Family Fun

5 Best Backyard Water Games for All Ages

August 31, 2017 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

There are several ways to spend your summer vacation, and when it comes to having some cool fun under the blazing summer sun, there’s nothing better than some backyard water games with the whole family. It’s summer and everyone in the family wants to get outside, enjoy the fresh air and sunshine… and then cool things off with a few wild wet games, let’s list them!

Sprinkler Limbo

Remember the good old days and how much fun you had playing the limbo game? Here is something even better and pretty simple. First, you need a hose with a nozzle that’ll allow for a steady flow of water, or you could get a meter long PVC pipe, drill holes in it, plug one end and firmly connect the other to your hose. Now, turn on the water and let the games begin! Remember no crawling; kids will try to maneuver their bodies any way they can as they pass under the stream of water without getting wet.

Sponge Battle

Kids would love to rock this and adults can join too. Everyone would love venturing into an epic clash. There’s no turning back, kings of the seven realms all engaged in one final battle. Winner takes all! And will be the sole ruler of all the seven kingdoms… Yeah I got a bit carried away there, but adding a story to games has a way of spicing things up a bit. Here all you need are some sponges and a few buckets filled with water. May the one with the best aim win!

Water Spray Wars

Still in the spirit of battle. All you need for this game are spray bottles; alternatively, you can use dish soap bottle filled with water and with their cover on. The player with the spray bottle needs to chase and tag other players by squirting them. When you are tagged, you take over the spray bottle and do the squirting. You can add rules and different variations to it to make it even more interesting.

Slip and slides

A really fun backyard game everyone can join. For those with small yard spaces, this does not require a lot of space in the backyard, and all you need is a simple garden hose attached to it, and that will provide all the water needed. With a strong running start, flop down on your stomach and see who can get down the path the furthest. Everyone will have a blast seeing who can make it the farthest.

Water Balloons

Did somebody backyard water games for all ages? Now, this is it! For some really fun time outside, add this to your list. Whether it’s a friendly balloon toss or an out and out battle of tag, there are lots of fun to catch up on with these water balloons. Fill up dozens of them, share it equally amongst you. Everyone run around and try to stay dry!

According to research, kids are more likely to be active when their parents are active. So now you know having fun with the kids is up to you, get out there with your kids and show them how to have an incredibly good time.

9 Fun Summer Camp Crafts and Activities you should try at Home

August 23, 2017 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Camping with your family offers a wide array of possibilities for enjoyment but if don’t feel like camping out this year, here are some kids’ crafts you can try at home. These summer camp crafts are sure to keep them…and you… occupied all season. From indoor to outdoor activities, there are activities for all ages, and you can bring the summer camp fun to your home.

Let’s go!

Mess-Free Handicrafts

When I hear summer camp crafts, the first thing that comes to mind are those mess-free activities which are of course great for both indoors and outdoors. From making and decorating their own to kites to trying their hand at different friendship bracelet patterns, origami and all. It’s important that their decoration or craft is in line with the summer theme and when they are done with the craft, for example, the kite, they can run outside and have a blast in the sun.

Tie-Dyed T-Shirts

As campers, we all look forward to tie-dyed T-shirt day and so does our kids. Make them excited about it by telling them a few days before the day. You can buy your tie-dye kit online or at any local craft store. Get everyone’s white shirt ready; it is recommended they use their old white shirts instead of buying an entirely new one. Although your kids may need supervision, do well to make sure everyone is hands-on with their plastic gloves and messy clothes or aprons. Let the fun begin… They’ll surely be proud of their T-shirts when it is all dried up.

Nature Hunt

This can be done either at a local park or in your backyard, and it is one of the amazing ways to appreciate nature. You can craft a bug or butterfly catcher to corral summer bugs or other creepy crawlers around the field and flowers so you can give them a closer look. If actually catching them seems too adventurous, you can simply give the kids a pencil and paper to make observations about them.

Better still you can go on a bird watch or nature walk, all these will make them see nature in a whole new light and appreciate nature even more.

