Let Them Be Kids!

When my children were between the ages of 4 and 9 we lived in a place that was very flat geographically.  However, we had a ditch in our front yard that collected with water when it rained.   The boys would watch it fill with anticipation  and as soon as the storm would pass they threw off their clothes, pulled on their rubber boots and headed for the ditch. 
Squeals of delight and fun would follow.  They would come in exhausted, tired, dirty and happy.  Their underwear would be quite gray, but their radiant smiles brightened the room in contrast,
making the dirt an unimportant factor.

I  remember playing as a child in the water filled potholes in the driveway after a summer rain.  If it was a light rain with no thunder and lightning we would stomp around in the puddles under umbrellas.  My cousins and I would hop and splash and fill the air with laughter.
There were few activities as much fun. 

It was that simple, spontaneous play that created fond memories of being a child.

My husband questioned my judgement in allowing this activity.  He had grown up in the city with no water filled pot holes in the driveway and ditches in the front yard. However, after viewing the first session of such delightful, simple fun, he joined the activity! 

Clothes will wash and dry.  Dirt is not a permanent problem.  Relax and have FUN!

Children are the best inventors of fun and creativity...if we let them.

Of course, we must always watch, be mindful of safety and use common sense!

Play with your kids!

Play is a child's work.
Play allows children to be creative.
Creative people think out of the box and become successful, productive, self-sufficient adults.

What will you do today to have fun with your kids?

Follow their lead and jump into the fun!

I LOVE this photo!  Thank you to whomever took it.  The photo source is unknown, as I found it on a face book post. 
If you know the photographer, please share and we will give the credit due on this delightful photo!

Inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky Baxa

Available from http://www.Amazon.com

in both Kindle and Paperback versions

Water Painting

It is 84 degrees today.

The sun is shining  brightly, the trees are starting to turn and

there is a wonderful smell of expectancy in the air.

The crops in the fields have turned beautiful shades of brown resulting in

a flurry of activity as harvest begins.  It is a perfect Fall day!

Most pools have been closed for the season.

But, there is one thing for sure:

Kids + Water = Fun!

For a quick, easy activity on a bright sunny day try

Water Painting!

It will be sure to result in creative excitement.

 

Materials needed:

 

-a container of water

-a clean, soft paint brush

-a surface to "paint":  cement (sidewalk or driveway), siding (the side of the house), the side of the car or the boards on your deck.

 

All ages can enjoy this activity. 

From the littlest child painting in all directions, to older children writing letters  and their name to more complex pictures.for the advanced "artist"

 

Have fun watching your creations evaporate. 

How long does it take?  Does it evaporate faster in the sun or the shade?

 

No mess, wetness that dries and no worries... just tons of fun!

 

 

 

This Blog Post is inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky B. Baxa

If you would like more fun ideas to share with your children

(that do not require batteries or electronics )

you can purchase this 180 page book,

full of color photos,

for $21.95

from Amazon.com

Or

from the gift shop at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO,

Silver Dollar City General Store in Branson, MO.

This book can also be checked out of the following libraries:

Scenic Regional Library - Pacific, MO

First Christian Church - Washington, MO

Hawaii State Library - Honolulu, HI

Story City Public Library - Story City, IA

Ellsworth Public Library - Ellsworth, ME

Ludington Public Library - Ludington, MI

 

Water Mist Fun

I love going to zoos and parks that have mist coming up out of the sidewalk.  It is so much fun to watch the children playing in the mist as the sun creates rainbows through the water droplets around their smiling, giggling faces!  Or, even better to go to an amusement park and walk through a mist tunnel on a hot summer day.

You can recreate this pleasure at home using an empty spray bottle!

Decorate your empty spray bottles with permanent markers, identifying the owner and letting each person's personality emerge.  Then on a hot day, fill them up with water, go outside  and have fun spraying each other. It is almost as fun as squirt guns, only you have to get closer to the person you are spraying.  This makes it more adventurous and the squealing gets louder!  :-)
  
Try spraying the sidewalk or the side of the house.  The sun will evaporate the water quickly. 

Stand in the sun so as to make a shadow on the sidewalk.  Have someone mist in the outline of your shadow.  Step away and your shadow remains.  Estimate how long it will take to disappear.

Spray the plants and make their leaves shine.  On a hot, dry day you will almost hear them sigh in relief.

What else can you think of to do?

This Blog Post is inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky B. Baxa

If you would like more fun ideas to share with your children

(that do not require batteries or electronics )

you can purchase this 180 page book,

full of color photos,

for $21.95

from Amazon.com or Etsy.com

Or

from the gift shop at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO,

Silver Dollar City -General Store in Branson, MO .

This book can also be checked out of the following libraries:

Scenic Regional Library - Union and Pacific, MO

First Christian Church - Washington, MO

Hawaii State Library - Honolulu, HI

Story City Public Library - Story City, IA

Ellsworth Public Library - Ellsworth, ME