Go Fish
Staying indoors to escape the heat/cold/rain? Keeping driving to a minimum because of gas prices? Trying to figure out how to entertain a preschooler without going crazy? Try Go Fish.
This will require some patience and a deck of cards. Preferably a deck of kids’ cards with pictures of Elmo or Winnie the Pooh. The Boy has a set of Thomas cards which have pictures of the Thomas characters – 4 of each. This set has given us many hours of fun and hasn’t even gotten all bent up an thrashed yet. We first used the set to play things like matching ‘games.’ The Boy would turn over cards until he found two of a kind. Each set of 4 cards has four different colored borders, so color matching is another ‘game’ we played. He’s now has a pretty good attention span, so lately we’ve taught him Memory and Go Fish.
For Memory, I pull out anywhere between 3 and 10 pairs of cards, shuffle and lay face down. We take turns turning over 2 cards to see if we can find a match.
For Go Fish, I deal each of us 5 cards and we put the rest in the middle, in a ‘fish pond.’ Here’s where we deviate from the rules a little. We lay our 5 cards out in front of us so we can each see what the other has. It is too hard for The Boy to hold onto the cards in his hand and he hasn’t gotten the hang of keeping what cards you have a secret. So we have to ‘cheat’ a little – usually in his favor. 
Right away he picked up on “Mommy, do you have a …?” and the response, “No, Go Fish!”
The tricky thing for both of these games is that he often wants to play Now! So we’re learning patience too. I think we could start learning a game like Uno in this same way – placing all our cards on the table in front of us.
The best start you can give your kids is practically FREE
From Parenting.com, an article about the top five things that you can do to raise a happy, emotionally healthy kid.
An exerpt: “…experts say, all babies, toddlers, and preschoolers will thrive as long as they are:
* Provided a predictable life with a reasonably ordered environment
* Held and touched often
* Talked to (or sung to) often
* Read to frequently
* Exposed to interesting experiences
* Given many opportunities to learn through play.”
All things that we at SIP advocate and encourage. The best part? None of these things will take your life’s savings. “Interesting Experiences” do not have to include flying to another country. It can mean taking an exploration walk around your neighborhood to look for insects, birds or colors. It can mean taking a backroad to Grandma’s house instead of the freeway in order to stop at a local cheese factory. Try it today!
Fun With a Tube
The Boy’s current favorite toy is a cardboard tube that formerly held wrapping paper. It is the perfect bat to use inside the house with soft balls (not softballs!). It also makes a great tunnel for small cars and trumpet for a musical parade. Daddy reinforced it with duct tape after the first little bend. Two shades of duct tape no less – now it is a cool two-tone bat! Just a reminder that free toys can be found just about anywhere with a little imagination!
Summer Travel Ideas
Budget Travel has a list of 10 locations where you can ‘unfasten your seatbelts and get out and walk.’ It could be that none of these places are close by for you. However, there are probably some fun places to get out and walk around in your neck of the woods too. Check your local and regional city/chamber of commerce websites for budget activities. There might be some federal or state lands nearby that you could check out. One friend of ours decided to do several day trips during one week for their ‘summer vacation.’ This way they did not have to pay for any lodging. Their kids got to see some new museums, beaches and parks without the hassle of packing for a week-long vacation.
Travel Toys and Tips
We used to be able to pack up the car (including the dog and all her paraphanelia) and hit the road quite easily. Now, with The Boy, packing has taken on a new meaning. We really have to consider every nook and cranny in the car and pack like we’re solving a puzzle with all the gear needed to keep a pre-schooler happy on a trip. And you can forget about the dog. She got demoted to a dog-sitter during vacations soon after The Boy was born.
Before you start cramming everything into your car and lashing stuff to the roof, consider these tips.
1. Many hotels and resorts provide baby gear such as pack and plays and high chairs. Restaurants provide booster seats. Call your destination before packing to see what baby/kid gear might be offered.
2. If you are traveling to a major city, there are usually baby equipment rental possibilities. Baby’s Away and Babies Travel Lite are two such rental outlets.
3. If you are traveling to visit relatives, ask them if they have baby equipment already or if they know of friends/neighbors in their area that might be willing to lend to you.
4. Unless you have a 15 hour flight or a seriously long road trip, you really don’t need too much for actual travel time. Keep your kids entertained with games like I Spy or the Alphabet Game. Take along books on tape or cd for the car. If they are old enough, give them a specific ‘travel’ bag that they can fill will activities. Or, my favorite, plan your travel for during nap time and hope they sleep most of the time!
Happy Traveling.
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