June 21st - June 25th

Monday

Silly face day! For lunch or snacktime, give the kiddos a pancake or piece of bread cut in a circle, a variety of edible decorations and let them make a funny face. Raisins are a favorite decorating tool. Peanut Butter is a great mustache-maker. You can supply the rest!

Tuesday

Turn on some good ole classical music (upbeat and in a major key preferably :) ) and direct your child through a menagerie of animal movements. When the music is soft and light, have him or her be a butterfly; when it's lumbering; an elephant.

Wednesday

Make a special card for a neighbor or nursing home resident. Let your little one tell you what to write. Suggest a favorite poem or nursery rhyme to share.

Thursday

Have some recyclables laying around? Give them a wash and start drumming - with or without drumsticks. (but, if you must have drumsticks, plastic spoons work pretty well and aren't too scary to hand over to your little ones).

Friday

Forgot to workout this week? Don't have anytime to sneak away to the gym? Turn up the Disney tunes and lead you kids through some calesthenics - they love trying to do jumping jacks and stretches. For an added bonus, (you) grab some soup cans for some weight training - kids might like to hold a plastic milk jug with some water in it for weight.

Monday
While your stacking the clean laundry piles high, why not have a (clean) sock snowball fight? Older kids might be able to handle balled up pairs, but I recommend letting the singles fly free to prevent injury. This activity will wear the kids out in a cool way without having to brave the summer heat.

Tuesday
Go on a "B" hunt. Be the safari guide through your house as you hunt for and sneak up on all things that start with a B.

Wednesday
Grab that stack of library books from the table and spread them way out on the floor. Tell your little one that you are going to ask questions about the stories. Explain that when they know the right answer, they should stand next to the book that the story is in.

This may sound complicated, but you can even ask questions such as, "which story is in a book with a duck on the cover?" You can think up questions all day when you find that this entertains your child. If you want, come up with a point system or rewards for right answers. A pretzel sticks for right answers makes this a nice snacktime-friendly activity.

Thursday
Theater Thursday. Get out one of those favorite books again. This time, make sure to choose a very active story with distinct characters. Be the narrator and let your child act out the parts - or you join in the acting too. Friends and stuffed animals are also very welcome helpers!

Friday
Get a jump-start on Saturday cleaning by becoming Garbage Men. Let your child ride on your back and direct you to the nearest garbage can. Teach your child to empty the can into a bigger bag, get a chore done, and work out all at the same time!

Take a "Beach Walk"

It doesn't matter if you're in Kentucky, Kansas or stuck inside in Key West, bring the beach into your house with a few blankets and a bit of imagination.

Spread a blanket (blue is best) out for the water and another (tan or brown this time) for the beach. Let your child put on his/her swim gear and use all the normal toys as beach toys. Think: blocks to build a sand castle, look for shells in the pile of stuffed animals, use something cylindrical as binoculars to spy ocean creatures from afar and let an old toy car be a flying kite. And, don't forget to lie on the beach and look at the clouds. If you can and want to, take a picnic lunch or snack to end the beautiful day at the beach.