Rad Family Activities Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Small Things Are Big Things

October 9, 2012 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Jack-O-Lantern Scavenger Hunt

You know I hold fast to the idea that making your kiddos’ lives a little magical is easy and more rewarding than we can ever imagine! You just have to be a lil’ intentional about it. Being a mom is SO MUCH WORK, so why not make it fun? You’re the mom. Make it rad.

Here is an EASY idea I came up with this year – A daily Jack-O-Lantern Scavenger Hunt!

All you need is black construction paper and tape.

Cut Jack-O-Lantern faces sized to fit everyday items in your home. Every evening before you go to bed add a Jack-O-Lantern (or two) to something around your house and in the morning your kiddos get to search for the new one. By the end of the month you will have 31 Jack-O-Lanterns scattered around your home. The first person to find the new Jack-O-Lantern gets a piece of the Halloween candy… or a kiss from mommy. Kinda like elf on the shelf but way less deceptive…

Think big and small – front of a kitchen cabinet or on a light switch!

(How to you like my spotless kitchen counters? I’m reorganizing, and as always, keeping it real.)

Seriously folks, less than a cent of construction paper and about two minutes of time and I caught the joy below.

Being a mom is rad.

Tip: For small things (like light switches), place the tiny pieces on clear packing tape then tape the whole thing on the future Jack-O-Lantern.

I think I’ll do a big one on the garage door tomorrow morning!

Being a mom is rad. (again)

You really can make anything into a Jack-O-Lantern with construction paper. If you aren’t up for the everyday scavenger hunt thing you can make it into an afternoon craft project with your kids. They will love sticking the faces all over the house.

September 7, 2012 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Back to School Feast 2012

This year’s Back to School Feast theme was Psalm 25:5 (see last years here)

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long.”

During dinner, Brad talked about growing in faith and wisdom. He talked about how we are set apart and that if we are sad we have true hope in Jesus. We can depend on God ALL DAY LONG. No matter what. All the time. Then we gave Eli a special blessing for the school year.

The décor was all circles, color and silly.

Table settings:
~Red wrapping paper cut in a wavy line as table runners
~Bright beaded necklaces down the middle of the table
~Colored 3×5 cards as name plates
~Mismatched colorful dinnerware
~Molding foam and a back to school book for each guest for dinner play

I made this poof chandelier with a small hula hoop, curly ribbon and tissue paper. (Thanks Amanda!) 1) Stack 6 pieces of tissue paper. 2) Cut piles into 4 squares. 3) Stack into two piles, 12 pieces in each pile. Set one pile aside and fold the other one like a fan. 4) Tie a length of ribbon to the center of the fan (you’ll have a bow shape). 5) Separate tissue pieces and fluff into a poof shape. 6) use the extra length of ribbon to hang around the hula hoop.

Menu:
~Ravioli with meat sauce
~Spinach salad with carrots and cherry tomatoes
~Strawberries, blueberries, grapes
~A dollop of nutella for fruit dipping

We wore the necklaces from the table, read the books during dinner and let the kiddos play with the toys (a treat around here).

Dessert:
~White cake (dyed blue with food coloring) with chocolate frosting and a strawberry on top. I baked them in these neat silicone cupcake thangs I got years ago. They have feet and they are adorable.

We had so much fun! I feel like this celebration sets the stage for a great school year. We have our feast the night before school starts, but I think it would be fun to close out the first week too! (I spent less than $20 on the supplies at the Dollar Tree!)

The next morning we took pix, walked to school and said goodbye.

I missed that lil’ fella!

While Eli was at school we baked cookies, then ate them later while he told us all about his day. That was special too. I think I’m gonna like this new phase of life. I think I don’t have a choice. My time stopping remote control is broken. I keep trying to hit pause, but it’s stuck on fast forward. I can grasp on to what’s already gone or look ahead. I’ll choose to look ahead. I choose joy. And eating cookie dough. Yep, eating lots of cookie dough sure does help.

Happy 1st week of school!

August 25, 2011 by: Kara Noel Lawson

It’s not as hard as you think!

After kiddos everything is a little harder than it used to be.

