Family Fun

Preparing Your Child to Go to Camp

May 16, 2013 by Sharla Leave a Comment

(This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure policy.)

Disclosure: This post is sponsored and I was compensated for my time, however the stories, feelings and opinions are all my own. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
Our older two boys have been to Summer Camp a number of times over the years but this will be the first year for three of our middle kids. It’s been almost a decade since I first sent a child off to camp. I’m always a bit nervous before their first time going to sleep-away camp and sometimes, they are too, but there are things that can help to prepare them (and you).

1. Talk to your child about their fears.

Your child may have fears about being away from home, sleeping in the dark, what types of food will be served, or how they will be accepted by the other kids at camp. Let them know that it’s okay to express their feelings about those fears.

2. Address any concerns with information.

Most camps have websites and brochures that can answer most of your questions. The more information you can arm your child with, the better they will feel. Some camps even offer a camper orientation.

3. Let your child be involved in packing.

The camp should provide you with a list of items to pack. Allowing your child to pack with you will help them to know what will be coming with them. Be sure to pack things that are well worn as they may get stained or lost at camp. You may also want to label the clothing that you send with sewn or iron-in labels, permanent markers or dabs of nail polish colour.

4. Send a family picture or comfort item.

If your child has a hard time being away overnight, it may be wise to send a comfort item such as a favourite stuffed animal or a special blanket with them. They may also find comfort in a family photo or small album of pictures. This also might give them something to be used as a conversation started with the new kids they meet.

5. Look together at pictures or videos of the camp.

Many camp websites have pictures and some even have videos. Not only will seeing pictures of smiling kids enjoying themselves likely comfort your child, it will do them a lot of good to familiarize themselves with the sights of the camp. This way, when they arrive, things will look familiar and be less intimidating. If the camp is nearby and allows it, you may even want to visit the grounds to have a look around and be able to answer any questions that arise for your child.

6. Talk to others who have been to camp.

Summer camp is usually an exceptionally positive experience and creates lifelong memories. You will likely not have to go far to find someone who can share positive memories about their own camp experience that can share that with your child. In my case, I have many wonderful camp stories of my own to share with my kids. Their older brothers can also regale them with their tales!

7. Let the camp know if your child is nervous.

If your child is particularly apprehensive, let the camp staff know so that they can be sensitive to this. They have dealt with anxious and homesick campers before and will know how best to handle the situation. But you know your child best, so if there are things that may help the camp staff, be sure to pass those tips along.

8. Involve your child in decisions.

Some children are mature enough to be part of the decision as to which camp to attend while with others, you may want to choose the camp yourself but let them in on simpler decisions such as which bathing suit to pack. Depending on the camp, there may also be options for activities and letting your child choose those themselves will empower them. Allowing your child to participate in decisions will help them to feel more in control and build excitement in them.

9. Involve your child in the plan.

By allowing your child to make a few of the decisions, showing them pictures or videos of the camp, providing them as much information as you can, and letting them in on the plan and scheduling such as telling them what time you will be leaving to drive them to camp, how many days (and nights) they will be at camp, who will be picking them up and when, you will ensure the best chance of success. Knowing what to expect eases many worries.

10. Send a little love from home.

Include a little note in your child’s bag to surprise them. In the note, be sure to not only tell them that you love them, but also include an encouragement about them continuing at camp instead of mentioning you missing them so that it doesn’t contribute to any feelings of homesickness. Then, do your best to enjoy your week of quiet while your child is enjoying themselves and making memories of a lifetime at camp!

I am really excited to let you know about an opportunity to win a free week of Summer Camp for your child as well as an iPad mini! These camps are in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. To enter, you must be a resident of Canada (excluding Quebec). Please read the full rules and regulations on the contest site for additional things to note.

You can also receive a 15% off coupon for this year’s summer camps by sharing about the contest after you’ve entered (details about that are available upon entry submission)!

ENTER NOW!

Filed Under: Family Fun, Parenting in the Chaos

Toys That Last the Test of Time

May 14, 2013 by Sharla Leave a Comment

(This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure policy.)

