(WARNING: The following blog contains information about child care activities that are totally unsuitable and stupid. Do not, I repeat, do NOT attempt to recreate these in your own home!)Last week the Wichita Eagle had a little blurb about how parents can engage their children in educational activities during the summer months…things like reading books together and working on artsy craftsy projects. That threw me back to the time when I was a teenager having to oversee my two much younger siblings during June, July, and August. My idea of a summer job was to work on my tan, but family duty called so I stepped up to the plate…sort of. Usually, I’d just send the little brats outside to play with their friends; I felt I’d done my job if I knew where they were, within a square mile or two.
Rainy days were another story, though. Then, I’d be forced to put up with the sibs, which meant coming up with some not-so-educational activities to keep them busy. Here are three of the family favorites:
1. The Clothes Pin Pain Game
Supplies Needed: wooden clothes pins
How to Play: Challenge contestants to place clothes pins on various body parts (not those underneath clothing, of course) to see who can withstand the pain the longest. Hint: The absolute worst spot is that little piece of skin between your nostrils. Yikes!
Supplies Needed: wooden clothes pins
How to Play: Challenge contestants to place clothes pins on various body parts (not those underneath clothing, of course) to see who can withstand the pain the longest. Hint: The absolute worst spot is that little piece of skin between your nostrils. Yikes!
2. The Pretty Ugly Match Game
Supplies Needed: your big sister’s college yearbook
How to Play: Open yearbook to class panels sections and, with each row of pictures, select the best looking and homeliest boy and girl, trying to match your opponents. The person with the most matches is a pretty ugly winner.
Supplies Needed: your big sister’s college yearbook
How to Play: Open yearbook to class panels sections and, with each row of pictures, select the best looking and homeliest boy and girl, trying to match your opponents. The person with the most matches is a pretty ugly winner.
3. Recipe for Disaster
Supplies Needed: anything from the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator; one bowl and one spoon
How to Play: Try to mix up the most hideous looking, least tasty food concoction among your opponents. One of my dandiest dishes was to add enough water to flour to make it pasty, pour in Worcestershire sauce and blue food coloring, then garnish with slices of aged, rubbery
vegetables. Yummy! We had to put a stop to taste testing, though, when my brother became hellbent on adding Clorox and insecticide to his recipes.
Supplies Needed: anything from the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator; one bowl and one spoon
How to Play: Try to mix up the most hideous looking, least tasty food concoction among your opponents. One of my dandiest dishes was to add enough water to flour to make it pasty, pour in Worcestershire sauce and blue food coloring, then garnish with slices of aged, rubbery
vegetables. Yummy! We had to put a stop to taste testing, though, when my brother became hellbent on adding Clorox and insecticide to his recipes.
The Eagle asked its loyal readers to send in their own ideas for wholesome family summer fun, but, alas, I don’t think I’ll be making any recommendations.
5 comments:
It is amazing you survived your childhood! Crazy stuff you kids did.
Yeah, the neighbor lady once called Mom at work to tell her we were killing each other. Actually, my brother had just shoved my right arm through the glass pane of the back porch door. Mom was NOT happy!
There are sides of you even I do not know!!
DIVA---YEAH, --MRS. KNOWLES RATTED US OUT. HAD YOU LIVED RIGHT NEXT DOOR INSTEAD OF TWO HOUSES DOWN, YOU WOULD HEARD MORE OF THE MELEES!
OOPS...THAT'S HAVE HEARD
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