With the weather warming up and school about to come to a close, we’ve been looking at ideas on how to keep our family active and fit this summer. After reading 5 Practical Tips to Encourage Your Children to Get Into Fitness, I decided to get my ideas down in black-and-white, so I can refer back to these ideas when my memory and creativity take a vacation day. Hopefully you can use these ideas with your own children this summer as well.

1. The Swimming Pool - If you have frequent access to a swimming pool this summer, you have an easy way to entertain the kids and stay in shape at the same time. Practicing strokes and doing laps are great exercise, but even just a fun afternoon splashing around in the water gives you and your children opportunities to use muscles in different ways that you use them on land. Water games like Marco Polo and water volleyball also offer different ways to play at the pool. No pool? Try a sprinkler in the yard or a Slip N Slide, which gets kids outside but keeps them cool and refreshed. No matter what, don’t forget the sunscreen. And we have a great selection of Water and Sand Toys for play in the yard, at the pool, or at the beach.
2. Jumping Rope - A jump rope represents a great chance to improve both your cardiovascular health in your coordination skills. There are lots of different ways to jump rope, from one person with a single rope, to two people using the same (longer) rope, or three people where two turn the rope and a third jumps in the middle. Use two ropes for double-dutch jumping! Also, combining the basic jump with fancier skills such as hopping on one leg, handstands, and more will build additional skills and confidence. JumpRope.com offers great videos, teaching materials, and ropes. Plus we have our own adorable Carrot Jump Rope and, for a different twist, a Solo Chinese Jump Rope with stakes so it can be used by a single person.
3. Family Walks - Taking a walk with our family is one of my favorite ways to unwind after a long day. It’s a great alternative that gets the kids outside instead of watching a cartoon for 30 minutes. Our walk may be as simple as one-time-around-the-block, or on days when we have more time, we walk to one of the neighborhood parks and let the kids play on the playground before we walk home. Walking is easy on your joints, usually allows for easy conversation, and it a great way to get some fresh air, observe wildlife, and greet your neighbors.
4. Gardening - While caring for plants may not be as aerobically effective as the previous ideas, I love the way it combines nurturing, science, and activity. Plus, indoor container gardening is impervious to rainy days. Children learn the responsibility of caring for a living thing, and gardening offers opportunities to talk about plant parts, pollination, insects, and more. Consider planting a vegetable garden, which has the added benefit of providing healthy food that kids may be more interested in eating, since it represents the “fruits” of their own labor!
5. Family Yoga - Ever since we invested in a Wii Fit gaming system, the yoga exercises have been one of our kids’ favorite activities. We take turns using the balance board, but everyone can participate at the same time. It’s perfect for stretching tired muscles and calming down frazzled nerves (mine and the kids’!) So many of our activities involve shortening our muscles, so good stretching activities like yoga and Pilates help balance that by working to lengthen muscles. The focus on breathing is also great, particular in its calming effect.

I hope that these ideas will give you some inspiration to stay active over the summer break. If you have other good ideas, please share them in the comments!

In one short month, Valentine’s Day will be here.  Giving someone a Valentine is a wonderful way to show how much you care, and when these Valentine’s are handmade, the message is that much more special.  Here are a couple of easy homemade Valentines for your kids to make - for neighbors, friends, relatives and classmates!

1. Cut hearts from red or pink construction paper, about the size of a 3×5 index card.  Cut two slits in the heart, large enough to slide a stick of gum (such as Big Red) through, much like Cupid’s arrow through a heart.  On the Valentine, write “I ‘chews’ you to be my Valentine” and sign it!  These are always a huge hit with friends and classmates!
2. As in suggestion #1, cut hearts from red, purple or pink construction paper.  Cut two finger-sized holes in the lower portion of the heart (you can start a hole with a hole punch then use scissors to increase the size).  Decorate the heart with a face, wiggly eyes and cute smile, then pen a message on the back, such as, “You make my heart dance!”  Viola!  A Valentine finger puppet!

I came across a great little site that will be full of oodles of activities to get you in the holiday spirit.  Heather created this site for the holiday season based on our 50 Days of Summer Fun.  How fantastic is that?  Check out what Heather is coming up with this week, and check back each week for a new batch of activities!  She’s quite crafty, too, so be ready to have some creative fun!

We were very blessed to live close to our extended family for the first four years of my older son’s life.  He grew up among grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and so many other relatives that a village really and truly raised him.  When he was four, though, our family made the decision to move several hours away.  It was a GREAT move, but we sorely missed our family.

There are several things we have done to keep in touch with our family.  And, when kids are young, it is important to keep those communication lines with family open and moving.  Children can benefit greatly from the influence of positive role models and close ties with family.  Children can learn how families and communities work and rely upon each other by being a part of an active and close family, even when they are physically miles away.

