Kathryn, Author at kathrynegly.com

0 In 2020/ Christmas/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys

Peek into our Christmas week

Christmas Eve:

It was a cold day with LOTS of snow. All four boys shoveled two of our neighbors driveways.

We played with our dog, completed a Christmas puzzle, then watched White Christmas (one of my FAVORITE Christmas movies).

Luke and Paul were excited to go to bed that night because they could hardly wait for it to be Christmas morning!

After the two littles fell asleep, George and Clark helped me put presents under the tree, then George created a scavenger hunt from the “elves.”

Clark set up some games around the house for everyone to play on Christmas Day.

Christmas Day:

Scavenger hunt for the littles:

George created a scavenger hunt from our ‘elves.’ He wrote a clue, that led to another clue, that led to another … all around our house. The final clue led to a gift from “Santa.” The gift was a game called “Ticket to Ride.” I’d read good reviews of this game so I thought my boys would like it.

I made the mistake of trying to play it with them right away, without having ever played before. I didn’t realize how many details were involved. I tried to read the instructions and play at the same time. This was a FAIL! I didn’t understand how to play, let alone how to teach all four boys what to do. We all got frustrated and quit.

Afterwards, I watched a YouTube video on how to play. I finally understood and asked my boys if they wanted to try again. The boys said no, they just wanted to open their other presents.

Opening presents:

Our big Christmas gift to the boys was a dog (Read that story here) …but other family members had gifts for them to open Christmas morning.

I filled their stockings with some fun treats, hid the stockings in my closet, tied a long string around them, and wrapped that string all around the house. I gave the boys the end of the string, and they had to follow it to find their stockings.

The boys also did a “Secret Santa” gift exchange with each other. After Thanksgiving, I put the names of the boys in a bowl and they each drew a name. They have a $15 budget and get to pick out a gift for each other.

Luke drew George’s name and got him a puzzle (see below).
Paul drew Clark’s name and bought him football cards.
Clark drew Luke’s name and got him a remote control car.
George drew Paul and bought him some Pokemon cards.

Christmas Day Scavenger Hunt for the Parents:

As a Christmas gift for me and Ted, Clark created a super fun obstacle course for us to complete. We had targets to hit with a nerf gun, matchbox cars that had to get past a certain line, a box to tear open to find a clue and a quarter, basketballs to get in the net, then a word to complete in a “Wheel of Fortune” type game. When we completed all our ‘challenges,’ we had to race to put our “quarter” on the winning circle to win a prize (see picture above). I won “Wheel of Fortune” and the matchbox car game, but Ted is way better with a nerf gun and basketball. He won and got a big chocolate bar. I was second and Clark gave me chocolate coins.

Christmas Day Walk:

It was COLD outside (7 degrees), but Ted encouraged us to bundle up and get outside with him, and I’m glad we did!

Christmas Dinner:

Steak, Brussel Sprouts, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus and …. French Fries. (I forgot to take a picture)

We Watched:

A Christmas Story – Ted and George love this movie. Since they watch “White Christmas” with me, I watch this movie with them.

We read:

The Christmas Lizard: this is a cute story of the Lizard climbing up the tree and hearing the different reasons Christmas is celebrated. The Nutcracker says “tradition,” the elves say “parties,” etc. When he gets to the very top of the tree he finds the Angel and the angel points to the manger and tells the lizard that the reason we celebrate Christmas is Jesus.

We played:

What do you Meme? … Uno and…

After Luke and Paul went to bed, I was able to talk George into giving Ticket to Ride another try. We both really enjoyed playing! I would only recommend it for ages 10 and up!

The Day After Christmas:

Luke got George’s name as his “Secret Santa” gift exchange. I helped him create a puzzle as a gift for George.

We put it together and it turned out so cool!

We also went ice skating with friends.

One friend lifted his hockey stick to hit a puck, and accidentally smacked Clark in the eye. It hurt bad at first (and looks really bad), but Clark was playing again in ten minutes.

We took another walk and had a snowball fight:

My boys received this “snowball maker” toy last year – it makes these perfect, round snowballs and saves your hands from freezing or your gloves from getting soaked:

Hope you had a Merry Christmas friends! Sending love from our family to yours!

Here’s a peek into our fall and winter. I love how my iPhone can take pictures and videos and turn them into this:

December 28, 2020 By Kathryn

2 In 2020/ Christmas/ Joy/ Memories/ Raising boys

The Story of Wrigley: Our Goldendoodle!

