Design Crafters

More on what to do with the kids during Christmas break…

Many kids these days don’t get enough sunlight and exercise. They tend to spend too much “screen” time being inactive. Science is actually showing us that sunlight and exercise are two vital components for happy healthy kids. So   assuming the weather is decent and the kids are dressed appropriately, send the munchkins outside to burn off their energy and get the sunshine they need for strong bones. I’ve found with my son, the more he’s inside cooped up, the more he drives me crazy. Perhaps yours are the same. If there’s snow, they can build snowmen, snow forts, go sledding, etc. If you’re real lucky, you live in a place where it’s cold enough to have a skating rink in your own backyard. For the snow free states, there’s always rollerblading, the park and all those other warm weather activities.

The other day I mentioned that depending on the activity, you may have to take a time out for a short period of time to get the kids underway. If playing it right, you can find a way to make an outing an extended interest for the kids.  For example, if you take them to the planetarium, that will peak their interest in that subject. If your budget allows, buy something with that subject in mind that will keep them entertained for a while. There are even wonderful websites with all kinds of free downloadable activities that the kids can do. www.NASA.gov is a great resource for that. So it will require some planning ahead and a little time out for you, but then you’ve set the stage for some “kid occupied time”.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for joining us in our photo Christmas cards blog.

Another unique idea I ran across for photo Christmas cards, was “Christmas in the Stars”. Not Christmas with the Stars (as in famous Hollywood stars), but actually in outer space. 

Last year I saw some photo Christmas Cards where the family had dressed up in real looking space suits and appeared to be on a planet in outer space. If I didn’t know any better I’d say it was real. I don’t know where they were, but after some research I found that many planetariums have very realistic looking scenes that if you took a picture of, you’d think you were really in space or on the surface of another planet. Some planetariums also have the space suits you can dress up in.

I also heard of another family whose photo Christmas cards were of them floating around in what appeared to be a shuttle just like real astronauts. Apparently there are some places that have very realistic anti-gravity shuttle simulators that that allow people to go inside and experience what it’s like to be in space. 

I’m certainly inspired to check out my local planetarium to see what they offer and see what kind of creative ideas I can come up with. 

Have a great day. Join us tomorrow for some more ideas.