….then get the camera ready and let her fly! The bonus is that dessert is literally at your fingertips, just give ‘em a lick.

This is definately an outdoor summertime activity so squeeze in this family free-for-all while the weather allows. Clean up is as easy as the garden hose… it will be as if the battle never happened! yet safe for the environment and safe for injestion by kidlin’s. The kids will reminisce about these food fights with their own kids at Christmas’ far in the future,”Remember when Mom?…”

(Again,get the Flip ready!)

August 26th, 2008 at 1:14 pm

Anonymous:

We like to have popcorn and sugar free kool-aid. Inexpensive but good. We also like to play Twister which everyone loves.

adr1001025[at]msn.com

August 26th, 2008 at 1:17 pm

tatertot374:

Thank you for having this. I have 3 under 8 and my kids love to paint eachother and themselves with pudding and eat it as they go along. They can do this for at least an hour or more. Its great fun for all and of course keep a hose or shower handy Thank you
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net

August 26th, 2008 at 2:17 pm

lucidred1:

lucidred1[at]yahoo.com
we live in the country. we build a little fire in our firepit and roast marshmallows. we tell stories ans sing. Its great fun.
thanks

August 26th, 2008 at 5:03 pm

Lauren P:

I’m thinking with 6 kids and 2 parents you’ve almost got your own baseball team. Why not get a game of wiffle ball or kickball going in the back yard. Then afterwards, warm up the grill, toast marshmallows over the grill, and make s’mores. If you already have a soccer ball, basketball, etc., your only cost would be the s’more material. Yum!

galxichic (at) hotmail (dot) com

August 26th, 2008 at 5:46 pm

Honey:

First give your children something with lots of sugar! I suggest the sugary popsicles or make your own with fruit juice. Then get out the game hullabaloo. My five children who are 7 & under love it. There's no reading involved, so even really little ones can do it. You can buy it at Walmart or ask for it for Christmas/birthdays.
honeysmith@bellsouth.net

August 26th, 2008 at 6:21 pm

Karilee:

We are a family of 7 and share your quest for an inexpensive way to spend time together.
Our FAVORITE thing is FAMILY FUN NIGHT!! Every month it is a different childs turn to be the decision maker of the evenings events. They have the choice of up to three activities that we all participate in…sometimes playing a board game, baseball outside, summersaulting contest, races around the house (outside), singing songs that they choose,making paper airplanes, drawing, playdough creation contest, etc. They always come up with great and interesting ideas.
My job is to plan the snack…usually not something too sugary because they go to bed after this and its not fair to load them up and then expect them to sleep!
Pretzels with peanut butter
Applesauce w/cinnamon graham bears to swim in or not
Popcorn
Apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar
Hot chocolate or warmed apple juice
All simple snacks with things I normally keep on hand.
It’s not a very elaborate plan, but it is a fun way to make an individual child feel special while still spending time ALL together.

August 26th, 2008 at 6:31 pm

megankortepeter:

How about at home Olympics, where each kid particpates and everyones a winner. You could have age appropriate events and the whole family would have a great time.

August 26th, 2008 at 6:44 pm

Tonya:

Rent a projector and set up your own “Drive-In” Movie. Hang a sheet on the garage or the side of the house. Make tickets and pass them out after your regular family dinner. When it gets dark outside, all the kids can ride their bikes to the “drive-in”. The snack of course is popcorn and chocolate covered raisins.

August 26th, 2008 at 7:18 pm

forgetfulone:

I don’t know how original this is, but we did get this from Walmart. We had a great time playing Scattegories and eating Chips Ahoy lowfat chocolate chip cookies. The best part was that it was our 19 year old daughter’s idea. Go figure!

August 26th, 2008 at 7:24 pm

forgetfulone:

Friday nights are family movie nights. We rent a movie or watch one that we already have (either no cost or cheap), and we pop popcorn and watch with the lights off, all of us camped out on the couches in our jammies and slippers.

August 26th, 2008 at 7:25 pm

Jacqueline in Atlanta:

This is an idea for Christmastime.

We would buy a tree on Cmas Eve. Usually they were free by then at an abandoned lot or else $5 or so.

Everything on the tree had to be homemade, that was our rule. Nothing store bought. We strung popcorn. We strung cranberries. We made homemade ornaments: cutout stars, glitter angels, pipe cleaner people, whatever ideas I came across in books and magazines in the weeks leading up to Cmas that were appropriate for their age at the time.

We still do it and they are teenagers now.

Thanks for having the giveaway!

August 26th, 2008 at 7:39 pm

Lilith Silvermane:

Here is my hand, now, I have a large family and we are loud and messy. I hope you don’t mind either of those.

This is Family Food Play night!

First, you make some jello before hand and put it in the fridge. Make sure they are in separate bowls, enough for two for each person.

Second, you play a short game of Pictionary. Something where you already have the food drawn, but they have to shout out what color the food should be (This is for the younger ones). Example: Lettuce.. GREEN!! For the older ones, you can have them draw the food beforehand! (15 minutes)

Third, Get out a homemade BINGO board, play a game of FOOD BINGO. This should only take about 30 minutes, and you can use stickers from bananas or tomatoes as the “pieces”. (30 minutes)

Fourth, Sit around and play, “Who likes _______ the most”. Kids LOVE to play this game, you can say… “Who loves bananas the most?”.. and they will all say.. mememememe.. and you can pick one. AS long as everyone is included, no one gets their feelings hurt. (10 minutes)

And Lastly: Put trashbags down on the floor, make sure everyone is in an old shirt they don’t mind staining.

Rules:

No using your hands

First one who eats all the jello from the bowls.. WINS! Have then get on their knees in front of the bowls and eat that way!!

They can eat from one bowl of Jello for the competition, and when it’s all done, eat the other as a fun prize! Children love to know their parents will get dirty with them, and it’s a TOTAL screaming blast

I hope this helps

August 26th, 2008 at 9:34 pm

123connie:

Well I think the wii would be great family night!! Everyone of all ages can play. For snacks chips and cookies!!

August 26th, 2008 at 10:15 pm

Lori:

We have fort night. We turn the entire house into a fort–all the extra sheets we have get tied up to dining table chairs and side turned coffee tables. It makes a maze all over the house with little special areas for each kid. Then we all have fruit, veggies and popcorn in the central part of the fort prior to a movie where we all cuddle and watch the tv while in the fort. It’s like a cave and the kids love getting all over the house!

lkziegler[at]gmail[dot]com

August 26th, 2008 at 10:22 pm

Danielle:

Plant an herb garden together. Start by making the snack of Worms In Dirt. Mix up some chocolate pudding and put it in individual cups (NEW flowerpots could be used as well for a more realistic effect). Then crush up some Oreos and liberally sprinkle on top of the pudding to resemble dirt. Add gummy worms and/or gummy frogs/spiders/bugs to the top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the garden, get an empty egg carton for each person, or even half an egg carton each. Add soil to each cup and plant a few herb seeds in each one. As the plants grow, you can transplant them to a bigger container and use them in your meal preparations. This also allows for lots of teaching opportunities in the future (measuring new plant growth, what plants need to grow, parts of a plant, etc)

ldsmom2201 at yahoo dot com

August 26th, 2008 at 11:09 pm

crystal:

My idea that i would “try” is first to sneak those veggies(if you have to sneak) in anyway you can. You know What they love mom, disguise them ,hide them juice them:)

I remember loving to perform “plays” with my cousins during holidays when i was little. How crazy it would be if there was video recordings of them!!

cyclona66@aol.com

August 27th, 2008 at 12:17 am

Susan:

Call a local farm and see if you can spend some time there, Find a learning farm in your area they offer tours- The kids will love the animals and the tractors- Ask when they feed the baby with bottles. Have them see how they milk the cows or get eggs from the chicken. The kids get to see where all the food they eat and drinks come. Bring those foods with milk- whole grain crackers

August 27th, 2008 at 5:07 am

mannequin:

How wonderful it must be to have such a large family! Since Pluto has been kicked, you’ve got a representative for each of the planets!
I sometimes like to do projects that require a few nights of family night, a continued project. This way, I feel like I’m also teaching some “setting goals” attitude and patience!
How about making a solar system mobile to hang in a family room for all to enjoy and remember their special planet? It’s a project of love and learning, the best!
For under twenty bucks, you’ll need:
Flour and Water for the paste
Bag of Different sized balloons for the molds.
Water based acrylics dry the fastest for painting although pretty much any kind of paint will work.
Five or Six dowels for hanging and Dad for drilling holes in each end.
Some string and some newspapers cut into strips.
A bag of brushes in various sizes for painting.
And for your snack, let’s keep it authentic and serve Moon Pies! If you need instruction, I’ll be glad to help but I think you probably remember paper mache from YOUR childhood!

It’s a fun project to do; just let the balloon molds dry at least overnight before painting or until your next funfilled family night!
Second time around, since you’ve already bought the supplies, order a pizza and celebrate your new creation!
And personally, I ALWAYS include Pluto; just because he’s a dwarf doesn’t mean we should exclude him!
Whatever you choose, have fun with that wonderfully sized family of yours!

August 27th, 2008 at 5:24 am

Amanda:

We LOVE smoothies in the summer. I used to work at Jamba Juice during my early years in college so I’ve got all the old recipes! When we’re out of sherbet I’ll use juice, ice, yogurt and frozen and/or fresh fruit. Especially yummy with pina colada yogurt and peaches and strawberries, like a little bit of tropical goodness! Little do they know they’re getting a really healthy treat with calcium and fruit! I even let them pull up the step stool to the counter and have them watch and maybe even press the blender button :o).

We love to play tag on the lawn or set up the kids sprinkler which is so nice on a hot summer evening! Running around in spraying water is a nice break from the pool and the kids love it!

August 27th, 2008 at 7:54 am

Amanda:

In the winter, we like to cuddle up on cold nights and have hot chocolate made either home made with sugar, milk and coco powder or instant hot chololate made with milk (another way to get in calcium!) Add marshmallows for an extra treat! Microwave packets of popcorn for an quick extra treat!

When it’s cold outside and we’re longing for a warm summer night to spend on the lawn, we all pile onto the living room floor or fold out sofa and watch a child appropriate movie we already own and have a “slumber party”. If you don’t have a suitable movie, rent one from Walmart’s little rental machines!

Having a slumber party with the kids and watching a movie you already have is a real money saver! My kids love slumber party nights. It’s something out of the ordinary so that’s always exciting for them. And if you can’t spend the entire night at the slumber party, getting out the pillows and blankets is still fun too! Putting them back is another thing though :o).

August 27th, 2008 at 8:07 am

judybrittle:

We play it’s in the bag. We have a bag with slips of paper for fun things to do like build clay models,lets doodle where someone makes a scribble on paper and you have to make a picture,treasure hunt with everyone getting a list of things to find hidden etc. Then the next bag for snack time again slips of paper with snacks to make like jell-o,celery sticks with cream cheese,apple slices etc. The last bag is with everybodies name and who’s slip gets chosen gets to pick a movie. This lasts a few hours and we have fun doing it.
All you need is clay,pens,paper,jell-o,apples etc. Its well under $20.00.
Thank you so much for the great giveaway!
judybrittle at aol dot com

August 27th, 2008 at 8:12 am

Amanda:

I just thought of another :o). I really enjoying cooking and I think my children have gotten the bug too. This is a fun thing to do for any time of the year, providing heating up the oven isn’t a big deal for you in the dead of summer.