Hello Friends! Meet Wrigley, our first dog!

It was a long journey to get here … our oldest three boys started asking for a dog since, well, they could say the word “DOG!”

I was NOT excited about having a dog. I had a hard enough time keeping up with our boys, I didn’t want another thing to take care of!

However, this quote resonated with me….

“Every boy should have two things: a dog and a mother who lets him have one.”
― Robert Benchley

In 2013, we told George and Clark that when Paul was potty-trained, we’d get a dog! They were overjoyed. However…

Just as Paul was potty-trained, I found out I was pregnant. So, they boys got a BROTHER instead of a dog. Thankfully, they were okay with that … for a while.

Every subsequent Christmas and birthday – the number one requested item was: A DOG.

In 2020…we finally decided it was time. And you all know why. This year we were all stuck at home with plenty of time on our hands!

We got serious about looking for a Goldendoodle. However, I didn’t realize how expensive they could be. I was NOT going to pay what most people were asking.

I told the boys that if we were going to get a dog, we would have to find the right one, for the right price.

So the boys started praying. They asked God for a golden doodle dog for a ‘good price.’

I also saw Clark googling:

“Goldendoodles for less than one thousand dollars.”

For several months, we couldn’t find one. But then…we went for a visit to Tulsa.

Randomly at dinner, I told a friend that we were searching for a golden doodle, but could not find one for a decent price. This friend gave me the number of a local breeder who sells them for a very reasonable price.

There was MORE great news:

I knew the breeder’s family! I had worked with her brother-in-law in Colorado Springs!
I had friends with her dogs.
She had a litter recently born and they’d be available the same week that my in-laws would be visiting us in Minnesota!

Where did we find her?

RJB Doodles in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Ted and I SECRETLY went to meet the puppies and of course, we fell in love. It’s hard to meet a puppy and not BUY a puppy!

This was finally the right breeder, the right dog, at the right time and the right price!!!

We bought one.

However…it was a secret. We would surprise the boys the week before Christmas!

When the puppy was ready, Papa and Nana picked him up and and drove him from Tulsa all the way to our home in Minnesota.

The Big Puppy Surprise:

When they were just a few minutes away, I took the boys upstairs. I told them we had to hang out in my room for a little while because dad had to work on something for Christmas.

While we were upstairs, Ted greeted Nana and Papa at the door and let them in. They put the crate in front of the Christmas tree, they put the puppy in the crate, and a blanket over the crate. Nana and Papa stood in front of the crate, blocking it from view.

Then…Ted came upstairs, knocked on my door, told the boys he was ready…and they came downstairs.

The boys were SOO excited to see their Nana and Papa.

Then, Nana and Papa moved to show the crate. They removed the blanket and showed them the REAL surprise – their PUPPY!

They exclaimed this as the BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!

The Best Christmas ever!

The best dog ever!

The best parents ever!

The best nana and papa ever!

They were thrilled and oh, what a memory!

Why the name?

All the men in our family have a “W” in their middle names…so we wanted our dog’s name to start with a W.

We chose “Wrigley” because the boys were born in the Chicago area and we are Cubs fans. The Cubs play in ‘Wrigley’ field.

Welcome to our family Wrigley!

Here’s the video of the boys surprised with a new dog:

Thanks for reading! Merry Christmas everyone!

December 21, 2020 By Kathryn

4 In 2020/ Christmas/ DIY/ Making money/ Motherhood/ Raising boys/ Recipe

Simple Salt Dough Snowman Ornaments: DIY Christmas Gifts

Here’s a fun and simple activity to do with your kids: Salt dough ornaments.

My boys aren’t always into crafty things – but when they heard their cousins made and SOLD some of their ornaments, my boys were all in! They always love a way to earn money – right now they are saving up to buy a DOG! (This was their idea, not mine)

The salt dough recipe is simple:

2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1 cup of water

Mix with a wisk, and then your hands.
Flour a surface, then roll out the dough until it’s about a quarter inch thick

Cut into shapes

Use a drinking straw to poke a hole at the top of the ornament for the string to go through

To make the Snowman Ornament:

Use a cup to make circles
Take a little piece of the dough and form it into the shape of a carrot
Press the nose on top of the circle
Press divots in the dough for the eyes and mouth. I used the bottom of a paint brush.

