3 Games for Halloween Parties

As Fall sweeps in, kids and parents get an opportunity to enjoy some Fall activities. Now, Halloween's around the corner, and that means it's time to pull out the mothball covered costumes from the cupboard! Air them and try them on. Kids have a tendency to shoot up; make sure the costume fits them well. Not too short, not too long, not too loose and not too tight, or you won't hear the end of it!

Halloween by Srdjan Jovanovich

It's good to plan for some Halloween games. You could pull out Halloween games from the Net, or get inventive if you have the time. People enjoy them and it's a good way to get people to gel together. Make sure groups have a good mix of kids and adults. Organize for some Halloween finger food and spooky drinks for kids. You are all set for the party now. To add some fun, here are three games you could try:

1. Halloween Telephone

The good thing about this games is that it requires zero preparation. Everyone sits around in a circle. The first person whispers something Halloween related into the neighbor's ear. Then the whisper is passed on. It's great fun to see what the last person has heard and compare it to what the first person said. If little kids are there, the urgency to pass on the message can morph it into something totally different. 

2. Pumpkin Jigsaw

This requires some preparation. Trace out a large pumpkin on thick card stock. Trace out jigsaw pieces and cut it out carefully. Make sure pieces are distinctly different. Get the teams to assemble the pumpkin and time them to decide who's the fastest.

3. Pull Out Pairs

Using slightly thick card stock, get the kids to trace out shapes related to Halloween like pumpkin, conical hat, a cape etc. They should be smaller than your palm, and need to be in pairs. Now drop them all into a box. Blindfold the guests and ask them to feel around in the box and pull out items in pairs. If you have prepared just one box, then teams take turns to pull out the pairs. Time the teams and the one which finishes fastest is the winner. 

Well get everything ready, and you are all set for a great Halloween party. Have a great time!

Let the kids play with their food

Parents always caution their kids to not play with their food, and here we seem to be doing the exact opposite. Well, please be reassured that kids are not being encouraged to throw food around. This is actually aimed at getting kids to explore the food they eat.

Pizza Apprentice by rootseven

Why is it important to know food

There's an old joke about a child being asked if he knew where the milk he was drinking came from. The child nodded vigorously and said it came out of a box!

Well, if there is such a disconnect it does not bode well for the kids, or their parents and caretakers. Kids need to know where their food comes from so that their place in nature's life-cycle is understood by them.  Kids need to understand the interconnectedness of life, the dependence and the beauty of how things fit in real life. This helps kids stay rooted to the reality of life. Without food we die. If we know how our food reaches out plates, we at least arm kids with enough knowledge to go looking for more information. The bond between humans and food is ancient and changing. Hunting might have been one of the earliest professions, but then agriculture became a dominant profession which over time became something in which the entire family was involved. Historically, food has been the platform from which many other professions have spun out of.

Playing Games
Kids learn very well when they learn via play. Here are three important traits kids develop with play. There's a reason why parents encourage kids educational games in this digital world that we live in. When games are leveled, they actually play the same game and up the levels gradually. If we can get kids to play with the same enthusiasm in the real world, they can actually touch and feel as they learn.

Here are a three games kids can play:

1. Blow them away
Halloween's around the corner. Involve the kids in picking and carrying home a pumpkin. Once it's cut, get the kids to scoop out the seeds and dry it. Make sure no stringy stuff is attached. When you have a nicely dried pile which can fill an adult's cupped palms, all's ready for the game.

Get the kids to sit around a smooth surface, say a table top. Clear up the space. Pile up the seeds in the center. A kid blows on it and picks up seeds until they disturb a neighboring seed, which is when the next player gets a turn to do the same. The winner is one who can collect the biggest pile as the central pile disappears.

Not only does this improve the child's motor skills, it also helps the kids understand how plants grow their seeds, where they keep them and how they disperse. The more parents and caretakers talk about the vegetable/fruit they are dealing with, the more the kid absorbs. E.g., In this game kids can actually understand how drying seeds make them lighter and how blowing on them can disperse the seeds.

