10 Easy activities to keep the kids entertained!

1. Scavenger hunt.Cut pictures of household items out of a magazine and stick them to a board (lamp, book, etc) for each child. Have each child then go through the house finding the related object and marking it off on the board. When done, they win a small prize.
2. Story from a bag.Fill a pillow case with objects, then ask each child to pull one out. Tell them to sit quietly and think of a story about the object. This is a great way to use the imagination and broader thinking. Then call all the kids together and put on a mini play. For younger kids, pull out the item and tell them a story about it - or get them to fill the pillow case with items.
3. Indoor race track. This one is particularly effective. Take masking tape and map out a race track (works well down a passage) and into some rooms. Masking tape comes away easily from most floors and carpeting. Kids can spend hours racing their toys, themselves or playing hop scotch if you mark out a hop scotch template.
4. Paper weaving. If you have loads of shredded paper at the office, grab a bunch to take home for the holidays! Thin strips of paper make for hours and hours of paper weaving. Take two strips and hold them at their tips at right angles to each other, fold each over each other and repeat - until they are completely flat (you should end up with a tiny square). Then let go gently and you should have a long weaved strand. These can be glued together for an amazing paper garland to hang up.
5. Home hideout. Never underestimate the power of a homemade fort! Take small furniture items and turn them upside down. Cover with a sheet. Get the kids to design their own "do not enter" sign, with a "name" for their hideout and a list of "rules". Add a handheld torch if you have one and let the fun begin!
6. Shadow puppets. Take the kids into a darkened room and close the curtains. Using a torch, make hand puppet shadows on the walls. There are numerous websites that show you how to easily make various animal profiles and this can be an amazing experience for kids young and old! Add quirky voices for each animal and get the kids to name each character.
7. Mix 'n match drawing.Give each child a blank sheet of paper and a coloured pen each. Ask each child to draw a funny faced head. Then to fold the paper so just the head drawing is hidden with the neck and the rest of the paper sheet exposed beneath. Each child passes on to the next. Then get each child to draw a funny body. Then to fold the paper so just the body part of the drawing is hidden with the waist and rest of the paper sheet exposed beneath. Each child passes on to the next. Lastly, the funny legs and feet/shoes are drawn. The kids exchange sheets one last time, before unfolding the paper and revealing some very weird looking characters! Get each child to name his creation and repeat the game!
8. Sailboats. This is a great one for indoors… take a couple of plastic bottle lids and turn them upside down. Use a toothpick as a mast and a triangle piece of paper as a sail. Then get a round bowl filled with water and bob the tops on the surface as sailboats. Kids have fun blowing them around the water, sinking them and making them "twist" in a whirlpool.
9. Wool laser beams! This one will keep them busy for hours! Take a ball of red wool, make criss-crossing threads across a hallway, to door knobs, book cases etc. Tell the kids they are "lasers" and ask them to get from one end of the passage to the other without touching the 'beams'. If you have small bells from a craft store, tie them on for even more suspense!
10. Marble tunnels. Store up all your old cardboard toilet paper holders and cardboard rolls from tin foil. Use them to make a long tunnel for a marble to travel along. Cut out segments for the marble to fall into and change course down another cardboard tube… hours of fun! please make sure children are age appropriate as marbles do pose a choking hazard for younger children.

Amazing 'Moon Sand' Recipe - kids love this!

Moon Sand is a fine, dense 'sand' that can be created with just two ingredients… kids can pat it into moulds, make shapes and spend hours playing with it… the best thing about this recipe is that it only takes 2 ingredients! It's quick, easy and ensures hours of play! To make Amazing Moon Sand this is what you'll need to do: mix 8 cups of fine white flour with 1 cup of baby oil. That's it, enjoy!

Happy Holidays!