Need Activity Ideas...
By twoey68
@twoey68 (13627)
United States
June 17, 2010 1:55pm CST
OK, I need a little MyLot help today. I have a niece and two nephews, ages 10-15 and I am starting activity days with them. We're basically going to get together 2-3 times a week and do some activities together. Now, I need some more ideas for activities...things where there is some learning involved, some life lessons involved and that they will enjoy. Here's some that we've already come up with:
Face Painting, Field Trip to their grandma's, a cooking day (they each get to make a simple dish), a car wash (just for family and the money earned is being donated to charity), a shopping trip to learn about prices, animal day, treasure map, paper mache masks, finger painting and a few others.
So, let me know your ideas and what you think of the my plan. Maybe things you like to do with your own children.
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN** 
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]6 people like this
23 responses
@Trace86 (5030)
• United States
17 Jun 10
You could volunteer at a local nursing home and read to the residents or play games with them. Or take some wheelchair residents outside for some fresh air.
Or volunteer at the hospital to play with the sick kids.
The nurses at both places would be very grateful if you could keep their charges occupied for any length of time!
I belong to a Facebook group called 7 on 7. We pledge to pick up at least 7 pieces of trash on the 7th of each month. You could do something like that. Pick up some recyclables and donate the money to charity.
Teach them to do laundry. Their mothers will thank you.
2 people like this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
17 Jun 10
Those all sound great. Is animal day a trip to a zoo or aquarium? Or a pick your own produce farm? When I was a kid my favorite day trip activity was to go to some botanical gardens or arboretum, and now so many years later, it is still my favorite excursion.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160626)
• United States
17 Jun 10
I remember when my kids were little. We would go to the largest plant nursery in the area. They just thought it was a zoo for plants.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
17 Jun 10
hi twoey long time no see. I was just remembering a field trip our teacher took us on many years ago, just a walking trip right in our'own town where we looked at all the different trees. We learned from our teacher the names of each tree, and we collected some leaves to press.
We ended up after the walk at the park on a warm summers day and there were coolers with p icnic makings on the tables as the pta had promised to do that for my class.This was many years ago.Are kids too sophisticated now for homey things like that,a walk then a picnic?
I mean you could point out the trees and flowers in your area and end up having a picnic at your favorite park,bring a car of course with the hampers of food kept chilled with ice. sounds good to me.
@GardenGerty (160626)
• United States
17 Jun 10
The last time I did babysitting, which is over twenty years ago, we would walk everyday and talk about the trees and stuff. The mom laughed, and said "Thanks to you I have to make Steven and album about trees. Biology was my worst subject in school" She was a school teacher and she loved it. Of course, these were preschool and first grade aged kids. They would come home wearing sycamore tree leaves like Peter Pan hats. Good idea, Hatley.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
17 Jun 10
U are going to be busy, lol. How about a trip to the library, a picnic in a park or take in a ballgame. Have fun w/them.
@savypat (20216)
• United States
17 Jun 10
If it were me I would find a project that you could all be involved in that gives forward. Call your food bank, or other charity, deliver food to live ins and chat a bit, call the church and see where you and the kids could help others, sometimes
the are serving a meal in our area the churches take over serving breakfast to homeless kids and their parents, during school year the schools do it. I'm sure you can find something these kids could do for others.
@GardenGerty (160626)
• United States
17 Jun 10
That is a very good idea as well. I know we have projects kids can help with around our town. Volunteering can be very satisfactory.
@cyberfluf (4996)
• Netherlands
19 Jun 10
Children of all ages like face- and bodypainting, so that sounds like a lot of fun. At these ages they are able to paint each others faces as well which is a great lesson for trust and social skill as well. Treasure hunts can be a lot of fun and perhaps you can also do the animal day at a zoo or animal farm and make up questions they need to answer. If they answer correct they get a letter and all the letters make up a word? Something like that. I agree that there is also a mass of activities to be found online or in your local library. Have fun!
@carolbee (16230)
• United States
18 Jun 10
Take them swimming. Most kids like to swim and be in the sun. We have a nice zoo here so I regularly took our kids to see the animals and a picnic in the park. We had lots of pajama parties here too but don't know if you will have the kids at night.
Have fun,
carolbee
@enola1692 (3323)
• United States
20 Jun 10
Hey Towey when I get my 3 nephews an daughters together I go to enchanted crafts we made some nice things to pass out to family members heres the link
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/ an we also go on nature walks good luck an have a go time with them
@enola1692 (3323)
• United States
20 Jun 10
oh by the way the dreamcatchers were a big hit to the family we also did alot of baking yes we made a mess but it was worth it
@moonchild1au (6237)
• Australia
23 Jun 10
Maybe you could try making easy pieces of jewellry like earrings & see if you can sell them & the profit to be donated to a charity...maybe even knitting or crocheting squares to make blankets to donate to the homeless in winter time.
Good luck with your ideas. I hope you guys all have fin with your activites :)
Let me know how they go :)
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
23 Jun 10
You have more interesting ideas than I do...
@Shar19 (8231)
• United States
18 Jun 10
Sounds like you have a lot of neat activities planned for them. Can I hire you a couple of days a week to do things with my kids too?
I know our library has some interesting things for different age groups all during the summer. They have a science lab, magicians, painting class, etc. The libraries usually have a copy of the summer itineraries that you can pick up.
Also another idea could be planting some kind of garden with the kids. You could plant vegetables, wild flowers, or just plant some nice annuals like petunias for the summer and fall months.
Do you have a nature center nearby? You could go for a nature walk and take a picnic lunch with you. If you don't have a pool then going to one that is local is always a hit too.
I know our library has some interesting things for different age groups all during the summer. They have a science lab, magicians, painting class, etc. The libraries usually have a copy of the summer itineraries that you can pick up.
Also another idea could be planting some kind of garden with the kids. You could plant vegetables, wild flowers, or just plant some nice annuals like petunias for the summer and fall months.
Do you have a nature center nearby? You could go for a nature walk and take a picnic lunch with you. If you don't have a pool then going to one that is local is always a hit too.
@smartie0317 (1610)
• United States
26 Jun 10
Sounds like fun. You've planned a lot of cool things and got a lot of good ideas. One idea I'd like to add is to going to a museum. They're fun and some let you you pay what you wish to, or can afford, donate for an enterance fee. So, for a low price you have an all day activity. Just be sure to avoid gift shops. 
Another idea is going to a community pool. Those are usually cheaper, and sometimes even lower for children. Since it's summer, one fun activity is to make icecream. You don't even need a icecream maker. You just need a cleaned out coffee can (there's a varitety of sizes), some ice, a freezer, and the ingredients. Have fun and try and stay cool.
Another idea is going to a community pool. Those are usually cheaper, and sometimes even lower for children. Since it's summer, one fun activity is to make icecream. You don't even need a icecream maker. You just need a cleaned out coffee can (there's a varitety of sizes), some ice, a freezer, and the ingredients. Have fun and try and stay cool. 
@dexter77 (67)
• Philippines
18 Jun 10
You can also have your bonding moments with your niece and nephews by watching movies that have relevance to the society that we are living in; and then have a discussion regarding that movie, asked them to analyze it, what lesson they have learned by watching that movie, and how can they incorporate that with their daily living activities.
@GardenGerty (160626)
• United States
17 Jun 10
You have so many good ideas here already. How about some old fashioned board games like checkers, and maybe chess. Mancala is popular, but I have never learned it yet. It originated in Africa. I know you can make your own set, and you could study the culture while learning it. Games are a sneaky way to be educational. Old fashioned dominoes reinforces the multiplication table for fives, for instance. You are going to have a busy summer, but it will be fun. I have recipes for some home made clays if you like. They can be a step above the play dough stuff.
@reene0225 (351)
• United States
18 Jun 10
Sounds like you've got a good list going already. If it's available I'd say take them to a farm or zoo for animal day so they can learn about many animals. Cooking day sounds like an awesome idea. Definitely a learning experience. It would teach them how to cook their own meals instead of relying on others or fast food. If you have any museums close that would be fun. Maybe an art day which is kinda like finger painting and face painting except have them draw or paint pictures. Planting a garden or some flowers might also be fun for them. I know I'm enjoying doing that and I've never planted anything before in my life. It's a lot of fun planting and then watching them grow. That way you know where your food came from and you'll appreciate it a lot more.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
18 Jun 10
We go on a lot of nature hikes as a family, we have a long list of places we'll go for them. There's a nature center nearby which has a walking trail looping around a small lake, so that's about a 3 mile hike. There's a canal nearby with a walking trail. There are a few others. There's usually lots of cool wildlife to be seen. Ducks, geese, frogs, turtles, we've even seen a couple snakes and woodchucks.. and of course a lot of birds.
I've been wanting to get my kids some nature books, like one about bird watching, one about plant life, maybe one about bugs, so then they can bring the books with us on our hikes and see how many birds, bugs, plants etc they can identify.
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
18 Jun 10
Is it school holidays there at this time? Here in Australia we have free activities around the place which keep the children entertained while there is no school. Shopping centres have free shows, the local library organises craft activities, plays etc and we have a group of ladies who organise clay sculpturing where the kids make something and leave it to be placed in a kiln and collect it later ready for painting. The same group of ladies has ginger bread men days when the children decorate their own ginger bread man. A picnic along with an outdoor game is a good one too. I take my daughter roller skating down the park or we go and visit the animals at a shelter; she really enjoys that.
@oldchem1 (8132)
•
18 Jun 10
I have always found that treasure hunts have always gone down with my kids nad grandkids.
There are so many different ways of doing it, with children of the age you are talking about writing some cryptic clues would be good, each clue leading to a different location where they find the next clue.
Another way is to give them a list of things to find - like an oak leaf, a daisy, a match stick - whatever.
Another is to give them each a matchbox and have a reward for the one who can get the most different individual items in the box