Bake at 175 degrees for 3 hours.
Let them sit for 1 hour.
Paint with acrylic paint or water colors.

Seal with Modge Podge.
Tie a string through the hole.

Hang on your tree, gift wrap, or sell.

The boys put their earnings in this jar and tied one of their dog bone salt dough ornaments around it!

Click here for another DIY one-of-kind Christmas ornament

Click here to read all about the dog they got for Christmas – and they used their earnings to buy him toys!

Thanks for reading! Enjoy your holiday!

December 10, 2020 By Kathryn

0 In 2020/ Family/ Memories/ Peek into our Week/ Traveling

Peek into our Thanksgiving week in Oklahoma

Because of this unique year, we feel incredibly blessed to have spent a week with our Oklahoma family.

Here are some highlights:

One of the blessings of this season is that we are exploring more outdoor spaces. Of all the years I’ve lived in and visited Oklahoma, I’d never been to the Redbud Nature Preserve. My sister and her family invited us to join them here for a hike and we absolutely loved it!

The Gathering Place

This is a phenomenal outdoor park in Tulsa. (Click on this link to look at this place!) The big boys played football with Ted, while I explored the play structures with Luke.

Thanksgiving Day

What’s your favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving? My favorite dish on Thanksgiving is the mashed potatoes and gravy – I’ve loved that dish my whole life. It might be my favorite because I only eat it once a year – on Thanksgiving!

My mother-in-law made turkey, ham, and the most delicious mashed potatoes and gravy. I made green beans, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin and pecan pie.

I forgot to add the sugar to the pumpkin pie recipe so I just sprinkled some on top before I baked it. It was a ‘healthier’ version and not super sweet, but still tasted good. This might be the way I make it from now on?

Fishing adventures

Papa and Ted took the boys fishing and they each caught a big one!

We celebrated Paul’s 9th birthday with cousins and cupcakes!

Paul wanted a real animal – but he had to settle for a stuffed one. We had cupcakes with cousins, then went on a hike and found an abandoned hive.

Thanks for reading! Whether you stayed home or celebrated with family, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, too. In spite of this challenging year, we all have so much to be thankful for!

December 7, 2020 By Kathryn

1 In 2020/ Book Review

Books I read in November: Reviews and Recommendations

Amazon is having a special with $5 off $20 on books. Not all books are included but you can search which books are included using this link.

Here are books I recently read:

Catch me if you Can by Frank Abagnale Jr.

Rating: 9/10

Review:

Frank Abagnale’s autobiography is engaging and honestly, hard to believe! Before he turned 21 – Frank posed as a Pan Am pilot and traveled the world, he then passed the bar and became a lawyer, he forged transcripts and was a doctor for an entire year in Atlanta, then taught summer classes at Brigham Young! He lived large on stolen money. He now works to keep others from doing the same.

I would have loved for him to share more about the change that happened on the inside that caused him to change on the outside. I know he became a man of faith, is married and has 3 sons. He doesn’t share much about life out of prison and I’d be curious to hear about it. Maybe it’s in another book? Overall, it was a fun book to read.

Be the Bridge by LaTasha Morrison

Rating: 9/10

Review: The author weaves together the past and the present to lead the reader on a path to reconciliation. Unlike many books, this one will leave you empowered to make forward progress toward justice in a healthy and Biblical way.

George Washington by Janet Benge

Rating: 10/10

Review:

My 13 year old son (George) and I read this ‘George Washington’ biography together and now George wishes his middle name was Washington. We have so much admiration and respect for our first president. He was a true patriot who worked tirelessly to create, protect, and lead the United States of America.

Did you know George Washington decided the leader of our country should be called “The President of the United States” and “Mr. President” for short?

Positivity by Barbara Frederickson

Rating: 9/10

Review: Couldn’t we all use a little more positivity in 2020? This book teaches you how to reduce negativity and increase positivity in your life!

Here are some gold nuggets from the book:

Things that cultivate positivity include love, inspiration, amusement, pride, hope, interest, serenity, gratitude and joy.
Positivity strengthens your connections with others, seeing ‘we’ instead of me. It inspires you to do what’s right for others which inspires others to do the same.
Positivity is your birthright. Just like ice can change to water by warming up the environment. You can increase your positivity by warming up your emotional climate.
When you change the course of your thinking, you change the course of your emotions. (I wrote a blog post similar to this here)
If you feel good, you do good. When we increase positivity, we are not only happier, but we are more resilient, productive, creative and becoming a better an all around person.
One scientifically proven way to stop negativity is to dispute negative thinking. Replace negative thoughts with truth/facts. When you take in the facts – really take them in – you breath easier. (Click here for a blog post I wrote on believing truth vs. lies)
We change our eating habits to help us feel better. Why don’t we change what we are reading, watching and listening to for the same reason!
You can’t FORCE yourself into positivity just by saying “Be positive,” but there are actions you can take to increase your positivity by: Doing more of what you love; Practicing mindfulness: being completely present in the moment. Getting outside. Even a 20 minute walk can boost your positivity. Connecting with another human. The tie between flourishing and enjoying good social relations is so strong and reliable that scientist called it a necessary condition for flourishing.

Just like you count your calories to lose weight, or watch your money, you can track your positive to negative thoughts and feelings so that you can start tipping the scale in the positive direction.

For more info, visit PositivityRatio.com.

Dad’s Eye View: 52 Adventures in the Twin Cities

Rating: 10/10

Review: Because this book was written for “Dads,” I wouldn’t have picked it up in the store. However, someone gave it to me and the subtitle was intriguing. For a Minnesota Newbie who LOVES adventures – this book was amazing. It had so many fun ideas of places to explore with your kids. If you live in the Twin Cities and want to take your kids on some unique adventures around town, this book is for you.

I Never Had It Made by Jackie Robinson

Rating: 9/10

Review: Our family watched the movie 42 recently and thought it was excellent. It made me curious about Jackie Robinson, so I checked out his autobiography from the library. I really admire how this man gave his all to fight for what he believed it. Sometimes that fight was by staying silent and playing great baseball, and sometimes it meant speaking out for equal rights. Great book!

What have you been reading? Leave me a comment!

Click here for 7 tips for more joy!

These are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase one, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

December 3, 2020 By Kathryn

0 In 2020/ Christmas/ Free stuff/ Inspiration/ Joy

Elf on the Shelf: Kindness Edition

This year, I’m having our Elf encourage my kids to show KINDNESS. Couldn’t we all benefit from a little more Kindness?

Here are TWO WEEKS worth of ideas to use in your home.

Each of these can be written on a card beside your elf, or use a dry erase marker and leave their daily ‘kindness’ task on the mirror in the bathroom or on a window.

Day 1: Smiling’s my Favorite. Your mission: Smile at every person you see today!

Day 2: Make a card for your school bus driver, garbage man, or someone who serves you.

Day 3: Hold the door for people behind you today.

Day 4: Help your sibling do their chores today.

Day 5: Write a note or draw a picture for your grandparents and/or for someone in a nursing home.

Day 6: Leave a treat in the mailbox for your mail carrier.

Day 7: Put one of your coins in the Salvation Army bucket.

Day 8: Leave a treat or gift at your neighbors door.

Day 9: Go through your toys and donate one to charity.

Day 10: Write a note of thanks to your parents or teacher.

Day 11: Make someone laugh today.

Day 12: Do something helpful WITHOUT being asked.

Day 13: Clean up a mess you DIDN’T make.

Day 14: Say something kind to each of your siblings today.

Happy Holidays! May these will bring a little more joy to your Christmas season.

Click here to read other simple Elf on the Shelf Ideas.

Do you have a kindness idea? Leave a comment!

December 1, 2020 By Kathryn

4 In 2020/ Christmas/ Family/ Free stuff/ Games/ Raising boys/ Things to do in Colorado/ Things to do in Minnesota

41 Final Wintertime Activities for Quarantined Kids (Part 3)

I’ve created 101 things to do in quarantine.

Click here for the first 30 (Part 1)

Click here for the second set of 30 – all FREE! (Part 2)

Today I bring you the final 41, for a total of 101 ideas for wintertime and quarantine fun!

1. Build a Marble Maze / Labrynth

George creating his game called “The Ultimate Maze”

Your kids can use an empty box.
Glue straws to the bottom to create a maze.

2. Card Games

Play a card game with your family after dinner.

A lady I enjoy listening to, raised four amazing sons and swears by the power of spending time with your kids around the table – not just eating, but staying to play games. She said the boys didn’t always want to play, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Playing together opens up conversations you may not normally have. Games make you laugh and connect in a new way.

