The Suitcase Game
Place in two suitcases or two large bags, gender-appropriate clothing: shirt or blouse, slacks or skirt, socks, shoes, hats, sweaters or jackets. This is a relay game. If your family or group isn't evenly divided by gender, you may need an extra set of clothing for one gender or the other in order to keep the game moving. Place the clothing on one end of the room and divide participants into two teams. Each player must race to the suitcase; don all the garments; run back to their team to model the outfit; return the clothing to the suitcase. (top)
I found this idea in a Taste of Home magazine. Slice the bottom two-thirds of a hotdog in half, then fourths, then eighths. Heat in water. The sliced portions will slightly curl and flay during cooking.
While hotdogs are cooking, color another pan of water with green food coloring and cook Ramen noodles. Drain; season and add butter.
Hold uncut portion of hotdogs in one hand and apply mustard faces with the other. Position squiddogs on a bed of noodle-seaweed and serve with vegetables and fruit.
At least one evening each week (every evening wouldn't hurt anyone), after the meal has begun, let each person in their turn name at least one thing for which they're thankful. The more often this exercise is performed, the more prompted everyone is to recognize their blessings.
OR
In the same way, ask each family member to bring to the table a Scripture verse or passage to share with the family. (top)
This is such a simple feat and brings interest to the breakfast table.
Make your pancake batter and heat the griddle or nonstick skillet. Use a spoon to dribble onto the pan eyes, a nose, and a mouth. (As you gain confidence, you'll begin adding eyebrows, mustaches, ears, etc.) Allow those facial elements to cook until you see the edges beginning to set, then pour batter over all. The mere fact that the facial features were cooking before the rest of the pancake will, of course, cause them to be darker and thus prominent. You can also add hair and ears after the main portion of the pancake has cooked enough to retain its shape. (Photos coming soon.) (top)
Use your regular Scrabble tiles, but omit the board. Place all tiles face down and each player draws 7. Someone says "go", and all players turn over their tiles and begin to make intersecting words with their own tiles. The first person to use all seven letters then says, "Pull!" Each player pulls one more tile and adds it to his or her word(s). Repeat this until all the letters have been used, and the first person to place their last tile shouts "finished". It's fun to view each player's words when the game ends. (top)
This is our rendition of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey". With a computer graphics program, place each family member's name on a 3"-5" heart; print; cut. Or cut hearts by hand and write names on them. Place a roll of tape on the back of each heart. Give each family member the heart with their own name on it and line them up about 5 feet from the birthday child. One-at-a-time, blindfold each relative (or friend); give the blindfolded person a twirl or two and send him or her toward the birthday kid to place their heart on the honoree.
Younger children are particularly fond of this game, but who wouldn't enjoy watching Dad and Mom crawl on "all fours" and bark.
Choose someone to be the first dog, and choose something to represent the dog's bone. The dog lies down on the floor with his back to everyone else, his bone behind him, and he "falls asleep". Someone sneaks up behind the dog and steals his bone while he's sleeping then scurries back to join the others, seated on the floor and facing the dog. The bone-snatcher hides the bone behind himself, then someone shouts, "Someone stole the dog's bone." This awakens the dog, who then scampers over to view the group, looking for the guilty party. When the dog decides who stole his bone, he barks at that person. If he's correct, that person becomes the dog; if not, the bone is returned to the dog, and the game begins again. If you encounter a poor little dog who hasn't such a keen sniffer, just choose another dog after a round or two. Beware: Swishing skirts and popping knees can be dead giveaways.
(top)
Add to your power outage supplies a box of toothpicks and a bag of miniature marshmallows. When the lights go out and the candles are lit, skewer the miniature marshmallows on the toothpicks and roast over the candle flames. Obviously, this activity isn't for young children, but they'll enjoy watching Mom or Dad do the roasting. (top)
Purchase several types, colors, and sizes of dried legumes and tiny pasta. Print on cardstock Thanksgiving line drawings from the web or a graphics program--one for each family member or participant. Cut orange, green, or tan tissue paper in random small sizes and shapes. Working in small sections, use a paintbrush to cover the cardstock with glue and attach the tissue paper pieces. Coat the top of the tissue with glue as well. When the entire piece is covered, allow to dry--it will dry quickly. Trim away tissue which extends beyond the edges of the cardstock. Your line drawing will show through the tissue.
Now glue the legumes or pasta of your choosing to the spaces in your drawing. This can best be explained and understood by showing examples. To see larger images of each of the "bean pictures" in the above photo, click here. (top)
