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November 2006 ETC Corner
Kid-Friendly Indoor Activities
for Cold Winter Days
Oh, the weather outside is frightful…. And Winter break is coming up! Here are some ideas on how to keep the kids from going crazy with cabin fever without relying on the TV!
Paper towel bowling. Stack rolls of paper towels in a pyramid and roll a medium sized play ball at them.
Make a collage with magazine or newspaper photos of where they would like to go on a vacation.
Start working on those Christmas gifts!
Bake cookies, sweet breads or other treats to give to neighbors.
Make paper bag or sock puppets and have a puppet show.
Listen to radio theater on an audio CD. Focus on the Family has a wonderful series called "Adventures in Odyssey" that is on Christian radio and CDs.
Coat a large pinecone with peanut butter and bird seed to attract birds, and then get a book to help you identify them.
Make homemade candles. An easy way to do this is to pour the melted wax over ice cubes in the lower portion of a rectangular milk container (quart or smaller). You can mix colors in layers to make it more interesting. Don't forget the wick. Drain the water and peel away the carton when it is set.
Make homemade butter by putting whipping cream inside a clean plastic container (like a peanut butter jar) with a three clean glass marbles and roll it around until it becomes butter. Add salt and serve with crackers.
Plant some indoor plants in cups and put them in the windowsill.
Get a large appliance box from a local store and let the kids make it into a fort.
Keep a collection of various odds-and-ends that can be used for crafts (buttons, bottle caps, toilet paper roles, scrap aluminum foil, colored paper, magazines, fabric, etc) in a large plastic container to use for creative artwork.
Help write a play with your children. Find costumes and act it out for the last person to come home.
Interview elderly neighbors and create stories for a neighborhood newspaper.
Raising Great Kids
By:Kendra Smiley
Where did that instruction manual for raising these children go? Many of us ask that question as we face the daily challenges of parenting. Instead of settling for frustration, try implementing some of the following tips in your household.
There are many elements to raising great kids. The following points are terrific places to start.
Choose to Be Present
Is it quantity time or quality time? Every parent wants to have quality time with their child. But is it possible to make every moment a quality moment? Of course not. Our theory is that quality time happens occasionally in the midst of quantity time. That means you must choose to be present.
Be present working with your child. That does not mean simply assigning jobs or chores. It means working together. You won't be more efficient, but that is not the point. The point is that you are spending time with your child...time that just might be quality time.
Be present playing with your child. Play what your child wants to play. Those times playing together can lead to incredible opportunities to talk and listen.
Just be present. For example, strive to eat meals together at least once a day. A dad reported to us that after changing jobs, he was finally home for dinner. During this time together, his 14-year old son told him that "food just tastes better when you're home." Think about that.
Choose to Be an Encourager
The world can be a discouraging place. Your home needs to combat that discouragement.
Catch your child in the act of doing something right. We are quick to correct, and we assume our children know we appreciate them. Don't assume that. Tell your child when he has done something well. Applaud the process as well as the product. When your child studies his spelling words each day, applaud his diligence and discipline. Don't wait for the spelling test results to encourage and applaud him. Tell your child that you love him. Tell him. That is a wonderful encouragement.
Choose to Allow Failure and Success
No one wants to see their child fail, but failure is a fact of life. It is much better to allow that failure when you are there to encourage your child and let him know that it is not "the end of the world". When you constantly intervene and do not allow failure, you are what psychologists are now calling "helicopter parents"-- parents who hover over their children in an unhealthy manner. This hovering does harm to your child. Allow him to fail.
Being a successful parent is a challenging role. Try implementing one of these tips each week until you are comfortable with them all. Both you and your children will benefit from the added peace in your home!
Purchase "Be the Parent" by Kendra Smiley with John Smiley from P31 Ministries.
Turkey Breadbasket Craft
Here's a cute craft idea from familyfun.com. Adapt it into a Thanksgiving activity by giving each guest a paper feather to write something(s) they are thankful for and finish the craft by attaching the feathers.
Materials Needed:
Large wooden spoon
Tacky glue and a glue stick
Pair of googly eyes
Pencil and scissors
Construction paper in a variety of colors
Flat wooden craft spoon
Red marker
Colorful printed wrapping paper or pages from old magazines
Waxed paper
Thin wooden skewers (sold in the kitchen/cooking section of most grocery and department stores)
Basket to serve as the turkey's body (it should be large enough to fit a loaf of bread or dinner rolls)
Florists' foam or Styrofoam block (sold at many large craft or department stores) large enough to wedge into the basket
Cloth dinner napkin
1. To create the turkey's head, turn the large wooden spoon so that the back of the bowl becomes the face. Use tacky glue to stick on the googly eyes. Then cut out a yellow construction paper beak and glue it in place.
2. For the turkey's wattle, use the marker to color the flat wooden craft spoon red. Glue the wattle onto the face at an angle so that the top slightly overlaps the beak. You can use a pinch-style clothespin to hold the pieces in place until the glue dries.
3. From the construction paper, help your kids cut out lots of colored feathers that measure about 10 inches long and 1 3/4 inches across at the widest point. Cut out the same number of feathers from the wrapping paper or magazine pages, and then trim them so that they are slightly smaller than the solid-colored ones.
4. Cover a flat work surface with waxed paper (this makes for easier cleanup after applying glue), and you're ready to assemble the feathers. For each one, place a construction paper cutout on the waxed paper and set a wooden skewer atop it so that the blunt end is just below the top of the paper and the pointed end extends about 3 inches below it.
5. Next, use a glue stick to coat the underside of a printed feather. Then press it, glued side down, onto the construction paper feather, sandwiching the skewer between the 2 layers.
6. Wedge the foam block into the basket (trim it first if necessary). Push the spoon handle into one end of the block deep enough to secure it. Stick the feathers into the opposite end. Cover the block with the cloth napkin, and the turkey basket is ready to fill with bread.
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