Things to Do with My Kids

My kids used to have a great time making forts out of blankets, chairs, couch, folding tables, etc. It made the house messy and crowded but they had a great time and would go under their forts and read books, play with legos, etc. Even the cats liked them. between the set up, play and clean up it would consume hours.

Do a scavenger hunt around the house - make a list of hints and hide trinkets. sweets, even old toys he's forgotten. At every step he finds a new clue to the next trinket. That takes a little time to set up but they have a ball with it.

Macaroni decorations were big when we were kids. Use uncooked macaroni in different shapes and glue them to wreath shaped cardboard, styrofoam cones, etc and then paint & glitter. You can use the same concept with pompoms, cotton balls - or with gumdrops (except you'll need straight pins so it's not as easy on little fingers).

Birdfeeders - string some yarn around a pinecone for hanging. Spread peanut butter on the pincecone and roll in bird seed. Hang it outside the window and watch the bird show.

Good luck and have fun!

Instead of planning out everything, choose a few activities to spread out through the break, unplug the tv and tell them to play with their toys! The 8 year old can read books when he's tired of playing. They can color, draw, use modeling clay, etc. Unstructured time is INTEGRAL to our children's development, and they're not getting anywhere close to the amount of it they need. It's also very good for kids to get bored sometime! They need to learn how to amuse themselves, deal with boredom and create something to entertain themselves. This is becoming a lost art in our society and it's having an intellectual impact.

Go to the library this weekend and check out a bunch of books for the 8 year old to read over break.

Either have Santa bring it or ask him to pick out modeling clay sets or one of the new Crayola Glow Explosion/Color Dome/Glow in the Dark sets for older kids that he can use over and over again.

Get Santa to bring some things that take time, but are fun -like the Lego building sets, Tinker Toys, Trio sets, model airplanes -that kind of thing.

hello
we take a lot of walks and explore the sites. I even did this when my son was very young (he is now 9) and we still do it. it's not expensive and if you have a book about the city or wherever you live, you can learn about its history.. have your older child read the book and point the sites out to you.. your 2 year is still young, but I think as long as they are with you and their sibling, it can still be fun for them.. we usually walk 5 to 7 miles (that might be too much for some in a day) but we do it with a goal in mind. e.g. we might get an ice cream along the way or a burrito.. depends on the time we leave and what we feel like... it's all simple fun... but we've shared many memories together on our walks... and I think they will last a lifetime..

Make gingerbread houses out of graham crackers and frosting! And do some crafts with them. You can also take them sledding too. That should keep them occupied for a couple hours a day at least for you :)

I've never been in WY during the winter, but I assume it can't get any worse than winters in MN, where I grew up. Don't forget to take them outside to play in the snow!! Just the prep work alone eats up 30 minutes of your day, and then once you get out there, they will have a blast! My 18 month old loves the snow, but needs much more assistance than I think a 2 yr old would.

Lots of fun holiday things to be done!

Make Paper snowflakes. Remember how? Cut out circles of paper. Fold the circle several times into a small wedge. cut shapes out of the edges and unfold.

String popcorn garland.

Make paper chains with Christmas color papers to decorate the house.

Have you done your letters to santa yet?

Look up Cheyenne's community calendar. I would be suprised if there weren't several things to do coming up. Also, our local B&N bookstore always did childrens' story time at least once a week. Look into taking them to that as well!

We have been making Christmas decorations out of home made playdough as well as craft foam. I also bought some felt stockings at walmart and we glittered colored and painted them for a "special" surprise for Santa. To get my kids in the giving spirit we have made cards and gifts for everyone. We do math with the materials we use as well as practice shapes and colors.

There are millions of great ideas for crafts and activites online, check out Parents magazine or Family Fun Magazine websites, or do a search for Christmas crafts or activites. I like to buy craft supplies at the dollar store and then just let my 8 year old and 5 year old make whatever occurs to them out of the supplies, sometimes its best to just let them use their imaginations and not feel like they have to do a craft the "right" way. You could also spend some time doing good deeds for others, like donating gifts for Toys for Tots, giving old toys (that are in good shape) to the Salvation Army or Good Will, shoveling snow for your neighbors, taking cookies to friends and neighbors, or just helping out Mom and Dad with chores. You can tell your kids that doing good for others is what makes Christmas Magic work so that Santa will be able to deliver all his gifts, or that they need to do some good deeds to stay on Santa's "nice list"! You could also spend time singing carols, or even have a family Christmas party where you just have cookies and cocoa and dance around the living room to Christmas music, or play card games and board games, which can be educational, my daughter learned number recognition from playing Uno. Have a merry Christmas!

Barnes and Noble carries a brand of games called ThinkFun. They have one called Rush Hour, Petes Pike, and many more that are very fun, but get your child to use their thinking skills.

jigsaw puzzles - ones with big pieces for the 2 yr old and a harder one for the 8 year old.

Michael's and similar craft stores often have free classes for kids on different kinds of projects and you can buy fun kits for a dollar or two.

We were also big Playdoh users - my kids would make a full meal, multiple courses, out of Playdoh!

local children's museums are also wonderful.