Water Play for All Ages

Getting kids to play outside when summer temperatures rise can be tricky. (Isn't it funny how we spend the long Ohio winters wishing for summer, only to complain it's too hot to go outside in the summer?) But if you're anything like me, you don't want your kids hibernating indoors with the air conditioning and video games. Let's face it, playing in the sprinkler isn't much fun after the age of five, either. So we've tried to come up with a few water games using Water Blaster Water Cannons to get all ages--even teens-- active outdoors this summer.

If you haven't seen a water cannon, you really need to check one out. Made in the U.S.A., water cannons are easy to use and clean. Just point it in the water, pull the handle back to fill it, and push the handle in to spray the water back out. The faster you push it it, the faster and farther the water comes spraying out. Check out this VIDEO to see them in action. Once your cannon is loaded try these fun activities:

• Bucket Blast: Have a friend hold a bucket at one end of the yard while you stand at the other with your canon and a bucket of water for refills. Load and fire 5 times to see how much you can get into the bucket. Then switch and you hold the bucket while your friend tries. This game would also work great as a relay event. Each team member could take a turn loading and firing into a bucket to see which team lands the most water in its bucket.
  

• Bubble Blast: One person blows bubbles and then stands back and keeps score as another person tries to blast as many bubbles as possible with water. Switch roles and compare scores!

• Wet Tag: Whoever is it "tags" people by spraying them with the canon. Can you tag everyone before running out of ammo?

• Wet Laser Tag: Every person grabs a cannon and loads. If you get hit, you're out. Use a big bucket full of water in the middle of the playing field as a refilling station. Can you be the last one standing?

Do you have a Water Blaster Water Cannon game or activity idea? We'd love to hear it! You never know, we might give you a prize if we like your idea!

Outdoor Fun: Give a Jump Rope a Try

I'm afraid to write it. Living in northeast Ohio, I'm aware how the weather can change from sunshine and singing birds to blowing swirls of snow before I finish this post. Yet I'll go ahead a say that spring seems to be on its way! It's time for running and playing outside again.

We get a lot of folks in the store this time of year looking for fun outdoor activities. We have plenty. We have stomp rockets, Beam-os, and kites (oh my!). All of these are fun, active ideas for outside play. But the often overlooked toy is a jump rope. In fact, when I suggest a jump rope, many people literally wrinkle their noses as they ask, "Any other ideas?" Okay, I kind of get it. A jump rope is anything but a new concept. But I'd like to make a case for getting your kids a jump rope or two this season.

1. Jumping rope is great exercise. Ten minutes of jumping rope is equivalent to running one mile! But it's not as hard on the knees as running.

2. If you add music and/or rhymes to the jumping, it's now building the brain right along with those leg muscles. The added rhythm and coordination involved in jumping to a chant or beat gets the brain working more in tune with the body.

3. It can be played alone or with friends. Taking turns twirling and jumping is a great way for kids to play together and encourage one another. A single-length rope is great for alone practice time and speed building.

Still not convinced? Maybe the jump rope rhymes below will inspire you to try. Have a rhyme of your own you remember? We'd love for you to post it! Pictures of your kids jumping? We'd love to see them to help inspire others! Happy jumping!

RHYMES:

Down in the valley
Where the green grass grows
There sat ______(girl's name)
Sweet as a rose
She sang so long and she sang so sweet
Along came ______(boy's name)
And kissed her on the cheek.
How many kisses did she get that week?
(count & jump until you miss)

********
Apples, peaches, pears, and plums
Tell me when your birthday comes.
(Jump to the months until you come to your birthday month and then count to your date.)

*********

Cookies in the jar, candy in the dish;
How many pieces do you wish?
1, 2, 3, 4, . . (count & jump until you miss)

*********
Teddy bear, teddy bear turn all around (spin as you jump)
Teddy bear, teddy bear touch the ground (touch)
Teddy bear, teddy bear tie your shoes (jump on one foot while you "tie" one shoe)
Teddy bear, teddy bear read the news (hold hands up like your reading paper)
Teddy bear, teddy bear go up stairs (alternate feet while jumping)
Teddy bear, teddy bear say your prayers (hold hands in position and close eyes)
Teddy bear, teddy bear turn out the light (reach hand up to flip the switch)
Teddy bear, teddy bear spell "good night"
G-o-o-d N-i-g-h-t (try to jump and spell as fast as you can)

********
Cinderella, dressed in yella
Went upstairs to kiss a fella.
Made a mistake,
Kissed a snake,
How many doctors did it take?
1, 2, 3,...(Count & jump until you miss)

Birthday Gift Ideas for $15 and Under

This time of year always starts to feel like "Birthday Party Season" to me. Now that Christmas is far enough behind us and the snow is starting to melt (even if just a little), people are throwing birthday bashes again. Indeed, I wrap many gifts on Saturdays and Sundays for families in route to the party.

