Simple Fun

 I've found that with kids, simple is the best formula for fun. We don't spend much money on entertaining the grand children, we don't have much, yet the grand kids think the best place is without a doubt Ammaw's house, In case you are wondering, I'm Ammaw.

With summertime around the corner, I've stocked up on a few things to make sure the kids keep coming back for more, one of which is sidewalk chalk.  

A favorite activity being drawing self-portraits. The kids lay down on the cement and we draw an outline of their body. They then fill in the details as they like, their personality really shining through.  

The three year old's portrait this last time was most interesting. My husband could hardly believe his eyes, " Is that what I think that is?" Yup, our three year old has discovered that people grow hair in more places than on their heads. LOL Kids do the funniest things.

And the chalk won't be just for driveway art exhibits. Nope, I'm going to use it to help the kids remember their schooling. Let me just say for now it will involve squirt guns and chalk letters on the driveway.

Another great inexpensive toy being kites. I picked up two more  the other day for I can't remember how many we have tucked away in the closet. The problem being I can't remember how many the wind left intact the last time we flew them. Chicago may be known as The Windy City but that's because they haven't been to visit us  yet. Yes, the official records are clear on that point. 

But the fun doesn't stop there for hula hoops don't take up much room and they can be used to whirl around the waist or throw things. Our five year old grand daughter has really caught on to jump ropes and hula hoops. She'd jump rope all over our house if I'd let her and when she is a little older, I think I'll see if I can still remember how to do Double Dutch. You know when you have two people swinging in a arch two jump ropes at the same time and you have to jump one rope and then the other.

And what better simple fun than bubbles, especially since I've discovered bubble guns. With wands a whirling and guns a shooting, our backyard a couple Sundays ago was filled with floating circular rainbows. With only three dollars spent on one gun and five on the other, I'd hardly broke the bank and I'd say these cheap plastic guns will last a long time, especially since Kirk and I supervise their handling while holding the dish full of bubble solution. 

This has me thinking of The Fourth of July. Hmmm.....I think we'll have a scavenger hunt. We'll divide up into teams with a list of items they have to capture on digital cameras. The list might even be a bit creative with items on it like - take a picture of something older than dirt or take a picture of Mother Nature's enemy just to get the brain-ee-acks in the family a thinking and see what they come up with.  

Nope, fun doesn't have to be attached to dollar signs.