Monday, June 10, 2013

USE YOUR IMAGINATION!

Driving School
Have a safety lesson about riding toys.  Draw parking spaces and road signs on the pavement with chalk and have the children practice riding their bikes and obeying the signs.  Make a driver’s license with the child’s photo, name, address, and personal attributes.
Cardboard Castle
An appliance box or other large box can be a "castle" to a child.  Cut out doors and a window with a utility knife.  (An adult will need to do this!)  Let the children decorate with paints, markers, or crayons.
*You can also make a car wash from an appliance box.   Open the box and place on its side so it looks like a tunnel.  Cut the bottom off of a large plastic garbage bag.  Cut up the seam on one side to open the bag.  Cut 2" strips up from the bottom of the bag stopping 3 inches from the top of the bag.  Tape the garbage bag to the top of the box to create the swishers, and then let the children ride their toys through the box.

Tent Architects
Provide children with old blankets, table clothes, sheets, or bedspreads and let them use their imaginations.
*Drape a blanket over a card table or picnic table for a simple tent for younger children.
*Pin one end of a blanket to the railing of a deck or porch.  Pull out the opposite end and secure at an angle with bricks or rocks.  This is a "cool" place for a game or nap from the summer sun.