Fabulist: Summer in Andieland
My kids seem to think we have a democracy in our household. I’m not sure why, but I guess I’m glad they have the false-hope of having a say in whatever we do.
As I type this … BANG!
They’re playing whiffle ball in the backyard and my son just hit the house with the ball. He made it to second before my daughter tackled him. #siblinglove
Anyway, when they found out I do this column, they wanted in. So here are THEIR picks for fun things to do at home in the summer …
3 or 4 SQUARE
What you need: Chalk, a flat playing surface (driveway), medium-sized bouncy ball
We love to play 4 Square but there are often only three of us at home, so we improvise and chalk-out a 3-section court. Below is a tutorial. It’s rather complicated. We’re pretty loosey-goosey with our rules, though we do play Australian 4 Square which is a little different. Overall, this is a great game that gets you and the kids outside playing together!
GUMMY vs REAL FOOD
What you need: gummy food, real food, plates, something to cover the plate (bowl, tupperware, etc)
You may have seen these YouTube videos. My kids make my poor father-in-law play THEIR version of this game which includes two covered plates. Under one is gummy candy in the shape of real food. Under the other is real food. It’s supposed to be the same as the gummy candy, but we don’t have a Vat19 budget, so they just put anything edible under there. Their grandfather chooses a plate and has to eat what’s on it.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
What you need: a box, something to put in it
Put something in a box (we don’t use anything alive or anything that can hurt you). The other person has to feel around inside the box and figure out what it is.
GUESS THE SMELL
What you need: a few things that have an odor/aroma
The kids do this with unlit candles. One is blindfolded, the other chooses a candle for him/her to smell and the blindfolded one has to figure out which candle it is.
3 MARKER CHALLENGE
What you need: a bunch of markers, paper or coloring pages
My kids choose three markers without looking and then have to color a page or create a picture using only those three colors.
