Link to https://www.facebook.com/arnettsacres Graphic DesignRecipesFun IdeasFarm LifeBorder ColliesTravelContact Us

Fun Ideas

With my children I have had the opportunity of learning to entertain, teach, and hopefully benefit children of all ages. As our children grew, we enjoyed so many things beyond the farm such as school activities, scouting, storytelling festivals, arts & crafts festivals, rendezvous, etc. My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the adult leaders for our local Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts. I would never trade a minute of it for anything else.

As I thought about all the different things/ideas that I have collected in so many years, I decided it would be best to have it so others could benefit also. I know that I cherish each time a young person has come up to me and let me know that they remember an instant, or enjoyed the process of learning, or of just plain being with us at that moment in their past.

Favorite Games:

As Cub Scout/Boy Scout Leaders, we would always be looking out for things that the scouts could do with a lot of creativity and limited resources. One Christmas we gave the boys a challenge of creating a game for their present to give to another scout for our party. At the time, our own kids were loving puzzle challenges with marbles and balance. This game was our present for the party.

1 board - 1x4 or something that will fit in a child's hand with minimal weight. It should be at least 3.5 inches wide. This can also be a double layer of cardboard box cut to size and glued together.
Popsicle sticks or another item that will give a ridge for the marble to ride
Elmer's glue or something comparable
1 Marble

Glue the popsicle sticks as the image on BOTH sides of the board.Marble Maze Game Board

To play the game:

Place the marble on the end of the board closest to your hand. Move the marble down the board around each of the sticks without it falling off. Once you have reached the end of the board, flip the marble about 1 foot into the air and catch it on the BACK side of the board and move it back toward your hand. Sounds easy...I know...but, it is really a great challenge for kids of all ages. The challenge...who can do this the fastest and/or the most times back and forth without the marble falling.

 

Balloon Tag

Great game for ages 4 to 99. 2 to 50 players.

1 inflated balloon (and tied off) for each participant
1 piece of string/yarn approximately 1 1/2 to 2 foot long

Tie the string to the knot in the balloon. Tie the other end of the string to the participants ankle loosely. The object of this game is to pop all of the other players balloons while protecting your own. Ahhhhhh...now it is tricky...and fun. Once a balloon is popped that person goes to the sideline to wait on the next game.

Marble Races

Great game for ages 4 to 99. 2 to 50 players.

2 marbles
Cardboard Cylinders, 1 per person

Keep all your wrapping paper cylinders (they are the best for this challenge). If you get desperate (and low on time to gather), use paper towel cylinders. I went to the teachers and had a note sent home asking parents to send them to school.

Stand all players in a circle holding the cylinders in front of them. Use the players hands as the "joints" to form a joined circle. Place a marble within the joint at roughly 12:00 and a second marble at roughly 6:00.

The players raise and lower their hands to move the marbles around the circle trying to not let the 6:00 marble catch the 12:00 marble. Lots of giggles and funny faces as kids try to manipulate their cylinder and not break the joint, the marble cannot "leak" out or the other wins.

Storytelling

I found the best thing I could do when faced with needing a way to entertain 100 boys and about 30 adults on the spur of the moment was to have at least 1-2 good story's to tell. And yes, I have found it necessary to use this resource more than once. The stories should be approximately 10-15 minutes each.

We stumbled into storytelling in the St. Louis area about 20 years ago. They have an incredible Storytelling Festival that spreads over many areas from Edwardsville, Illinois, the Arch, and on to Jefferson Barracks Park taking in many parks in between. Unbelievable talented masters of this story world were everywhere. Just bring a lawn chair or blanket, bring your drinks and lunch and enjoy. In my eyes, there could not be a better way to spend a Saturday. I watched how they worked the crowd and how they made the story come to life. We talked on the way home about which stories really excited everyone and why.

Jase and my personal favorite is Mike Anderson, from Jacksonville, Illinois. Mr. Anderson told just plain fun down home stories. He has such a way of telling that really makes you feel it is his personal past with just a little twist... Lisa's was a man (I wish I knew his name) that could bring the Greek Myths to life in the most beautiful way. He told the most amazing tale of Pegasus that crowd mesmerized with his artistic interpretations.

Small Group Ideas

3rd grade and up

We collected clean cans with the lids removed as well as all rough edges, all kinds of odds and ends (various sized cans from tuna to coffee, baling wire, screws, nuts, bolts, cut pieces of pvc pipes, lids) that equaled enough for roughly 2 grocery bags of oddities. We gave 2 similar bags to each participant with the instructions to take these home and within 2 weeks design something artistic or usable from the items. It was amazing what each created and just as much fun to hear them tell how they accepted the challenge and beat it.

Sock Puppets

4 years and up
Bag of White Tube Socks
Yarns, buttons, felt, markers, age appropriate items, etc...

For a group I used this for 7-8 year old scouts. I purchased a package of new white tube socks and gave one out for each participant. I brought colored yarn, markers, buttons, felt, etc. to attach. I displayed how to place your hand inside the sock with fingertips at the area for toes and how to crook my thumb to make a moving mouth. We then all designed our own sock.

The second week we wrote a play to put on with the puppets for the preschool with a message of not to bully and how to react to bullying.

The third week we placed a folding table on its side, had the puppeteers sit behind it, and put on a show. Some years after the show, I caught one of the kids talking about it in high school...I guess it was not that bad...

Coffee Can Stilts

2 Coffee Cans (metal) per participant
Soft Rope long enough for each participant to hold in thier hands and loop through 2 holes made in the coffee can (one on each side of the side panel/bottom.

Thread the rope through the two holes on the side of the coffee can and tie at the ends. I punched the holes in the cans with a can opener that leaves the trianular opening. The participant places their feet on the bottom of the can and put the top of the can on the ground. They then walk on the top of the cans pulling up with the ropes to make the steps.

I hope to post many more ideas for everyone to enjoy. If you have any to add please send them with the Contact Us page. Thank you in advance for sharing.

 

Plastic Straw Fun
Favorite Games
Small Group
Kids Homemade Fun
Cards - so many games where do we start?
Dice
Pencil/Paper
Scissors

 

Cabin Fever Times

1.Hide & Seek indoors, this is more challenging than outdoors. We also involved the dogs. They had to stay until the kids hid. 2.Furniture/Blanket tents (camping)
3.Card Houses
4.Old deck of cards made into raceways or roads for small cars (works great with Legos)
5. LEGOS I can't say enough good things about Legos
6. Form your own family reading club
7. Family pet training or kid training as to how to care for the pets
8. Art projects - ask the local newspaper if they have any end of rolls to share or use butcher's wrap
9.Board games - now create your own board game
10.Create your own book
11.Large boxes - make a mini house, adults cut windows and a door - kids decorate with crayons/tempura paint
12.We also used the large boxes to slide down the hill on a bed of leaves in the fall. Just cut one corner to unfold the box to flatten.
13. Volleyball indoors, everyone MUST be seated. Make a net and use a balloon for the volleyball.
14.Great time to learn new hobbies.
15. ANYTHING to keep away from the digital world for a while...stretch the mind (and muscles).