Treasure Hunt

Treasure hunts are one of my favorite kid memories. I can't say I went on many planned treasure hunts, but I do recall many many hours of hunting in the backyard and neighborhood for some kind of unique find.

I was trying to think of a fun activity to get the kids outside a bit more in these last days before school starts. The good old treasure hunt came to mind and I wanted to share with you a couple of ideas you might want to use with your own kids in the waning days of summer.

For the younger kids: Give them a list of finds and tell them to go out in the backyard to find their treasures. When they have completed the list offer a little reward. Here are some simple treasures most everyone has in their backyards.
1. needle from a pine tree
2. pedal from a flower
3. a small rock
4. the longest piece of grass they can find
5. a bug
6. a piece of mulch
7. a toy they left out
8. something that a bug might eat

and some ideas that take a bit more work but are well worth it
9. 10 plastic easter eggs filled with little trinkets around the house
(this is great for more than just Easter!)
10. bury a few little trinkets (army men, marbles or some such thing)
and put little toothpicks with flags on top of them

For the bigger kids the ideas get a little more sophisticated and the backyard then becomes the entire neighborhood (or a nearby park). They might need to refer to an encyclopedia or the internet to find some of these.:
1. pedal from a black eyed susan flower
2. leaf from an oak tree
3. a part of a coniferous tree
4. a worm
5. a pill bug
6. a seed or a seed pod
7. moss
8. a piece of litter

and these require a little more work on your part:
9. bury a few treasures in the garden with a rock or toothpick on top
10. hand your child a camera and add these to the list.. a picture of.... a birds
nest, an animal with 4 legs, a frog or toad, animal tracks

Free Range Kids

I came across this website and found the concept/movement interesting and a bit inspiring. In summary, this is about letting our kids learn on their own by giving them freedom. Perhaps as parents we have gotten so overprotective that we are in fact limiting our kids abilities to learn by doing, to learn from their mistakes.

I noticed in my own neighborhood differing ideas of allowed freedoms for kids. I am not talking here about the freedom to watch TV and play video games. In our own house those are freedoms earned, and sparingly. Rather I am referring to the freedom of kids to ride down the street unsupervised, or even to the next neighborhood. I have to admit I am on the more liberal side in this subject. I remember my own childhood days where I roamed the neighborhood from sunup to sundown, back in the fields, in the woods, up at the lake, riding my bike (on a very busy street). I will admit that it sends chills up my bones at the thought of my kids (at 10 and 13) to ride up the busy street that I was allowed to at that age. However, in my defense the street I am referring to has gotten much busier. I have, however, let my kids ride up a very busy street... that has a sidewalk. Safety is of grave importance of course, but freedom is important too. I am giving my kids freedom to learn, play, and explore the world around them. YES they have to let me know where they are and where they are going, but I am not necessarily going to look over their shoulders every minute.

Read through this website a bit and me what your thoughts are. Should we give our kids more freedom or not???

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!

New Toys, New Ideas from the Providence RI Toy Show

I just got back from a toy show especially for independent specialty toy retailers in Providence RI. See this video for more information. It was a lot of fun. I ordered lots of new toys (coming soon) and got some great ideas for how to make our store even better. -- Michelle Sahr

What Family Games Teach Kids

After all of the hot, sunny weather during Memorial Day weekend, I was thankful for the thunderstorm that crashed down on us out of nowhere. Not only did it break the humidity, but it gave us the perfect excuse to stop doing yard work and head inside from some family fun. My husband popped the popcorn, I poured the drinks, and we quickly settled into a game of Sleeping Queens with our three kids.

As my son was slapping a knight down to steal one of my queens, I was struck with how much kids learn from playing games with adults. I'm not talking about learning numbers or letters, or even following rules and being a good sport. Sure, these are valuable things to learn, but they can be learned other ways, too. I was thinking more about what kids learn from games played with parents, as opposed to their peers. In short, I was thinking about how parents can help develop their children's self-esteem by playing games with them.

So back to the queen my son stole from me. He was literally squealing with delight as he slid her out of my grasp. At that moment, he felt as powerful and competent as an adult. He knew he was preventing me from winning, and he knew it was a fair play. Rarely in our world do roles get reversed such as this where adults and kids have equal power. Games can allow a framework where kids get to experience what it feels like to be more powerful and in control to some extent. What a boost to self-esteem and confidence!