2. String them up
Pile up a bunch of beans in the center of a table. Divide the pile between the players. Teach everyone how to string beans. Get the kids to string it from one end only. Make sure it stays attached. Hold up the string and see how a flimsy fiber can hold up the entire bean. The game is string them at one end. Then gently use the fiber of one to tie it to the other. Keep doing this and holding it up. Whoever has the maximum number of beans on the first strung bean, is the winner. If there's a tie, the players add more beans and the winner is one who has the most hanging together.

This helps kids understand how strong fiber can be. While playing this game, the players can discuss the varieties of beans, how seeds grow inside and even about the varieties where the seeds can be eaten, but the seed pod has to be discarded.

3. Pile Them High
How high can you pile okra? Keep adding to the stack to make a high pile. Alternatively divide the okra and ask the players to pile them up. By playing with okra, kids can explore their interesting structure and texture.

As you play with the kids, they themselves come up with ideas to explore other fruits and vegetables. It's great fun to explore the well packed pomegranate, the beautiful colors of the citrus fruits, the color of the beets and the long shelf life of the potatoes. While these games are played, a lot is learnt by kids which we do not actually teach; like the smells, the oxidation, the slime etc.  Go on, let the kids play with their food.

10 Fall Activities Kids Will Love

Time flies and summer is turning to fall. Temperatures are dropping, leaves are changing color and we are half way through the school vacation. This is a time when kids tend to reduce their time outside the house and this converts to more time on devices, perhaps playing some dragon games or Mensa games.

Parenting in the digital age is hard. Kids get bored very quickly, but if kids are exposed to nature from a very young age, 'bored' will not be a word they use frequently.

Straw Bale Maze - Avala Valley Barn by docent joyce

To keep kids interested in spending time outdoors, here are 10 fall activities for them:

1. Jump onto leaf mounds
This is that time of the year when you can find plenty of mounds of leaf. The kids will love diving into them. Just make sure they are not allergic to dust. Take pictures. Rake them up. Arrange the mounds and run around them. Jump over them. Try and make trails. Destroy the mounds. Just make sure you are not leaving people upset by messing with the mounds.

2. Try some leaf beating
Hapa Zome anyone? Grab some leaves. Cut out clean pieces of thin cotton cloth. Place the leaves on the pieces of cloth. Take a hammer. If metallic, wrap in a soft cloth. Great if you have a rubberized hammer. Gently beat on the leaf keeping it steady. Once every part of the leaf has been beaten, peel the leaf off and admire the beautiful design the released pigment has made. Want to add some color? Try the same with flowers.

3. Create a leaf shower
Gather some plastic or cotton bags. Fill it with leaves. Hide behind doors, on window sills and other high places. When someone passes, empty the bag on them! Watch the beautiful leaf showers. Try it on your pets. Make sure you have a camera ready. Get some great shots.

4. Craft faux pumpkins
It's the pumpkin season. Eat them, carve them, grow them, harvest them and make them. Make them?! Yes, you can. Make pumpkin shapes using paper, cloth or any other waste material. Wrap them up in an orange length of cloth. Or, even better, use any colorful piece of cloth. Don't forget to add a stick representing a stem on top. If you have dried pumpkin stems go ahead and use them.

5. Journey through a corn maze
Oh, these mazes can be such fun. They could be proper hedge mazes or mazes made of bales of hay. For younger kids the maze walls could be low to give both parents and the kids a level of assurance. Older kids could have walls towering over them. Some farmers design beautiful elaborate mazes. Families can have some memorable times at such places.

6. Go pumpkin picking
This can be great fun. Get multiple generations to go along. You can have a wonderful day out, seeking out the best pumpkins. Too big or too small, you just have to find the right one for your family. Don't forget to take pictures. With the rich colors around, every picture will look memorable.