Tabletop Game Competition

Remember summer camp and those game rooms filled with foosball, ping-pong and other tabletop games, you can have some fun time with this right at home. You might need to invest in one of these; you can also join the kids to make the game more interesting, fun and engaging.

Water Game Olympics

Its summer and the kids need to cool off, so a water game competition can be a great idea. Right in the comfort of your backyard, you can get this set up, games like sprinkler limbo, sponge dodgeball or any water game idea that comes to mind. It’s water, it’s summer, it’ll be super fun!

Sand and Seashell Art

Camping is mostly about discovering nature and engaging in some worthwhile activities. From dying sands and stocking them up in a glass jar to using glue to form sandy signs and designs on paper. If you have seashells either from beach vacations or ordering them online, kids can have some fun time with those too. Either by painting shells, gluing them to a drawing to create picture frames or using to them to craft necklaces or hand-beads – the possibilities are endless.

Journaling

Traditionally as sleep-away campers, we were instructed to write letters to our parents or better still we were asked to keep journals in order to write down our adventures, well, let’s bring that home too. You can get your kid a new journal and some nice colored pencils and encourage him or her to write about their summer adventure.

Field Day

Everyone should partake in this, the whole family or better still the whole neighborhood and let the fun begin! Group games like soccer, kickball, wiffle-ball, capture the flag or any nice game that fall into this category. Other fun games to try on your field day are sack races or the amazing Tug o’ war.

Backyard Camping

To get everyone in the camping mode, you can opt for a backyard camping night where you can simply set up a tent in the backyard and get camping. You can spice things up by stargazing, telling ghost stories, having s’mores and other traditional camping foods. Fire is dangerous but if you’re good with campfires and can give proper supervision to the kids, then build a camp fire (this totally depends on your neighborhood and how large your backyard is). You can have the entire family sit around it and be memorized by the flames. Enjoy the warmth, roast marshmallows, tell stories, and enjoy how the dancing flames bring your entire family together.

Fun Outdoor Family Activities with Kids

August 17, 2017 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Are you a parent looking for fun some fun activities for kids to do in the outdoors? In modern times where smart phones, video games, computer games, television and other indoor activities are prevailing, sometimes it is necessary to entice your children to play outdoors. The idea here is keeping them active and making them enjoy various activities outdoors rather than those other indoor activities.

Even if you bring out a good book and work on your tan while they play, at the end of the day, you’ll all feel better for getting a bit of fresh air. So here are a few activities the kids will enjoy doing especially one that involves the whole family.

Hide and Seek: This is a simple and fun activity that can actually be done right in the backyard of your home. Although this may depend on the size of your backyard, it gives the kids the opportunity to stretch those legs, run and explore, right in the confine of your home.

Stump Steps

For those who have this in their backyard, kids really love it. If you don’t, you can simply create one using cut logs of wood in varying height and place them in a path. You can either cut them yourself or contact your local tree trimmer to see if he can donate a few scraps. Heights of the logs should be between 2″ to 10″, there should be enough spacing between each log to let the kids test their balancing skills.

Let them get a little Dirty

If there’s a pile of screened topsoil or loam dumped in the yard, then the kids can have lots of fun time while you, of course, watch them and wish you could join… lol. They could easily mold it like clay or better still lead a mission of army men and who knows, maybe cause an invasion.

From active play that let them move around like sports games to relaxing activities that allow them to enjoy the natural environment calmly, your kids should partake in some outdoor activities.

Some simple outdoor sports games kids love are soccer, ball tossing, and running. With these, they can train their hand and leg muscles while having as much fun as possible. Kids also love running games like short races, small obstacle courses, tags or basically just running free to enjoy the wind on their cute little faces.

You can also incorporate some group games into your fun outdoor family time, games like Pictionary, twenty questions, singing and even dancing sounds really exciting, engaging and will sure have everyone smiling.

For some relaxing activities, kids love blowing bubbles, reading story books, cloud-gazing and much more. Find out what your kids love, give them an avenue to explore and get excited. It is truly fascinating, don’t hesitate to join them and have some fun time with the whole family.

