Get Your Tickets Here!
Tickets are so great for young children…
We started a new chore system for our almost 10 year old(called Accountable Kids… I’ll share more about it later – love it and it deserves its own post!)… and it is ticket based. Basically, our son can earn tickets for doing morning chores, afternoon chores, good behavior, etc… and the tickets can be exchanged for privileges (mostly screen time). We started the system with just our oldest… and it has worked so well that now my younger two (ages 6 and 4) are always asking if they can earn tickets. What is funny about it… they don’t even know what the tickets are for!
I love it when children are still in the stage where a ticket is enough of a prize! 
So, I was thrilled to find these tickets that Gingham Cherry is giving away – so cute!
Just think about the possibilities…
tickets for potty training
tickets to buy stuff from the ’store’
tickets for obeying
tickets for kindness
tickets for chores
tickets for game pieces
tickets for learning to count/math
… so many possibilities!
You can even let your kids set up all their stuffed animals in the living room for a zoo exhibit… and sell tickets to the zoo
What would you use these tickets for?
Does Your Kid Kitchen Have Menus?
This is the coolest idea… can’t wait to do this with my kids next week!
My younger 2 spend a lot of time preparing all sorts of concoctions in their little kitchen… it is pretty funny the different ‘teas’ they serve… or appetizers (which IRL would not be all that appetizing!)… their creativity is amazing — and this idea over at Money Saving Mom takes it a new level!
Money Saving Mom posted the cutest idea to make little menus for your kids kitchen — the kind THEY make Isn’t this a great exercise for them? They get to pick out foods they want to eat and include on their menu, layout the design, and set the prices. You could laminate the project for them too so they stand up over time.
Free Cultural Passes… Get Out Of The House!
Has the economy put a damper on your plans for getting to the zoo or a local museum with the kids?
Is heading to the park every few days getting a little old… but, the budget is just too tight to pay for $15+ tickets to visit a local museum for kids?
Did you know that you might be able to get FREE passes to all kinds of great places to bring kids?
We recently found out that our local library offers free passes (you actually check them out) to quite a few museums and other places with activities for kids… it’s worth checking into your local library too – I’m always amazed at how many resources libraries have!
Our library (Washington County in Oregon) offers cultural passes for:
* A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village
* Chinese Classical Garden
* Pittock Mansion
* Portland Art Museum
* Portland Children’s Museum
* Portland Japanese Garden
* Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals
* Washington County Museum
The EASIEST way to get your kids OUTDOORS
Do you have trouble getting your kids outdoors?
Okay – maybe that is a silly question… but, the other day, I was suggesting to my kids that they head out back to play. I couldn’t believe it when they said they didn’t want to. What I realized is that they just needed a little help with ideas for what to DO out back… I’ve put together a scavenger hunt list of things for them to find out back… I recommended different roll-play ideas they can do (pretend play like Indiana Jones, Dino Hunter, GI Joe, FairyLand, etc…) But, this time they needed something different.
Check this out…
This kept my kids entertained (and getting along!) for hours out back… a win-win-win!!
There are all sorts of digging adventures you can pick up at Marshalls, Ross and TJMaxx… here are some available at Amazon just so you can see what I’m talking about.
I’m pretty sure we have done all of them at this point…
We started with a dino-dig like this one
There is one set where you dig out pieces of armor and then put it together on a stand…
There are digs you can do for beautiful rocks and gems (my daughter loved this one!)
There are digs you can do where you dig out pirate treasure and then they are actually pieces of a game…
In fact, these are great to bring if you are camping! We did that last year when our church went camping for the weekend – all the kids ended up at our campsite to help with the dig going on… lots of fun for everyone!
Boredom Buster #4
We are still going strong with our Boredom Buster’s!! Help us stamp out boredom this summer with your own tips to keep kids busy in the comments!
- Image by esagor via Flickr
Boredom Buster #4
Sidewalk Chalk: This is always a great boredom buster! There are all sorts of different accessories for sidewalk chalk these days too… but, the best is just letting the kids get creative.
You can help by giving them a sort of game to play… or have them make up a game with their chalk drawings… or, they can draw a story… build hopscotch… draw a desert island and boats to get there on… let their imagination go wild at a park sidewalk or in your driveway.
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Boredom Buster #3
We are still on a roll here… cutting boredom from the summer of 2009! Here is boredom buster number 3…
Boredom Buster #3
- Image by plien via Flickr
March In A Parade: This is perfect for right around 4th of July – let the kids decorate their bikes, trikes or wagon and put on a parade! There doesn’t really have to be a special occassion – they can just have a summer parade too!
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Boredom Buster #2
We are continuing our series to help fight BOREDOM this summer… No more hearing ‘I’m Bored Mom!’ this summer with these fantastic tips. Do you have something add? Leave a comment and we’ll be sure to feature it in a future post.
Boredom Buster #2
Arts and Crafts Bin: Set a budget and hit the dollar store or craft store to build a bin of craft supplies. Take the kids with you and give them $5-10 to add to the bin things that interest them. Once a week, pull out the arts and crafts bin for them to create.
A few things to consider including:
- pipe cleaners
- wooden craft sticks
- stickers
- puffy paints
- fabric swatches
- felt pieces
- yarn
- ribbons
- scissors, glue, tape, etc.
- paper plates
- foil
- pretty papers (scrapbooking paper?)
Fight Boredom With Fun At Home This Summer
We are starting a series to help fight boredom this summer!
Tired of hearing, “I’m Bored Mom”? All it takes is a little bit of preparation and planning… and we are here to help!
Over the next week we will be highlighting some fun ways to keep your kids from being bored this summer. If you have something to add – please share, and I’ll feature it in a future post.
Boredom Buster #1
Backyard Camp Out: Set up your tent right in your backyard for an overnight stay… If camping outside is just a little too much for your little ones, you can still have a camp-out by having a fun campfire (check out this campfire in a box for your backyard – too cool!) and then you can make your own s’mores! If the camp fire in the box is a bit much – there are these little s’more grills you can get. We have one and it works great! The point is to get outside and have a great time creating yummy treats over a fire.
What you might need:
- Basic S’more Ingredients – graham crackers, chocolate squares, large marshmellows
- Skews for cooking marshmellows
- campfire in a box
- or, smaller s’more grill
- want something more gourmet? Check out this s’more cookbook!
Do you have a favorite Boredom Buster? Leave a comment sharing your tip and we’ll feature it later – giving you full credit, of course!
Get Ready For Summer Boredom Busters!
Here they come… Tomorrow we start a series of Boredom Busters so you never have to hear “I’m Bored Mom” during the summer of 2009! Ahhh… doesn’t that sound nice?
If you want to participate – be sure to share your favorite boredom buster and we will include it as a post. I’m going to try to get Mr. Linky to work – but, I’ve never done that before… so, we’ll have to just see if it coorperates. In the mean time, feel free to leave a comment sharing your tip for keeping summer sane with little ones.
See you tomorrow!
