Daily Idea #86: Decoder

My kids have been making up their own language (think gibberish but without any rules). So to play off of that idea of speaking in code we made a decoder today.

To start:

Write out the whole ABC’s

Next:

Pick a letter from the top line from where to start your next line of ABC

Then:

Match each letter in bottom row to the a letter in the top row

After that:

When you get to Z on the top row go back to the A and continue the rest of the ABC’s

Then:

Pick a word or a sentence that you want to code

Finally:

Follow the top line of the ABC’s and match each letter to create your code.

Daily Idea #85: Bake Something

After spending the morning going all out in cleaning my house, I realized I never gave an idea for today!

So, now that my house is clean (and the rest of my family has been ignored for the morning), we are going to make a mess of the kitchen and bake something.

If you’ve got some bananas that are sitting on the counter turning brown, bake banana bread with this recipe.

If you are having a chocolate craving, make some chocolate chips cookies with this recipe.

Or find your own favorite and have the kids help measure and mix. Enjoy!

Daily Idea #84: Photo Album

Over the last few months our picture taking has decreased a bit but I realized that we still have pictures piling up and nothing is happening with them.

Today, we are going to go through the pictures on our phone and iPad and create an album to send off to a album making site. It’ll be a nice little surprise in the mail when it arrives and we can have our pictures on hand to look through instead of always scrolling through the phone.

Daily Idea #83: Paper Plate Toss

My kids love turning anything flat into a frisbee. So to capitalize on this we are playing the Paper Plate Ring Toss game today.

Take 1 empty paper towel roll and 1 toilet paper roll and tape them to the floor. Have the kids help to cut inner circles of varying sizes from a few paper plates for different difficulty levels in the toss (the larger the hole, the easier it will be to toss it onto the post).

Step back and toss the paper plates to see if you can get them on the paper towel and toilet paper rolls. Stand closer for an easier toss or farther away for more of a challenge. See how many you get onto the posts in 1 minute.

Daily Idea #82: “Visit” the Aquarium

My kids love animals, animals of all kinds and we are really missing the aquarium.

Today we are going to “visit” the aquarium. Spending some time watching their various exhibits is great way to get to see the animals they love up close but not worrying about actually being there.

Here is the link for the Southern California Of Long Beach aquarium: enjoy!

Daily Idea #81: Where Do We Fit?

It can be very difficult even for us as adults to understand just how big and vast the world is; imagine how kids view their place sometimes.

In our house, at the beginning of the school year ever year, we do this activity to try and comprehend where we fit in the universe by starting small and step by step working our way out to the macro.

We start by cutting out a square from construction paper that is about 2”X2”. This is the “ME” page.

For each subsequent square add an inch to the square (so this next square is 3”X3”. This is the “HOUSE NUMBER” page.)

The next square is for your street name, then your city, your county, your state, your country, the world, and finally the galaxy.

Here is a link with resources for pictures or you can always find pictures on the internet.

Daily Idea #80: Shelter Pups

The other day we went through our stuffed animals in order to donate some that we do not use or need. We often put together bags of clothes for GoodWill or something like it and forget that other things can be donated for reuse. Today we are going to go through our linens (hand towels and bath towels) and put together a bag to donate to a local animal shelter.

Daily Idea #79: Would You Rather?

The other day we played I Spy and it was intriguing to see what my children see.

Today we are playing “Would You Rather”. I want to hear what my children think. You can make up your own or you can follow the guide below.

Daily Idea #78: The Cup Game

Anyone remember as a kid (or a few years ago when this game came back and was all the rage: there was even a song made to go with the game: “When I’m Gone” from Pitch Pefect) playing the “Cup Game”? It’s a great way to teach rhythm along with hand/eye coordination.

For today, I found a great tutorial online that not only shows how to do the hand motions step by step but has a video with which to follow along.

This is so much fun to learn and can be played by yourself or with a whole group of people (you know, for when we can have a big group of people together again).

Daily Idea #77: Play with your Food

I stumbled across this website on Pinterest this morning and wanted to share it with you all for today’s activity.

It’s all about how to make our snacks into fun things to eat: apple monsters, fruit flower cups, fruit on a stick… So have fun, enjoy some healthy snacks, and stay healthy!

Daily Idea #76: Collage Face

We all see ourselves in a unique way. What I see in the mirror is different than what my children see and even different than what my husband sees. And in looking at my children, I know I still see them as babies sometimes (which is most definitely not how they view themselves).

Today, we are making a vision of ourselves using magazines. Cut out eyes, a nose, a mouth, hair, or anything else you find in some magazines you may have lying around. Have your children draw the basic shape of their face and add on the varying cut outs in whatever ways they see fit. You can even add items around the head when you are finished to represent what the person is thinking.

Daily Idea #75: I Spy

Seeing the world through your childrens’ eyes is truly incredible and yet so difficult sometimes. We’ve been home for a while now (and it looks like in some states it will continue for who knows how long), trying to get work done while finishing the school year. We may only be able to see the world through our own eyes at the moment so take some time today to ask your child what they see by playing “I Spy”.

Daily Idea #74: Father’s Day Craft

Mother’s Day came and went and we had to brunch at home. The states are starting to open back up and Father’s Day is a week away! While we may have more options available for activities out of the house, it’s still nice to receive a homemade gift to honor the dad’s (and dad figures) in our lives.

Today, we are making Dad finger painting pictures. If you don’t have fingerpaints you can use water colors or crayons. You’ll need a plain sheet of paper, painter’s tape or something similar, finger paints/watercolors. (If if using watercolors then you’ll need a paint brush and water).

