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Great Game Ideas
Bowled OverKids love to bowl, and bowling can be done inside or outside. You can make your own bowling set for practically nothing!
For bowling pins, save 2-liter plastic soda bottles (or ask friends and family to save them for you) and wash them out. Use any sort of soft ball as the bowling ball. For very small children, leave the bottles empty and use large balls. As the children get older, fill the bottles with sand (to make them tougher to knock over) and use a smaller, heavier ball. If you want to make an impromptu bowling alley in your driveway, garage, or basement, just prop two long two-by-fours (or two-by-eights, if you have them) about 3 feet apart, with a board across one short end to stop the ball.
Keeping Keen
Many children have more toys than they know what to do with, so at least half the toys sit around collecting dust. Trick your youngsters into greeting each toy as if it were new by boxing up half to two-thirds of their toys and storing them out of sight. When boredom with the current group sets in, whisk out a hidden box and hide the "old" toys.
Stacking Up Savings
- Stacking cups. These are still one of the most popular early toys for tots. But you don't have to buy them. Look through your cupboards for old plastic cups to make your own set. Or check out garage sales for a set of measuring cups.
- Building blocks. Another simple toy you can make is building blocks. Cut small pieces of wood from two-by-fours or four-by-fours (or ask a local lumber store to save them for you). Sand off any rough edges. Either stain to bring out the wood tones or paint in bright colors. (Make sure the stain or paint is safe for children; check the label, and if in doubt, ask for help at the paint counter.)
If you want to extend the life of your favorite family board games (particularly those played often and with enthusiasm by the youngest members of your household), coat the boards on both sides with shellac or polyurethane varnish right after you buy them. The games will last longer, and you can clean the boards easily with a damp cloth. Store the game pieces in plastic self-sealing bags.
Chalk Talk
Wrap masking tape around the middle of chalk to keep it from breaking (and to keep hands cleaner). Coat chalk or charcoal drawings with hair spray to keep them from smudging.
Revive That Marker
Give new life to a dried-out marker by dipping the tip in an acetone-based nail polish remover. Replace the cap and let the marker sit for a couple of hours before using.
Postcards
Kids love getting mail, and they especially love receiving picture postcards, which cost little to buy and mail. Ask relatives or friends who live out of town (it doesn't matter where the cards come from) to send a postcard for a child's special day (birthday, first tooth out, graduation from preschool, end of baseball season, dance recital). Then designate an area of the child's room as the card wall. Install inexpensive corkboard (to prevent tape or pin marks in the wall) on which the cards can be displayed.
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