Active Kids Indoors - Cone Games

This week's "indoor" activity was moved outside due to a break in the rain. So, this is still possible to do indoors, but the fresh air was beckoning us to come outside!

Items Needed:

Cones (I found mine on Amazon)

Balls

Set Up:

Pay close attention to this part as set up is quite difficult... I'm kidding of course. Just put the cones out in a straight line spaced evenly apart.

Directions:

Have the kids weave in and out of the cones racing to see who can reach the other end first. If you have an older child, they can dribble the ball with their foot between the cones.

Notes:

When we first started, I tried to get the kids to kick the ball as they ran. I must have forgotten they are 2 and 4 because that was a complete flop! Jenna was able to run weaving between the cones, and eventually I encouraged Connor to follow her as she ran to help him figure it out.

After the kids grew tired of running through the cones, we took their balls and played "knock down the cones". They kicked and threw the balls until they knocked them all down. It's amazing how such simple games can provide so much fun for kids!

Overcoming Obstacles. The beginning of my homeschool blogging!

Jenna's First Day of School June 2013
(3 Years 4 Months Old)

 I have entertained the idea of blogging about our family's homeschool journey for quite some time. There have been a few reasons for why I've always decided against it though. 

1. Time: Blogging takes time. It takes effort, energy, and writing skills that I'm not quite sure I possess.

2. Interest: Let's be honest... Do people really want to come visit a blog where all I do is brag about how brilliant my kids are and all the wonderful things we're doing?

3. Avoiding Conflict: Our homeschool journey is unique because my daughter is MUCH younger than your average child in school (public, private, or homeschooled). 

So what should I do about it?

1. Time. I always feel like I don't have time to blog. But it really comes down to priorities. Right now the kids are both in nap time and I've decided instead of laying around watching my new favorite TV show (Gran Hotel - It's like a Spanish version of Downton Abbey with a few murders tossed in for good measure) I could use this time for something a bit more productive.

2. Interest. My blog is just starting and I think I might have one follower. Honestly, I'm not sure what I'm doing and I'm hoping I don't make any atrocious mistakes. I think writing in my blog is more for my own benefit of having a place to journal ideas than anything else though. I often worry about what people will think. The nice thing about the internet though? You don't have to read anything I write if you don't want to! It's totally a personal choice. So I guess that really isn't an issue either.

3. Avoiding conflict. I dread the day I first read a negative comment on my blog (although, since I only have one follower, it's probably not likely to happen!). I'll probably get my feelings hurt, get mad, then cry a little, then finish it off with a bowl of ice cream or bag of chocolate chips and get over it. That's just how it works! 


What really prompted me to find a solution to all of my excuses was realizing I am not the only one doing this. While there may not be many, I know there are other moms out there that are homeschooling their children at a young age. Sometimes I feel a bit alone in this journey, but I know I'm not the only one "breaking the rules" and schooling my kid early.

So I'm going to do this! I don't want this post to turn into a gigantic mess, so I'll hold back on my reasons for why we chose to start schooling at a young age for another post! My hope is that other moms who may need ideas or encouragement will be able to find my blog and it can provide that for them!

Active Kids Indoors

So first, I feel the need to announce to my non-existent followers of this blog that I'm back! It has been quite a long time since my last blog post... So long in fact, I have since had another baby. And he just turned two! What?!? I'm thinking blogging consistency may not be my thing. While I never plan on striking it big in the blogging community, I have decided it would still be fun to record fun random parts of my life with the hope of sharing helpful ideas along the way.

Here in the beautiful Pacific NW we tend to get just a little bit of rain. Fall has officially started, which means it will rain almost continually until next summer. In years past, it hasn't been too much of an issue. Jenna is very laid back and loves to do quiet indoor activities. With the addition of our now two year old BOY, I'm realizing they have a bit more energy to burn! So I'm on a quest to come up with ACTIVE games to do indoors this fall/winter and I will share them on my blog for any other mom's who need a hand.

Alligator Pond

Items Needed:

Dish towels

Balls

Basket for each child

Set Up:

Lay towels around the floor close enough that the kids can jump from one towel to the next. If playing on a hardwood floor you will probably want to substitute towels for something that won't slip. After laying out the towels, toss small balls all around the room. You could also use stuffed animals or whatever you have on hand.

Directions:

Give each child a basket (or bag) and tell them that they are at an alligator pond. The towels are logs they can jump on to stay safe from the alligators and they have to collect all of the turtle eggs (balls) to keep them safe. To encourage more energy getting used up, we would race to see who could collect the most eggs and count them at the end to find the winner.

Notes:

Connor was a bit young for this game. He LOVED jumping and running around, but didn't quite grasp the concept of collecting the balls while doing it. After a few times collecting eggs, the kids were quite happy to just jump around from towel to towel. We will definitely play this game again as it's quick to set up and we always have the supplies on hand. The biggest downside to the game was having to wash all the towels when we were done. But nobody wants stinky kid feet all over their dish towels!

Making a flying leap to safety!

I just had to throw this picture in because it cracks me up. He looks like he's walking down the runway or something!