Favorite things

As the days begin to get longer and we inch toward the finish line of this school year, I’m trying to think through ways we can stay entertained {and sane!} when everyone is home all day this summer. And, that has me thinking about some of our favorite activities from last spring and summer. By no means am I an authority on educational or development activities for children since I’m uneducated on those matters and operate in basic survival mode most days. But, I do know a few things that have worked well with our passel of girls. So, in random order, here are five of our very favorite things to play or do as of late:

1. Spot It ~ This is a card game that the older two girls have come to love. It’s fast-paced and exciting, and it’s all about image recognition. You don’t have to be able to read to play; you just have to think fast. Therefore, young children are much better at this game than tired parents. They make a variety of these games now themed to different interests and characters (baseball, Disney, Shopkins), but our crew seems to favor the original Spot It over all the others. It’s around $12 and available at most all the big box stores and even craft stores. The  youngest player on the far left is known to cheat, but I have high hopes that her approach to winning will improve this summer.

2. Pocket Disc ~ the Spouse and I have always enjoyed playing frisbee. In fact, when we were first married and I was still blissfully naive about how easily my adult self can incur a sports injury, we played in a little ultimate frisbee league for awhile. So, a few years ago when the 3rd Grader wanted to learn to play, we started throwing the frisbee with her outside in the evenings. It was great fun until one of our tosses with a hard plastic frisbee hit her square in the mouth. That hurts. But, last spring we discovered something called the Pocket Disc. These frisbees are great for a couple of reasons: they’re floppy and never hurt when they hit you, and when you purchase one you’re supporting a Fair Trade company.  The only downside to the Pocket Disc is that dogs love them. At least, our dog loves them and thwarts our every attempt to play a game.

3. Badminton ~ we found a $3 badminton set in the dollar section at Target two years ago, and we have gone through at least three sets since then. Almost every evening in the summer, someone had the racquets out swatting the birdie. Full disclosure, there were tears and frustration with the 1st Grader over this sport because at first attempt, badminton is just hard. But, once she got the hang of it, she was hooked.

Unfortunately, our very first badminton set had to be replaced not because of overuse but due to an act of violence it was involved in late one night in our garage.

Apparently someone’s hunting instinct kicks in when she spots a birdie. This is why we purchase $3 sets. And, I’ve already seen them out at Target again this season.

4. Who Is books ~ Without fail, our girls choose some of the girl-iest books ever for their reading selections. They’re drawn to titles like Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, Sleeping Cinderella, Barbie: Princess Charm School, or the Preschooler’s favorite, I Wear My Tutu Everywhere. So, understandably, every single time the 1st Grader sits down to read a book to the Spouse, he falls asleep. It’s like her reading has a hypnotic effect on him within minutes. Granted, her style is a bit monotone and slow-going as she still sounds out words. But, that’s what makes these Who Is books better. They’re an interesting read for both kids and adults. I have learned more about Helen Keller, Walt Disney, and Laura Ingalls Wilder than I ever knew I needed to know from reading through a few of these with the girls at bedtime. And,of course, Who Is Dolly Parton? is still our favorite.

5. Radio Flyer glider ~ I’m honestly not sure what I would do with the Preschooler’s energy in the summertime if it weren’t for this scooter. The big girls each have a Razor scooter they whizz around on, but this Radio Flyer version designed for younger kids has been a lifesaver. When used properly, I think it’s fast enough to be fun but still very safe. When used improperly, as demonstrated below, it’s not as safe but is apparently still very fun.

And, in all seriousness, I think it’s good exercise and surely helps with dexterity and balance. It should probably always be paired with a helmet… especially when you’re dealing with a stunt rider.

Hopefully your scooter or bike rider will have hair that is better suited for a helmet.