5 Catergories of Screen Free Summer Fun

Media, ah media.  What a great babysitter it can be.  Right?  I have to admit that I do use movies to babysit my kids every now and then.  It's important to note that media is not inherently evil but amoral.  Some of my children use ipods for daily devotions.  So, it's what you make of it.  But, it is essential that we limit the time our kids sit in front of screens.  It can be a great quiet time activity, but, so can listening to an audio book while putting together a puzzle or sketching:)

As summer is upon us and we have less structure to our day, I have to be even more deliberate about limiting screen time.  Don't get me wrong.  We love movies and my boys enjoy video games but there really needs to be a healthy balance of hands-on, mind engaging, active play as well.  By "balance" I am not suggesting equal time.  Haha.

So, here are five categories of screen free summer fun.

1. Build - When kids build things, they are forming basic concepts of Physics in their minds.  They don't yet understand kinetic and potential energy, but they know their homemade tent has the "potential" to fall.  So, build with your kids.  Build with sheets, blocks, scraps of lumber, etc.  Take apart that slide and playhouse in the back yard and see what fantastic things they can build out of all the pieces.  They will be entertained for hours.  Admittedly, this is easier with the littles than the older kids.  But, if your budget will allow, get model cars, boats, or airplanes from a local hobby store. (I prefer to support Hobby Lobby.) There are endless things that older kids enjoy building and you can usually find a coupon if you search online.  Pick up some hammers and 2 X 4s and turn them loose building a clubhouse or tree house.

2. Disassemble - After you have built things, "un-build".  Disassemble things.  It's okay, really.  Go to your local thrift store and purchase old computers or small appliances and let them disassemble and then put them back together.  I'm not big on messes or little pieces all over the house so I have them keep things in an old box.  They love to see how things work and you may end up with a fantastic appliance repair person in your home:)



3. Bake - We love to bake in our house.  Well, maybe we just enjoy eating what we bake but either way, it's a way that we can spend time together.  So, bake things together this summer and maybe even give away part of what you bake to bless an elderly neighbor.  Baking is a great way to practice  living math as you measure things or double (or triple...haha) a recipe. 

4. Create - Unleash the artists in your home and create things with different art mediums.  For the larger families you can have the littles finger paint while the middles paint by number, and the olders copy a landscape painting. Hand out yarn and crochet hooks and see who can make the longest chain (or an blanket for an American Girl doll as would be the case in our home).  There are so many different craft kits available that I bet you can find one that each of your kids will enjoy.

 
5. Exercise - Summer is a great time to keep kids exercising (now that PE is over).  There are a plethora of ways to keep them exercising without them even knowing that they are doing so.  My favorite is the pool.  Ah, those lazy summer days by the pool, right?  Well, not quite with seven kids.  We play "motorboat, motorboat" and marco-polo.  We have races.  My boys are ever amazed that their mom can still win in a race across the pool., although not for long:)  Good thing it's only one lap!  Haha.  Another great idea is a slip-n-slide for the backyard, a sprinkler under the trampoline, a family relay race, or a morning nature walk.  Whatever the case, be deliberate about keeping those kids exercising this summer.

5. Play & Imagine - Play is one of those things that does not come naturally to me.  I have to be oh so deliberate about setting aside time to play:)  So, this summer we will be busting out the board games and taking time to just play and enjoy one another.  Other great ideas for play are puppet shows, family talent shows/plays/concerts, or dress up.  Now, I know those of you with kids beyond about 8 years old are thinking that there is no way your kids will dress up.  But, sometimes it's all in how you present it.  I admit that if I handed my 11 year old a Buzz Lightyear costume, he would not, could not:)  But, if I hand him a video camera to make his film he would and could.  They all get excited about making a homemade film (maybe from this year's literature *wink*) and jump right in with the planning.  So, in a sense, they are still playing dress-up:)  We are currently in the process of making our own version of "Pilgrim's Progress" and we all have a role.  Now, I know this last suggestion is borderline for a "Screen free" post but it is definitely more along the lines of hands-on, mind engaging, active play.

So, as you plan out your summer fun, remember to include plenty of media free or screen free activities that engage the brain and foster creativity.  You won't regret it or the memories you make in the process.

