Kid Creativity: Bounce Back Game Time.

Sometimes a new game will spring up when we least expect it. I love it when my kids come up with something entirely on their own; I'm always happy to help point them down the pioneering path.

Since it was blazing hot by 9 a.m. on Saturday, our only outdoor option was to pull out the tiny inflatable baby pool and splash around.  After a while my 6-year-old got bored with the little pool and started looking for another outdoor option.  


We have two boys in our house, so we are constantly bouncing with bouncy balls. There are balls in every shape and size, from the least bouncy to the bounciest.  I don't mind a bouncy ball one bit.  I will take 10 totes full of bouncy balls over 1 harmonica or drum any day.


My boys have been on a ball kick lately and it is something that they enjoy playing together--even with their four year age gap, so that's nice.  Since we have an endless supply of bouncing balls around the house, I let them bring a few outside and bounce them around. Eventually the bouncing balls found their way into the baby pool--large target. Then we started hunting for smaller and smaller targets: buckets, totes, cans.  I finally remembered my awesome stash of yogurt containers that I had in the pantry.  I have been saving them because they are just too great to throw away (*cough hoarder *cough) and yesterday we finally put them to use.

Once we set the yogurt containers around the baby pool, we circled them with chalk and put various numbers to represent points at each spot, depending on how difficult we thought each shot would be.  Next, we drew a line for him to stand behind while throwing the bouncy balls and he drew a scoreboard for each player.  

Once the game was all set up (which was really the fun part anyway) it was time to play.  Griffin had fun bouncing the ball and attempting to steer the bounciness into the small yogurt containers.  It was a challenging game and he was very excited even if the ball simply touched the container.  Of course he also had to keep moving farther back.

Games are everywhere.  If you encourage your kids to run with their own creativity, you'll be surprised how far they go with it.  The yogurt/pool/bouncy game might not make it onto the shelves of Toys-R-Us anytime soon, but I had a great time creating something from nothing with my boys.  What is a fun game that your family created or modified lately?

Defend yourself! Create-A-Shield.

Around here, we have spent the past few days playing with foam swords that I picked up (yes, impulse purchase!) at Target in the dollar bins.  The intense indoor action has been just the energy release the kids (especially boys) have needed.

I expected the swords to break; they were $1 and we've invested in foam swords before. They last about an hour.  
Last night I decided to wrap them in colorful Duck^® Tape to help make them last a little longer.  I am in love with all the duct tape options out there! It is fun and my mind is spinning with all the things I can wrap and make with these tapes.

I also realized that by wrapping them with tape, I was turning our harmless foam swords into respectable weapons.  So, this morning I decided we needed to create shields to even the playing field.

Although a pillow and belt make an excellent shield, I had some extra mat board that was perfect for the job. Of course any cardboard or old boxes would also work.  First, I drew a simple design on the board and cut it out.  Then I divided it into sections for my daughter to decorate. We did a quick search for some shield decoration ideas by looking at pictures online.  My daughter colored hers with crayons and I did a few lines in duck tape for my little guy's shield.

  

For the handles on the back, I simply used an extra piece of mat board for the arm holder and cut a circular loop from an old yogurt container (I have 6 million of them in my pantry) for the small handle.  I wrapped them in duck tape for extra reinforcement and we were ready for battle.  It isn't very pretty, but it is strong!

At this point we ran out of the lovely blue and white tape and had to resort to my husband's plain black gorilla glue tape--it was super thick and I hope he doesn't mind that we borrowed it!

Once our shields were decorated and strengthened with even more tape, we were ready for battle!  This project was a success.  We combined artistic fun and creativity to make a useful toy of protection!  I am sure these shields will last as long as the swords, and if/when they are demolished, I'm sure the kids will be thrilled to make a new shield!

Making Muddy Moments: Best. Day. Ever.

What are little boys made of?

Slugs and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails,

That's what little boys are made of.

I was reminded again of the truths in this old nursery rhyme yesterday as my boys played in the dirt with their daddy for almost 5 hours yesterday afternoon.  They worked in the garden with shovels, rakes, and wheel-barrows.  They demanded drink breaks amidst their labors and complained of back aches and sore arms.  When I looked out the window I saw them trailing behind their daddy in a line of male adventure that finally culminated in a crackling bon fire as the sun went down.

While I scrubbed--yes scrubbed, the dirt from the boys hands and nails before supper last night, Griffin looked up and said, "Mommy, this was probably my best day ever."

There is something so rewarding and necessary about my boys spending a day in the shadow of their daddy, walking to and fro across the yard and getting really, really dirty in the process.  I love the fact that they could barely keep their eyes open because they were so exhausted from working all day.  I love spending time with my boys, but yesterday was a great reminder that sometimes it's important to let them bond with Daddy, which often involves lots of muddy, dirty work.  I love my guys and am thankful for them!