Some good options: Go Fish, Memory, Uno
My kids and I love Skipbo and Rat-a-tat-Cat (Best for ages 7 and up)
You can learn a NEW card game. My boys and I just started playing “Garbage” – it’s an easy game we learned on Youtube.
When I was a child, I entertained myself by playing Solitaire. Perhaps your kids can learn this one too!?
My kids don’t always want to play a card game, but I often ask them to play just ONE game. They forget how fun it is until they start playing.

3. Try winter gardening

Click here for ideas

4. Make snow slushees

If you have milk and sugar, your kids can make their own ice cream!
Click here for recipe!
Scoop fresh snow, pour any drink on top to turn it into a SLUSHEE!

5. Minute to Win it Games

Click here to read the ten fun games to play with your kids!

6. Create “Ramp Races”

A really fun and simple activity that can act as a physics lesson and opportunity for an experiment. Make a simple ramp using cardboard or a piece of wood, and roll different objects down: measure how far they go, how fast they roll, or hold races between different kinds of balls to see which wins!

7. Go Fishing With Magnets

Create “fishing poles” using pencils, string, and magnets.
Place a variety of items in a bin–some magnetic, some otherwise–and let them go to town exploring the concept of magnetism!

8. Draw self portraits

Have your kids look in the mirror and do a self portrait!
Be sure to have them write their name and age. It will be fun to look back on this when they are older.
You could have them repeat this every year around their birthday to see how their drawings improve!

9. Make a Flip Book Animation

Kids can learn how to make a flipbook animation in less than 5 minutes. All you need is a pen and a stack of paper, or even better, a sticky note pad. This video is a great and very quick tutorial

Here is one of my son’s first flip book, using index cards:

10. Create paper airplanes

Click here for ideas

11. Sledding

If you have snow like we do, this is fun for all ages!

12. Skiing

Skiing requires gloves, you can wear a mask, it’s outdoors and fairly easy to stay ‘socially distant.’ Many ski resorts have special rates and lessons for beginners.

13. Play with shaving cream

14. Have a make your own pizza and family movie night

Click here for some of our family favorites

Click here for a simple 3 ingredient pizza recipe!

15. Take a winter walk

16. Play Bingo! or Zingo!

17. Make one of a kind ornaments

Click here to read how!

18. Make a comic strip

Read the Sunday comics to your kids, then make your own!

Click here for this printable comic strip outline.

19. Stop Motion

Download a stop-motion app for your kids and let them make stop motion videos

Here’s a video my 10 year old made:

20. Learn and/or Practice an instrument

Piano, keyboard, xylophone, harmonica, recorder or drums…make it a family band.
Look on Youtube for free lessons.

21. Pour Paint

22. Rock Art

23. Play with marshmallows and toothpicks

24. Make Special Snacks

Take a cupcake holder and put a different snack in each section
Make Circus Sundaes – Ice Cream, Animal Crackers, Syrup, Whip Cream and a Cherry On Top!

25. Blow Art

Pour droplets of paint on paper
Allow kids to “blow” air through the straw to make a cool pattern

26. Play Follow The Leader

Have each child take a turn being the leader
Walk all around your house
Do jumps, turns, stop to hug dad, etc.

27. Mess Free Coloring

28. Playfoam Game

29. Go Retro with Lite-Brite

30. Become an author

My fourth grade teacher once gave us the title “The Entire City Lends a Hand” and had the class each write their own story. Read a rendition of that here.
Give your kids a title/prompt and let them write!
Title ideas:
- If I were President…
- Undersea Adventure…
- You Won’t Believe what Happened!

31. Got Toilet Paper?

Tape them up to create a “marble maze”
Click here for more ideas

32. Have your children create a scavenger hunt for each other!

Give them a treat to hide for their sibling
Have them create clues to search the house and find it!

33. Memorize a verse together

I find SO much comfort in knowing Scripture by heart and being able to quote it when I’m feeling fear.
Learn a verse together with your kids.
Click here for 12 great verses.

34. Draw it

35. Butcher Paper Family Table

Roll a large sheet of paper across the dining room table or counter top or coffee table.
Set markers in a jar on top of the table.
Draw Christmas scenes, hand prints, rainbows, etc.

37. Fashion Plates or Action Plates

38. Make salt dough ornaments

My sister made these with her girls (ages 5 and 8). They turned out so cute. I am going to make some with my boys.

