'I'M BORED!' BE GONE
FROM UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
FOR RELEASE: WEEK OF AUGUST 9, 1998
GREAT ASPIRATIONS! by Two Dads
'I'M BORED!' BE GONE
The dog days of summer are in full swing, and you've probably already heard your kids moan and whine 1,000 times, "Dad, I'm bored" and "Mom, there's nothing to do ..." At first, you may be able to ignore these complaints, but when you hear them again and again, it can make you absolutely crazy!
As real-world adults who carry full workloads and worry about paying the bills, we look forward to downtime. We wistfully long for those rare, shimmering moments of blissful peace and quiet. We cherish scattered, stolen moments of rest.
But the world our kids inhabit is a fast-paced, kinetic whirlwind of physical and mental activity. It's a nonstop search for new things to know and do and see and learn. This is a natural part of what childhood's all about -- and more important, it's a natural extension of our children's innate curiosity and creativity.
Hurrah for them! Don't get discouraged if you can't keep up. Your job is to lead, teach and support your kids, steering their curiosity in useful directions -- not to entertain them every minute of every day. What you need are ways to help your kids channel their explosive energy into productive pursuits.
Here are some low-supervision activities that will excite your children and give you a little time to catch your breath:
BIG BUBBLE BONANZA
Blowing bubbles beats boredom. (Try saying that 10 times real fast.) This simple, surefire bubble recipe will give your kids hours of fun.
You'll need:
4 cups warm water A small bucket
1 cup blue dishwashing liquid 4 feet yarn
4 teaspoons salt
Directions:
1. Pour all ingredients into the bucket, and gently combine well.
2. Tie the two ends of the yarn together to form a loop.
3. Dip the loop into the big bubble solution, carefully remove, then slowly wave in the air to make great big bubbles.
Tips:
-- Try dipping anything from coat hangers to egg beaters into the bubble solution to make cool bubble shapes.
TERRIFIC TIE DYE
Older kids especially love to make wearable art -- even if it is a little messy.
You'll need:
1 box or bottle of fabric dye (RIT is a good choice)
Water
1 bucket for each color of dye
White T-Shirts
Tongs (so your hands don’t get messy)
Assorted Rubber Bands
Directions:
1. In the bucket, mix the dye with water according to package directions.
2. Pull handfuls of the T-shirt into "peaks" of various sizes, and wrap these areas in the rubber bands. These wrapped areas will become rings when the T-shirt meets the dye. Wrap both large and small areas with thick and thin rubber bands. Wrap some areas very tightly and others loosely. Wrap several rubber bands in a row to make concentric circles.
3. Dye the shirt according to package directions and rinse in cold running water. Then wash each shirt separately before wearing.
Tips:
-- Try experimenting with more than one dye color. Remember that the colors will combine with each other to make new colors. For example, yellow and blue will make green. Or blue, green, red, yellow and purple will make mud-brown.
-- When using light and dark dyes together in a project, always dye the light color first.
SWEET SUMMER MILKSHAKE
Help your kids get cooking with this easy recipe. Scour kids' cookbooks for other simple recipes they can make without your help.
You'll need:
1 cup cold milk A dull knife
1 large scoop vanilla ice cream 1/2 banana
2 tablespoons chocolate sundae sauce
Directions:
1. Cut the banana into chunks
2. Combine ingredients in blender, cover and blend until smooth
3. Pour into your glass and enjoy! Makes about 2 cups.
Tips:
-- Customize the recipe to create your own delicious drinks: strawberries instead of bananas; caramel or butterscotch sauce for the chocolate sauce. And experiment with your favorite flavor of ice cream.
You can't do something with children every minute of the day (no one has that much energy!), but you can provide them with opportunities and ideas for fun and creative things to do on their own. Help them learn to independently explore and discover, and you'll also launch them down the path toward accepting responsibility for themselves. Show them how easy it can be to find fun ways to spend their free time, and you'll never have to endure "there's nothing to do" again. Then you can lean back, put up your feet, be bored -- and love it.
(The Two Dads are Doug Hall, Director of Great Aspirations!, and Russ Quaglia, Child Aspirations Expert.)
COPYRIGHT 1998 GREAT ASPIRATIONS! INC.
DISTRIBUTED BY UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600
