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Scavenger Hunt Fun - 5 Tips To Get You Started
Snow and No Sled?  No Problem!
Halloween Guess It Game



Scavenger Hunt Fun - 5 Tips To Get You Started

 By Vicki Vasto

Planning a scavenger hunt can be overwhelming.  How will the teams be divided?  Where will it take place?  What will the teams do?  How much time to you want to take for planning the scavenger hunt?  Here are some fundamentals to help get you started. Continue reading article


Tips for Preparing Your Family to
Play Outside in the Snow

Preparation is the key to playing outside in the snow. If you are prepared, your family can have a great time playing even in the winter weather. If you're not prepared, snow play can be a miserable experience for everyone. Try using these tips and enjoy your time outside longer!

You don’t need snow suits or snow boots to have fun in the snow (although boots are nice if the snow is deep). For the most comfortable experience outside in the snow, layer clothes. Wear sweats or long underwear under jeans (or wear two pairs of jeans). A turtleneck or t-shirt under a sweater with a coat on top will keep everyone warm even if they crash their sleds in the snow. Put double socks on everyone and double mittens and gloves if needed.

Kids having a great time playing in the snow!

Keep everyone’s feet dry. Put plastic bags over socks. Use a rubber band to hold them up or tie the handles of the bags around their legs. Then put their shoes on. Pull their pants down over the tops of the plastic bags. This keeps everyone’s feet dry. Wet feet will cause everyone to feel colder, but keeping their feet dry will enable them to stay out and have fun longer.

For children, purchase many pairs of identical gloves. Santa brought our three kids ten pairs of black gloves. That way, when one pair gets wet we can just trade it for a dry one. Each kid can soak two or three pairs of gloves in one day’s sledding. By the way, Santa only paid $5 for all them on sale after Thanksgiving.

When you don’t have hat, wrap a scarf over your head to cover your ears.

Quick Hand Warmers - Microwave potatoes for 5-10 minutes until very hot. After you remove from the microwave, wrap in foil, then wrap in a towel and put inside a cooler. When you need to thaw your hands, pull one out and wrap your hands around it for a quick warm up. When you’re done, dinner is ready. – Just add sour cream and butter ;-)

Make hot cocoa and some cookies as a snack to warm everyone up. Warming them up on the inside allows them to stay outside longer.
Once everyone is back inside, put wet mittens and shoes over heating vents or near a fireplace or wood stove to dry.

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Snow and No Sled?  No Problem!
Having a great time sledding!

We went sledding this weekend and dad and the kids really had a great time! We used some sleds that we bought last year, but there was a time in the past when the snow caught us off guard and we didn't have anything to use as a sled.

Here are some ideas for alternatives to sleds that we have used or have seen used in case you find yourself caught without one. Some of them work better when the slopes have a smoother, slightly icy surface.

  • Baby pool - We actually saw a family using an old baby pool. The one they were using would not slide well since the snow was soft, but they turned it inside out (turning the smooth side out) and it worked great. Their entire family went down together in it and they had great fun. (Of course, if you have to turn it inside out, it probably won't hold water anymore so make sure it's a worn out baby pool!
  • Lids to large plastic storage containers
  • Laundry basket (BJ's favorite for a couple of years!)
  • Vinyl outdoor cushions - We saw some people using them. They worked well and the foam inside made the bumps a little less severe for the kids.
  • Cardboard - larger pieces work best. If the snow is soft, bend the front up a little so it doesn't get stuck.
  • An old tarp - These work best with smooth, almost icy surfaces. They will get bogged down in soft snow and will shred quickly if the ice has become sharp edged.
  • An old winter coat with plastic coating (I wouldn't do this with your best coat!) - My husband said that he and his friends (when they were kids ;-) occasionally slid down on old coats with the shiny, water resistant coating.
  • Smooth hubcaps - (Don't try it with wire wheels! ;-)
  • Innertubes - Inflated innertubes work great for sledding! If you have an old innertube that has been punctured, you can cut it open and let the kids sit inside it. Even without air, the rubber still slides well.
  • Office chair mat (without the pokey things) - Some mats for office chairs are smooth on one side and don't have the gripping spikes on the back. If you have one laying around, they make great sleds in a pinch.


Halloween Guess It Game

In this game, you challenge the participants to reach into mystery boxes filled with creepy things and try to guess what each item is. The person with the most correct answers wins the game. An example is if you want them to guess "grapes", you might try to confuse them by saying, "I think it’s eyeballs..."

Cut a hole in the top of a shoe box or laundry box for each item to be used. Cover the box with black spray paint. Decorate each box with pumpkins or spiders for a more festive flavor. Place the following items inside, one per box. Be sure to place enough of each item so the guests can adequately "feel" the guts.

  • Eyeballs - grapes or peeled cherry tomatoes
  • Intestines - Cooked Spaghetti
  • Skin - oil a piece of plastic bag
  • Brains - scrambled eggs
  • Hair - an old clown wig
  • Bones - thoroughly washed chicken bones placed in some sand
  • Vomit - chunky salsa
  • Fingers - hot dogs cut into finger sized pieces
  • Teeth - corn nuts, pine nuts or popcorn