This activity is an all in one of sorts where the activity is part of getting dinner ready. I make my own pizza dough mid afternoon from white and wheat flour (extra grains in their diet, yeah!), yeast, honey, olive oil and water. I let it rise until evening when it’s time to make dinner. When I’m short on time and I don’t have any dough from the last time I made dough in the freezer I buy pre-made personal or family size pizza crusts. I’ll buy a bunch of ingredients for the pizza like pineapple, olives, mushrooms, 1% mozzarella cheese, maybe some pepperoni or salami, and pizza sauce. I also pick tomatoes and green onions and bell peppers from the garden in the summer and stick those on too.

I cut up the ingredients if needed and put them all in little bowls. I then take the pizza dough to the table after I’ve put sauce on (especially fun when they are personal pizzas)and let the kids make their own!

They love helping with dinner and creating a work of art they can eat! Then I stick them in the oven and when they’re done, we all have a nice evening around the table as a family sharing in our creations. It’s so much LESS expensive than ordering pizza out and can be a lot healthier too!

August 27th, 2008 at 8:20 am

Sierra:

How about a game of Twister? I think you can get that for around $10-15 at Wal-Mart. My kids always had so much fun playing that. (And it really tired them out — a nice bonus!)

Then for your after-dinner snack, you could have chocolate mouse (chocolate pudding mixed with Cool Whip) and red licorice … to remind them of how flexible they had to be during the game!

August 27th, 2008 at 9:14 am

Robyn:

My family likes to get everyone together and have a HUGE Bingo game with prizes, after the game we all attend our “movie theater” living room to pick a movie name out of a hat. During the the nights movie, one person, usually one of us mothers, run our “concession stand” in the kitchen. We have all sorts of goodies from popcorn to hot dogs

August 27th, 2008 at 10:01 am

Izzie:

First, after dinner, we would have a snack of sugar-free brownies. Then, we would have a toy walk. We buy some dollar store or garage-sale gifts and put them on the table. We use an old sheet with numbers on it, then walk around, stop when the music ends, then we call out a number. Child goes to toy table and picks his/her own prize. After winning, the child doesn’t walk again until each child has won a prize. We do this until we run out of toys!

August 27th, 2008 at 10:25 am

the mama hood:

Family fun doesn't have to take too much planning or money either, especially with younger kids. We have 4 kids all under 6 and one more on the way. One activity that is great for Saturday mornings and is a fun & easy activity for the younger kids is family breakfast/playtime in the park or backyard. Pack a simple breakfast from things from Wal-Mart.

Muffins from the Wal-Mart bakery.
Yogurt from Wal-Mart.
Juice boxes from Wal-mart.
Fruit from Wal-mart.

(Or substitute with Wal-Mart's Deli Family Meal Deals for Dinner.)

For the activities: use kid game supplies from Wal-mart, make it a day of kids games with fun and exercise with jump ropes,hopscotch,
duck duck goose, tag. etc.

Everyone well burn energy, calories and it's guaranteed to be a fun family memory to cherish and this isn't hard on your finances too!

kenzkween at hotmail dot com

August 27th, 2008 at 11:56 am

rayreadb:

I think a good family fun night would be watching a movie together and a good after dinner snack would be ice cream.

August 27th, 2008 at 2:55 pm

Alexia:

We try out different parks every time. I'm loath to change (lol) so this has been a great way to try new things. And we've found a couple of parks that we LOVE this way! You can make 'sub's' by buying the bread (like french bread but smaller?!?!) and the deli meat and cheese, make them at home, and carry them with you. My kids are younger too, and they really have had fun meeting dogs at the dog park, and playing in the water feature at a newer park. Oh, and mom & dad have to play too!

alexiamiguel(at)hotmail(dot)com

P.S. I was going to say the 'olymics' too but someone already got that one! I always like 'pillow case races' like potato sacks?! Have fun and what a great giveaway!

August 27th, 2008 at 4:02 pm

sweetsue:

This is fun for all ages. My children thought it up-we play birthday! Each person makes a gift or chooses something they already own for one family member and wraps it (very small children need help of course), we decorate the house with balloons then we all open our gifts and have store bought fancy cupcakes and icecream and sing happy birthday to each other. Silly but fun!
Wrapping paper is free since I save it. Cupcakes, icecream and baloons can all be purchased at Wal-mart for under $10.00 A good time had by all-priceless!

August 27th, 2008 at 4:18 pm

M.A.:

Time flies and everyone has fun playing Charades!

August 27th, 2008 at 6:54 pm

Michele:

Oh, I LOVE this question because we just did my idea while on vacation with my little niece and nephew. We made up our OWN game of Password….like the one on TV. The way we did it to make it more interactive for the kids, and also to make it to their level, was to let the kids be equally involved with the adults. Here is what we did.

1. Break off into teams and give each person on the team an equal number of index cards and a pencil. Then quietly, so the other team doesn’t hear the words, write one word on each card. Adults need to remember to keep in mind the age of the kids playing while making up their words. Some examples of words that we used are school, soccer, olympics, giraffe, skating, and math.

2. After both teams have made equal number of cards, exchange the cards so that team A has the cards that Team B made.

3. One member of Team A will take the first card off the pile that Team B made. After looking at the word, they then give a one word clue to another member of their OWN team who will give a one word guess as to what he/she thinks the word on the card is. This process is repeated three times unless the guesser guesses the word with less clues.

4. If the word was guessed correctly, Team A gets one point. If they missed it, no point is given. Whether the guesser guesses the word correctly or not, it’s Team B’s turn to go.

5. One member of Team B will take the first card off the pile that Team A made. After looking at the word, they then give a one word clue to another member of their OWN team who will give a one word guess as to what he/she thinks the word on the card is. This process is repeated three times unless the guesser guesses the word with less clues.

6. Each member of the team should get an opportunity to give to each member of their team, as well as guess from each member of their team.

7. The winner is determined by the team with the most points once all the cards are gone.

**Just a note: When we played with my little niece and nephew, we would give them reminders to think of all the clues together before making their guesses. They caught on pretty quickly. Don’t underestimate the ability of your child to give clues and guess words. My little niece and nephew had SO MUCH FUN playing this game with us, and they shocked us with how great their clues and guesses were!! This game is a great critical thinking game and a great family game!!

As a healthy and yummy snack that the family can make together, check out the following recipe:

Ingredients:
1. 1/2 to 3/4 cup golden raisins
2. 6 peeled green apples cut into
1/2 inch cubes
3. 1/2 cup almond slivers
4. 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and adjust amounts to your family’s taste. Enjoy!

Thanks so much!!
Michele R.(CA)
luvkittysmeowmail@gmail.com

August 27th, 2008 at 9:19 pm

diana:

Materials:
-cheapest yarn
-computer paper
-color pens
-pencil
-eraser
-glue
-scotch tape
(and/or any other random items they can find around the house that you approve of)

Split your children into groups of two. Show them each of the items they will be able to use in this task. Have each group create their own game within two hours with the items you have provided. (i.e. a board game, a race, new sport, etc). You set the rule if they do or do not have to use all the items you have provided. I feel it is more challenging if they have to incorporate all the items in their game.

When all groups are finished, have each group explain their new game to everyone. You now have three new games to play during family nights and the children will look forward to participating since they invented it.

Since this game has virtually no cost, you can splurge on the snack.

Pita Pizza:
-6 Pita Bread
-1 can Tomato Sauce
-1 tbs Olive Oil
-1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
-Any veggies/meats (precooked) you have in the fridge that you would like to use as toppings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush olive oil to the top of each pita bread, then spread a thin layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of the tomato sauce followed by your choice of toppings. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min, then serve.

It’s healthier then the traditional pizza with all same great taste.

Diane C.
miyoung54@gmail.com

August 28th, 2008 at 3:35 am

- Marybeth I.:

How about a vacation scrabooking party? You can make “vacation food” and each family member can take a family photo and help make a scrap book page while sharing memories.

August 28th, 2008 at 4:24 am

mannequin:

Do you or Dad have a GPS? If so, this no cost FUN is great for a family hike!
Everybody loves to find a treasure!
And since it’s a no coster, pack some juice boxes, fruit and …trail mix!

http://www.geocaching.com/

Have fun! Just think; we could go along with you on your hunt (cough, cough) if we had a VIDEO to watch!

August 28th, 2008 at 6:21 am

mom2:

I actually just did this the other day with my two little guys (2.5 and 10 months) we set up an obstacle course in the living room and then all helped each other get through it. We used just stuff that we have in the house, i.e. toys to jump over, ball to roll, tunnel to crawl through- we made activities that even the 10 month old could do with some prompting or help, and some more challenging ones that the 2.5 year old could do by himself. The boys loved it, and the 2.5 year old keeps asking when we are going to do the next “ostacle course” For a snack we made frozen orange juice pops- we did it before the obstacle course so they would be ready- just pour any kind of juice into an ice cube tray, cover with plastic and stick popsicle sticks through the plastic into the juice- place in freezer and wait. They were a yummy treat after all of our laughing during the games.

August 28th, 2008 at 7:30 am

steph:

For Family Fun night, have a “nature” scavenger hunt.
After dinner, gather everyone in the front or backyard with a box (and perhaps a small trash bag), give them a list of “nature” items they are to find (these will be determined, based on where you live…for example, we live near a creek in Florida. We regularly find sharks teeth and fossils in the creek, so those would be things that the children would hunt for, in addition to animal tracks or plants and insects). Don’t make the list *too* difficult or the children will get frustrated. You will probably want to include at least 15 items and perhaps some “bonus” items. You might even want to give bonus points for any items of “trash” the children find (we frequently find empty cans/bottles and food wrappers around our creek). You can either have each child do the scavenger hunt individually, or make “teams”. The winning team will receive a prize, perhaps a bug box or other nature type item or book. All participants will receive a “desert” prize….gummy worms and dirt (made from crushed Oreo cookies).

Once the scavenger hunt is completed, you can spend time learning about each of the items the children have found, using a nature book, if you have one, or the internet.

This is a very inexpensive and fun way to share an evening together.

August 28th, 2008 at 7:40 am

Sara:

Take a trip down memory lane and let the kids recount some of their fondest memories of previous family nights. You can give them drawing materials, they can act it out, or make some sock puppets (could be a whole night activity??) and have them do a show. You and Dad can come up with your own stories to recount also. You can do simple snacks like popcorn, m&m's, brownies or rice crispy treats if you have the time. The older kids will have fun being creative with their story telling and coming up with the perfect memory, while the younger ones will just enjoy being part of the mix and watching their older siblings be silly.

August 28th, 2008 at 8:22 am

kmbennet:

Our local park has movie in the park night with childrens movies. We just bring a blanket, snacks, and extra friends if they get bored. They love it. Thanx for the contest.

August 28th, 2008 at 1:23 pm

Lisa~Crazy Adventures in Parenting:

I love the ideas listed thus far! Regardless of who wins, we all do from getting such fabulous ideas and sharing!

Our home is also a big one, we’re expecting our 6th child at the end of September, and most of our children are also under the age of 8, so I can relate to your family We are a family that loves the outdoors, not to mention the fact that we just moved (military) and wanted to make our new home look ‘pretty’ outside. I’m also one for crafts and gardening, so bearing all of this in mind, I came up with something fun for the entire family, including even the littlest (19 months) It was a huge hit and lasted the entire night!

We had the kids throw on bathing suits with old clothes over top. See, we had bought some cute clay pots from Walmart, the plain ones, some inexpensive paints in the craft aisle with a set of brushes, and we had each of the kids paint their own pot. We laid out the newspaper on the porch and let the kids ‘have at it’ I even posted the picture of my 19 month old doing it on my blog They made wonderful creations that we’re going to be able to enjoy for a long time! We also picked up a small bag of potting soil and a flat of inexpensive flowers that are easy to grow (such as impatiens), but it really depends upon where you’re located and what’s available, someone at Walmart should be able to direct you to what might be the easiest for your area and children along with season. Good news is it will all be under $20

Now, once the pots are painted and dried, have them wash up and sit for a nice snack, something not too heavy, such as flavored popcorn - by making a popcorn bar! Popping regular popcorn (microwave or otherwise), dividing it amongst each person into their own bowl and then having them choose which kind they want and add what they’d like to it is always fun, such as cinnamon butter, garlic salt and butter, or maybe some chocolate drink powder shaken over the melted buttered popcorn, yum! (Not to mention, these are all probably things you have on hand already, so no additional shopping involved!) You could, if you still had money left over, could also get a dried ranch packet, or dried italian seasoning packet, have some chocolate syrup or honey or ice cream topping (like caramel) and some nuts as well.

Once everyone’s had their snack and had fun creating it and the snack is all cleaned up, the pots should be dry and ready for planting! Break open that bag of soil and dig in! The kids, even little ones, will love using their hands, and it’s so much fun to get your hands into the soil!

Once potted and after their beautiful creations have been admired, and pictures have been taken (if they haven’t been all during the process, like us), have the kids strip off their old clothes, dirt and all, and get out the hose and GET WET! They need to wash up after getting potting soil all over them, AND water their new plants, why not make it fun!

As I said, it will last an entire night, depending upon when you start (you might want to start early, shortly after dinner, to use sunlight to help dry the pots) but it is SO much fun and is something you will be able to enjoy many times over, each time you look at their pots and care for their new plants

Thanks for the chance to enter, and regardless of who wins, thanks for this contest and for the awesome ideas!!!

crazyadventuresinparenting@gmail.com

August 28th, 2008 at 4:39 pm

Ida:

My family of seven like to play the Wii Fit together.Fun and get exercise at the same time!Thank you for having a contest!

August 28th, 2008 at 6:32 pm

mannequin:

With the holidays quickly approaching and so many families in need, how about reinforcing how wonderful for everyone it is to share?
At Walmart, buy the family one of the pre-made wooden craft boxes (about$5), some paint and brushes (let’s say 8 colors for $8), brushes at $2 and that leaves us $5. With that $5, let’s get some bling and glue. Sparkly ones, holiday, an asst for $3. We have $2 left and let’s ask for that in coins, the kids will like the clinking sound it makes falling into the box.

We don’t have any left for snacks. Maybe since we’re talking about sharing and families that might need food, we should go to the kitchen as a family after making that donation box, look in the fridge and see what we can whip up if we had no money, no food to buy any additional. The kids will do fine, I’m sure there’s SOMETHING in there and that’s a surefire way to make it all HIT HOME. Remember those coins we got? Distribute them between the kids for their very first donation. Talk about who you’ll donate to and when, everyone gets a vote!

Keep the donation box out for all to see, for all to donate whatever they can and for all to take to your desired choice of charity when the time comes.

A lesson, a fun and creative night and a happy recipient of your childrens kindness.

August 28th, 2008 at 8:48 pm

Teresa:

We take a ride to our local grocery store and I let each of my kids choose two pieces of fruit and one small container of yogurt to create their own smoothie! This is actually a snack and activity in one, because they get to help with every part of preparing the snack, with the exception of cutting the fruit.I find that this is a fun way to get my kids to try healthy foods without pressure!

August 29th, 2008 at 7:44 am

Jessilyn82:

We love having backyard camp outs! After dinner the kids will help set up a tent in the backyard. They have fun selecting which pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals they want to bring out with them. The kids love catching lightning bugs and trying to match the constellations up with the pictures on the book. Once it gets dark we roast marshmallows over a small charcoal grill and take turns telling scary stories and catching up with what’s going on in all of our lives. It’s a great change of pace and a fun way to re-connect.

August 29th, 2008 at 11:01 am

Parker Family:

OK, I thought of another one. How about beach night in the middle of winter. Have everyone wear their swimsuits, bring their beach towels, and have beach party in the living room.

You could play musical towels, or have a dance off like those old Frankie and Annette movies. Show them how to do the twist, and put on some Beach Boys and go at it.

For desert you could roast hot dogs over the fire, or make up smoothies. You could put the little umbrellas in them if you happen to find them at your WalMart, if not, those can be skipped.

Oh, you could also make your own leis (sp?) by cutting a flower shape out of construction paper, and cutting plastic straws into sections. Then take some string and thread a piece of straw, then a flower (poke a hole in the middle of the flower!) then the straw, etc. Continue adding until it’s the length you want. Then everyone has their own lei to wear.

cutiecoversnmore(at)yahoo(dot)com

August 29th, 2008 at 4:30 pm

Amy:

I didn’t read the other entries yet because I don’t want to get any other ideas..hehe. But here is my idea.

It would be called Colorful Night.

1. Tell everyone (you and hubby too!) to get dressed in your favorite color.

2. Using that same favorite color, you are going to have a Play dough party. Yes, a little bit messy but so much fun for the little ones!
You can make the playdough from scratch using this recipe:

No Fuss Play Dough

1 cup cold water
1 cup salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Food coloring

In a large bowl, mix together water, salt, oil and a few drops of food coloring. Mix flour and cornstarch and add 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly (you may need a little more or a little less than 2 cups flour so make sure you stir in until it is the right consistency). Knead for a few minutes with flour on your hands.

–
Depending on the age, you can let them do almost all the steps. Help the kids make their “favorite color” by mixing the food coloring. Of course that will need your help for the littlest ones. Once everyone has all their colors mixed up they can start playing and sharing their colors with each other. Work together to make one big family castle, village or whatever other creation they think of.

Next, make sure you take a picture of your masterpiece with all the kiddos. Gotta have a memory of the night!

For the yummy snack, I think it would be fun for them to make their own chocolate or white chocolate dipped pretzels with of course, COLORFUL Sprinkles!

Here is little blurb on how to do that from about.com.

http://candy.about.com/od/chocolate/r/dipped_pretzels.htm

Have fun!

Amy

August 29th, 2008 at 5:12 pm

KLF113:

My vote is for a scavenger hunt - my son always loved them, and now my daughter does too (they are 15 years apart in age!)
I draw the clues so non-readers can also participate. You could also take photos & easily print with your digital camera. Everyone draws a number to see who goes first. The first child is handed a clue - for example a picture of the couch. That child gets to search the couch for the second clue - which he/she hands to child #2…etc etc until you get to the last clue - a picture of the refrigerator/freezer. where they will find the treasure - ice cream! Everyone gets their own bowl & spoon, a scoop of ice cream, and lots of syrups and toppings to decorate (you can use fruits like berries, canned peaches, plus gummy bears & starwberry syrup - we tend to avoid chocolate at night here but thats a personal choice lol!) All ingredients purchased at Walmart for well under $20- and maybe add a movie afterwards as well. Yummy!

August 29th, 2008 at 8:23 pm

Chris & Amanda:

We get a big roll of craft paper and decorate with any/all craft supplies (glitter, crayons, feathers, beads, etc). The kids like having a big enough canvas to do a variety of things, and at the end we have wrapping paper!

Any snack will work, we like popcorn mixed with nuts.

August 30th, 2008 at 5:27 am

lorides:

my kids always want to go camping and I am not a camping kind of gal. So, in the beginning of the summer i set up my husband’s old camping tent in the back yard and we do camp type activities like a nature search where I give each kid a card with certain thing such as a flower a cricket a bird etc. and they check off what they can find. For the 2 year old I put pictures on the paper and she checks them off that way. They love it. Then we do the smores thing. I had bought a smores kit at target that the kids really love. Then we sleep inside with the ac on!up

August 30th, 2008 at 5:52 am

Erica:

We have our own pool parties. Sometimes we invite other people sometimes we don’t. We lounge on rafts, race across the pool, play Marco-Polo and other fun pool games.

egreca (at) hotmail {dot} com

August 30th, 2008 at 10:16 am

Anonymous:

Pudding Painting!
Enjoy the last few days of summer with pudding painting. Make several different flavors of pudding (you can even add coloring to get more colors), grab paint brushes and paper and meet in the backyard. Everyone can paint (paper or themselves) and eat this activity. The more pudding the better. Then when all the pudding is gone, turn on the sprinklers and run through until everyone is clean. My kids love this!

Katherine
kccuties(at)gmail(dot)com

August 30th, 2008 at 8:48 pm

Jenn:

My personal favorite fun activity with my kids is a scavenger hunt. Tons of variations some times we are pirates following a tresure map. You can look for any thing inside or outside so weather is not a factor. Age well it can be as easy or hard as you want. The list is as long or short as you want, or the map is as detailed as you want. I think it helps kids learn to read maps and understand how surroundings are represented in one demension. If it is a true scavenger hunt it makes them think outside the box. Where might I find an acorn? near any tree or a certain kind of tree…. as for our favorite snack LOL I like to freeze go gurts. The kids think it is a popcicle but I like that it is healthier. So we all win.Grow our minds and bodies as for cost… I would guess under $10 for the whole evening. This is also good on trips since it takes up no room just paper and a pencil.I could just keep going on and on. with more details but I hope you get the picture from my discription.

August 30th, 2008 at 9:14 pm

Jenn:

We love to make obstacle courses up as a fun game for the kids. While we relax on the porch the kids go run a made up course and when they get back I make another one. I usually have them run around the tree 3 times but you could add counterclockwise for the older kids, fly on the swing once , do a flip on the trapese bar, touch the pine tree and run back and high five me. After 10 runs they either are exahusted or keep going. It helps them keep a list in order and follow direction that is verbal. My kids are 4 and 3 so it is kinda dora like in that we start wit h3 things and build but if they lose track I just call it out so we can keep playing.For our family snack we love Popcorn it is filling but not heavy.

August 30th, 2008 at 9:21 pm

Jenn:

My last post I swear. We love to look at pictures. If you have a collection of all the kids from diffferent ages mix them up( be sure to have copies so if they get messed up your not upset) then have the kids sort them by who it is and by time line. With that many kids it could be a lot of fun to see that they looked similar or different at certain ages. It is a great activity to bond the family and makes my kids giggle to look at old pictures of myself and hubby. It is interesting to see how we were dressed as kids, cars that were around.. It makes them look for details to guess exactly who it is in the picture. Okay snack we like to go healthy if we can so we do veggies with dip. We make designs or things out of the veggies. Such as a train we used cucumber wheels ,carrots to make the box of the train, celery for the smoke stack and cherry tomatoes for the smoke. it just seems more fun to eat veggies if we made the design together.

August 30th, 2008 at 9:30 pm

Gretchen Magruder:

Hunting for Breakfast in the Trees!! My mom started this tradition when I was a child, and my family loves this! Mom wraps muffins, fruit, granola bars, yogurt cups in bandanas or dish towels, and then hangs them from branches in the trees in our large yard. It’s usually a surprise for a Saturday morning…when the kids get up, we tell them we need to “find” our breakfast this morning, then have an early morning picnic in the backyard!!

August 31st, 2008 at 5:34 am

Principal Sal:

I like to teach my kids about service. I think a great idea for your kids of all ages would be a service car wash for your neighbors. You can purchase all of the necessary cleaning supplies at your local walmart or your own garage. The things you will need:
buckets, sponges, mild soap, old rags, windex, paper towels, posterboard, markers, shop vacuum, and a water source nearby. Begin the activity by having the kids use the posterboard to make a sign announcing the activity. I would also explain to them that they are doing service for others. Let all of the kids wear their swimsuits and have fun washing cars. You could set up a few stations…the actual car wash, the vacuum station (away from the water), the window station, and the drying station. This activity would provide lots of fun for your family as well as teaching them an important lesson about service. The family friendly snack would have to be popsicles, of course! You can get those at Walmart too!!! Have Fun!

August 31st, 2008 at 8:02 am

~Kim~:

You’v got some great ideas posted here. A fun thing to do is buy a pack of jelly belly jelly beans and give each child the same one and have them guess the flavor of jelly bean it is. You could throw in an occasional “green grass” flavor just to throw them off…they may even guess it. LOL. It’s fun. You sound like a fun family!

August 31st, 2008 at 8:52 am

Gianna:

Cooking together is always fun. Plan a meal where everyone can make their own so they can enjoy the results and learn something in the process.

August 31st, 2008 at 10:29 am

FLpet:

The Pizza Olympics party!

Can be combined with dinner too. Purchase refrigerated pizza dough and pat out 6 little pizza crusts for each child, even little ones love to decorate so this is fun for all ages. Put out a few toppings like pepperoni or fresh pineapple and a dish of sauce. Each child can decorate their snack pizza and enjoy the finished product. You can also make dessert pizzas with sugar cookies, some fresh fruit slices and a little cream cheese with powdered sugar mixed in. This can be a fun food craft for kids’ parties as well (a hit at a 5 year olds’s party.)

After dinner do a “pin the pepperoni on the pizza” cut out a large round piece of paper and let the kids decorate the sauce and cheese. Have round paper circles or stickers on hand and take turns trying to hit the middle of the pizza! You can also make a simple “olympic games” setup with a few hula hoops and a few jump ropes or inflatable swim rings (like a tire jumping obstacle course.) Each kid can run the course and then celebrate afterword. This keeps the kids active and they can use their creativity with art, cooking and athletics too! Very little cost for the entire evening, but a fun and lasting night will be had by all.

August 31st, 2008 at 11:02 am

Tiffanie W.:

One snack the kids love are crackers with sausage and cheese on top. It’s great finger food, and healthier than popcorn or junkfood. A great activity is painting your own wooden blocks. Just use wooden blank blocks from the craft store, and friendly paint. Cover your table with foil to prevent damage!

sparkofutterance@hotmail.com

August 31st, 2008 at 2:20 pm

pitaharmon:

Earlier in the day have the kids make the snack-I use Trix yogurt (because of the pretty colors) and each kid scoops out the yogurt and spoons it into a popsicle mold. It will make cool swirly designs. If you don’t have a mold, just have them stir it up in the cup it comes in (to make the swirly designs), put plastic wrap or tin foil over it, they put a popsicle stick in the middle. Freeze.
Activity: (make earlier in day too) I use one ice cube tray per kid, (or some other plastic container if you want a bigger one) I will fill it with water, then I drop a trinket of some kind in each cube, (I use things we already have in our “tiny things box”), like a marble, coin, little plastic animals, tiny pokemon from their own playset, game pieces, lego guys, even beads or buttons or tiny cute erasers. When frozen, I give everyone a cookie sheet, set out warm cups or bowls of water and give them droppers, like from medicine bottles, or even the old dropper from our sea monkey kit, or even a small water gun with warm water…pop out the cubes, you can see there is a prize inside. They drop water onto the cube, it starts to melt, revealing a treasure. When you start getting melted water on the cookie sheet, I use (or give them) those cheap rectangle sponges that really suck up the water, they ring it out themselves in a bowl in the middle of the table (or you can do it). Even when I use things we already have, my kids LOVE doing this. It can be done outside, but if its too hot, the cubes will melt without them doing the fun part. I have even used those Glad plastic containers, and made each kid an ice brick, with their own little dinosaurs, pet shop pets, army guys, tiny screwdriver, little light sabers, they couldn’t get enough. Don’t worry if things float up, or even stick out a little, just push it down when it freezes a bit or put the lid on the container (if it has a lid) my kids liked “saving” their lego men from the frozen “ice glacier”. If you want to hide the treasure more, you can put food color in the water, but then you have colorful melted water to sponge up. It WILL keep them busy, I have 4 kids ages 3 to 13.Good luck in whatever you do!
harmonden[at]wowway.com

August 31st, 2008 at 2:35 pm

siddons69:

we use a wii to have a bowling night. we try to make it just like the bowling alley. hot dogs, nachos, potato chips and lots of soda. ive seen a lot of really good ideas on the blog. best blog ive seen ever

August 31st, 2008 at 3:08 pm

singermagic1:

have a family night baking cookies and then icing them, set out muffin tins with different toppings in each container, use small spoons, like sample spoons from the ice cream store, andd let the decorating begin

August 31st, 2008 at 4:10 pm

Anonymous:

It is so much fun for all of us to make seasonal and holiday cookies. Refrigerator dough cookies or mixes or your own favorite cookie recipe could be used. Sprinkles, frosting, colored sugar etc. make the cookies beautiful and tasty plus there is always plenty to share! Thanks! senekers@comcast.net

August 31st, 2008 at 4:51 pm

Julie Vineyard:

I am really enjoying reading everyone’s ideas. Thanks for the contest too!

August 31st, 2008 at 5:25 pm

Janel:

I have two kids with a big age gap(an 8 yr gap) so finding something they both like to do is a challenge. One thing that is always a hit at our house is board games…we have a variety of them candyland,monopoly jr, connect four,hungry hippo, but the all time favorite is called Jumping Monkeys. It is game my 5 yr old got as a gift and basically you flick your monkey and try to get it to land in a tree…it is much harder than it looks.

For an after dinner snack we have a new favorite which I found from Rachael Ray. It’s called candy sushi. Basically it is rice cripy treats rolled up in a fruit roll up. So make rice cripsy treats following the package on marshmellows, once cooled cut a piece,put a piece of red liqu0rice and place it inside of a fruit roll up, then roll it up. I cut it into fourths and they look kinda like sushi. It is fun and easy enough for little kids to make with minimal assistance.
email:
ajberchielli (at) yahoo (dot) com

August 31st, 2008 at 6:35 pm

Michelle:

Supplies:
- 2 full decks of cards
- 2 Double Muffin Tins (by this I mean the ones that make 1 dozen muffins at a time) - since there are so many smaller children the mini tins would be better.
-Assorted Snacks: Best to buy boxes of already prepackaged snacks/cookies/candies or you can use items already in your frideg & cupboard….
Depends on your idea of snacks:
-Healthy: raisins, minipretzels, almonds, dried fruit
-Sweet: cookies, M&Ms, mini-marshmellows, peanut butter crackers,candies, butterscotch chips.

Fill your muffin tins with varied snacks…1 muffin divet will be 1 reward..so maybe 1 or 2 cookies or a small handful of raisins, etc.

Spread the deck of cards out either all over a large coffeetable or on the floor - facedown. You are basically going to play a large game of memory. Whenever someone uncovers a pair, they get to choose their snack out of the muffin tin.

August 31st, 2008 at 6:38 pm

Leslie:

Trail Mix Flip.

In the these of the Flip Camera, here's an idea for a "flip activity" on the cheap.

After dinner, set out bowls of favorite small snacks that can go in a trail mix (granola, m&ms, raisins, peanuts, cheerios, coconut flakes, etc - make sure to include everyone's favorites). Then let everyone create a small baggy trail mix of their own.

Then set out on the trail with your bag trail mix and a coin. When you are at the end of your driveway, one member gets to flip a coin to determine which direction to go. Heads - turn left. Tails - turn right. Each time you get to a corner, the last person who flips hands the coin to a new family member and you flip again to see which way to go. You can go for about half the time you want to be out, and then work together to retrace your steps.

This gets you outside with a snack and gets some exercise in.

Happy trailing!

August 31st, 2008 at 7:15 pm

pam:

Yes, my idea is a board game, but it’s no regular board game. It’s a game called Cranium. The good thing about Cranium is that you pair up, so the little ones can be helped by a parent. Plus, with this game, you have to use your creativity and it sends you all over your house, so you get off that couch, too. Our favorite snack is popcorn, with different toppings….white cheese, garlic, etc.

August 31st, 2008 at 7:22 pm

Sarah:

My favorite game is Apples to Apples. It's a great game to play with varying ages. Even the littlier ones can just toss in a card and sometimes win.

Snack — Slice open a banana, sprinkle with chocolate chips & marshmallows, wrap in foil & bake til melty & delicious.

August 31st, 2008 at 7:38 pm

Deb:

We have one of those portable grill pits, and many nights this summer we’d get a fire going in the backyard, and toast marshmellows and/or make smores. The kids then put on their favorite tunes and put on a show for mom and dad. Numerous times, this turned out to be a neighborhood event, and these were really fun evenings.

August 31st, 2008 at 9:24 pm

Jinxy and Me:

A fun thing to do is to make build-your-own dessert tarts. Get the shallow strawberry shortcake shells, or if you want to be more healthy you can do the same thing with sweetened rice cakes (we like chocolate or caramel flavored). Have bowls of a "sticky" agent like frosting and/or chocoloate syrup, jam. Then lots of toppings -M&Ms, dried fruit, chocoloate chips, sprinkles etc. You can see who can make the most creative, the prettiest, etc. and then eat them! If you still have time in the hour, a good old-fashioned game of charades is always fun and doesn't need any equipment!

August 31st, 2008 at 10:16 pm

Samantha P:

After dinner snack yogurt parfaits with choices of fruit, that’s always yummy!

building giant forts in the living room is a lot of fun, and then sleeping in them after is a lot of fun!

September 1st, 2008 at 1:09 am

striving...:

Hi okay, so for a snack, healthy banana splits, also good for breakfast. One banana cut in half, your favorite kind of yogurt, some sprinkles chocolote, and a cherry on top. Then for the activity, gather your old magazines. Get one photo frame from the dollar store for each person. Choose a theme, i.e. animals, shapes, colors: This can be made as simple as need be, or a little more challenging for teh older kids, and hubby and you. So once you have chosen your theme, have the picture search. Search for your theme and cut out pics. Glue on the cardboard from the pic. frame. When your done just put the frame over your pic. And everybody has their own special art. And very inexpensive also. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for the chance. ciao

September 1st, 2008 at 6:10 am

kohndr:

We make homemade musical instruments and then play them as a family band

September 1st, 2008 at 6:46 am

Corrine:

Family History Night:

Print off pictures of family members, old and new, making a memory game.SO you will want to print two of each picture and make them all the same size. (you may want to laminate them to play at another time.)

After playing the memory matching game, play a real memory game and ask the kids to share memories of the people they are holding cards of, this is fun because even the smallest of smallest have some sort of memory of family members.

The treat part, is one that should be a fun family recipe of sorts, but if you don’t have one, how about a family tree cake. Using two cake mixes (what are they 97 cents at Walmart) make one 9×13 and a bunch of cupakes.

You will want to cut the 9×13 to look like a pot just trimming off part of the edges. Then place it on a tag (poster) board, which you will draw your branches. Put the cupakes on the branches as fruits with each resembling a family member of some sort…it looks really cute.

September 1st, 2008 at 8:16 am

Corrine:

Another one of our favorites is cookie baking scavenger hunt (you have to know your neighbors fairly well) the kids split up in two groups (one with mom one with dad) and go to the neighbors house in search of the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies or other favorite cookie. You will have most of the ingredients but gathering from neighbors is fun.

Then return home, make the cookies, plate them up and return them to your neighbors for them to enjoy as well.

(You may want to make a batch before hand so it doesn’t go too late in the night.)

corrinesim at yahoo dot com

September 1st, 2008 at 8:20 am

joannaonthelake:

One Fun Family event/activity that we have actually done twice and had much success with is my husband Hudson and I gather our 3 children and at least a dozen children from our church together at our home to create holiday Christmas Cards for soldiers in Iraq. We do this on the Saturday night after Thanksgiving and we purchase and supply all the arts and crafts needed to make the cards. Our Church simultaneously packages boxes of all kinds of gifts for the soldiers and our cards go into those boxes. You would be shocked to see how creative the children can be! We also make Christmas cookies during the evening and decorate them and the kids eat them throughout the night as they are making the cards. What takes us 3 hours to create takes me 2 days to clean up after, but it is so worth every minute of it! You can incorporate this activity for other Holidays and special events depending on time of year and where your interests are.
joannaonthelake@gmail.com

September 1st, 2008 at 11:17 am

Melissa:

Old Fashioned Fun Night

Because kids these days are glued to the television or computer, so many miss out on what is just good, simple fun that generations before lived every day.

Start the evening out with an old fashioned Taffy Pull. All you need are the following ingredients:
2 cups dark molasses
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp baking soda
Cook molasses, sugar and vinegar over high heat until it reaches a hard boil. Then remove from the heat and add soda. Stir extremely well. Pour out on well buttered cookie sheet and allow to cool slightly so it is not too hot to touch. Butter each child’s hands well and pair them up. Have them begin to pull the taffy between them. As they pull, it will become bigger and bigger and lighter and lighter. Eventually you will have ropes of taffy. You can then snip the taffy into pieces and layer in between wax paper in a well sealed container.

After you have enjoyed your taffy pull, set out fun and old fashioned games such as marbles and pick-up sticks. These can still be purchased at places like Walmart for very inexpensively and have the directions on the package for those of us who have forgotten how to play! You can also make a simple hopscotch board using chalk on the driveway. Leap frog is another great old-fashioned game that seems to have been forgotten, but kids love. Spend some time allowing each child to enjoy playing each game before moving onto the final activity of the night.

End the evening with creating a Family Time Capsule so that future generations can get a glimpse of the types of things your family enjoyed doing when “those were the days”! You can use an empty and clean 2 liter soda bottle that has been cut around the bottom so that it has a wide opening. Ask each member of the family to find something to put in the capsule that shows what they enjoy doing. You might also gather a newspaper article, a list of prices of gas and grocery store items, along with your family’s favorite movies and television shows. Compose a letter together telling a little about each member of the family and include a picture. Tape the end of the bottle closed and find a place to either bury or hide your capsule.

September 1st, 2008 at 11:40 am

Dani':

Sandy fun!

Native American Sand Painting-
Do this one outside! You will need some craft sand or sandbox sand (amazingly cheap for a giant bag), glue, pencils or crayons, and paper. Color the sand with food coloring if not already colored. Draw a design on paper. Go over the lines with glue. Then add colored sand by sprinkling over glue. You can use cups of sand for better effect. If you want to recycle the sand do this craft over a dishpan. Let dry and you have your own sand art.

Snack: Sand cups, recipe here

September 1st, 2008 at 12:42 pm

Cuddle Cottage:

You have a nice-sized brood so I think my favorite childhood game,”Pass The Parcel”, would be a hit!

Purchase a couple cheap, fun toys (Enough so each kid gets one, 88c toys from Walmart work well). Wrap each toy in a layer of old wrapping paper. Follow that with several layers of old newspaper (the more layers, the longer the game will go on.).

Here’s how to play: One parent is in charge of music and sits with their back to everyone. The kids plus the other parent sit in a circle and get ready to pass a mystery package from one to the next. The sound of the music playing is the signal for the kids to start passing the parcel. The parent whose back is turned must let the music play abit, thne suddenly and randomly stop the music. Whoever has the parcel at that moment gets to tear off one layer of paper - and so it goes on. Once the kids get through the newsprint and to the real wrapping paper, they are just one layer from the prize. The person holding the parcel when the music stops on the last layer is the winner!

Of course, there is a lot of ’slow’ passing and hoping the music will stop, or grabbing for the parcel once the kids realize what the game is about, but there is also a lot of excitement and anticipation and its a great way to teach playing fair!

If you want to ensure each kid gets a prize, you can ‘rig’ the game just a little - the parent in the circle can discreetly signal to DJ parent when to halt the music.

To accompany this evening of family fun, I recommend the following quick and healthy snack which, aside from being healthy, is also a great activity. Have the ingredients (celery, cream cheese, granola and raisins) ’stations’ set up and the kids can help assemble their part of the tasty treat, then pass it on down the line to the next station:)

1 pack Celery stalks
1 carton Cream cheese
Approx ½ cup Granola
Approx ½ cup Raisins

Cut the celery into small, manageable sticks. Wash and dry the sticks. Spread approx one tablespoon of cream cheese into each stick. Cover the cream cheese with a layer of granola, and press the granola down. Add a few raisins to the granola layer and serve!

belinda_streak(at)hotmail(dot)com

September 1st, 2008 at 1:36 pm

carol drury:

cdrury@gmail.com
we like scavanger hunts - for kids who cant read you can draw pictures!

September 1st, 2008 at 2:21 pm

Nicole:

Introducing open mic night at Club FDtD! Using items from around your house, create a small stage area. A curtain rod and two sheets can be used to create the curtain for behind the stage area. If you have two trees near each other, you can do it outside. Otherwise, set it up inside the house using things like step ladders to set the curtain rod on. Be sure to set up chairs for the guests to sit in and even small tables (if available) for snacks and drinks!

Using a real karaoke machine or even a children’s pretend microphone, host an open mic night. Take turns stepping up and either singing, dancing, doing stand-up comedy (kids can do knock knock jokes) or just reading a story or poem. It gives everyone a chance to overcome stage fright in the comfort of their own home! Something that will be very useful for the kids as they get older and even a fun opportunity for adults to hone their skills. Be sure to run the flip camera!

For snacks, serve kiddie cocktails (even if it’s just lemon-lime soda with a cherry in it). What open mic night would be complete without popcorn and peanuts? With a $20 budget, you should be able to pick up some ‘bar’ food like mozzarella sticks and hot wings in addition to the peanuts and popcorn! Wal-Mart has an awesome selection of these types of foods at affordable prices!

It’s an educational experience as well as a lot of fun. It gives you an opportunity to make suggestions to each child to highlight their talents and help them prepare for the show. If you want to go all out, have the kids help put together a program to hand out to all the guests.

Have fun! Hope you like my suggestion!

sahmtoo at gmail dot com

September 1st, 2008 at 4:14 pm

Susanne:

We love finger foods helped to be made by the kids and a Disney movie. I know not very creative but we have a great time!

September 1st, 2008 at 5:01 pm

kerri69:

i would go for a walk and make it an adventure have a list of certain items to find like cool rocks look for certain things that are interesting for their age group then when you get back for a snack i would do scoops of vanilla ice cream and set out certain toppings for sundaes and let them enjoy and go thru there stuff they found on their walk

September 1st, 2008 at 8:23 pm

Heather:

A snack? Can’t beat jello jigglers. Or is that too messy? Maybe some homemade frozen-fresh-grapejuice bars. Yum.

An activity I always loved? Getting the butcher paper and outlining everyone to make body outlines and then decorating each with faces, hair and clothes out of all kinds of stuff. It’s a hoot and not that expensive.

September 1st, 2008 at 8:29 pm

Rockin' Mama:

I think you should buy one of those shaved ice makers (I saw one at Target for 12.97) and have that as a snack and play charades! : )

jasonncaryn at yahoo dot com

September 1st, 2008 at 9:18 pm

Elizabeth:

Our son loves the water and spending time by the pool is one of his favorite things to do. The best snack for him are frozen grapes, he loves them and with this heat they are just wonderful, not only that, they are healthy.

September 2nd, 2008 at 5:41 am

Tatiana:

You can make instruments out of old jars and beans. Use different materials like metal and rice for different sounds!! Kids love this! Its frugal and fun!
Snack: You will need apples, grapes, peanut butter and chocolate chips.

This is a fun snack, it looks like a frog when your through!
Slice up the apple ( if you have a corer thats even easier).
Take two slices and put peanut butter between them-this will be your mouth. Next is the eyes. Dab peanut butter on top of the mouth you just made. Stick on grapes for eyes! Dab peanut butter on the grapes and stick on chocholate chips! It is really fun and the kids and make them! Let me know if you need a picture, i dont know if i explained it well!

tatiana_kalil@yahoo.com

September 2nd, 2008 at 5:42 am

Lori:

So here’s a new one: Check out http://www.pdga.com/course and see if there is a disc golf course near your home. If there is, bring some discs or frisbees, lots of water and some powerbars (a personal favorite for our family are Odwalla’s Berries GoMega, which you can order with free shipping through Amazon at about 90 cents a bar).

Disc golf is really fun. It is usually in a park and has cement pads for tee off and the goal is to hit the post at the end with your frisbee or disc. When you’re out there you can usually find discs that aren’t labeled with the owner’s name and keep them.

Also, it’s really fun to make your own score cards. My 3 year old loves seeing her name on the card!

September 2nd, 2008 at 5:54 am

Becky:

I come from a crafty family and since money is tight this year we have decided to make most of our Christmas presents to each other.

One craft the kids love to do is to make Shrinky Dink crafts. I also love this craft because it takes me back to my childhood when I was fascinated by Shrinky Dinks.

You can buy Shrink Dinks at Walmart. You can make necklaces or bracelets by buying some cheap yarn or lanyard ropes. You trace whatever template you want on the Shrinky Dink plastic. Remember that it will shrink about 30-50 percent. You color the Shrinky Dinks with colored pencils or permanent markers. Since permanent markers are scary in the hands of little children, my daughter who is two uses colored pencils. If colored pencils are used, you will have to sand the Shrinky Dink plastic with fine grit sandpaper. You can buy this for about 2 dollars at Wal Mart or you can raid your garage. Cut out your templates leaving space at the top to punch a hole using a hold punch.

Follow the baking instructions listed on the back of the Shrinky Dinks. The Dinks will curl up, but will eventually lay flat again. Be careful when you remove them from the oven as they will be hot!

Wait for them to cool and then thread them on your string of choice making it into a charm bracelet, gift tag, or necklace! For more ideas, visit http://www.shrinkydinks.com

For a snack, you can make cupcakes. I say cupcakes because since your oven is heated already, you can save more energy by using an oven already preheated! A second snack alternative are Snoopy Snacks. Easy to make and they can be cooling as you are making your Dinks. Melt one cup of chocolate chips on the stove, low heat. Add one cup of peanut butter and melt and stir together. Mix in one cup of cereal of your choice, Rice Krispies or Cheerios work best. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and drop scoops of the Snoopy Snack onto the wax paper in small scoops. Freeze for about an hour or until hard. Pull out of the freezer and enjoy!

I hope you like the craft idea, we love craft night in our house!!

Becky
jbeckyn@Yahoo.com

September 2nd, 2008 at 6:23 am

Janne:

Our family recently joined up with nine of our neighbors to hold an Oreo Olympics.

I blogged about it here.
http://janne.cc/blog/2008/09/02/oreo-olympics/

If you wanted to have the Olympics with just your family, you would simply have fewer teams…two teams of four, instead of four.