Click here for step-by-step instructions.

39. Get a job or Help a Neighbor

Both working and serving can boost your mood!

If you have kids who are 8 and older, they can earn money or serve their neighbors by shoveling, cleaning up leaves, or helping any other outdoor task.

40. Find a place to explore!

Though there are some places that are closed for Covid, you can still find a new place to explore with your kids!

You can look at the website “Only in your State.”

If you are in Tulsa, Oklahoma, check out The Gathering Place or RedBud Nature Preserve.

If you live in Colorado Springs, CO – click here for ten great places to hike with kids.

If you are in Minnesota, click here to discover the Arboretum, the Eloise Bird Sanctuary, and more!

41. If all else fails…let them be bored!

Being bored is a natural part of life as a kid. Try not to offer an immediate solution to their boredom and see what they come up with! It’s often in times of boredom that children show their greatest creativity!

Click here to read 20 gifts that Minnesota gave the world. I’m guessing most inventions were made during the long, dark winters in Minnesota.

Thanks for reading!

If you missed part 1 of this series, click here!

Click here for 30 FREE wintertime activities for kids!

Click here for 55 more ideas for quarantine fun!

Here’s a video I created to show you some great gift ideas for kids:

November 28, 2020 By Kathryn

4 In 2020/ Family/ Games/ Raising boys

Top Ten Best “Minute to Win It” Games for your family!

Laugh out loud with your family this holiday weekend!

Choose any or all of the simple games below.

Each game requires a one minute timer or stopwatch.

Race the clock for a MINUTE to WIN IT!

1. Junk in the Trunk

Strap an empty tissue box to each player’s waist and put several ping pong balls inside. Tell players they have to get as many balls out as possible without using their hands, in one minute. They can dance, shake, get on all fours — whatever it takes. The player with the fewest ping pong balls in their tissue box at the end wins.

2. Tower of Terror

See which player can build the tallest block tower (or use jenga pieces or anything stackable you own) in one minute. If it collapses, the player has to start from scratch.

3. One-handed Coin Stacking

Give players a pile of 25 coins and have them stack them using only one hand. Whoever stacks the most coins in one minute wins.

4. Rubber Band Shooting Range

Stack several empty soda cans or plastic cups into a pyramid and have players shoot rubber bands at them, attempting to knock down the pyramid. Whoever has the fewest cans standing at the end of one minute wins.

5. Wall Bounce

Have participants bounce a ball off the wall and into a bucket. Whoever has the most balls in the bucket at the end wins. To have multiple players at once, simply use different colored balls or write players’ initials on them.

6. Keep It Up

Tell players or teams they must keep a balloon afloat for one minute. Additional rules are up to you: tell them they can use only their heads, toes, etc. or just say “anything goes.” If the balloon touches the ground, they’re out. The last person or team standing wins.

7. Shoe Flick

Get players to take their heel out of their shoe and attempt to flick it onto a table or chair six feet away using only their feet/legs. If they can get one, have them try to get the other. If their shoe overshoots or falls off the table, they have to start over.

8. Anagrams

Pick a fun word or phrase and have players rearrange the letters to create anagrams. For example, the phrase “minute to win it” has more than 5,000 possible anagram combinations such as “timeout,” twin,” and “wine.” Use an anagram generator online for inspiration. Whoever has the most anagrams after 60 seconds wins.

9. State of Fun

Have players write down as many states as they can before the timer goes off.

10. Toothpick letters

Give each player a large pile of toothpicks and instruct them to create letters (for littles) or spell out three-letter words (for older kids) without breaking or bending any of the toothpicks. Whoever has the most letters or words when the timer goes off wins.

Ping bong balls are available on amazon, Walmart, or the Dollar Tree.

Thanks for reading!

Do you have a fun and simple game idea? Leave a comment!

Click here to read 30 more free activities for your family this winter season!

November 25, 2020 By Kathryn

21 In 2020/ DIY/ Product Recommendations/ Things to do in Minnesota

30 FREE wintertime activities for quarantined kids! (Part 2)

Last time I posted 30 ideas for wintertime fun (click here to read that post).

Today’s post includes 30 more ideas for wintertime fun in quarantine – and they are ALL FREE!