Going to the dinner or the movies on a whim? Only if the sitter is available!

A weekend trip? Only if you rent a u-haul for all the extra baby gear!

But some things are easier than you think they will be!

Like going to the beach.

When Hot hubby and I were dating/newly married we went to the beach a lot. It was close enough to ride our bikes on weekends or just to hang out after work. All we needed was sunscreen, our beach towel made for two and a few snacks. We ALWAYS spent the day there after church. Hours of sleeping in the sun, smash ball and bodyboarding!

Then I got preggers (2006). We still went…

After Eli was born everyone said our Sunday tradition would stop (2007). It didn’t…

(side note: Burying your baby in the sand is like the best way to keep them close.)

Then Cora Jane was born and we were still hitting the Sand Sundays (2008)…

(Though Hot Hubby’s bodyboarding time turned into skimboarding so he could be close at hand to watch the kiddos.)

Still going (2009)…

Then I had Cy (2010) in the Summer and we weren’t as consistent. Hot Hubby took the big kiddos while I stayed home with the lil’ leech and we went to our local lagoon or pool on Sundays instead.

This Summer we were determined to get back into the beach groove – and we are down at Salt Creek every Sunday after church. We want our kiddos to {heart} the beach as much as we do. And we can’t expect them to just fall in love with the beach when it’s “easy” for us to go!

Sure, we need to pack a bit more than our beach towels and body boards…

And instead of sleeping on the sand we play in it (or clean it off lil’ hands)…

But going to the beach isn’t as hard as you think it will be.

It’s different. But doable.

Here’s a few things to keep in mind when venturing out of your local park/library comfort zone.

~Keep it simple. Wherever you are going don’t think you have to pack for Armageddon. Sure, it’s nice if you have that one thing you may need that one specific time but stick to the necessities. Otherwise you’ll get so caught up with the I must be prepared for everything mind set that the prep will be too stressful and you won’t want to do it again. For the beach, we pack sand toys, sunscreen, towels, snacks, an umbrella and our camera. No change of clothes or extra anything. Somehow we survive.

~Keep it short. We loved our all day beach sessions years ago but our trips now are about 3 hours. As the kiddos get older we hope to start staying longer.

~Always pack snacks. But again don’t get overwhelmed. Sometimes I just throw in grapes, fruit snacks and goldfish, or we may drive thru somewhere on the way.

~Try again. If things don’t go well the first time reassess, modify and go again. You are a parent. I guarantee you’ll have all the kinks worked out by the next trip!

~Don’t stress about having the “perfect day.” Just relax. Every trip may not be magical but you can make it memorable just by going!

~Kids are kids. Get messy, have fun and know the unexpected will happen. i.e. Your kiddo will eventually stop eating the sand (And if they don’t, why not get them checked for anemia at their next well-check?).

We are passing down memories of beach fun to our kiddos.

What’s the “activity” in your family?

Camping. Morning fishing. Movies. Museums. Theme parks. Hiking.

What’s holding you back from actually doing these things with small kiddos?

If we wait till they are old enough for an easy trip (and really, is it EVER easy??) it may be too late to brainwash encourage them into liking what we like.

June 28, 2011 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Red, White and Blue on Y-O-U!

Can you believe 4th of July is only 6 days away?? Time to share some of the 4th of July things I’ve been a-brewin’ the past couple of weeks! I’ll start with a fun family activity!

We had SO MUCH fun BOOing at Halloween I thought I would put a 4th of July spin on the idea and here’s what I came up with…

Red, White & Blue on YOU!!

I bought loads of American Flag magnets (I got mine from www.flagsoncars.com) then we snuck around the neighborhood and parking lots and stuck them on cars with this little note:

I was just at the 99 cent store today and they had 3 American flags for 99 cents! That would be super fun to pass along… or maybe a 4th of July wreath or cupcakes with lil’ flags on top or red white and blue candy or… you get the idea.

Feel free to copy my note and modify it with what you are gifting. (I know I should have made the note non-specific to my giftie in an adorable poem… maybe next year!) Let’s make this a “thing” together!

Eli thought we should be disguised as bushes to “flag” people, so… (washable markers)