In our house because we have such a big age span of children, we really get to see which toys last the test of time! In order to make the cut and be kept when we are de-cluttering or moving, toys have to fit the following criteria for me:

They need to encourage open-ended play.
They need to encourage imagination.
They need to be durable and physically be able to last over time.

The toys that have made the cut in our house:

1. Lego – We still have The Husband’s Lego from when he was growing up so it fits the qualification of durable without a doubt. Lego is one of the best toys around in my opinion. Over the years, our older boys picked up a few newer sets along the way at Christmas and birthday time and now our Lego collection is quite large. Lego encourages imagination, develops fine motor skills, provides hours of building fun and more. I love Lego play so much that I have a Lego Pinterest board full of educational activities and extra fun that can be done with Lego!

2. Little animals – We have been adding to our toy animal collection for eighteen years or so. The kids use them in all kinds of imaginary play. The animals have been on “field trips” to the sandbox, the bathtub and every road trip we have ever been on. They also often play a prominent role in our Sensory Bins.

4. Wooden Blocks – We’ve had these wooden blocks for about sixteen years. They were a bit of an investment when we first bought them but have proven themselves well worth the cost! Even as our kids get older, they will often pull out the blocks to build and explore.

5. Dolls – Our girls and even our boys go through phases where they play for hours on end with dolls. Dressing them up, inventing scenarios, pretending they are babies and wearing them in slings or pushing them in strollers…dolls are a timeless toy.

Doll Love 6. Play food – The play opportunities with this are endless…playing restaurant, having a picnic, planning an entire homeschool unit around it, making treats for mommy, playing store or house…

7. Dishes – From tea sets to cookware (real or play) to play dishes, these provide hours of fun especially if paired with play or real food.

8. Marbleworks – I have had our Marbleworks set (from Discovery Toys) since I was 13 and used to take it with me when I went babysitting. This has lasted and lasted and still gets played with. Even adults love getting in on the fun!

9. Cars – Small die-cast cars have been not only a much used and long-lasting toy around here, they have also been very handy to bring on trips or keep in my purse for doctor’s appointments and the like.

10. Instruments – Triangles, maracas, harmonicas, cymbals, homemade instruments…every day is a good day for an impromptu concert or parade around this house!

I’m joining iHomeschool Network’s 10 in 10 (Ten Weeks of Top Ten Lists). I’m linking up with Angie at Many Little Blessings. I hope you come and join in the Blog Hop fun!

Filed Under: Family Fun

Family Fun Night- Just for Laughs

April 22, 2013 by Sharla 6 Comments

(This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure policy.)

Our family fun nights are such a huge hit with the kids! They are great for encouraging bonding and for creating lasting memories. We’ve had quite a number of Family Fun Nights over the years and I never thought any I could create would ever top our Minute to Win It Family Fun Night, but I was wrong! This one was even more fun and got us all laughing. It also was about half the work to prepare!

Most of this fun night can be put together with things you already have around the house. There are a few extras that I bought that added to the goofiness factor, but the activities could be done without spending any money.

Decorations. I used a bright plastic tablecloth that I could easily wrap all the garbage in and throw out at the end of the night. I knew that the activities were messy and it was worth it to buy the tablecloth to avoid the clean-up!

For the centerpiece, I used a clown hat and a whoopee cushion. They both got a fair amount of use later in the evening and in the days to come!

I also set lip pops and goofy glasses at each place setting and set out a trick drink for everyone (I explain how to make those below).

For The Husband, I set out a really funny pair of glasses with wind-up moving eyebrows and moustache. We also gave The Husband stick-on sideburns! The funniest part was that his hair is so light so the black sideburns looked really out of place!

Food. I made trick drinks by filling clear plastic cups with red jello and inserting a bendy straw into each before the jello set. They look just like juice ready to drink and they fooled almost everyone! They tried awfully hard to suck up their juice.

I made coloured popcorn for a snack but it was a flop. I followed the recipe but it was a soggy ball of yuck!