1. Have a “What’s in the Box?” Challenge

George and Clark: What’s in the Box Challenge

Cut holes a in box
Choose an item to put inside
Allow someone to reach their hand inside the box and “guess” what it is.
Take turns finding items to hide, then guessing “What’s in the Box?”

Here’s a video my boys made of this challenge:

2. Build a Fort

Put blankets over your dining table – or
Use boxes, or pillows and blankets.
Read a story in the fort!
“Go on a Bear Hunt“
Decorate the fort with Christmas lights!

3. Take a ‘virtual’ tour of a museum:

Click here for museums with virtual tours

4. Pick up a free kit from Home Depot and build something together

Home Depot has created take home kits for kids
Go to customer service to ask for one for each of your kids
My 11 and 9 year old were able to follow the simple instructions and build a battleship on their own. I helped my 6 year old.
After my boys built their boats, they played with them in the bathtub.

5. Draw Pictures

Set out art supplies and paper.
Re-create a picture from their favorite book!
Search “Step-by-step” draw on Pinterest:

6. Play “Jump the River”

Place two strings an inch apart.
Have everyone “jump” across.
Keep spreading the strings apart until everyone falls in the ‘river.’

7. Play Ball Games

Put a kid-friendly twist on that classic shooting game H-O-R-S-E by using smaller balls and setting up bins, buckets, and pots around the house or yard.
Take turns making shots. If a child makes it, the next child has to try to make it from the same spot.

8. Play “Would you Rather?”

Click here for questions!

9. Play Hide and Seek

Hide a stuffed animal. Say “hotter/colder” when they are getting close or further away.
Also, try playing in the dark with a flash light.

10. Have an Indoor Scavenger Hunt

Pinterest has lots of ideas

11. Have a Dance Party!

Turn on some upbeat music and ask your kids teach you dance moves. Try whatever moves they show you!!
Then turn on your music and teach them a dance – perhaps the Macarena?!

12. Practice “manners!”

Click here for 25 manners every kids should know by age 9
Teach your kids how to act when they meet new people. Practice with them!

13. Write letters to family or friends

Send joy in the form of a picture or a letter!

14. Make a timeline of your child’s life

Make a timeline of each child’s milestones.
If possible, get some pictures from each developmental stage, and tape or pin them to the appropriate place on the timeline.

15. Tickle tackle

Stay on your knees in the middle of a room.
Kids try to run past me without getting “tickled and tackled!”

16. Plan a family vacation or a DREAM vacation

17. Play dress up

Whether it’s super heroes or princesses, kids enjoy “make believe!”

18. Make shadow puppets

Click here for some ideas!

19. Match up your socks, roll them up, and have a sock fight

20. Exercise!

I don’t know about your kids – but my kids NEED to burn energy in a healthy way or they start getting mischievous! Sometimes we will set a timer and everyone has to run or MOVE or jump for 5 to 20 minutes.

Occasionally, a child does a lap around the house (inside or outside) if they are misbehaving.

21. Learn how to tie cool knots

Click here to watch and learn!

22. Homemade Tap Shoes

Sorry parents, this one’s noisy! It’s so easy, though, and will keep your kids busy!

Simply tape a coin to the bottom of your child’s shoe. Voila, homemade tap shoes!
Get them to come up with a tap-dancing routine, rehearse it and record their final performance (bring your own earmuffs!)

23. Mystery pictures

WooJr has TONS of fun and free printables for Kids.
The “Mystery Grids” are fun for kids – they won’t know what they are coloring until it’s finishe

24. Paint nails or pictures on a cardboard box:

25. Clean!

Organize the basement
Clean windows and mirrors – kids love to spray!
Give each child a wet wipe. Show your kids how to dust your baseboards or blinds, offer a quarter to the kid who brings you the dirtiest wet wipe!
Make your own household cleaner – Click here to read how!
Click here to read about a simple system for getting chores done.

Chores are one of the best mediums we have for teaching kids about being part of a family, and about belonging, significance, and teamwork.
Lynn Lott

26. Take a free art class

Michaels is offering free art classes each week
Click here to see the times and classes.

27. Play Hangman

This game has been around for over 100 years. Teach your kids how to play! Use their spelling or vocabulary words and call it “HOME SCHOOL!”

28. Play charades or try the “Heads Up” app

Even little ones can play charades. Whisper what you want them to “act” out and let the sibling(s) guess.
The Heads Up app is lots of fun for kids who can read.