Activities

Emoticons For Kids

by

OK, so you are in chat and you are really mad. But, the person you are chatting too thinks you are joking and in a great mood. How do you let people know the emotions behind the typed words? Well, that’s easy, use EMOTICONS. Emoticons are expressive faces you make with various keys on your keyboard.

 

Here is a list of the most commonly used emoticons in forums and chats. Now you can put some emotion into your words!

(::0>
Alien
[]:*
Hugs & Kisses
*<|:-)
Santa
8)
Frog
:-<
Walrus
:-9
Yum
{-)
Sleeping

>:)

Evil Smile

>:O

AngryShocked

: – *

So Sour

,:-

Pouting

(:V

Duck

101 Things To Do In The Summer

by

Summer is just around the corner and keeping the kids busy can be tough some times. Here are some suggestions to get your kids active and involved!

  1. Go to a Rodeo. The clowns at this show have a very important and dangerous job. They keep the riders safe from the Bulls!

  2. Learn how to tie various knots. The folks at WannaLearn have a great resource for Knot Tying.

  3. Go to the Zoo and observe the animals. What are they doing? Why are they doing it? Ask for a tour!

  4. Blowing bubbles is now an art form! Find out how to make the best bubble solution and blow the best bubbles at The Bubbleshere.

  5. Get mom, dad or the babysitter to help you make some tye-dyed shirts and blouses! Here are some tye-dying instructions.
  6. Make a fleet of paper airplanes! The folks at WannaLearn have instructions on how to build some great ones.

  7. *Sniff* *sniff* *sniff* What’s that smell. Oh no! It’s time to wash the dog again.

  8. If you belong to Girl Guides or Boy Scouts, it is that time of year when you will be going on a fun-filled camping trip! Don’t belong to the group? Ask mom or dad if you can join. It’s great fun for the whole family.

  9. Pack a picnic and go to the park or beach. Don’t forget the sun screen and bug spray!

  10. Grab a good book and head to the beach. Set up your towel or beach blanket, a beach umbrella and sunglasses. Make sure you have a drink nearby. You’re all set to enjoy your book.

  11. Kick off your shoes and walk barefoot in the sand and grass. After a warm rain it is great to jump in puddles barefoot too!

  12. Go swimming at the local pool. Take along a few friends.

  13. Start a rock collection. Keep your collection in boxes, bags, shelves in your bedroom or plastic containers.

  14. Build a bird feeder and hang it up outside where you can see it through a window.

  15. Collect seashells from the beach. You can make some cool crafts from shells.

  16. Make a beach in a jar!

  17. Have mom or dad take you to a local farm to pick berries. Bring a large pail, latex gloves, sun hat, sunglasses, a drink, wipes, sun screen and bug spray.

  18. If you see a local fruit and vegetable stand at the side of the road, stop and buy some produce.

  19. Take a stroll with an adult along the boardwalk. Take in all the sites and sounds around you.

  20. Feed the Ducks and Geese at the lake or local park. They love day old bread. Watch them swim around and play.

  21. Grab a cool refreshing drink and watch the people go by on your city’s main street.

  22. Bored at the beach? Try beach combing! Look for shells, smooth colorful rocks and small pieces of wood that wash up on the shore. Make a collage of your treasures.

  23. Go on a scavenger hunt with groups of friends! The Youth Online Club has a variety of hunts to choose from.

  24. Pack your camera and take pictures of all the interesting sights you see. Make a photo album.

  25. Swim at the beach. Pack beach balls, nets, whiffle balls and golf clubs, shovels, rakes and pails.

  26. Lay out and sunbathe. Make sure you wear a good waterproof sun screen that is applied a half hour before sunning yourself. Do not sunbath between 2:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon. The sun rays are at their strongest at this time.