For supper, I made spaghetti because I needed a messy meal to pull off the next activity…

Activities. I put all of these utensils in a bag:

I then wrote silly names on index cards like “the Forkinator”, “Whirlwind”, “Double Trouble” that pertained to each one. When I read the names, people chose the one they wanted and I reached into the bag and handed them the utensil they had to eat supper with! In other words, there were no forks at dinner. Everyone had to eat their spaghetti with their utensil.

The Flour Game. This game is perfect for playing with a group with wide age ranges. Toddlers could play and so could grandparents, so it would be great for family reunions or holiday parties.

All you need for this is flour, a bowl, a lifesaver or coin and knife.

Pack a bowl with flour. Stick a plate on top of the bowl and carefully tip it upside-down so that you create a mound of flour. Put a lifesaver (or coin) on the top. Everyone takes a turn cutting the flour until the lifesaver falls. The person that knocks the lifesaver off has to retrieve it with their mouth.

The Bag Game. My neighbour Christie taught us this fun game. This time we played it with a bit of a variation though. For the bag game, all you need is a large brown paper bag (or you can use an empty cereal box) and a willingness to play.

Standing on one foot, you must retrieve the bag with your mouth. You then have to tear off the bit of the bag that your mouth touched so that slowly, the bag gets lower and lower to the ground. Since we have a variety of ages in our family, we gave the littlest ones three strikes per turn and the rest of us had three strikes that carried through from round to round. After a long and hilarious competition, Einstein came out victorious!

Extras. I had made some videos on JibJab starring members of our family and we sat down and watched the videos and laughed as comedic versions of ourselves danced, skied, sung, and rollerskated on the screen! I gave everyone funny glasses (with attached noses) to watch the videos with. After we tucked the younger kids into bed, we played a card game (Canasta) with The Ferrari and Fred and had some more laughs.

If you are looking for other ideas of things to do to create those lasting memories, here are some of our other family fun nights:

Red Carpet Premiere

Titanic Dinner

Minute to Win It

Linking to Inspired Wednesday, Sunday Showcase, What’s Working Wednesday, Welcome Home, The Homeschool Village, Show & Share Saturday, Works for Me Wednesdays.

Filed Under: Family Fun, Party Planning

Prairie Gardens

August 15, 2012 by Sharla 7 Comments

(This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure policy.)

Last week, we went to Prairie Gardens. For me, this was an extremely significant thing. It’s not that it was the most fabulous day we’ve ever had, but it was a big deal for me as it symbolized that Miss Optimism’s meds are working. I have been wanting to take the kids to Prairie Gardens for many years, but we have never been able to go as Miss Optimism just hasn’t been healthy enough to be outside. With there being hay and animals and dust and trees, even at times when her lungs have been well enough for her to go out in our yard, it’s still never been a possibility, but she is doing so well right now that we were able to go. She was thrilled! She dressed so that she would look like she belonged at a farm and her smile was plastered on her face the whole time we were there!

She especially loves animals and had the chance to be able to hold many different animals. She loved that part so much that when the rest of us all went on the train ride, she stayed with the animals.

The rest of the kids had fun too! There were two corn mazes, a hay bale maze, a haunted house, a spider web maze, rubber duck races using water pumps, panning for gems, a petting zoo, and many other activities.

Filed Under: Blessings in the Chaos, Family Fun

Photo Scavenger Hunt

July 10, 2012 by Sharla 5 Comments

(This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure policy.)

I have been trying to find great activities to keep the boredom complaints to a minimum this summer. This one was easy, free, and took about 5 seconds of preparation!

All that I needed to do was to draw and write items on a piece of paper, give the kids an old camera, and sit down to finish paperwork while I listened to them laughing and running around the yard completing their photo scavenger hunt.

The list I made for them (excuse my lack of artistic talent!):

And here are some of the pictures that the kids took to complete their challenge:

I find it interesting that the kids had such different interpretations of what was on the list. As an example, these are two interpretations of the word “garbage”: