Activities/Games

Now that we're seeing sunnier days around here my kids (10 and 4 years old) have been in love with learning the outdoor games I played when I was their age. They're gobbling up all my childhood stories and the rules of play and get major satisfaction from beating mommy's butt at her own game...Luckily for them it's been decades since I've played Chinese Jumprope and Hopscotch because otherwise it would been on... And nobody likes to see kids crying (or me gloating)...In your face kids, IN...YOUR...FACE!

To us weekends filled with outdoorsy goodness (namely hikes through Mt. Tamalpais and bike rides around Angel Island) are just what we need to reconnect and recharge from the craziness of the week. Nature calls us and we go knowing all is right when we are out in it exploring, getting dirty and going crazy. Weekends spent outdoors are hands-down our kids' favorite and have been their most memorable ones.

We've talked about Make and Takes' genius velcro ball and glove catch game before which we love, love, love. Marie LeBaron is sharing more velcro-catchy goodness by offering a new twist to her original idea.

It seems rather silly to me that I've yet to sew a few bean bags for my kid. True I'm a sewing junkie who just so happens to own a sizeable collection of fabric. And true I have a very active 3.5 year old daughter who loves to catch, toss and balance all sorts of interesting things and true we own this CD.

There are two things that frustrate my 3 year old daughter beyond measure right now...catching a ball and wearing gloves. And while she's been obsessed with accurate ball handling ever since her older brother's Spring baseball league (tear driven when she's unable to play a solid game of catch) gloves have become her newest love/hate object. Just the simply of putting and keeping on gloves drives her insane. Yet, being the mindful mother that I am (ha) I go on chilly day after chilly day forcing my child to keep those teeny digits covered anytime it hits below 60 outside.

I'm a fan of tricking kids into learning something...Disguising concepts that might normally be on the dull side (like spelling) in a heaping helping of yummy game-time fun.

Why should bikes get all the cool baskets? Check out this tutorial posted on CRAFT for a super-smooth scooter bag. Posted as part of their special family summer camp series and put together by Kathie Sever and Bernadette Noll of Future Craft Collective this bag is quick, slick and fully functional.

There's no denying we are devoted followers of Laura Fuller's yoga awesomeness. A true West Los Angeles gem, her adult and kids classes are nothing short of magical. She's our muse, a true yogi...we appreciate her ability to guide, move and inspire us.

In less than a month my 9 year old will be home on summer vacation for 10 long, hot weeks. And because we've dragged our feet deciding whether to send him off to camp he'll be home each day expecting to be entertained. Then there'll be the days when his buddies will be over from the crack of dawn until the street lights brighten the night sky and I'll want them out of my precious home for as many hours as I can get away with. Those days call for something a little more special.

We're in for one scorching summer. So what do you do with a house full of bored kids in desperate need of some exercise when it feels like the surface of the sun outside and there isn't a water oasis nearby?