5 Examples of Recreations and Fun Activities for Children

June 22, 2017 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

As parents, the word recreation goes hand in hand with exercise and when we think about exercises what creeps into our mind are workouts in the gym like running on a treadmill or lifting weights, some even start imagining some tedious cross fit activities.

Well, for kids it is different. Exercise simply means playing and just being physically active. Whether is a dance class, riding bikes or playing tag, it’s all exercise for your little one, and in this article, I will be walking you through how imperative these recreations are for the overall health of your kids.

Physical Activities

The next time you visit a playground, I want you to observe the activities they engage in critically, you’ll discover that these activities have some element of fitness in them. Although the playground is a place where children virtually forget about everything and just relish every moment in the seventh heaven, it gives them the opportunity to engage in recreational activities.

While having fun, children tend to develop several different skills. Movements such as swinging, climbing, crawling, sliding, pulling, jumping and balancing help in enhancing the motor skills of kids while they also develop social skills in the process.

Here are the 5 top recreational activities that a parent should encourage their kids to engage in.

Soccer
Dance
Karate
Basketball
Swimming

Basically, all type of aerobic exercises can be both fun and healthy for our kids, but those listed above are highly recommended to facilitate endurance, strength, and flexibility in them. Other activities like bicycling, running, ice skating, or even walking can also be very effective in strengthening the heart, stamina and overall health of our kids.

But the benefits of these recreational activities is not limited to that.

Kids who are physically active experience the following:

They have a leaner and more flexible body
Tend to have a better outlook on life
Sleep better
They have lower blood pressure and cholesterol level
Healthy heart
Overcome childhood obesity
Highly sociable as a result of social interactions on the playground or in the class and as they play together
They develop a higher level of self-esteem and self-worth
Stimulate brain growth and boost cognitive performance
Develop leadership abilities and team spirit.

Overall these recreational activities ease pressure on the health system of your kids and even goes a long way in making them succeed in other endeavors while meeting new people, developing friendship, and having fun.

So, does your child’s daily schedule encourage these activities? Or is your kid stuck in a rut that leaves little or no time for physical fitness and exercise?

Well, you now have an idea of the enormous list of benefits these recreational activities holds for your little one. And even if you want them to succeed in school, this activity can play a role in that as it helps boost their cognitive performance. Helping them focus which in turn make it easier for them to learn effectively.

Alright, that’s it! I hope this piece has been able to enlighten you about the benefits of recreational activities for your kids? Do well to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Fun Aсtіvіtіеѕ to Kеер thе Family Hеаlthу аnd Aсtіvе

June 7, 2017 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

It’s inevitable. All those activities and plans you had for keeping the family busy this summer ran out just a couple of weeks in. Now you have bored children tugging on you, loud sighing across the board, and even the adults may begin giving you the side eye when the idleness starts to wear on everyone’s nerves. But even if your list wasn’t as long as it needed to be, there’s plenty of fun activities available to keep your family healthy and active this year.

Fun Activities to Keep the Family Healthy and Active

Sometimes, the biggest problem is getting everyone together at once. So, try to plan activities that can be done with just one or two teens, or those that can be done with an older child and a younger child together. After all, the main goal is to build bonds, create memories, and keep your family healthy and happy. Also, it’s not wrong to concede that children who get in a good days play will certainly also get a good night’s sleep!