A customer said to me last weekend, though, that she was embarrassed to ask for my help because she could only spend $15 on a birthday gift. She also commented that she was sure we wouldn't have much in that price range. I was happy to show her how many options we have for gifts $15 and under! And for the record, I think that's a generous gift amount for classmates. Just think, if your child gets invited to 5 parties in the year, that's $75! We understand how quickly gifts for friends add up!

So I thought I'd share a few examples of fun gifts for $15 and under.

1. Stomp Rockets ($14.99): Great active fun for boys or girls! The soft foam rockets fly into the sky when a kid stomps on the launch pad. Fun alone or with a friend. For ages 3 and up.

2. Potato Spud Gun ($3.99): This gift can be fun to give an older boy. Get two guns (it will be more fun to play with a friend), a few potatoes, and wrap them up in a box together. They will never guess what's inside! Best for ages 5 and up.

3. Water Flutes ($14.99): My kids love these! Kids can make music in the tub! A great gift for the 3-7 crowd.

4. Pass the Pigs ($14.99): What a fun spin on a dice game for kids 8 and up! Instead of rolling dice, roll little pigs to get your score!

5. Various Stamp Sets ($11.99): Choose from dinosaurs, horses, and others. This gift works for a large age range since it is open-ended and creative. Younger kids will enjoy making pictures to hang on the fridge, while older kids can use them to make cards, book marks, etc.

6. Porcelain Tea Set ($14.99): A nice, classic toy, beautifully painted with pink butterflies.

7. Silly Bandz ($4.99): These are the new craze. One pack has 24 uniquely shaped rubber band bracelets. Shopping for a dinosaur lover? Get the dinosaur pack with a small Schleich dinosaur ($6.99). Shopping for a girl? Get the spring mix and a few Japanese puzzle erasers ($1.25) to go with them.

8. Butterfly Mobile Craft Kit ($13.99): This beautiful craft project will add sparkle to a kid's room for years to come! For the 7 and up crowd.

9. Metal Locking Toy Cash Box ($14.99): It really locks with a combination and key. What a great place to store one's diary, eraser collection, or anything else special. Ages 5 and up.

10. Rocket Balloons and Pump ($12.99): I'm not really sure why these are so fun, but they really are! Use the balloon pump to fill up the rocket balloons, pinch the bottom, count off, and let them go! The balloons whistle and whirl around on release. Great fun, active play indoors or out as kids chase and retrieve the balloons. Refill packs of balloons are only $5.99. Ages 5 and up.

We also have games and large sticker books and infant toys in this price range. So don't be embarrassed to ask us! And we'll happily wrap it for free so you can get to the party on time.

Keep Kids Active Indoors in the Winter

Keeping kids active during the winter months can be a real challenge. True, there are days of sledding and snowman building. But there are also many, many days of weather too cold to be outside for more than 15 or 20 minutes. So I've been searching for ways to get them active indoors that don't involve them jumping on my bed. Here's what I've found so far:

1. Super Skipper: We love this toy at our house! An electronic base plays music as it twirls a jumping stick around. It has 3 speed settings, so it's easy for each child to set a pace he is comfortable with. It's also nice because more than one child can jump at a time, and no twirler is required! If the child successfully jumps the full cycle of the level, a little celebratory music plays. This toy truly has given my three kids hours of active, jumping fun in the house.

2. Sack Races: For little ones, let them use some old pillow cases as potato sacks and hop from one end of the room to the other. Make it more challenging by making an obstacle course with pillows and stuffed animals.

3. Chinese Jump Rope: This type of jump rope is really an elastic band. The idea is that two kids loop it around their ankles to make a rectangle with it. The third child does the rhymes, jumping into the box, out, on, etc. as fast as she can. Then, the rope gets raised a little higher, and a little higher each turn. We recently brought one of these to a play group with kids ranging in age from 4 to 12. All of them were laughing and playing. If you don't have three kids around, you can loop the rope around the bottoms of chair legs for your little jumper to have fun.

4. Treasure Hunts: You can make these as easy or complicated as you like. The idea is to get them searching high and low, upstairs and downstairs, for little clues and treasures. For younger kids, you can pick a letter of the day and have them search in the house for items that begin with that letter. Each time they spot one, they can run back to you to report it while you write it down. Older kids might enjoy a riddle hunt. For this version, write just a word or two that hints at a place in your house to find the next clue. For instance, "hot dogs" might make them go open the meat drawer in the fridge. There they would find a clue that says "surf" for surf the web and a clue next to the family computer. At the end, there could be a tiny prize (a fun eraser, a new coloring book). Remember, the prize isn't the point; the hunt is the true fun!

5. Create a Road: Get a roll of painter's tape (Note: don't use regular masking tape as it will be too hard to remove cleanly) and let your kids tape out a course for their toy cars in the kitchen. It will provide hours of fun for them laying out the course under the table, around the legs of chairs and then driving their cars along it.


Do you have some fun ideas to keep kids moving indoors? We'd love to hear them!