7. Try some baking/cooking with pumpkins and spices
As fall is the best season for pumpkins, pull out some simple recipes and try your hand. Get the kids involved. If you have picked a pumpkin, and it's ready to be used, go ahead and use it. Want to carve it out before using it, go ahead. Just make sure you keep the pumpkin clean. Get the kids involved in the process. Perhaps they can organize the spices or mash the pumpkin. If you are baking cupcakes, maybe they could measure or spoon it into the molds. Keep the kids involved.

8. Have a movie and pumpkin seed night
Pick a movie. Play it. Spread some paper and heap a pile of roasted pumpkin seeds. Get the kids to shell them. Make sure they don't hurt their nail beds. Shell it for the younger ones. It can be great fun. Enjoy!

9. Go on a fall art trip
Take the kids and some supplies out into the open. Get them to try their hand at any art activity they wish to explore. Painting, drawing, coloring with crayons, making a mural on the ground, arrangement of colorful leaves, string up leaves or staple them in long strands to hang on walls. The idea is to get creative and let the kids experiment.

10. Go on a fall trek/bike ride
Pull out the bikes, trainers and all. Got babies? Strap them on. Find a nice safe trail suitable for kids on bikes. Go on, bike away. Make sure the kids are not too tired. Carry enough water and a couple of light snacks. If you want to go on a short hike, do so. Make sure the paths are kid friendly. No water logged or slippery paths. Take a lot of pictures. These are times which families will remember for many years to come.

Fall's a beautiful period to be outdoors. The richness of colors lasts just a few weeks. Take advantage of the crisp weather and enjoy the last few days of school vacations.

4 Fun Father's Day Activities

Father's Day is around the corner and the mothers want to have a Fathers' Day party! Well, people will come and the food will be ready. Having a bunch of kids around can be entertaining enough, but the kids want to organize some activities too.

By Laubenstein Karen, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Significance
Father's Day honors fatherhood and fathers. Different parts of the world celebrate it on different days. In the US it is celebrated on June 18th. Over the decades in the US, the Father's Day celebration has been started multiple times, only to fade away very soon. It did pick up momentum eventually, but it has officially been a holiday only since 1972.

4 Fun Activities for Fathers to Enjoy
Some of these activities might require some prearrangement, but most are simple and kids can be involved. Generally fathers have no complaints about playing online games with kids, but try these activities and they could be fun too. Here are the four:

1. Kids in this activity need to be aged about six or more to really enjoy it. Fathers can sit with their knees folded on a sofa, facing the back. Kids stand behind the sofa. Taking turns, blindfolded kids must identify their fathers by looking at them 'through touch'. They need to identify their father by running their hands on their faces. If a father has more than one kid, they just take turns. The kid who took the shortest time, wins.

2. Older children and fathers can play this game. A balloon has to be tied at the end of a meter long thread. This can be tied to the player's ankle. It's a timed game. Players need to use the time to stomp out other balloons, all the while trying to keep their own balloon intact. The last player with the balloon intact is the winner. Other games can be found here.

3. Team up fathers and kids. Tie their ankles loosely and give each a basket. Take approximately ten palm sized things per team. Distribute them all over an empty floor. Now every pair needs to rapidly pick up things and dump them into a basket. Start the game and give them a minute to pick up things. The one which collects the maximum, wins.

4. This activity is again a father and child activity. It's more fun with younger kids. Smarter to take this activity outside as food spillage can be expected. Turn the tables and get the child to feed the father, but make sure the food is what the child likes! The race is to put a bib around the father, feed him and wipe his mouth clean before the end bell goes. The winning team needs to finish the food.

Well, Father's Day is not far. Try something new and enjoy the celebration.

Facts about Mother's Day That Might Surprise You

Mother's Day advertisements have been bombarding us for a while. Kids are busy picking out cards and gifts. Grownups are finalizing gifts for their mothers. Tables are being booked for a meal. Plans are afoot.