Cut your tape into about 4 inch sections. Place it on the paper in the shape of each letter in the word DAD. Set out different colors of paint and have your child finger paint away. If you are using watercolors, use the paint brush and the paints to cover the paper as your child wants. Let the paint dry and remove the tape. You’ll have a beautiful homemade picture for dad that you can frame or make into a card.

Daily Idea #73: The Power of Non-Perfection

It’s always difficult to admit when we make mistakes. It’s even more difficult to see the silver lining and the beauty that can come from learning from those mistakes.

I recently learned about the story of “Ish” in which a boy gets upset when his brother doesn’t like his artwork. Ish tries to make something over and over again that would be better. Each time, he crumples up his paper when it’s not perfect and throws it out. His sister then collects all these papers and tries to smooth them out because she feels the art is beautiful.

It’s a great lesson for all of us; the idea that beauty and perfection is in the eye of the beholder. That even with all the mistakes or perhaps because of the mistakes something beautiful can come from it.

Today, we will be making our own crumpled art. You’ll need white construction paper, watercolors, and paint brushes.

Start by crumpling your paper into a ball. Choose one color and paint all the exterior sides of the ball. Then open the paper and carefully smooth it out. Crumple it again and choose another color. Again, paint the exterior of the crumpled ball. Carefully open the ball of paper up and smooth it out. Repeat as many times as you’d like. Allow the paper to dry. Discuss with your children how even when we make mistakes they can be fixed and forgiven; how beauty can come from the not so perfect situation.

You can then use your paper to create other things like a journal entry, wrapping paper, a thank you note…

Daily Idea #72: Something for Others

I don’t know about you, but we have an extraordinary amount of toys and stuffed animals that my kids have collected over the years. And while it’s wonderful to keep some of the ones that have sentimental value to be able to pass on to your children when they get older and maybe even have their own children, it’s also important to give to others.

Today we are going to go through our toys and stuffed animals and figure out what we can donate. In the current times of COVID-19 we will be cleaning each item for donation as best we can and then setting them aside to be able to deliver them to our local Goodwill or National Council of Jewish Women as soon as they are receiving donations.

Daily Idea #71: Water Paint

It’s getting hotter, most schools are finished for the year, and we aren’t sure which camps are going to open. However, Our Online Village will be here giving you ideas on the daily.

For today we are painting with water. That’s it. A super simple but extremely fun activity for kids of all ages. Get out some paint brushes and a bucket full of water, find a location outside (whether that it is in your driveway, the exterior hallway of your apartment building, or on the sidewalk out front) and water paint away.

There is something so enjoyable about making a design with the water and watching as it evaporates leaving a blank canvas.

Daily Idea #70: Give a Little

Here in LA things are slowly opening up (I know most of the US has already started this process and some people are even eating in restaurants already!)

After so long at home it feels weird bringing the kids to the park or to the store or even going on a walk with a friend. We went for a walk the other day and my 4 year old wanted to hold hands with our friend; it was so difficult for him to understand that we can’t hold hands or give hugs. But we can still do kind things for each other.

Just because we can’t physically show our affection doesn’t mean we can’t show love. So today we are giving compliments. We are making an effort to see the good in others at least 5 times. Compliment someone on their outfit (I like the bow on your dress) or their action (that was so nice of you to let your brother go before you). The more we use language to bring others up, the easier it becomes.

Daily Idea #69: Fortune Tellers

Fortune tellers (or cootie catchers) were all the rage when I was a child. They are fun to make either from a pre-made form or on your own. It’s like having a magic 8 ball but you control the outcome with a choose your own adventure origami.

The exterior has colors from which to choose. A person asks a question and then picks a color. The form is opened and closed counting with each letter of that color. Then a number is picked from the inside and the form is again opened and closed with each count of that number. A final number is picked and the flap is opened in accordance with that number and the fortune is read inside the flap.

Here is a link from www.skiptomylou.com to print out a pre-made fortune teller with instructions on how to fold it.

Daily Idea #68: Visual Kindness

During the year, many of us are used to writing mitzvah notes (notes for the teacher to know what good deeds our children have done at home) to give accolades and promote kindness. Just because we are at home doesn’t mean this should stop. Helping children learn to incorporate kindness into their daily activities can be a very simple step we can take at home; make your mitzvah notes into a paper chain to decorate the playroom, or the bedroom, or even a hallway.

To start, have your children cut strips of paper from various colors of construction paper. Have them write, if they are old enough, or help them write down on individual strips some good deeds they have done over the last few days.

Then to make your paper chain, start with one strip. Connect the ends of the paper together forming a circle and secure with a few staples or tape. Take the next strip and put it through the hole you have created in the first strip and connect the ends again making your first link in the chain.

Add the rest of the strips for that day and hang them where everyone can see. Every day make it a point to write on a new strip a good deed that each child did and add it to the chain.

Daily Idea #67: Taste Testing

To keep the theme of learning to calm our emotions when exterior influences are trying to overwhelm us, here is another tool to tap into to bring us back to our thinking and rational side and not our over reacting side.

Have a taste testing session. When trying to ground ourselves, concentrating on different senses can be very helpful in calming the mind. Taste testing is great option when looking for stress relief activities for kids as well as adults, as it aids in staying in tune with the senses.

Get out different foods to present to your child while their eyes are closed: apples slices, pepper strips, cheese sticks, pretzels, a lollipop… Have your child use their sense of touch, smell, and taste to try and guess the food you present one at a time. Then flip it around and let them present foods to you.

As always, have fun!