All of my children had a blast, with such activities as Oreo shuffleboard, Oreo Sculpting, Oreo Stacking, Oreo Relays, and Oreo Throwing contests.

The cost? Less than $20. A few packages of Oreos (or generic Oreos), and some sculpting supplies of your choice — in our case, frosting, Pringles, M&Ms, Pretzels…

The best part — the snack is built right in! The children delighted in eating their Oreo sculptures!

Just add milk!

September 2nd, 2008 at 6:27 am

Tori:

One of my favorite memories from when I was young, was creating plays with my siblings to perform for our parents. We would also pretend we were news anchors. We’d use a table and turn it on it’s side for our news desk/play area. As for snacks, I’d definitely recommend making Bakerella’s cup cake pops. They’re really easy to make (if you follow her easy cup cake pop recipe), inexpensive to make, and the result is delicious!

September 2nd, 2008 at 6:32 am

Anonymous:

Host a fashion show. My 6 year old loves to put on her hannah montana, camp rock and disney outfits. Sometimes we add popcorn and music - tons of fun

laura.m.hutchcroft AT uscg.mil

September 2nd, 2008 at 6:38 am

Amy:

We actually have FAMILY FUN NIGHTS with a different theme each time. Our more recently documented FFF was a CIRCUS NIGHT (afterall, it usually is a circus here!

Each member of the family can dress up as a different clown (or ringmaster, animal, et.c). We used a combo of dress-up clothes + a new hat & tie.

Snack/dessert includes clown faces made with veggies of your choosing. And/or animal crackers.

Followed by an art project of creating a clown face with elbow mac as hair & bingo dobbers as a nose.

After that, the games begin. My kids planned the games ahead of time. A large cheap plastic bowl atop someone's head catches a small ball. A hula hoop propped sideways also catches a ball.

Wrapping up the evening is a talented juggler (or your child pretending to juggle). We used a fruit & enjoyed it afterward.

From walmart, need: animal crackers, veggies, balls, hula hoop, cheap plastic bowl, fruit, elbow mac, bingo dobber & markers, glue.

documented here:
http://orangemomma.blogspot.com/2008/08/greatest-show-on-earth.html

I hope I win! Happy Family Time!

September 2nd, 2008 at 7:01 am

Amie:

A game night!
Decorate in similar themes, dice on their table, cake cut to look like your favorite board game, a crossword puzzle to guess what is for dinner. Theme the whole evening around it.
Then pick 2-3 games and have an evening of fun competition. Get funky prizes for the winner, like cool tshirts, or special desserts, or gift certificates. Have fun visiting with your family!

littleonesstore (at) gmail (dot) com

September 2nd, 2008 at 7:29 am

Deeanna:

Simple quick and easy…

A “Go Fish” night…

Play the card game “Go Fish” with Goldfish crackers.

September 2nd, 2008 at 7:54 am

Rebecca:

I did this back when I was younger…

We would use marshmallows and pretzels and have competitions to see who could make the tallest “structure”. Use the smaller marshmallows, they’re easier than jumbo. The only rules are that you can only use the marshmallows and pretzel sticks, and that it must stand up on it’s own for at least 20 seconds (or any given time period).

This is a fun activity, and kids can eat their creations when they’re finished!

I would love to win the Flip! rebecca(dot)witte8(at)gmail(dot)com

September 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 am

sparkymom:

Outdoor games are always fun and it is easy to entertain little ones if you don't mind a mess. For this activity, swimsuits or play-clothes work great. It's easy…buy watercolor paint or even use food coloring with water and decorate any cement surface. Supply plenty of brushes. What also works well is wetting a surface then using sidewalk chalk for a darker hue….the best part is, get out your squirt guns or hose and have a blast cleaning up! An easy snack for this is Gorp..a mixture of whatever is in the cupboard, a cup of O's cereal, a cup of popcorn, a cup of raisins, a cup of m&m's, a cup of nuts..get creative and use up that last bit of food that may have been tossed. Have fun!

September 2nd, 2008 at 8:03 am

Anonymous:

Since Halloween is coming up you can do your pumpkin decorating night. I prefer to paint pumpkins with small children– they can do faces or a black cat or spider webs etc… The paint is inexpensive and pumpkins should start showing up in the stores soon. Then after you can serve a pumpkin themed snack–I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies or bread.. For dinner you can make pumpkin pancakes. You can also build up to each holiday by making one night a week a decorating party. So the 1st week of Oct everyone sits down and dreams up (or colors) what they want their costume to be. The second weekend do the pumpkins, the third unpack all your decorations and start to hang them etc.. etc…

Charlenegale AT yahoo DOT com

September 2nd, 2008 at 8:25 am

CallieGirl:

My theme idea is ANTS ADVENTURE:

Your snack for the evening is the first part of the fun - get celery sticks or pretzel rods… peanut butter and your choice of "ants" (raisins, m&ms, dried fruit, nuts)… and have everyone create their favorite ANTS ON A LOG snack by spreading peanut butter on the celery or pretzel rod, and arranging the "ants" on the peanut butter.

Everyone knows the ants march in a line on their own adventure, so when everyone's done munching… why not have a little treasure hunt game complete with clues to find fun little prizes around the house (cheap and age specific…like a fun pencil, bubble bath, or book)… you can set the difficulty level per child and use color-coded hints for each child (Jimmy follows blue clues, Sarah follows red clues, etc…)

Or, you could just have one treasure hunt that the whole family does together. Hide clues around the house and/or backyard in places where they find more clues and eventually a prize. Maybe the prize could be a vhs tape or dvd (cheap) that everyone could watch together on the next family night!

September 2nd, 2008 at 8:30 am

CALLIEGIRL:

I forgot to leave my email in my CALLIEGIRL post above, it is:

gardengirl74 AT hotmail DOT com

September 2nd, 2008 at 8:33 am

Anonymous:

I would have the kids go outside and gather up some pinecones… bring them inside and have the kids put peanut butter on them first with plastic knives… then have some birdseed(from Walmart) in a large bowl and have them roll the pinecone in the birdseed… attach a piece of string(from Walmart) to the top and have the kids go outside and hang them from trees… Then have the kids go back inside and put peanut butter on pieces of cut up apples (you can stick popsicle sticks or toothpicks in the apples for better handling) and have them dip the covered apple in peanuts/granola… whatever else they would like that will stick to the peanut butter…
Enjoy your snack on the front porch and watch the birds come to the feeders to eat!! ENJOY!~Julie

jlamora81@yahoo.com

September 2nd, 2008 at 8:34 am

Bronwyn:

When I was a kid, we made spook houses in the basement. You know, slimy cooked spaghetti, grapes, wet cotton balls, etc. We’d take turns walking through and then drag Mom and Dad.

I suppose to go along with the theme, you could make a graveyard cake. There are lots of recipes out there, but something like an Oreo crust, chocolate pudding mixed with Cool Whip, more Oreo crumbs. Then decorate it with graham cracker tombstones, marshmallow fluff or cotton candy or Cool Whip for ghosts, chocolate chips or raisins for rats or bugs, etc. Dessert would be good frozen but graham crackers would get a little soggy. There are lots of spooky snacks out there–like roasted bones (pretzels), chocolate spiders (chow mein noodles in a blob of chocolate), etc. Let your (or your kids’)imagination run wild!

September 2nd, 2008 at 9:03 am

Carrie:

I love Family night with home made junk pizza made with what ever toppings are available in the frig.
Then I break out the karaoke machine and let everyone sing their favorite hits. It usually only lasts an hour or so anyway! We are not professional singers!!

September 2nd, 2008 at 9:20 am

liza121870:

we have a star calandar and if you get 6/7 stars(or whom ever has most)gets to pick an activity from the activity jar(washed out mayo jar)i have activities like….put a puzzle together,popcorn&movie ect….
this way its teaching kids that they get rewarded for good behavior and also friendly compitition(spell check)wich in moderation is healthy

September 2nd, 2008 at 9:25 am

a:

since we don’t have room for a sandbox, we have a large bin of rice that we let our preschooler play in. we include some inexpensive sand toys and he is happy for a good chunk of time.

sometimes we’ll take grains of rice ahead of time and “color” them in a bit of food coloring and let it dry. then we’ll glue the grains onto paper into shapes, or simple pictures.

after dinner snacks include yogurt, granola, berries, and raisins or craisins. yummy and healthy too!

aimee f.

September 2nd, 2008 at 9:36 am

Tara B.:

Waffle frozen of homemade. A scoop of their favorite ice cream and a toppings buffet. My son’s favorite warm apple fililng from a can.

Bored?
Use your flip and let the kids make their own home movies. Let them dress up in old halloween costumes, mom and dads clothes or their own pretend outfits. Help them make props and write skits. When they’re done pop some corn and watch the best TV for kids, themselves. Plus you’ll have a keepsake to treasure forever. Don’t forget to show the grandparents. Burn copies and give as gifts. The possibilities are endless.

September 2nd, 2008 at 9:37 am

Tamarra:

Something my kids LOVE to do is to make small personal scrapbooks. You can get everything you need from around the house. The last ones we made were from lunch bags. You take 3-6 lunch bags. Fold them in half and punch holes in the valley side and tie them together with some ribbon. Then you can decorate them with what ever you have from previous crafts and add pictures. Also their favorite dessert is pudding cones. They love it because they get to make it and it is EASY! Now keep in mind my 3 kids are 1.5, 5 and 7 so they are entertained easy.

Ok so on to the directions. For the pudding cones you need:
A box of favorite flavored pudding (you can get on sale at Walmart for $.60 sometimes)
Ice cream cones (around $2.00)
Milk
Gallon size ziplock bag
Put all the ingredients in the ziplock and let the kids toss it around (make sure to seal the Ziplock bag yourself). I usually have them stand on the back porch just incase it breaks open. So far it hasn’t but just incase it is easier to clean outside. This is a great dessert for camping too.

The Scrapbook:
Brown or White Lunch Bags
Ribbon
Extra scraps of papers
Crayons/ Markers/ colored pencils
Stamps and ink pads if you have them
Hole Punch
Double sided Tape or other adhesive
Photos
Any other embellishments you want (glitter, fun foam, extra buttons from clothes (the free replacement buttons that come with many items- we store them in a jar for crafts- or buy a bag from craft section around $2.00), brads, etc.)

You fold 3-6 bags in half so it makes a square shape. Stack them on top of each other and punch 3 holes down the creased side. Tie KNOTS in each hole to hold the book together. Knots work better then bows because they don’t come undone. Now decorate how ever you want. Add pictures, buttons, color pictures, ribbons, extra paper cut into shapes. The great part is the open end of the bag works great as a pocket for “special things” to go inside (eg: tickets, postcards, wrapping paper, the list is endless) We usually make them with a theme or for an event.
Our last ones were 4th of July. So I got out the white bags and put out red, white and blue papers, ribbons, flowers I had, pipe cleaners, fun foam pieces and a stack of pictures from the forth of July. We each then made a book of Our favorite part(s) of the day. Then we put them together in a small box (you can even make it if you wanted) so they are kept together. This way you can reflect on them as a whole. We have even made them to send to grandparents. Everyone seems to like them and they are easy enough that my Daisy troop made them for Christmas gifts last year. Best thing is they can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. You could even partner up an older kid with a younger one if you wanted. I know my sons (16 months old) favorite part is the glue….LOL Thanks for the chance to win. ~Tamarra~ Tnkerbele@aol.com

September 2nd, 2008 at 9:46 am

Anonymous:

Peanut butter playdoh! It can be made with ingredients from walmart, can be played with, and is edible! So, I’m sure playing with it as well as spreading it on some crackers would be really fun for the little ones. You could just delete the salt from the recipe.
hochman(dot)herz(at)comcast(dot)net

September 2nd, 2008 at 9:47 am

design6565:

FOOOOOD FIIIIIGHT!!!!!!