Different Generation, Same Feeling by Mateus Lunardi Dutra

Though Mother's Day comes around every year on 14th May, most of us know very little about it. Here are some facts that might surprise you:

1. Although Mother's Day is celebrated in many parts of the world, it's not always on 14th May. The UK celebrates it three weeks before Easter Sunday, calling it Mothering Sunday and it's usually in the second half of March or early April.

2. Many ancient religions have celebrated Mother Goddesses since time immemorial. Some celebrations were so wild that they were banned by authorities.

3. As Christianity spread, in early 16th century the church encouraged the people to honor Mary, mother of Jesus. Over time this included real mothers.

4. The American Mother's Day has it's own history, completely dissociated from religion. Julia Ward Howe a poet and activist was very distraught over the carnage during the Civil War. She wrote a Mother's Day proclamation and wanted July 4th's celebration to be dedicated to mothers on both sides who lost their sons. This did start on June 2nd, but eventually died out after about a decade.

5. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother's memory. As her mother had taught for 20 years at Sunday School. Anna Jarvis persuaded the superintendent of the church to have a Mother's Day celebration in 1908. In 1914 Woodrow Wilson made it a national observance, after successful petitioning by Anna.

Over the years Anna Jarvis was completely disillusioned by the commercialization of this observance. Ironically, she campaigned to stop this celebration until the end of her life, but failed!

Mother's Day is all about acknowledging the person who contributes so much to a child's upbringing. Well, don't forget to talk to your mother on Sunday. The gifts can wait. 

Easter Activities or Science Games?

All kids enjoy the outcome of a science game or an activity, but not many might be interested in the actual experiment. A teacher or parent can spark an interest in science, by catching their attention with something unusual. Kids have the capacity to be interested in varied things. We just need to give them the exposure and opportunity to grow their interest.

Egg-sitement by makelessnoise

Here's a list of wonderful Easter activities, which are fine science experiments too:

1. Foaming Eggs
Forget kids, even adults enjoy such activities. Great opportunity to talk about bubbles.

2. Eggs with Spidery Cracks
This one is a cool experiment. The end result is visually spectacular and yumm to eat.

3. Walking on Eggs
This one's a favorite of many. This can have great conversation around it.
Can you walk on eggs?
Of course not.
I can.
Show off.
No, really, I can.

And then when the walk on egg shells happens, people are left open mouthed.

4. Egg Drop Experiment
This one is great in offering a challenge to kids who like to try things. It's also a great favorite of museums to try out with kids.

5. Disappearing Egg Shell
A simple experiment, this one needs patience. It's magical the way the shell disappears  when left in the liquid. Nothing much to 'do' in this experiment.

6. Making an Unbreakable Egg
This is super simple, but it introduces kids to reasons why things break. In the case of an egg, it's the thin shell.

So, which ones did your kids enjoy? Do drop us a note. Have a good long weekend!

Three Important Traits Kids Develop With Play

Play is an important part in the nurturing of kids. It helps all round development in kids. Even if families are different the parenting values they believe in are more or less the same. Most of us want to bring up responsible kids. We were brought up to be responsible, and we want successive generations to be responsible. In a society, people have to be cohesive for a forward movement collectively.

Baby plays in the garden by simpleinsomnia

As family sizes shrink and family types morph, we are marching towards a society where digital devices are replacing many of the functions which involved family members. In earlier times, babies were always in the care of a family member be it a close relative or a far one. Nowadays with rapidly changing families and mores, babies could be looked after within nuclear families, in day care systems, in single parent plus grand parent homes and even single grand-parent homes. Kids did not grow up playing video games and bonding with friends over virtual pet games. They played on porches, in kitchens, back yards, quiet streets, inside parks and even the woods. But play they did. In all kinds of weather. That taught kids and shaped their character.

Here are three important traits kids develop with play:

1. Patience
Play gets kids to be patient. They learn this while building things or playing board games or putting together something. Delayed gratification is good for kids. It teaches them to stay the course even if it takes time. Research has proved they become more successful at a later age. This trait always helps them in their relationships too.