1. Pick up the phone - especially if you have a great calling plan!  Use cell phones or land lines, whichever has the best “deal” and make it a point to talk at least once a week.  Grandparents and other relatives will love hearing about school and friends, and kids will enjoy remembering the great things that have happened during the week.  Another great phone idea is to put everyone on “speaker”.  Kids can be part of the greater conversation, and you can help nudge kids past the “Uh huh” and “fine” answers. 
2. Smile!  Put a camera in the hands of your child and have him or her document a day.  Maybe a picture of breakfast, the school bus, or even a walk around the block are just the things the family wants to see.  Photos can be emailed or mailed; have your child either dictate or write a description of the photos to share with others.
3. Go online - create a family website for family members to log on and check in with the family.  There are several hosting sites that are private.  Myfamily.com is a good source, and blogger.com can be set to private as well.  This is my personal favorite; my family has a blog, and it has been an invaluable way for our parents to share in the lives of our children.
4. Encourage the grandparents (and other relatives) to reciprocate!  Relatives can read a favorite book over the phone to share with your child.  Or, ask them to send a note or postcard from time to time.  Children of all ages love getting mail, and a note every now and then will let your child know that they are thought of.

As a Friday treat, I would like to point you to Nicole’s site.  Nicole is the mom to four beautiful girls, and I have enjoyed reading through her site since we added her to the Wonderbrains Blogroll (see our sidebar for more blog-worthy reads!).

Nicole shared a wonderful exercise in detail that she and her husband did with their daughters.  The basic idea is to teach children about detail in the form of nature.  It is a great activity for families and classes.  Give each participant a large cut-out shape (like a frame - I actually created construction paper “frames” for my pre-k class to do this).  Go outside in a grassy area and place the frame on the ground.  Then, lay on the ground with the frame and observe all the details you can find within the frame.  In Nicole’s “frame” she found a twig, some green grass, dead grass, an ant and three black seeds.  Next, meet with a partner and share what was in your frame.  Trade places with your partner and see if you can find all the details he or she found.

I love Nicole’s second activity as well - make sure you have a well-treed area for this.  Blindfold a person and lead them to a tree.  Have them touch it, feel it, discover it.  Then, lead them back to the starting point and take off the blindfold…can that person find their tree?  In Nicole’s family, the girls were each able to find “their” tree.  Talk about enhancing your senses when one is taken away!

Thank you, Nicole, for some wonderful activities for family time!

My boys are always wanting to “help out” in the kitchen.  You know what that translates into: things not going QUITE the way I planned them to go.  However, I have a handful of recipes we fix from time to time that the boys are able to successfully create on their own (or close to it).  This is one of our favorites, and I have modified it for the holidays.  It is an easy yet delicious dish for those holiday gatherings, or just for your family to enjoy.

20 large marshmallows
2 c. hot water
1 package (large) lime jello
1 large can crushed pineapple
1 cup crushed pecans (these are optional)
1 package Dream Whip

Melt the marshmallows in the hot water.  Add jello and allow the mixture to thicken.  Add pineapples and pecans.  Whip one package of Dream Whip (follow directions) and fold in.  Chill.  You can also substitute Cool Whip for the Dream Whip but it will be a slightly different texture.  Add to the festiveness by garnishing with cherries or even a few festive sprinkles.

The holidays can be crazy-busy times.  That makes it even more important to take a moment each day to do things together.  It helps keep yourself centered in what is truly important right now - your family.  One of the best locations for “family time” is the kitchen.  Creating, baking, cooking - whatever it may be, doing it together brings children and parents, grandparents, even good friends and neighbors closer together.

 As a gift to you, I am offering some of our family’s favorite “together” recipes.  These are sometimes messy, consistently good, terrific for gift-giving and always a great tool for spending time together.  Stock your pantries, gather your supplies, and get ready for some good eating and fun.

And don’t forget (the mom in me says): Wash your hands!

ORANGE BALLS
1 box of powdered sugar, plus extra powdered sugar in which to roll balls
1 stick of butter
1 box of Nilla Wafers (crushed)
6 oz can of frozen orange juice concentrate

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Roll dough into small balls, about the size of a walnut.  Roll the balls in additional powdered sugar and set on waxed paper to set.  We usually do ours one evening and let them sit out overnight to “set”.  Store in covered containers.  May be refrigerated for longer shelf-life.

Back when my older son was really little, my husband and I realized just how precious our Saturdays were.  The weekdays were filled with work and meetings, appointments and chores.  Sundays were spent at church and with family.  Saturday was essentially our only day together, just us.  So, we instituted Special Saturdays.  It is our one day each week to plan (or in some cases) not plan anything…well…special.

We typically start our Saturdays with a pajama party, complete with pancakes and bacon.  In recent years, we’ve turned to more of the IHOP style of pancaking - whipped cream, flavored syrups, and pancakes the size of the plate.  Cold, wintery mornings bring out our hot chocolate stash, and in the summertime we make a buffet of fresh fruits and smoothies.  Sometimes, we pull out leftover birthday plates and cups to give it a festive flair, and on occasion we even drag out the good china and drink milk and juice from crystal goblets.

Saturdays are our time to spend together.  We may go to the local children’s museum or zoo, maybe we’ll paint some pottery or swing at the city park.  Or, perhaps we all get out in the back yard and work in the flower beds, planting new landscaping and making bird treats to hang in the trees.  We have an occasional movie day, popping popcorn and stretching out on the sofa to watch our favorite flick or loading up the car to catch the latest on the silver screen.

In recent times, we’ve found ourselves with commitments that crop up into “our” day - sporting events, birthday parties, cub scout outings.  And, those are okay, too.  We try, for the most part, to still do them as a family, and even if we still have to lose part of our day to “outside forces”, we make it a point to put aside the rest of the day for just us.

Spending quality time together as a family is the core to a healthy family relationship.  What are some traditions or ideas you and your children have?