Tent Building

More "cheap summer fun" here at Life as a Mother of Many.  Today, we decided to do something that I really enjoyed when I was a child...play in a tent.  Here is a picture of me playing in a tent with my older brother and dad when I was young.

So, today we made our own tents with sheets and the dining room table.  This is always a winner.  We just pull out some old sheets, throw them over the table, and whah-la cheap summer fun!  This time we added a tunnel that we have for extra "rooms".  Evidently everyone needs their own "room" in a tent...haha.

Some of the pictures are dark as I haven't purchased the "extra" flash for the old camera and I am without an editing program as I look into the options.  But, you get the general idea from the pictures.  Fun for the whole family...even the "big kids" joined in from time to time:)

 Love those baby curls!

The tunnel was a tight fit for the older boys but they found a way to make it work and I was cracking up watching them:)

Homemade Puppet Show

Sometimes in the heat of the summer, we all need some fun and entertainment.  My kids love putting on puppet shows and today we made one by hanging pool towels over the baby gate at the bottom of our stairs and using stuffed animals for puppets.  Hours of fun for kids!

Water play on a hot day

It is that time of year...you know when we start hitting triple digits...if your not from Arizona, then you probably don't know.  It's actually a little early this year.  100 degrees in April is really brutal.  I'm not even sure why we choose to live in such a place...haha.

So, on such a hot spring day, I thought water play would be just the thing.  So, we brought out the water hose, buckets, and small plastic things like scoops, funnels, squirters, etc. and the little boys played all morning as we did school at the kitchen table and enjoyed watching them play.
Here are a few pictures.

Preschool play and learning styles.

So...I am not an expert on children's learning styles nor have I done an in depth study on this topic.  I did study learning styles a bit when I was earning a degree in elementary education, but only a surface level study.  However, I have noticed an interesting correlation between the way that my own children play in their preschool years and how they later learn.  So, here it goes...


When my oldest Nathan was a toddler, we bought all of the traditional preschool roll play, drama, and pretend toys that I knew to be enriching  He would occasionally dress up but he was more interested in just being outside and studying the world around him.  He was very inquisitive and asked tons of questions...you could just see the wheels turning in his head as he was deep in thought.  Here is a picture of him at 3 1/2 listening to Abby's heart...not playing doctor...haha.

Eighteen months behind him came his younger brother Brennan.  Brennan was the exact opposite.  He was full of energy, ran almost before he walked (and really hasn't stopped since...haha), and spent almost every waking hour (and some sleeping hours as well) in one costume or another.  One day he would be a fire fighter or police man and then the next he would be Spiderman or Superman.

There were even days when he did his "school" in costume:)

I was marveling (no pun intended) over the difference between the two one day when it hit me that the difference was in who they were in their imagination.  When Nathan played, much of his play was in 3rd person.  The action was always happening over there and he was the creator and spectator of the imaginary world around him.

 When Brennan played, however, much of his play was in 1st person.  He was right in the midst of the action and it was happening to him.  I found this to be a really intriguing difference.

As we added more little ones to our family, I watched to see if each of them would fit into one category or the other.  So far, each of them has...for the most part.  Abby was the next little one in our house and she played mostly in 1st person just like Brennan.

 

She lived in princess dresses and anything that was frilly and sparkled but she wasn't above being a little pirate every now and then:)

 
Being just 22 months apart and playing in much the same way, Brennan and Abby, would play house together for hours but Nathan usually would have none of this type of play...usually:)

Then we had our little Wesley.  He has played more in 3rd person just like Nathan.  When he does put on a costume he will be quick to tell you that he isn't a jedi or Davy Crockett, but Wesley in a costume.  I don't think that Brennan and Abby went by their rightful names for half of their preschool years:)
But, Nathan and Wesley are more of the literal type.  The two of them just really seem to understand each other.  They are buddied up for chores, etc. because they work well together.

Next to come along was Seth.  Oh boy is he ever a 1st person player!  He is a little Star Wars jedi much of the time.  He runs around in costumes, with swords, and light-sabers and rarely slows down!

 

 Can't you just see the adventure in those eyes?

