Forget Online Games, Play Some Real World Games

Summers are a good time for kids to put away their devices and homework. Kids need to switch off from online games and explore non digital activities. After all human beings are a part of nature and it’s important to stay plugged into a system that we are part of. Being in touch with nature regulates well-being, keeps the senses sharp and gives kids a sense of cyclical continuity. 

By Bev Sykes from Davis, CA, USA (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Many of the modern day lifestyle problems that kids have developed can easily be sorted out with a massive dose of Vit-N. Here are 5 summer activities for you to explore:

    

     1. Get the kids to explore the geography around where they live. Take the kids out to parks and open spaces close to home. Let them feel the soil and grass under their feet. Open up a map and talk about the contiguity of land. Spot rivers and other water bodies close by. Wade through the water and throw pebbles in. Talk of the source of drinking water.

     

      2. Spot our fellow creature in the world. If you live in an urban jungle watch out for birds which have found new nesting places. Help kids understand the importance of our little insect friends. Teach them to observe plants and insects. Spot the caterpillars, butterflies, wasps, bee hives or the many other signs of nature in our concrete hubs. In case you need to learn more to get your kids interested, many universities put out a lot of information about our fellow creatures on their departmental sites. There are a lot of dedicated scientists/commoners who love sharing their information on virtual and real world spaces. 

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      3.  Get kids to photograph the same things through various parts of the day. When they see the same scene/thing photographed under various conditions of light, they understand the impact of the Sun, and how we fit into the astronomical world.

         

      4 . Try Hapa Zome, a craft activity. Get the kids to collect leaves and flowers in various colors and shapes. Lay them out on a piece of clean white cotton cloth with no starch. Spread a piece of tissue on the plant matter and hammer gently on it. This will help release the pigments onto the cloth. Peel the plant matter off to see the prettiest of designs. Kids can hang their piece of art on the wall or on the refrigerator at home.          

     

     5. Run a scavenger hunt in a park. This can be an intensely fun activity in a small neighborhood park. Make lists of things to be found. Distribute it among the groups. Help the kids find them. This will help them explore the park in ways you had never imagined. Give clues which will make them look for things from different perspectives. E.g. Spotting an owl home or a type of ant nest in the ground. 

      Well, enjoy the summer before the cold sets in. It's a great time for kids to also adopt some eco-friendly practices. Rejuvenate and bond with your kids. Go on and have a good time. 

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.