In anticipation of the launch of Wal-Mart’s Money Saving Community and their BIG video contest, Pure Digital and Wal-Mart have given each of us Money Saving Moms a sleek Flip Ultra to give to our readers. I thought it would be fun to ask you all to help me in exchange for a chance to win, in hopes that your ideas inspire some new and creative things to do, with my kiddos, without breaking the bank!
You see, family nights around here are always so much fun… Sometimes we go out to dinner with the kiddos, or we’ll just stay in and play games or watch a movie. Keeping costs low is a must when you have a big family, and I fear that we have run out of fresh ideas of things to do on our special family nights. I need your help!
So, this is what you’ll need to do to be entered to win the Flip video camera:
Leave a comment with a creatively unique idea for a Young family fun night. Ideas must include a yummy after-dinner snack and an activity to keep us busy for at least 1 hour. Remember that all of our six children are under the age of 8.
Ideas may include in or outside activities, but you must provide a detailed description of your snack and activity. If I don’t get a clear picture of what you are telling me we should munch on and do, your entry will be disqualified.
Ready for the hard part? The materials for our family fun night, including snacks, must not cost us any more than $20 and must be available at Wal-Mart stores. A list of needed material would be helpful, but is not required in your entry.
Just a few more details:
- The winner of the Flip will be notified via email, so make sure you leave a valid email address in your comment.
- Multiple entries will be accepted, but each entry must be a new idea!
- Only US residents are eligible to win.
The one to post the most unique family fun night activity idea, by following the above guidelines, will win the Flip Ultra! The winner and winning idea will be announced in a very fun way on September 3rd 5th…. You won’t want to miss it!
No more entries are being accepted. I must now choose a winner. You’ve made it all very hard for me!
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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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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
Well I think the wii would be great family night!! Everyone of all ages can play. For snacks chips and cookies!!
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
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
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
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
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!
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
).
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!
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
).
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
I just thought of another
). 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!
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!
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
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!
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
I think a good family fun night would be watching a movie together and a good after dinner snack would be ice cream.
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!
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!
Time flies and everyone has fun playing Charades!
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
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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!
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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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
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!
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.
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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!!
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!
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!
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
I am really enjoying reading everyone’s ideas. Thanks for the contest too!
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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
We make homemade musical instruments and then play them as a family band
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
cdrury@gmail.com
we like scavanger hunts – for kids who cant read you can draw pictures!
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
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!
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
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.
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
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.
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
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!
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
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!
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!
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
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!
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
Simple quick and easy…
A “Go Fish” night…
Play the card game “Go Fish” with Goldfish crackers.
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
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!
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
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!
I forgot to leave my email in my CALLIEGIRL post above, it is:
gardengirl74 AT hotmail DOT com
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