Now that we are into the school years, there seems to be a correlation (at least among my own kids) between how they played as preschoolers and how they learn best as elementary students.  Those who played mostly in 1st person are more tactile learners, need that "hands on" approach to learning and struggle sitting still and concentrating.  Those who played more 3rd person as preschoolers are more visual/auditory learners and sit still and concentrate well.


This realization has helped me plan better for each one of them in their school lessons and also as I train them to sit still during church.  Those tactile learners really need to have their hands busy to sit still.  There is so much energy inside of them and it needs somewhere to go!  So, if their hands are busy, they can better sit still and their minds are more open to learning.

So, as I start to think about Wesley beginning school, I am preparing for an auditory/visual learner.  Even now, while the other kids are doing school, he likes to sit and do puzzles, look at books etc..  Seth on the other hand would prefer to run circles around the house, super hero cape flying in the wind and Nerf sword in hand:)  Guess I will gear up for another tactile learner after Wesley.  It will be interesting to see how Ransom develops over the next few years.

Have you noticed any of these same preschool play-learning style connections in your kids or the kids in your life?

Making it fun.

This morning after breakfast as all the kids were doing their morning chores (or rather they were supposed to be doing their chores) it hit me that somehow none of them were actually doing their chores...and they hadn't been for a while.  Well, that isn't all together true.  They had been eventually doing them...just not right away and with a cheerful heart.  As I thought about this, I realized that they had been slow to obey in other areas too.  How does this happen?  It's not like I had been letting them disobey...was it?  Hmmm.  It is amazing to me how I can be just going about my days and then, all of the sudden, I realize that we are pretty far off in one area or another.  It is a slow happening in our family.  It is like the frog who will boil to death, never realizing that he is in hot water, as long as the water is gradually turned up...slow over time.  That frog will just sit there and boil to death.  I am so glad that I am not a frog...haha.  But, all of the sudden, I realized that the water of distraction and disobedience had become pretty hot and I needed to jump out and pull the kids with me.  I was being distracted and they were disobeying.  I do have plenty of things to distract me and it is a real challenge to stay focused on each small interaction with each child but, somehow, I had to make the change.  Reminding them over and over to do their chores and obey immediately wasn't really making for a peaceful house nor was I winning their hearts in the process.  It was creating lots of stress.

At six, eight, and almost ten, my older three children should really be capable of being independent with their chores.  The chores are age appropriate and should take about ten minutes.  I even have a check list for them to refer to in the mornings (I'm a list person and they can all read.  When they are too young to read, I make a list by pictures.  Watch for a later post on this.)  Even my four year old is capable of doing a chore that is appropriate to his age.  (My little boys are currently buddied up with an older brother to start learning a chore.  It is fantastically cute to watch the older two boys teaching the little two.)  But, it wasn't working.  I have plans to order "Managers of Their Chores" by Terri Maxwell to see if it will help me manage their chores...haha:)  But, until then, something had to change...and fast!

So, it was time to sit everyone (the older four actually) down and talk about the change.  I told them that we needed to make some changes.  Kids were not getting their chores done or obeying in a timely fashion and mom was having to remind them too much.  It was making us start school later in the morning which, in turn, eats away at their free time in the afternoon.  They perked up at this point but, I could still see the fog in their eyes so, after explaining the consequences of disobedience in our home, I decided to make it fun.  Kids can accomplish SO much when you make a game out of it.

There are five basic things that I would like them to remember when asked to do a job or chore.

1. Smile at mom (or whatever adult is giving instructions)  This is actually very important because it causes them to immediately check their emotions and helps them to practice self-control in the physical.  Even if their hearts aren't there quite yet, it is about being polite.
2. Say "Yes ma'am, I'd be happy to".  Yet one more check that allows them to practice self-control in the verbal.  I am from Texas and really like for my kids to show respect to all adults by responding with "yes ma'am" or "yes sir".  This is definitely not one of the Ten Commandments or anything...I just like it.  It's polite:) We are not totally there yet, but we are working on it.  It also goes far beyond just obeying by speaking (the spoken word is VERY powerful) aloud that they will be happy to obey.
3. Go do the job or chore (obey) very quickly.
4. Check to make sure that the job is done completely and well.  We call this "Checkity-check-check-check".
5. Return to mom (they may have to find me as I rarely stay in one place very long...haha) and report that the job is done.  This keeps me from having to keep asking about chores which can wear on them.

