#257: Help Your Parents

Do your parents need help? Would it help them to set the table? Hand them tools?



Make this a family activity: Parents, kids love to help out. It's a great way to spend time together, teach them about teamwork as well as give them a chance to talk about what's on their mind.

This activity promotes citizenship, communication, generosity of spirit, and helpfulness.

#256: Marbles

Play marbles with a friend.



Draw a circle about 2-3 feet wide in the dirt, on a sidewalk (with chalk), or on the carpet (with your finger). Each team (two teams) has different coloured marbles. Both teams place their small marbles in the circle, keeping their 'shooter' or big marble for shooting.

Make a fist, thumb up, and place your shooter on top of your curled pointer finger. Flick the shooter off with your thumb. (You may need to kneel down to get close enough to the marbles on the floor.) Try and hit the other team's marbles out of the circle. If you hit it out, you keep that marble and keep going until you don't hit a marble out. The turn goes to the other team when you don't hit a marble out. Keep going until one team no longer has marbles in the circle. If you shot all the other team's marbles out, you are the winner. Sort the marbles, unless you are playing 'keepsies.'

There are other rules for marbles too. You can look them up or make your own. Have fun!


Make this a family activity: Have a marbles tournament.

This activity promotes fine motor coordination and math skills.

#255: Yucky Concoctions

What is a yucky concoction? That is when you mix all sorts of things together.

Are you doing the dishes? See how gross you can make your concoction. Mix strange things together like bits of leftovers, cold coffee and that ooey gooey stuff found in the sink drain. Blech!




Don't drink it! Just mix it.


Make this a family activity: Everyone adds one gross ingredient. See what you have in the end.

This activity promotes creativity.

#254: Wiggle Your Ears

Can you wiggle your ears like a rabbit--without using your hands? I can't, but some people can. Do you have the talent?


Make this a family activity: See if there is anyone in your family who can wiggle their ears.

This activity promotes fine motor skill and isolated muscle control awareness.

#253: Watch the Sunset/Sunrise

Watch the sun rise or the sun set in the sky today. Do the clouds and sky change colour?




Make this a family activity: Get everyone together and sit with something warm to drink and watch the sky change colours.

This activity promotes appreciation for our Earth's beauty.

#252: Draw on a Fungus

A fungus grows on trees in darker, damper environments. Fungi can be great to draw on when they are fresh (the part that faces down is white and soft making it easy to draw on). As they dry out, they turn brown.

This is a fungus I drew on when I was a kid. It was white when I pulled it off the tree, but has now turned brown. This drawing is about 20 years old.

Make this a family activity: See if you can find enough fungi for everyone to draw on their own.

This activity promotes creativity and environmental awareness.

#251: Make a Baby Giggle

How can you make a baby giggle? Tickles, peek-a-boo, funny faces and funny sounds are one way to make a baby giggle.

Dad's have their own special methods of making babies giggle.

Make this a family activity: Work together to make the baby giggle.

This activity promotes empathy.