Finally! The kids get to make a mess with our blessing…. they LOVE it! The only ingredients you’ll need are as many tubs of cool whip topping as you’re willing to pay for, and little foil tart tins, or cupcake cups. Oh, and some food coloring… because it HAS to be colorful for the great photo op that this presents - (Pull out the Flip!!!)

Put a couple drops of food coloring the the various Cool Whip tubs, stir it up, plop the whipped cream into your chosen “vehicle”. And lay them all out on cookie sheets in preparation for the frenzy.

Mood music is great for the impending battle, the more dramatic the better… think Rocky or William Tell overature. Make sure to begin the mayhem with plenty of drama and build up….then get the camera ready and let her fly! The bonus is that dessert is literally at your fingertips, just give ‘em a lick.

This is definately an outdoor summertime activity so squeeze in this family free-for-all while the weather allows. Clean up is as easy as the garden hose… it will be as if the battle never happened! yet safe for the environment and safe for injestion by kidlin’s. The kids will reminisce about these food fights with their own kids at Christmas’ far in the future,”Remember when Mom?…”

(Again,get the Flip ready!)

sorry to post twice! forgot to include the email address in the comment, landmeier@fox26.com There sure are some fantastic ideas here, thanks for setting this up, I’m going to use some of these in our home!

September 2nd, 2008 at 9:58 am

Erin:

We enjoy a trip to the library on Family night. Sometimes they have story times that we will go to for fun. Simple and enjoyable for us. We each get to bring a few books back home to enjoy as well.

September 2nd, 2008 at 10:15 am

Melinda (farleysmiles):

The first thing that came to mind that we have done with our 5 kids for the past few years (our oldest is 9) is a movie night where they earn tickets beforehand. We usually have them do small chores and silly things to earn the tickets. I’ve done variations of this but mostly they have to draw their task from a hat and it might be to pick up the baby’s toys or to give everyone a hug or to act like a monkey or sing a song. Then they can use these tickets to shop in the family store. We usually have little trinkets plus little candies and other snacks including some healthy type options and juice, really, whatever we can find, plus they need to buy their movie tickets and popcorn if they want it. Then we set-up the family room to look like a movie theater. We line-up small chairs and turn out the lights. The kids love to have the power to choose what to buy and have fun being silly as well as helping to prepare the house. We have even done it occasionally without a movie option, you could use it as their pass to whatever activity you will do, like a game or a walk or something like that.

September 2nd, 2008 at 10:17 am

Melinda (farleysmiles):

After a visit to the jelly belly factory, we came up with a fun activity that was a hit. We saw all the artwork at the factory made out of jelly belly’s and decided to make our own. The kids had so much fun making pictures out of jelly beans, I put glue in milk jug lids and they dipped the bean in the glue and arranged it on their paper. I showed them how to put the colors together as I made a flower and they came up with their own designs. Then we were able to display our artwork on the wall and snack on jelly beans at the same time.

September 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 am

Melinda (farleysmiles):

You could have a backwards evening. Start with dessert and then move on to a simple dinner like hamburgers and then have an appetizer at the end like chips and dip. Or even make a day of it and have breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast (when we do this, we serve Chili) Everyone could also dress backwards and you can try do other things in reverse like reading a short story backwards and saying everyone’s name backwards. You can even get everyone to walk backwards. Maybe do some relay games that has the kids walk or jump backwards. I haven’t tried this yet, we are actually planning it for my 5 year old’s birthday party but when I suggested it and described it, he thought it was hilarious and couldn’t stop laughing.

September 2nd, 2008 at 10:25 am

Tara:

We like backyard camping. We’ve been doing this since my daughter was 2. We did it once this summer and may do it again this weekend. My daughter is 4 now and she helps get the “gear” out and “make the bed”. We just put up our tent in the backyard and set up our bedding inside the tent. Then we roast marshmallows over our outdoor fireplace (we help her with hers), look up at the stars, and tell campfire stories. We love it and it’s great practice for the real thing!

September 2nd, 2008 at 10:40 am

Cher:

Memories are made of silly moments and fun times. For some reason it is so hilarious to kids when everything is backwards. There is plenty of room to be spontaneous with this theme and use what you already have on hand. Giggles will explode when the kids hear each other speak backwards, wear backwards clothes, and eat backwards. You can even play a favorite game backwards or incorporate a history lesson (backwards in time)! For a snack, get creative with the ordinary–like turn a bowl of apples upside down (plate under it, of course).

September 2nd, 2008 at 10:48 am

CandyScraps:

For family fun night, a fun thing to do is make your own play dough!

I make KoolAid playdough, because it smells so good and it’s so easy. Have a challenge for your family to create their own playdough pizza, then make a homemade pizza for a munchie!!

papercandy@gmail.com

KoolAid Playdough Ingredients:
1 c flour, sifted
1/2 c salt
3 T cooking oil
1 pkg Koolaid (unsweet)
1 c boiling water

Mix together flour, salt, oil, and Kool-aid. Add the cup of boiling water. Mix well. Knead the mixture until it forms a soft dough.
Have fun!
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Tips: If you don’t want colored hands, try mixing this in a plastic bag once it has cooled just a bit. Mixing it is half the fun!

Pizza ideas:
A frozen pizza cut into 2-3″ squares, a prepared pizza crust, topped with your favorite pizza toppings, or a totally from homemade pizza from your favorite dough recipe. We love to all help top the pizza with fresh veggies - the children all eat better when they help make the meal.

September 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 am

Rachel:

This was one of my favorite activities that we did for family night when I was growing up….Hide and Go Seek In the DARK! We would designate one place in the house as “base” (usually the couch). One family member would be the seeker and everybody else would hide. (Not sure if your kids are too young to participate b/c of the whole “dark” part.” But…..we would turn off all the lights in the house, the seeker would count to 50 or 100 or whatever, and everybody else would hide. Then the seeker would try to find everybody else. If the seeker found you and tagged you, you are out. If you get back to the couch, however, before the seeker tags you, you are safe. It was always fun and a little scary, and usually ended up in lots of giggles.

As for the snack, one thing I’ve been craving lately is “ants on a log.” You’ve probably heard of this already, but maybe not, b/c my husband swears his mom never fixed these for him as a kid. He also thinks they sound gross, but I love them, and he’s really picky anyway.

Celery, cut into about 3 inch pieces
Spread peanut butter in the groove of the celery
Place a few raisins in a row in the peanut butter……ants on a log!

Fun to make, and pretty healthy.

I hope i win!! now I have to go read everybody else’s…..

rachelsaves@gmail.com

September 2nd, 2008 at 11:02 am

The Pelhams:

OK, we just did this and it was waaay fun. We did not have a GPS, but knew someone who did, and they let us borrow it. It is called geocaching. Treasure hunt where there really isn’t great treasure, but something to find and the fun of getting there!! Go to http://www.geocaching.com and check out the site including the FAQ area. After you are done, one of our favorite things to do is buy graham crackers, Hershey bars, and marshmallows, and long camp skewers(found in the sporting goods area, go to a local state or county park, build a camp fire and have smores! We live in Iowa and have some great free State parks nearby! We just go to a campsite and build our fire with wood found along the way in the forest, and have a blast doing it!
shayjay13@yahoo.com

September 2nd, 2008 at 11:27 am

Joanne:

OK - this one is going to cost you nothing!! How’s that? Get your attention? When my hockey-fan sons were little, I would call the local ice rink ahead of time to find out what time local teams practiced (or games) were, we would drive there we have 2 right by us) and spend an evening watching their favorite sport. Practices were always free — games were usually a $1 per person. Before we left for the rink, we took a stick of butter, melted it along with parmesean cheese and mixed it with Chex cereal. It is delicious! It was a fun and inexpensive evening.

September 2nd, 2008 at 11:31 am

Lolly:

I think it would be fun to make coloring cupcakes! You take little pieces of broken crayons and melt them in cupcake wrappers in the oven on 350 degrees. This could incorporate all age groups on different activities (matching, sorting, etc) and have muffins or cupcakes for a snack. FUN!!

September 2nd, 2008 at 12:02 pm

Chesney:

Marshmallows in the microwave. If you haven’t done this yet have everyone guess what the marshmallows will do when you microwave them. Then gather around and watch what they do.

When you are done with that the marshmallows get a new weird consistency that when mashed continually between 2 fingers almost takes the consistency of taffy and is very fun to play with, but gets very sticky.

If you get the little colored marshmallows you can smush them together while making your taffy and learn about color mixing at the same time…pink + blue = purple. It is very fun to do.

September 2nd, 2008 at 12:05 pm

Jenn:

One of my favorite things to do is to make cupcakes as a family and write thank you notes to those who do so much for us (as a family)& for the community. We deliver the cupcakes and notes to those who do so much to serve us- and tell them how much we appreciate all they do. It's a great way to teach your children (and a great reminder for us adults) about gratitude and serving others. Afterwords, we get to eat some of the extra cupcakes we baked and decorated. We always feel so good afterword and love that we can thank the special people in our lives in a special way. It's always so much fun watching everyone's reaction. We love surprising people with treats when they least expect it! And, it's super inexpensive (24 cupcakes for about $3), so we can do it often.

September 2nd, 2008 at 12:27 pm

LisaSlater:

Well, we’re waiting on our first baby in about 6 weeks, so I don’t have much experience with this…but what came to mind is making those “musical” instruments we used to make in school. You take a paper plate, put some dried beans on it, then staple another to it and decorate it and you have a homemade tambourine. You could probably take small paper bowls and do the same thing, but put some sort of craft stick sticking out to make more of a maraca. (I had to back and make sure you didn’t say this had to be a quiet and relaxing activity!) And after cooking dinner for eight kids, microwave kettle corn sounds great to me. Plus the older kids can help the younger ones make the instruments, but the little ones can still decorate them. And all this-paper plates, bowls, craft sticks, markers or crayons, and microwave kettle corn can be gotten at Wal-mart for less than $20!

September 2nd, 2008 at 12:44 pm

Hope:

Start with making the desert: cut bananas in half and stick in a popsicle stick. Freeze. (While bannanas are freezing play the game) After games take frozen banannas and dip in hot fudge (or topping of choice) and then roll into candy sprinkels, nuts, chocolate chips etc… Enjoy a fun banana pop.

Game:
Have everyone in the family choose a random item. Place the items into a bag. Family members sit in a cicle. Pass the item around the circle saying one thing the item can be but they can’t say what the item really is. For Example: Pull out a kleenex box: some might say it’s a shoe, phone, winter glove…etc The ideas get pretty fun and silly.

munkeegrl[at]hotmail[dot]com

September 2nd, 2008 at 12:55 pm

tracy:

Fall Decorating Fun!!! Ok here goes. Gather the family and go outside to find some leaves, about 3 to a child. Thereafter, gather together and sort out the leaves. Do crayon rubbings (put leaves under the paper and rub with crayons), and for the older children, get some wax paper, put leaves between 2 sheets of wax papers and help them press with an iron. The wax paper leaves can be hung in windows for fall decorations, and the rubbings can be hole punched and bound together with yarn to make a cute book for the kids to look at from time to time.