We repeated these five steps together several times...over exaggerating each one.  You should have seen how big these kids can smile and how sweetly they can say "Yes ma'am, I'd be happy to"!  Even my eldest, who is shy and slightly above this sort of silliness, (in his own mind anyway) joined in.

Now comes the fun part.  Being that all of my children are still in the "front nine" they really need to practice this to help them remember.  I have found that they remember so much more with repetition and getting up and moving while they learn.  So...I called out instructions and they would go through all five steps.  We again, over exaggerated each one of the steps and they each got their turn to be silly and to laugh at their siblings being silly.  Smile.  "Yes ma'am. I'd be happy to.", run do the job, checkity-check-check-check, Report back to mom.  It went like this.  "Brennan, please go lock the back door."  Brennan responds with: Smile. "Yes ma'am, I'd be happy to."  Run lock the door. Checkity-check-check-check.  Report back to mom.  "Mom, I have locked the door."  I gave them quick jobs and some silly like "Go stand on that rug and jump ten times".  This is an especially great one to give to any little boys who are having a hard time sitting still...and I have five boys:)

We did this for a while so that each of them had several chances to participate and then, when I could see that they had it down, we switched it a bit and kept practicing.

We did it "Army style".  The boys especially loved this and it went something like this.  Mom says, "Private Abby.  I have a mission for you.  Take that webkinz and put it away in the loft".  Abby responds with: Smile.  "Yes ma'am, I'd be happy to"...saluting as she speaks.  Run to put away the toy.  Checkity-check-check-check.  Report to mom..."Sergeant Mom, I have completed the mission". 

So, we started our "academic school" very late today and didn't get everything done that was on my list before we had to leave for PE.  But, we had fun and laughed together, we worked on character and heart issues, and the kids now have defined steps to follow when I ask them to do something.  There can be no doubt of my expectations. 


*I did steal this idea from the Duggar's book "20 and Counting" but changed it to fit the situation for our family.

*If you are looking for a list of "age appropriate" chores for your children, I would recommend "The Homeschooler's Book of Lists" by Sonya A. Haskins.  Our local library has it...your may too:)

The Value of Play

I was watching my two middle children the other day as they were playing house. They were all dressed up in several layers of dress-up clothes and pushing my youngest around the house in the doll stroller. I could hear them talking to each other in tones that grabbed my attention. They were calling each other sweet names and sharing so nicely. I began to think about how they were preparing for their future lives in this role play. They weren't pretending to be bickering children but mature adults who are patient and loving. 

My heart began to sing. Is this a glimpse into the future? Is all of that training truly paying off? No matter where they live or who they become, they will always need the all important skills of cooperation and kindness. I was so glad that they were practicing. It wasn't too long before the utopia of the situation melted into squabbles and the baby began protesting about being the play-dolly. It did however, make me stop and think about the value of "play". Children love to play!

Over the years, we have created some consistent and some special occasion forms of play. Some are typical preschool play and others are a little more unconventional:)  

I have one kitchen cabinet that basically belongs to the baby. He crawls in and out like a little play house when I am working in the kitchen. The things that are in the cabinet are all children's plastics that he loves to rearrange. 

My kids have the typical dress up clothes, kitchen toys, building blocks, education games, etc. But it seems that they like to play in unconventional places most of all. One favorite is taking flashlights into the closet and pretending all sorts of outer space adventures.

One thing that I started recently (Peter's mom does this often when the kids visit her house.) is giving them special play that we do just every once in a while. The favorite is "water play". We fill up several large bowls, buckets, or containers with water and then I give them smaller containers, funnels, basters, spoons, etc. Because I am not excited about cleaning up the mess, I send them outside on the picnic table. The younger ones will play for hours! One variation of this is texture play. Here we fill containers with different textures such as flour, cornmeal, dried beans, etc. It is just so different from anything else that they are excited and entertained. Another modern favorite is shaving cream. I just squirt a little shaving cream on the table and they smear it around like finger paints and draw pictures in the cream. This is also a great way for us to practice writing letters or words without them knowing that we are reviewing school:) When they are done it is only a quick wipe down and they all smell great!