Free time – Play is the ‘work’ of children. So while structured family activities are always great, don’t forget to give them plenty of actual free time to exercise their own favorite activities. Take your future family time cues from what those children do enjoy when left up to their own devices. Your teen loves drawing and creating chalk art in her free time? Make sure you get the whole family to an art museum or display in your town.
Creative Arts – And while we’re in the artist department, an activity that the entire family can get on is creating your own family play, theater with singing and dancing included, and more! Task those artist kids with helping create the stage or the puppet show box. Have a joker in the house? Get them onstage for a quick stand up routine. Have a budding writer? Let them come up with the script. Everyone has a part to play and they’ll enjoy playing it as a team.
Gardening Fun – Gardening can be a real bonding experience for any family. It can also be very hard work. However, the good news about gardening is that children of all ages can be given relatively easy tasks that will make the whole gardening task actually a good bit easier for everyone involved. The wee ones can learn to pull the easy weeds. Give the five to nine year olds the job of pulling up the bigger, thicker weeds or plants that must go from your gardening spot. Preteens make great seed planters and waterers. The teens and up can do the digging and your larger, stronger teens can help you carry fresh soil or fertilizer to your garden area or boxes. All ages, with assistance for the littlest ones, can water the garden every night.
Safe Night Fun – Time to water the garden but the half hour or so probably isn’t going to wear them out and get them ready for bed? A couple fun and safe night activities after the garden is done is fire fly chasing or counting. The little ones will love that activity. You can even use a bug cage, very inexpensive at the local pet store, so that they can gather them up and maybe see who caught the most. Another super fun activity, especially for the teens, is a game of flashlight tag. The game is played basically like hide and seek, except for you’ll need that flashlight to find anyone in the dark. It’s extra safe because there will be no running or chasing in the dark, simply shining the light on another person, in this game, is considered the ‘tag’.
Smoothie Creation – Not only is making smoothies a fun idea that most kids will enjoy. It can also double as a day time snack, or will pair nicely with a small breakfast of yogurt or and granola, or eggs and toast. Wow them by showing them how great a smoothie can taste, even when you toss in those awful green veggies such as spinach. They’ll be shocked that they can’t even taste it blended with almond milk and strawberries.
Fort Building – I want to say that the little kids will absolutely love the fort building, and they will. But I think if most of us are completely honest, we’ll all admit to loving forts, at least a little bit. I know I do. Grab boxes or couch cushions, whatever you have and start building that fort. Don’t skimp on the blankets and absolutely do not hesitate to have lunch or a tea party while you’re in there. The purpose of a fort is the fantasy. Help your kids stretch those imaginations by pretending that fort IS the castle in the clouds they’ve always dreamed of.
Camera Treasure hunt – With most people having a phone with a camera in their pocket these days, a camera treasure hunt could be a super fun idea for all ages. Of course, the littlest of you will need to be accompanied by an adult or teen with their own camera, but the end result will be the same. Draw up a list you can print out, or even just text your list to one another and go. The treasure hunt for an Oak tree, a squirrel, a neighborhood cat, a mailbox with the number 3 on it, anything you can think of that is within the range of how far you want your family exploring, get it on the list, first one back to home base with a completed list is the winner. Now you just have to think up prizes.
Cooking Together – If you have your family garden, this part will be a little less expensive, but no less on the family bond building. Let each person be responsible for one of your dinner’s courses and assist where you can, but let them do the job. Just fair warning, the littler they are, the sweeter they are going to want their course, so make sure you’re nearby when the sugar goes in. Teens can do more elaborate work in the kitchen. Cooking, baking, roasting for example. And many quite enjoy it. Make sure to instruct, but not hover. And above all, enjoy the time you get to spend together eating it.
Walk a Dog – Have a shelter local to you? Get the whole family involved in taking a shelter dog for a walk. Even the youngest can hold onto the leash of older mini dogs. Not only will this add dogs to your family’s fun, but it will be doing a huge service for animals who have to live in small cages most of the rest of their time. Older children may even be able to walk two at once. The best part about this experience is that you’ll be giving back to your community as a family and that helps to teach your children that there are always others who could use a hand.

Family Free and Fun Time

There are many options on what you can do as a family together. A quick conversation with other parents may help open a whole new world of ideas for your family. Get involved in PTA with your children’s school and you may be surprised to learn about major community or school events that go on year round. Just keep an open mind, use your creativity and forward thinking, and you’ll be able to get in a pattern enjoying great family fun, with good conversation and family bonding time.