For a snack, get a bag of large marshmallows, 1 bag of chocolate chips, popsicle sticks and sprinkles. Put chocolate chips in a bowl and microwave 1 minute, stirring half way through, until chocolate is melted. Place 1 marshmallow on a popsicle stick, giving each child to hold. Then have them dip the marshmallow into the chocolate allowing excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Thereafter have a few sprinkles lined up so they can dip their chocolate marshmallow in to make their own little creation. Then enjoy!!!

Or if you want a healthier snack, apple slices or banana slices with caramel dip - yummy!

September 2nd, 2008 at 1:12 pm

Anonymous:

You can buy a baby wading pool at Wal-Mart for about $5 since they are on clearance. You can get the kids in their swimsuits and get them outside to enjoy the last few days of warm evenings and divide them in half. The 2 oldest children will each be team leader and have a group RED and a group Blue, then each group gets one of the middle children and a younger one so they are somewhat even(no one has all the little ones or all the bigs ones.)Then have them sit in a line (there will be 2 lines, one for each team), give them all a cup and have the child closest to the wading pool fill it up and pass it down the line trying not to spill it. Once it gets to the end they pour it into a large mixing bowl or pot and after a minute, they stop and you will measure who has the most water in the bowl.The winning team can pick the desert for the evening, either smoothies, or fruit shiskabobs, and everyone can help make them. Just use fruit that is on sale like strawberries, watermelon, cantelope, bananas, etc.You can have all the peices cut up and ready to go since they can easily be tossed in the blender with juice for smoothies, or placed on a stick for kabobs. Also another fun game is to do bobbing for apples. Enjoy! Melissa yourgoddessmimi@msn.com

September 2nd, 2008 at 1:15 pm

SaneAtHomeMom:

We have smores in the microwave - making them is the most fun and we even add sprinkles. We then have the tent set up inside the house (or two small ones would do, in your case) and turn out the lights, have flashlights, read books, and just play. If we don’t want to add sugar, we do popcorn.

September 2nd, 2008 at 1:32 pm

tootywink:

ACTIVITY: Wrapping Paper Reversal

What to do with those end or odd pieces of gift wrapping paper? Reverse them and tape over the top of a coffee table or kitchen table. Kids can draw or paint pictures.

If you read a story after dinner, the kids can make a picture that represents the story. If X-Mas themed, take a digital picture and make it your family Holiday card.

Do you cover a room door in X-Mas wrapping paper for the Holiday season? Why not reverse it on the kids bedroom doors. They can use this as their own memo board through the year - Write their gift wish list; tape up pictures and calendars; decorate; have emergency information; a diary; schedule; cut and paste a collage or pictures from magazines; measure growth; personal or family timeline of the year; etc. It can become wall art when replaced for a new year or cut up any way they like to add to the new door cover.

For a recurring family project, have the kids draw and decorate a door or their own for every Holiday in the year!

Note: Butcher paper can be used to great effect too.

SNACK: Toasted Tortillas

Cut tortillas with cookie cutters. Kids can add peperoni and/or cheese, etc. and place in a toaster oven to toast.

Cinnamon toast (sprinkle of sugar with butter) is always a favorite. Give it a go with cookie cutter tortillas.

For a no toast option, add peanut butter!

tootywink at aol dot com

September 2nd, 2008 at 1:50 pm

Hera:

What a great list of ideas! Here’s mine:
Play “Who’s my artist?”
You need enough paper and art supplies (crayons and colored pencils are good for easier clean up, but water based paints and paintbrushes are best!) for each family member. Have all the names of the family in a hat and everyone picks one, but you’ll have to make sure no one picks their own name (for the littlest ones you can just tell them who their “secret” person is). Then, each family member must paint/draw a portrait of the person they picked from the hat. You then hang all of the portaits and each person must guess which one is a picture of themselves! A challenging twist on this game for the older children (and parents) is to try and paint/draw their portraits blindfolded!
What’s great about this game is that at the end you can collect all the portraits and make a family album: slide each picture into a clear sheet protector and then put all the sheets into a 3-ring binder. Make sure to label the binder with the date so if you play this game again you can have fun comparing the different pictures. If you have a digital camera you can also have each child take a photo of their art subject and print them out on your home printer and affix to the corner of each portrait. That way, in later years you can remember exactly what each child looked like when they had their “portrait” painted!

As for your snack, you can buy premade refrigerated sugar cookie dough and bake plain sugar cookies, and then have each child “paint” a design on their cookie with icing or edible markers. Or, let the children try to shape their cookie dough into their initial and then bake!
Have fun on your family night!!
Cheers,
Hera
herahong at gmail dot com

September 2nd, 2008 at 3:18 pm

Becca:

Here is a fun idea…

Snack: Fruity S’mores - All you need is graham crackers, plain cream cheese, and sliced strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi fruit. Take half of a graham cracker and spread a layer of cream cheese. Add pieces of fruit on top of the cream cheese them place the other half of the graham cracker on top like a sandwich. The top cracker may not be needed if for a younger child. Serve and enjoy.

Activity: All you need for this activity are boxes and imagination. While shopping for your snack items at Walmart, ask the front desk for some empty boxes of all shapes and sizes from the stock room. When it’s time to play, spread the boxes out around the room and let the kids go to town. This is a completely free form of entertainment but one of the most fun. There are endless possibilities for what your children can and will come up with. I have fun playing along and helping come up with additional ideas. I think my husband has more fun than our daughter does sometimes.

I hope you enjoy my ideas!!!

September 2nd, 2008 at 3:32 pm

Becca:

Sorry, I forgot to leave my email address. I posted about Fruity S’mores and Boxes. My email is rebeccaroybal@comcast.net.

Thank You!!!
Becca

September 2nd, 2008 at 3:40 pm

Cassie:

I put a huge piece of paper on our back wall with masking tape and make a mural with paint. The kids love making a huge painting and it’s fun for the adults too.
A great peanut butter cookie recipe that is super easy for kids: 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup sugar, and 1 egg. Mix, drop on cookie sheet and press with fork. Bake at 350 for 6 to 8 minutes.

September 2nd, 2008 at 3:41 pm

Anonymous:

Nothing is better than baking cookies and playing board games! cookies and board games can be bought inexpensively at Walmart. This snack and activity has endured through many generations! If you want something new, just buy a new board game to play! My email is info at atrendyparty dot com.

September 2nd, 2008 at 3:51 pm

Yuki:

I think cooking out in the yard is a good idea. Get a little camp fire going and roast hotdogs, corn on the cob, veggies, mountain pies, etc. over the open fire. You can make everyone’s favorite smores for snack!
For activities, play your guitar or just sing songs, play flashligt hide and seek, and tell stories. It’d be a whole family fun!

September 2nd, 2008 at 4:07 pm

Tracy:

Here’s an extra fun activity for when it’s warm outside. Gather a book about nature or an insect. I like “Ants in My Pants” (this one is from Walmart) and “Working in an Anthill”. Here are the things that you will need: a blanket or sheet, your book, plain paper and markers or crayons, flashlights ($2.48 at Walmart!) and your snack ingredients (celery, peanut or soynut butter, raisins or Craisins).

Set everyone up on the blanket outside. Read the book and then go on a hunt with your flashlights to find insects and flowers from the book. Come back to the blanket and draw pictures of what you found. Make your “ants on a log” snack and enjoy!

September 2nd, 2008 at 5:48 pm

icunursemicki:

My kids are bit older but they love to dance. We put in a cd or turn on the raio and dance and sing. They love it. A bowl of fruit or some chex mix is an excellent side

September 2nd, 2008 at 6:33 pm

Beth:

One of my favorite Friday Night snacks as a child was Angel Food cake(homemade or store bought) with WARM lemon pudding on the top! Great for a cold winter evening and very easy. A great idea for an activity would be have a puppet show with homemade puppets! Use some old(but clean) socks and markers or some craft supplies(from walmart!) if you have a little extra $$. You could then recreate one of you kids favorite stories-and let them take turns being the Main Character.

beth(dot)hackworth@gmail(dot)com

September 2nd, 2008 at 7:18 pm

Wendy:

Our Family has the Johnson Jamboree very frequently and any family can host their own jamboree. Before hand, make a song book. Figure out the songs the family likes and print the lyrics (Google the song title). Then, gather up your musical instruments (if you don’t have any, make them–paper plates with bells attached make a tambourine, an oatmeal container for a drum, etc).

On the night of the jamboree, have the kids get gussied up in their favorite finery. Take turns leading the songs. It works best with lots of participation and dancing. During breaks you can cool down and re-energize with lemonade and various bowls of your favorite snacks (we love to munch on trail mix and popcorn).

September 2nd, 2008 at 7:55 pm

Danielle:

I actually blogged about theme movie nights last Friday. I am going to copy and paste my blog post, but the links will probably not come out so I will also post the link to the blog post (http://juanshappywife.blogspot.com/2008/08/family-friday-theme-movie-night.html)

Instead of just watching a movie together, make a whole night of it. Include a movie-related dinner, snack, and activities. Here are some of my ideas:

-Charlotte’s Web: Dinner/Snack- fair-type food such as corn dogs, roasted corn, lemonade, etc with cotton candy, fried dough, funnel cakes, or ice cream for a snack or if your family has a semi-twisted sense of humor you could have a based meal (chops, bacon, etc) with pork rinds or gummy spiders for the snack. Activities- spider-theme crafts such as this one from Family Fun or these spider lollipops also from Family Fun; Play The Farmer in the Dell (works best with larger families); sing Old MacDonald; Make a giant spider web with one string for each family member. Wind the string around things and over and under things. Have each person take the end of their string and “unravel” the web together. (this is a lot of fun)
-Lady and the Tramp: Dinner/Snack- spaghetti and meatballs, (of course) and dog bone shaped cookies for a snack Activities- visit the pet shop or pound and look at the puppies available for adoption (I only recommend this if you may actually adopt a dog OR you are willing to hear the endless requests for one); dog crafts such as making a paper bag dog puppet (you can even find a template here) or a toilet paper tube dog (template here), there is also a whole bunch of dog crafts on Danielle’s Place (I am not the same Danielle) website; go in the backyard and try to find Canis Major and Canis Minor and/or the star Syrius (the Dog Star)

September 2nd, 2008 at 8:23 pm

design6565:

FOOOOOD FIIIIIGHT!!!!!!

Finally! The kids get to make a mess with our blessing…. they LOVE it! The only ingredients you’ll need are as many tubs of cool whip topping as you’re willing to pay for, and little foil tart tins, or cupcake cups. Oh, and some food coloring… because it HAS to be colorful for the great photo op that this presents - (Pull out the Flip!!!)

Put a couple drops of food coloring the the various Cool Whip tubs, stir it up, plop the whipped cream into your chosen “vehicle”. And lay them all out on cookie sheets in preparation for the frenzy.

Mood music is great for the impending battle, the more dramatic the better… think Rocky or William Tell overature. Make sure to begin the mayhem with plenty of drama and build up….then get the camera ready and let her fly! The bonus is that dessert is literally at your fingertips, just give ‘em a lick.

This is definately an outdoor summertime activity so squeeze in this family free-for-all while the weather allows. Clean up is as easy as the garden hose… it will be as if the battle never happened! yet safe for the environment and safe for injestion by kidlin’s. The kids will reminisce about these food fights with their own kids at Christmas’ far in the future,”Remember when Mom?…”

(Again,get the Flip ready!)

sorry for having to post again, my email address is klandmeier@comcast.net There sure are some great ideas here! I’m going to steal a couple to add to my repetoire!

September 3rd, 2008 at 1:53 pm