2. Waiting for your turn
This is a super important trait in large groups. If this does not happen, groups are hard to handle. If kids learn to wait for their turn, they also learn not to try and get things out of turn. Board games are a great example of simple play which teaches kids to wait for their turn. However much they itch to roll the dice again, they know they have to wait.

3. Cooperation
What's any group be it a family, friends circle, team, colleagues without cooperation? A group which co-operates survives well and flourishes. Ants are the best examples in nature. They can carry away a bigger creature with team work. The entire process of kids gathering to play, builds cooperation. They play together, build together, dismantle together and even clear up together. When groups are cooperative, in fighting is less and things move efficiently. In fact even eating together is a good way to build cooperation!

Whatever the unit that a child grows up and participates in, these three traits will always help the child stay the course. It reduces the angst children face as they grow up, because these traits help them cope with all kinds of situations through their lives. We must never forget that it all started with play.

The Use of Games in Handling Grief

Grief is one of the hardest emotions to handle, and family support helps immensely in healing. There are many therapies suggested to deal with grief, but sometimes that's not enough and intervention is required. 

Gamer Kid by Laurent Dussimon

Handling Grief
Kids process grief differently. Encouraging them to talk about their loss is important. The loss of a parent, sibling or just anyone they were close to can consume the child. If the adult caring for the child can help, nothing can be better to reduce grief. Here are a few activities too which might help. 

I view games as the cultural competency of the 21st century - so says Kelli Dunlap, a psychologist and a game designer. For psychologists like her games and talking about games is a great way to start a conversation and build trust with the kids they are helping. She uses video games to reach kids who have problems and need psychological help. A large chunk of the population plays video games and talking about games/gaming is a good way to break the ice with kids. 

Old or young, there are many who find succor in just playing video games, be it old favorites or new ones, by just getting lost in a world which they feel reflects their state of mind. Video games can help become a conversation starter as well as the environment when people start the process of healing.

Looking Back, Talking and Learning

New years come, and new years go. That's the nature of time - to march on, waiting for none. We have built clocks and kept time, but humans have not understood time. At least understood it enough to explain to others. There were ancients it's said who knew, and I'm sure there are many in the world who comprehend even today, but as ordinary mortals, we just keep pace with time for as long as possible.

'What then is time? Provided that no one asks me, I know. If I want to explain it to an inquirer, I do not know.’ Saint Augustine, Confessions (397-400 AD)

Now that we have rung in 2017, let's pause and look back. At the year gone by, the good things we have done and at the things we should have done better.

la pioggia by amira_a

Better Parenting

As a parent, it's wise to spend more time with the kids. Playing together and listening to what they have to say improves the bonding between parents and kids. Occasionally we might have to participate in things they enjoy, which we might not enjoy very much, primarily because we need to find common ground. The kids love dragon games, but the parents might not be fond of dragons. The trick is to do things with kids which involve dragons. Perhaps you could find out fun things about dragons to share with them. Try some dragon crafts. Or dragon food for a change. 

Learning from the Year Gone By

Without our realizing it, the kids were spending way too much time on digital devices. We had kept tabs, but when we got a little busy, they found their own way to fill up their time. This year we'll restructure our day to ensure that the kids have more time where one of us can engage them in some activity or drop them to a play date at least. 

Communication

Children get their language skills from parents and caretakers who talk to them. They learn to talk by imitating the sounds we make. At all times, even when tempers are high, the lines of communication must be kept open. They must understand that no fight or argument is worth closing communications with the parents. This keeps them happy and safe. 

Time slips away even as we dither. During the core parenting years the kids must come first, or before we know it they'll be all grown up with traits we might not like in them. As parents we sometimes notice the passage of time by the way our kids have grown, or by the way their pants have shortened! Just as we notice the physical changes in our kids, we must be observant enough about their character growth too. Parenting not only about providing, it's a lot about nurturing both the body and the soul. Next New Year, let's look back in time at a job well done.