Sources:

5 Spots To Have Fun With Your Child in Europe

June 5, 2017 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

If you have a child, that is between the age of 6 and 12, you know how difficult it is to choose a spot for the vacation where he will have fun, enjoy and not annoy you too much. Furthermore, it is very important during this period to connect with him or her, so that you can build a solid relationship for the future. For this reason, it is very important to find a way to interact with him and a sport that will allow you to do it in the best way possible. We want to help you out and in this article we are going to take a look at the 5 best spots to do fun activities with your children. Are you ready to discover them? Then keep reading.

Lake Garda
Lake Garda is a beautiful lake in Italy and it is a great source of fun and sport. You can choose between a huge number of camping locations and the Italian people will welcome you. The main activities that you will be able to do in Lake Garda with your children are cycling, swimming, climbing and hiking. Even if your child is not into sports a lot, he or she will still be amazed by the beauty of the environment and the opportunities to play around in freedom.

Camping at the Bodensee
This lake in Germany is a great spot for camping. A wide variety of adventures are awaiting you and your children. Are you ready to discover them all? Try hiking trough the beautiful dark forest or have a nice swimming session with them. The water is normally chilly and this will add a challenge, which kids will love.

Going on a tour in the Netherlands
The Netherlands are the best place if you want to combine an adventurous trip and an instructive journey as well. In fact, Holland is one of the best countries when it comes to nature and using what they have to create beautiful sceneries and environment. However, main cities, like Amsterdam, are going to teach your kids some history, while having a lot of fun. We cannot recommend enough the power of the combination of an education and a fun trip.

Exploring Denmark
Denmark is the land of exploration. We do not say it just to claim something. It is, by far, one of the best spot to have fun and enjoy life. The woods are amazing and there are a lot of camping that you can choose from. The best thing? They are normally full of games and parks and have some of the best family activities you will ever see. Definitely recommended.

Flying Overseas
Kids love adventures so much that it would be a lot of fun for them to take a plane and explore what the world has to offer them. Many children dream of visiting other countries. There’s no time better than the present to show them the world through your eyes, while they show it to you through theirs.

Resources:

http://www.visitgarda.com/it/lago_di_garda/
http://www.bodensee.eu/it
http://www.holland.com/global/tourism/information/netherlands-vs-holland.htm

5 Tips for Planning an Affordable Family Vacation

June 4, 2017 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Are you ready to start planning your family’s summer vacation? In the past, this was an exciting time. However, the economy now has many Americans in a financial bind. If you are one of those Americans, planning your family vacation may no longer be as fun. In fact, it is something you may dread. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be. Although you are on a budget, there are many ways that you can plan a cheap, yet fun family vacation this summer. How?

1 – Stay Close to Home

When many of us think of summer vacations, plane rides and faraway destinations often come to mind. People like to getaway. A family from New York is likely to opt for Hawaii or Florida as their summer vacation destination. A family from Florida may opt for the Caribbean or New York City. These vacations are nice. After all, you get away and get to experience something new. Nevertheless, if you are on a budget this year, you should think closer to home. Plan a new activity each day and have a series of daylong vacations. For example, visit a state park with a natural pool and hiking trails on day one, travel to a nearby museum for day two, visit a semi-local amusement park on day three, and so forth.

2 – Let Your Children Help Choose Activities

Staying close to home is one of the best ways to save money on a summer vacation. If you plan a series of daylong vacations for the week, start close to home. Your family can sleep in their own beds each night. As you get farther away from home, book a hotel. Unfortunately, with this arrangement many parents feel like they are shortchanging their children, especially if they were used to the above mentioned faraway vacation destinations. Remember, you are operating with limited financial resources. Planning activities you can afford is more important. However, you can reduce boredom by letting your children help plan. For example, your teenage daughter can plan day two of your vacation, your ten-year-old son can help plan day three, and so forth.

3 – Give Camping a Try

If you don’t want to stay close to home, you are likely to book your airline reservations and a hotel room. Price compare to find the best deals. However, you should never pay more than $100 a night for a hotel room. This just gets too costly, especially if you are on a budget. A good and cheaper alternative is to camp. All across the country, you will find campground parks and state parks with camping accommodations. Camping rates vary greatly, but most charge no more than $25 a night!

4 – Wisely Choose Your Travel Dates

If you don’t want to stay close to home, wisely choose your travel dates. Since you are planning a summer vacation, you will find increased rates, but look at the little things. It is cheaper to vacation at the beginning or end of the summer. The middle is the most expensive. You will find higher hotel rates and fewer available rooms when there is a popular concert, sporting event, or convention in town.

5 – Don’t Wait for Last Minute Travel Deals

When it comes to finding travel deals and discounts, many mistakenly believe you should wait until the last minute. Yes, many hotels, airlines, and car rental companies offer last minute travel deals and discounts, but they are usually less common during the summer. The summer is a peak travel seasons and they rarely have problems filling planes and hotel rooms. For most, it is too risky to wait. If you are one of those individuals, plan your trip in advance, but always be on the lookout for money saving deals and discounts. Luckily, hotels, airlines, and car rental companies offer them all year round, not just at the last minute.

A Cheap Summer Vacation Idea – A State Park Tour

June 3, 2017 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Are you trying to plan a summer vacation on a budget? If so, you may feel as if you are trying to accomplish the impossible. Your family may be used to spending a week on the beautiful beaches of Hawaii, but what if you can no longer afford that type of trip? Do you want to stay closer to home? If so, think outside of the box. You might not have given state parks a close look before, but they are the perfect vacation destination for those on a strict budget.

Right about now, you may be asking yourself “a state park; really?” Yes! At the least, you could easily spend an entire day at a state park. It sounds nice, but remember your family is accustomed to weeklong vacations. You can still give them a weeklong vacation. The goal is to create a state park tour. Each day you visit a new state park. Start with the parks near your home. The first two or three days, your family can return home and sleep in their own beds. As you get further from home, find an affordable hotel or motel.

Once again, you may wonder about state parks. Family vacations are supposed to be fun. Won’t your children get bored with visiting state parks again and again? Yes, they might. Luckily, each park is different and has something unique to offer. Speaking of which, many have campgrounds. Consider camping a night or two.

Returning back to making state parks fun, the key is to pick unique locations. If you and your children have visited a state park before, forego that one and move on to the next. To save money, make your first two visits closest to home. As you move away, consider the activities. The more activities you have available, the more fun you are likely to have.

The key is to also do something different each day. For example, day one can be at a local state park known for their natural pools underneath a waterfall. If the weather is nice, your family could easily spend hours swimming. Then, plan a barbeque lunch or dinner or both! Before you know it, the day will be over with. For day two, visit a state park known for their great hiking trails. You and your family could spend the entire day hiking. Stop for lunch or dinner. Once again, before you know it the day will be over with.

In addition to making use of the activities state parks make available through facilities, consider brining your own activities. For day one, bring baseball equipment. You and your family can easily a fun game of softball or baseball. For day two, bring a Frisbee to throw or a soccer ball to kick around. The younger your children, the easier it will be to plan activities. For example, a bottle of bubbles could easily keep a toddler occupied for an hour.

As for the costs, most state parks do charge admission fees. You should consider this when comparing your options. If you have two state parks within a half an hour drive, opt for the one with the lowest price. Parks that charge by the carload, as opposed to the person, is usually a good deal. As for food, make use of the picnic areas and barbeque pits available. Start planning for your trip beforehand. Stock up on drinks, snacks, and meat whenever you see a sale at your local grocery stores. Then, use a cooler to transport your goods to the park.

In short, do not forego your annual summer vacation just because you are on a budget. Instead, think closer to home and outside of the box. Yes, state parks are usually reserved for day trips, but you can easily turn them into weeklong vacations by visiting a new state park each day. Luckily, all states have multiple state parks. In fact, some have hundreds. You should not have to travel too far, keeping your summer vacation costs low.

