Heather in Neverland Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Someone here once mentioned they keep a jar full of things for kids to do when they say "I'm bored". We are not even a full week into summer break and the boys are already driving me BONKERS. The problem is we live in an apartment (as do most of the people on this island) so no backyard to kick them out into. And due to no sidewalks and crazy traffic there is no bike riding option either. We do have a pool. So being stuck inside most of the time is a problem. We do plan to walk and swim each day but other than that it is inside most of the day. So about that boredom jar...... HELP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Cooking class-have them come up with a menu to prepare Computer-have them learn how to use photo editing software or create a website. I had my kids create their own page on blogger.com and they were thrilled with it. Snap circuits-my kids can play with these for hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Jessiva has a "bored box" idea on her Trivium Academy blog--she doesn't blog anymore, but the blog is still up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 When my kids tll me they are bored I hand them a dust cloth. They can usually find something else to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Any other parents of similar age kids want to arrange to take turns having the older kids for the day and planning a small outing (ice cream, etc.) and maybe a game/craft/project? That way, for instance, you will always know that "Tuesday you go to Freddie's house. Friday Freddie will come here and we will do x y z." (and YOU know one day a week the boys will disappear for several hours - you just have to come up with something slightly out of the ordinary for YOUR turn having them all.) I think finding new recipes each week and teaching them cooking skills is GREAT! Also - they can create their own little newspapers with stories, comics, photos, etc. (and recipes). I remember using lots of cardboard tubes and making huge marble runs all over the living room! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 I've had a rule for a few summers now which works wonderfully. Any kid who says they are bored must clean the kid bathroom. This year we're adding a corollary----anyone bored can either clean the bathroom or "do" freerice.com to 500 grains :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 This is reason #1 why we school year round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 We school year-round so I don't have this issue as much, but my rule is this: If you complain to me that you're bored, I'll fix it by giving you something to do. The only "problem" is that the something to do is always cleaning. Cleaning baseboards, washing walls, wiping out shelves on the fridge, dusting, vacuuming, moping, washing windows, etc. "I'm booooorrrrreeed" is a pet peeve of mine so maybe I take it to the other extreme a bit, LOL! But one of my goals of parenting is to raise children who are capable of entertaining themselves. I see too many young people these days who seem lost if they are just left on their own without a Wii or TV and I don't want my kids to be dependent on extrinsic things for entertainment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Absolutely, scrubbing toilets helps.:) I find if my kids are bored, any suggestion I come up with is met with a negative response. How about some unit study type of things? Maybe set up some learning stations? La Paz home learning has some good ideas for this. http://lapazfarm.homeschooljournal.net/2008/11/11/a-few-more-ideas-to-spices-things-up/ Maybe have them start a small business? Pretend or not. They could make a business plan, cost it out, find investors (you, perhaps?) etc. It could be just to sell cookies or homemade book marks, but it could keep them busy for awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 I don't know why that link doesn't work, but just browse around her blog. Or search there for "learning stations" or "a few ideas to spice things up". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Create Your Ritual Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Have you ever checked out KAPLA blocks? A quick search online would help you find used blocks as well as several youtube videos showing all the towers and structures that have been built using them. I have found when we have to be indoors, items like these help, as there are sooooooo many ways to use them. I don't know if you allow them computer time, but integrating typing lessons during the summer might also be nice. http://www.typingadventure.com seems to be a fun one at my house. There are free trial versions online. A free tutorial is http://www.typingweb.com and I've seen my daughter grow by leaps and bounds using this tutorial in only one month. When all else fails, get huge gymnasium mats online and put up a climbing wall indoors! LOL... all kidding aside, we are seriously considering the latter in our downstairs basement area for those wintery or rainy days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted June 7, 2010 Author Share Posted June 7, 2010 Great suggestions ladies!!! THANKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougarmom4 Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 I think a Boredom Jar is a great idea. I think it's hard on kids not to have a routine and then suddenly have tons of time that they're not sure how to fill up with productive things! Mine just want to do electronics all day and that's what I'm trying hard to prevent! I found an idea online that looks fun, too--http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/2008/06/oh-what-do-you-do-in-summertime.html. (sorry that didn't come out in a link for some reason). My sister is doing something called an ABC list...she had her kids work together to come up with a fun thing to do for every letter of the alphabet (you could say free, at-home things or you could include five outings or whatever)--then each day they do one of them. Like for P it might be make homemade popsicles or O might be build an indoor obstacle course together. For my kids, it really helps to have a calendar scheduled out. Then they know what is coming and we seem to do much better! I've decided to have something fun to do everyday...not always elaborate or crazy, but me doing something fun with the kids every day for at least a little while. I'm kinda weird, so we named the days like this: Marvelous Make-It Monday....we make something