Blanket Tents
For the blanket tents we usually gather 5-6 chairs and station them around different parts of furniture such as TV console, couch, end tables...things we can connect the blankets and chairs to make the the tent bigger. When we have the chairs in a way around the furniture we want or in a circle all together, we place a big light weight blanket over the chairs and furniture for the roof and the remaining blankets around any openings between the chairs and furniture to create a tent. It's that simple. Sometimes the kids need my help, especially the younger ones, but I don't mind because I think it is fun and it reminds me of when I was kid and would do the exact same thing. You can even let them do this outside in the summer with lawn furniture. It makes for a great summer hide-out. sometimes you may need to use a heavy book or object to anchor the blanket down, but when doing this make sure no one will get hurt if it falls down. Which sometimes due to brothers or sisters or other things they do fall down, but can easily be put up.
Play Dough
I also find letting kids being creative with their own imagination is very important. I love play dough and think it is fun to let my kids imaginations go when it comes to sculpting. I usually make my own play dough because I think it is easier to work with and does not dry out as fast as Play-Doh from the store. I also find it is fun to make our own and tend to get the idea to play with play dough when we don't have any which means I need to make it. Here is the recipe:
Homemade Play Dough
1 C. Flour
1/2 C. Salt
1 C. Water
2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
2 Tbls. oil
food coloring
Mix all the ingredients in a pan and start cooking over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens and stirs into a ball (relatively speaking). Remove from heat. Let cool slightly and then knead dough with hands until it becomes more smooth and pliable. Now play with it. Store in an air tight container.
We have had cake decorating contests, rolled out roads for cars to drive through, rolled rocks for construction trucks to scoop, created robots, birds and nests, and animals. We also like to use cookie cutters for fun. Either way let your imaginations go crazy and have fun!
Parachutes
Last but not least Paruchutes! One day my kids got bored and wanted something fun to do and make. I was not in the mood to get out all of the craft stuff and came up with this fun idea. First you need a grocery bag, some yarn, and a small light weight toy. When you have all of the items cut two pieces of yarn long enough to go around your toy and leaving 6 inches to tie through the plastic bag handles. Then tie the yarn around the toy and through the plactic bag handle. Once this step is done it is ready to play with. Your kids can drop it from a ledge such as a stair way or some where safe for their toy to float down. Just make sure it is safe for the kids so that no one gets hurt!