How to Create a Fun and Sticky Nature Collage

June 2, 2017 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Want a fun project for the whole family that is also educational? What about creating a nature collage bracelet? Yep, even the boys will love this one. Here’s how to do it:

Supplies

Wide masking tape or duct tape
Construction paper
Glue or spray adhesive

Step #1 Wrap your child’s wrist with tape, sticky side out, so they have a few inches of sticky tape to work with. You’ll want to make sure your child has plenty of wiggle room and that the tape isn’t too tight around their wrist. If it’s too tight they’ll spend the next few steps trying to get out of the tape and they’ll miss the fun.

Additionally, if you’re using duct tape, you may want to touch it a few times with your fingertips to reduce the stickiness. Delicate items like petals and leaves can tear when you try to remove them from duct tape.

Step #2 Head outside for a nature walk. (Hint – if you have to drive to a nature area, don’t put the tape on their wrists until you get there. If you put the tape on too soon they’ll spend the car ride touching it and getting stuck to things and then the tape won’t be sticky enough for the activity.)

Step #3 Start the hunt. Depending on the age of your children, you can structure the hunt any way you desire. You can ask kids to find things in a given category like “green” or you can let them run with it and find things they want to make their collage with on their own. The goal is to use the sticky part of the tape bracelet to collect their items. So, for example, if they find a rock or a frog it probably isn’t going to stick.

However, a flower or a leaf will. Consider giving them a time limit so they know what to expect. For example, you could say, “We’re going to go on a twenty-minute hike and you can collect items during that time.” If they’re particularly young you may want to let them know not to fill their bracelet up in the first five minutes or they won’t have any room for things they find later.

Step #4 Head back inside. Have your child choose the color of construction paper they want and get ready with the spray adhesive.

Step #5 Tell your children to carefully remove their items from their tape. They can spend a few minutes deciding how they want to position the items on their collage. When they’re ready, you spray the paper with the spray adhesive and your child can position their items.

The project can be completed or you can let your child continue with the project by coloring and labeling or decorating their collage further.

A nature collage is a fun and inexpensive way to combine your child’s imagination with a good outdoor hike. It’s also an educational experience as your child learns about nature and the elements.

Get Your Game on: Sports The Whole Family Will Enjoy

May 29, 2017 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Fitness does not have to involve going to a gym and working out with weights or running on a treadmill. There are a variety of activities outside of the gym that are both fun and fitness oriented. Sporting activities are one example of a way the family can spend time together and get a great workout as well. You don’t have to be a professional or even bring your “A” game, just as long as you’re willing to get involved and have fun. Let’s look at a few sports that will keep your family active and happy.

Volleyball – This sport can be fun whether you set up a net in the backyard or get a game going on the beach. Volleyball is a wonderful sport for your overall health because it strengthens muscles in your arms and legs, allows for better hand-eye coordination, and increases your energy level. You burn a ton of calories and is a great way to tone and tighten those problems areas you may have. The whole family will get a great overall workout and walk away feeling strong and energized.

Golf – There are numerous benefits to playing a round of golf, especially if you decide to forego using a caddy and a golf cart. Generally 18 holes of golf would be around 5 miles if you walk the whole distance. This is a way to get a great cardiovascular workout, all while taking in the beautiful scenery on the golf course. Unless you and your children are avid golfers, it may be easier to choose a round of miniature golf instead, but you still get the benefit of walking the course, swinging the club, and consistently moving while you play.

Tennis– Playing a game of tennis can be as moderate or intense as you choose. Your reflexes, speed, and agility will be put to the test and you will burn a huge amount of calories during this aerobic workout. Hitting the ball back and forth to your children is a great way to work your arm and leg muscles. This is especially true if your children don’t hit the ball directly back to you and you find yourself jogging to chase it around the court. Tennis is a great overall workout and is a perfect way for a family to get their game on and show their skills.

Playing sports as a family is a great way to build character and teach your kids to work as a team. Working together can strengthen relationships and form a bond that can’t be broken. Playing sports with your children is also a way to build their confidence, self-esteem, and sportsmanship. The values and skills learned during this time is something that won’t be easily forgotten. Playing sports as a family can instill positive habits that will have a lasting effect on your relationships both now and throughout life.