together (arts & crafts, cooking, etc--today we are building with toothpicks & gumdrops) Terrific Traveling Tuesday....we go to a park, museum, library, bike ride Wacky Water Wednesday....we go swimming or play w/sprinklers Theater Thursday....we go to a dollar movie or watch it at home Fantastic Friend Friday....they can have friends over to play I also created a Bingo chart for each child--with fun and educational things for them to do (memorize a poem, build a fort in the backyard, ride their bike for 100 minutes, read a specific chapter book)--when they get Bingo they can choose a treat, when they get black-out we're going as a family to a nearby mini golf/laser tag place. When they say they are bored, I remind them to look at their Bingo card and see if they can check something off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialmama Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 I think a Boredom Jar is a great idea, too. There's not much that gets under my skin the way hearing "I'm boooored" does. I just can't stand it. Here's another option, to have your kids make one of these throughout the summer. You mail it away and get a beautiful keepsake: your child's work in a professional quality book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 I did a search for boredom jar and found a few lists. I think summer is for being really creative. Do you have parks? We eat outside as often as possible, because it's just not that nice here most of the year. How about some handiwork? Waldorf has some beautiful things to work on like geometry drawings, form drawing, knitting, watercolor paintings. Design and put on a play. Move the furniture around and make a tent. Live in it for a week. You could plan some kind of game marathon. You could do board games or video games. Set up a board in the living room with the names and work towards a winner. Make crafts for Christmas presents. Candlemaking, bean bags, scented pillows, finger knit a garland for decoration. Do you have a storage area? Put away all the kids toys, crafts, games. Give them each a small bin and tell them they can have what will fit in that bin. Let them go shopping once a week to drop off and pick up "new" toys. Bird watching (or bug watching). Nature Journaling. Get out your nature journals and go to the zoo or a nature area. Sit and draw together. Take a special snack they don't usually get. Make fruit kabobs. Let the kids pick and cut and skewer the fruit themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2008/06/works-for-me-th.html http://activities.preschoolrock.com/index.php/activities-2/indoor-fun-jar-activity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 We've been having fun doing letter of the week ideas. We're only on B, but our ideas for this week include: baking bread eating B words: broccoli, bread and butter, beans, bananas, bagels blowing bubbles going to the beach visiting the audubon center (birds) going for a bike ride looking for bugs visiting the butterfly garden reading bear stories going to a bakery We really have too many ideas for one week, but it is fun to come up with a bunch of ideas like this. For C we might: visit a castle eat corn, cookies, calzones cuddle on the couch D is for visiting the dinosaur park You get the idea. I realize we won't get through the whole alphabet if we do a letter a week (over the summer at least). We may double up on some weeks. I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 I think a Boredom Jar is a great idea. I think it's hard on kids not to have a routine and then suddenly have tons of time that they're not sure how to fill up with productive things! Mine just want to do electronics all day and that's what I'm trying hard to prevent! I found an idea online that looks fun, too--http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/2008/06/oh-what-do-you-do-in-summertime.html. (sorry that didn't come out in a link for some reason). My sister is doing something called an ABC list...she had her kids work together to come up with a fun thing to do for every letter of the alphabet (you could say free, at-home things or you could include five outings or whatever)--then each day they do one of them. Like for P it might be make homemade popsicles or O might be build an indoor obstacle course together. For my kids, it really helps to have a calendar scheduled out. Then they know what is coming and we seem to do much better! I've decided to have something fun to do everyday...not always elaborate or crazy, but me doing something fun with the kids every day for at least a little while. I'm kinda weird, so we named the days like this: Marvelous Make-It Monday....we make something together (arts & crafts, cooking, etc--today we are building with toothpicks & gumdrops) Terrific Traveling Tuesday....we go to a park, museum, library, bike ride Wacky Water Wednesday....we go swimming or play w/sprinklers Theater Thursday....we go to a dollar movie or watch it at home Fantastic Friend Friday....they can have friends over to play I also created a Bingo chart for each child--with fun and educational things for them to do (memorize a poem, build a fort in the backyard, ride their bike for 100 minutes, read a specific chapter book)--when they get Bingo they can choose a treat, when they get black-out we're going as a family to a nearby mini golf/laser tag place. When they say they are bored, I remind them to look at their Bingo card and see if they can check something off. I like your themes for each day. Fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susancollins Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 You could put slips of paper in the boredom jar with things they can do. Whatever they draw out of the jar they can then do. You could put ideas in the jar such as make a collage, paint a picture, read a book, draw a picture, play with modeling clay, put a puzzle together, write a short story, and so on. You could keep a plastic tote with items that go with the boredom jar so that have easy access to get whatever items that correlates with the activity they picked out of the jar. I have seen people label ziplock bags with different activities or have a shelf for the boredom jar and activities. I hope this helps and gives you a few ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 When my kids tll me they are bored I hand them a dust cloth. They can usually find something else to do. They usually don't complain after that. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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