  27. Take up golfing. The folks at GolfOnline has a great site on Golf for Kids.

  28. Go to your local marina and watch the boats coming in and leaving.

  29. Watch a sunrise or sunset.

  30. Pick some wildflowers and make a pretty arrangement for mom.

  31. See an Art Exhibit.

  32. Ask mom or dad to let you try windsurfing. It’s a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.

  33. Outdoor concerts are great in the summer. Take one in.

  34. Get mom or dad to build a bonfire at the campsite or beach.

  35. Cook on the campfire! Make sure mom and dad are there to help you out.

  36. Join a baseball or soccer team. Don’t want to play? Watch baseball on TV.

  37. Grab the binoculars and take up bird watching. Can you identify the various bird songs you hear?

  38. Grab dad, grandpa or your favorite uncle and go fishing. Check out these fishing tips for kids.

  39. Gaze up at the stars and learn the constellations. Check out these cool resources on Star Watching.

  40. Build a Sandcastle.

  41. Make a Kite and fly it at the beach or park.

  42. Try as many different flavours of ice cream as you can. Make your own Sundaes or Milkshakes.

  43. Walk your dog. Or, start a dog walking service and walk your neighbour dogs.

  44. Take a bike ride along the countryside.

  45. Try organic gardening.

  46. Get your parents to take you on a train ride. If you live in Sault Ste. Marie, the Agawa Canyon Tour Train is a fun ride every season!

  47. If your parents or friend have a boat, try water skiing this summer.Water ski Safety.

  48. Throw Frisbees at the park. Bring your dog and play Frisbee with him/her.

  49. Make a ritual of taking a half hour or hour long walk every night with your best pal.

  50. Instead of heating up the kitchen, barbecue outside (let mom or dad do this) or order in some pizza.

  51. Camp out in the backyard for the weekend. Have a camping party with kids from the neighborhood.

  52. Head out to your local Dairy Queen and have a special treat on a hot day.

  53. If your family is going out for supper, ask to be seated on the patio.

  54. Take up Rollerblading or Skateboarding. It’s great exercise and lots of fun.

  55. Instead of taking a bus everywhere, ride your bike. Make sure mom and dad know where you are going and what route you are going to take.

  56. Follow a Nature Trail or take a Nature Hike with a Ranger.

  57. Take Tennis lessons.

  58. Go horseback riding or take lessons.

  59. Get out of the heat and visit your local library.

  60. Avoid dehydration and drink plenty of Spring Water.

  61. Take up jogging with a pal.

  62. Dig for clams at the beach. Try some of these Clam Recipes.

  63. Play basketball with the neighborhood kids at the local playground or school ground.

  64. Plan a pool party with your friends at the local public pool. Have pizza and ice cream after swimming.

  65. Try a variety of Hamburger and Hot Dog Recipes!

  66. Create a mobile out of objects from nature that you have collected over the summer.

  67. Collect pennies in a penny jar that you have found on the ground during the summer.

  68. Make an erupting Volcano.

  69. Plan a slumber party and have fun with your friends.

  70. Clean up your room, garage, attic or cellar and have a garage sale! You can visit garage sales too.

  71. Volunteer at the local Humane Society to walk and groom the animals. Volunteer at the local soup kitchen or thrift shop.

  72. Instead of playing online or video games, pull out game boards or cards and play with friends and family. Take advantage of the good weather and play outside on a picnic table.

  73. Play with sidewalk chalk. Craw pictures or games. Leave messages for friends in their driveways or walkways.

  74. Get a bunch of friends together and clean up the park or roadway. You’ll need large garbage bags, sticks with pokers on the end and heavy gloves.