While my son was having a great game, one of my daughters was not. Round after round, she only picked number cards, instead of the power cards needed to collect more queens. She lamented how the cards weren't being "fair" to everyone. It was a great opportunity for us to talk about how sometimes, no matter how hard we try, things are out of our control. We can "fail" or "lose" without it meaning anything about who we are or how well we played the game. When she's older, there are sure to be projects that crumble and opportunities that slip through fingers. I hope these early lessons in games help her cope gracefully and optimistically with such setbacks with her self-esteem fully intact.

And lastly, I think family games can teach kids a great deal about their family's priorities and values. Playing with your kids shows them they are a priority, that face-to-face talking and laughing are worth making time for. Is there any lesson more important than that in developing a child's self-esteem?

Outdoor Family Fun for Memorial Day Picnics

The smell of hotdogs and burgers is in the air. The long Memorial Day weekend is almost here. And so far, it looks like we're going to have sunshine. But if the thought of spending a hot afternoon in Uncle George's backyard with nothing to do but listen to Aunt Marge complain about her bunions has you dreading the weekend, we're here to help. Here are a few fun ideas that all ages can play outside.

1. Boochie: This bean bag and ring toss game is great fun for all ages. Pick your color and put your special score-keeping, instruction-giving wristband on. As you click your wristband to keep your score, it tells you how you have to toss your items: between your legs, with your eyes wide shut, etc. Toss yours the closest to the Boochie to score a point. The first one to 11 wins. Great, active fun that is simple enough for a 5 year old and challenging enough to keep adults entertained. Different wristbands have different challenges, so switching them up will keep interest high for a long time!

2. Water Cannon: If you don't mind getting a little wet, bring a water cannon (or 3!) to the family picnic. All you need is a bucket of water to go with it, and let the fun begin. Shoot at each other, or set up fun targets to see who is the sharpest water shooter. It's easy to load and easy to empty. Just keep it away from the grill so those burgers don't get ruined.

3. Stomp Rocket: Okay, I know I've talked about these before. But they really are that fun! No one can resist stomping on the launch pad to see how high he can make the foam-tipped rockets go. Kids can't seem to help chasing them either. Just be sure you're far enough away from the potato salad to avoid a messy landing.

Hopefully, at least one of these ideas will work for you and yours so you don't get stuck rubbing Aunt Marge's bunions. Enjoy the holiday weekend! And look for us with Mrs. Fisher Cat in Hudson's Memorial Day Parade!

Silly Bandz: What Makes a Toy Craze?

Toys come and go. But when some toys are hot, boy do they go! Just a few years ago at My Little Red Wagon, we had waiting lists for Webkinz. Before that it was Beanie Babies. Now, we're fielding dozens of calls a day for Silly Bandz.

This latest craze--shaped rubber bands that kids wear as bracelets and trade--has me scratching my head, to be honest. I never would have guessed that rubber bands could create such a frenzy. Yet they clearly have mass appeal. We see all ages coming in looking for them, even teenage boys.

So I find myself wondering what makes a toy become a "craze." To answer that, I did a little research. The first toy craze in modern history I could find was...drum roll please...Crayola crayons! In the early 1900's, their box of 8 colors for a nickle was all the rage. Apparently, Crayola struck the right balance with this product. It was simple, affordable to many, and appealed to kids and parents alike.

Many hot toys have followed Crayola's recipe for success. Most must-have toys over the years can be placed in two categories: dolls and building toys. In the doll category, Raggedy Ann (1910's), Madame Alexander collectibles (1920's), G.I. Joe (1960's), Cabbage Patch Kids (1980's), and Tickle Me Elmo (1990's) all sent parents to stores in droves. As far as building toys, Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, and Erector sets are still selling to this day. Play doesn't get any more basic than pretending with a doll and building with sticks. And let's face it, if these products didn't appeal to adults on some level, I doubt the throngs of moms and dads would have been fighting in the aisles to get their hands on some of these products during the height of their popularity.

When compared to these other hot toys, Silly Bandz definitely fits with the formula for a toy craze. They are nothing new. They are just a new twist with a price that appeals to parents ($2.99-$5.99). And I'll go out on a limb and say that parents like the innocence of them. After all, what is more innocent than rubber bands shaped like unicorns and footballs? Moreover, in an age when kids seem to spend more time texting behind a screen than talking to each other in person, the trading of these bracelets returns us to a simpler time. Perhaps they remind us of trading Star Wars cards with our friends on the playground in the 70's. Perhaps they are a welcomed reprieve from high tech, pricey video consoles and games. Whatever the reasons, they are hot and hoping to be around as long as Crayola crayons.