Get the Kids Away from the Television

Categories Materials: Paper, pens or pencils Each person draws four columns on a piece of paper and writes the four categories-"boy's name," "girl's name," "place," and "thing"-across the top. Then everyone tries to write down a word for each category that starts with the letter "a" (Andy, Amy, Amsterdam, apple). Then try to think of words for each category that start with the letter "b." Go through every letter of the alphabet, thinking of something for each column. See who makes it to "z" first. Pantomime Day Act out a pantomime (a little play without words) for your family about your day. Without making a sound, tell them what you did at school, what sport you played, or what you did at home. At the end of your performance, have someone describe what they understood from your pantomime. Strangers at Dinner While your family is eating dinner, pretend you have all just met for the first time. Start by introducing yourselves, then take turns telling a little bit about yourself and answering questions. Think of things to ask each other that might have funny answers, such as "What is your family like?" or "Who tells the worst jokes in your family?" Mini-Store Decide what services your at-home store will offer (mending, fix-it, shoe polish, or something else you can do) and collect the supplies you will need. Set them up on your table and have your customers come to you, or put your supplies in a bag and offer a mobile service. If you don't get a lot of customers when you first open your shop, make a list of the services you offer and what you charge, and stick it to the fridge so people know how you can help them. Odd out Materials: A room with things to rearrange Everyone goes out of the room while one person rearranges five things in an "odd" way-turns some books upside down in a bookshelf, or changes a calendar to the wrong month, for example. Then everyone comes back in and tries to find the things that are out of place. The first person to find all five wins. (Don't forget to put everything back the way it was when you started.) Magazine Mosaic Materials: Pen, paper, old magazines, scissors, glue With a pen and paper, draw a big picture with lots of spaces to fill in. Next, cut out small squares of different sizes and colors from old magazines. Use the squares to "color in" your pictures. Glue them down inside the lines of your drawing to make your mosaic. Try making another mosaic out of triangles or circles. Create-a-tee Materials: old t-shirt, buttons, needle and thread, permanent ink marker, pens or fabric pains. Find an old T-shirt, and lots of buttons and things to sew on it to brighten it up. Ask an adult for some help with the sewing if you need to, or you can use marker pens or fabric paints to draw a design on your tee. When you have finished, sign your name on your original T-shirt. Changing places Find someone in your family or a friend to exchange roles with. Pretend to be that person by imitating his or her voice and saying the sorts of things he or she would usually say. Act like them too, by doing things they often do at home. You can even swap clothes and copy each other's hairstyles. If everyone in the family wants to play, try this game at dinner. Newsphabet Materials: old newspaper or magazine, scissors, glue or tape, writing paper and envelope Write a message to a friend by looking in a newspaper or magazine for the words or letters that spell out your message. Cut them out and glue them to a piece of writing paper. Do the same thing for the envelope and then mail your note. Wall closet Materials: Large piece of art paper, glue or tape, odds and ends With a group of friends or your family, collect all the ordinary everyday odds and ends that you usually throw away or lose (bus tickets, candy wrappers, used envelopes, and stamps, for example). Lay a piece of sturdy paper on the floor and glue everything you have found onto the paper to make a collage. Find a place to hang your collage and continue to paste things from your everyday life to it. Keep a box or basket to collect things in to add to your collage. Pin pictures Materials: pencil, dark-colored paper, tape With the tip of a pencil, carefully poke holes in the paper to make a picture or pattern. To view your pinhole picture, tape it to a bright window or shine a flashlight through it onto the wall. Calendar Materials: Paper, crayons, pens, or pencils, calendar to copy from Draw a picture on the top half of a piece of paper, then use a calendar to copy the grid pattern of dates for next month onto the bottom half. Now that you have made your own calendar, find a place to pin it up. Invent your own important holidays and write them in. You can also make a calendar for a friend and put fun things on it that you could do together. Private nook Materials: cushions, rugs, or blankets Find a place in your house that isn't needed, where you can set up your own private nook. Furnish it with cushions, or put down a rug and some blankets. Having a private nook is a bit like having your own indoor clubhouse. You can decorate it with your favorite and use it for reading, taking a nap, writing letters, or listening to music. Feet puppets Materials: old socks, needle and thread, buttons, glue, and markers Turn an old sock into a puppet for your foot. Sew, glue or draw on a face at the toe end of your sock. You can use buttons for eyes and ears. Put your sock on your foot and make your puppet talk by wiggling your toes. If you have two socks, you can make a different puppet character for each foot and put on a foot puppet show.