  75. Build an Ant Farm. These little creatures are truly fascinating.

  76. Take a tour of a working lighthouse.

  77. Take up painting. Paint a sea- or landscape.

  78. Sing songs around the campfire.

  79. Tell some cool and scary campfire stories! MAke sure you have a friend to hold onto.

  80. Listen to music outside while you wash the car, clean up the yard or hangout.

  81. Take the time to learn sign language. You never know when you will need it.

  82. Start a journal. You can have a real life journal or an online one.

  83. Get a group of friends together and write a play. Create a set and put on the play for friends and family.

  84. Create a scrapbook of funny cartoons. Cut them from the newspaper, magazines or make up your own!

  85. Redecorate your room. Ask mom and dad if you can rearrange it, change the paint color or paint your furniture.

  86. Make a miniature English Garden.

  87. Go to a coffee shop for Ice Tea and Donuts.

  88. Play hopscotch or skip with your friends.

  89. Paint your finger- and toe nails with bright colors. Add some sparkle polish.

  90. Go to the fairs and carnivals that come to town.

  91. Go to an aquarium and learn about ocean life. Or, start your own aquarium.

  92. Play outdoor games with your friends.

  93. This is a great time to play Hide-And-Seek.

  94. Build a tree house with dad. Customize it to make it all your yours. Be sure to paint it with outdoor paint so it will hold up to the elements.

  95. Learn some magic tricks! AllMagic.com is very cool magic site offers downloads and articles for learning card magic and illusions.

  96. Become a mad scientist and try some of these cool experiments. You can also try this site for some really super cool things to do! Fun Science Spells and Experiments.

  97. Take that snowball you saved in the freezer out and get your brother or sister! Make sure the ball has not turned into an ice ball instead of a snowball.

  98. Make an obstacle course in your backyard and challenge your friends. See who can complete it successfully in the shortest time.

  99. Play horseshoes!

  100. Do as much as you can outside and enjoy the beautiful weather while you can. You can cook and eat outside, run through sprinklers, take long walks, play sports, read a good book and lots more!

Making Friendship Journals

by

A friendship journal is one of the best gifts that a person can receive. They are special because they are hand made with lots of personal thoughts behind them. Friendship journals are a nice way to show your pen pal how special they are to you and how much their friendship means. These journals show your friends that you value their friendship and you know their likes, dislikes, hopes and dreams. These books make wonderful Christmas and birthday presents. Here are a few things to remember when creating a journal.

 

Talk About Your Culture

Most pen pals try to look for people from other countries and cultures to write too. When you are creating your friendship journal, make sure you talk about your own country and the traditions of your people. For example, if you are from the Czech Republic your friend will love to hear how every summer solstice there is a huge parade and celebration in the town of Cesky Krumlov that lasts for one week. Talk about why the tradition or celebration happens and what you like about it. Try to include a picture or two (postcards are good ideas) that shows something special about where you live.

 

Talk About Being A Friend

Discuss what being a good friend means to you. Tell your pen pal why they are a good friend. Perhaps you are someone who can write poetry. Create a poem that is about your friend and add it to the journal. If your friend did something special for you, or made you feel really good about yourself, tell them. Is there something you admire about your friend? Do they have a quality that attracts you to them? Let them know what is unique and special about themselves. Do you have a special memory to share with your friend? Create a ‘Friendship Village Tour’ in your journal where you take your friend for a walk through the village and stop at a few important shops along the way. Shops can include security, trust, love, honesty, respect, value, compassion and more.

 

Share Your Creative Side

First of all, pick out a journal that you can add lots of great things too. Scrapbooks are perfect for this. Don’t worry if you do not like the picture on the journal or scrapbook because you can cover that with plain paper and decorate it yourself. To start your journal off with something special, create a friendship page by using your name and your friends name and decorating it. You can always find some colorful stickers to decorate your pages with. If you do not want to use stickers, draw pictures and color them in with bright cheery colors. Write a story for your friend and include pictures to help tell the story. How about drawing a picture of your friend. Even if you do not know what they look like, it would be fun to imagine and to draw what you see in your head. Create a friendship card and paste it to one of the pages in the journal. Your can even design and decorate a special page with all your own pen pal information on it. This way your friend will always have a resource to turn to when creating things for you. Your pen pal friend will love turning the pages to see all the wonderful words of friendship and colorful designs.

 

The Sky Is Your Limit

There really is no limit to what you can put into a friendship journal. Add recipes, crafts ideas and instructions, drawings, special occasion cards, poetry, short stories, pictures from magazines, cartoons, stickers, bookmarks, address labels, pressed flowers, etc… Once your friendship journal is complete, simply package it up and send it off to your friend. I can assure you, they will be pleasantly surprised and very happy.

[elementor-template id="13988"]