A tradition in the making?

Somehow, Young Yeller (7 y/o) and I have started emailing back and forth. She's had her own email account for awhile. She and assorted grandparents keep in touch that way, I figure it helps with spelling/typing, etc., and she's signed up for some newsletters that we approve of. I always know what's coming into her inbox because our Google homepage is mostly always logged into her email, so I have a constant window of her most recent emails. The last few days, we've been emailing about she and her sisters (most notably The Meatloaf) and how I can help them to get along a bit better. Here is her latest pearl of wisdom:

yes little kids are tireing!!!!!!! believe ME i know ! its a zoo! dad said that! that's why i want to be a mom! it is fun! believe me it is really fun. and also believe me it is tireing . i know because you do . and i know every thing you know. just some math facts. and a little much .

There's so much just in these few sentences. First of all, tiring=fun, apparently. I also think that she 'knows everything' I do is hilarious. But, she admits, I do know my math facts a bit better than she does. Thanks goodness for that! It does make me feel good that she thinks being a mom is a fun job, and that living in a zoo is something she desires for herself (and yes, I admit it's a zoo around here).

I suppose this activity- communicating with your children via email- is really just for kids who are a bit older. But I really think there's a lot to be gained here. We're able to think about things, consider them before responding in a way that isn't really possible with three other little, needy kids breathing down our necks, and we're talking about important stuff. That might be good for later. Like when she's 13. Yikes.

Off To The Races!

I cheated a bit, here. Today's activity was totally impromptu and required absolutely no materials. I have another one, though, and I'll write about that one later. As I mentioned before, my goal is to PLAN an activity every day, so I guess this one doesn't really count.

Young Yeller likes to race. They all do, but YY really takes it to heart. She sees it as a chance to use her superior speed and agility (which really becomes obvious when most of the other participants are naked) to get one over on her competitors. I took part in this one, too. Then I was the official referee. One might say I was kicked out for cheating.

Racing:
You need an 'on your mark/get set/go' person. Then, of course, you need the racers. You also need an agreed upon course. Today's course was around the perimeter of our front yard, but it's fun to take it to a local playground, up the street to the corner and back, etc. Some types of races:
-running
-skipping
-jumping
-crawling
-toe-to-heel
-relay with a rock/toy/ball
-crab walking
-scooter/bike/etc. (this one's tough if you have little kids participating, though)

One of the wonderful things about this type of activity is that the littles can get involved. In our case, that 'little' was a naked Chunko Munko, who had just stripped her clothes off to play in the hose. They don't care much that they actually lose every race; it's the act of THE RACE that they love.

Hey, yous guys, Take it outside!

Activity #1.
Materials needed: paint, brushes or other, rocks, paper, etc.

Gather paint. I like tempera, comes in big bottles, fairly washable, weird schoolroom smell you remember from first grade. Craft paint (acrylic) is okay, too, but be forewarned that it probably won't come out of the clothes. (I personally have a tub of clothes labeled 'play clothes'. This is where the yuck-o clothes go- the ones with the holes, the paint, the ground-in blueberry juice.)

Paint brushes are good. Your little angel ripped all the bristles out? That's okay. Gather sponges cut into strips, q-tips, pencils, whatever could conceivably be used to apply paint. Take it all outside. Small plasticky melamine type plates that can be rinsed afterward and thrown in the dishwasher are great for mixing paint, too. And yes, they will love to mix the paint.

Let's be honest. We usually start out painting on paper. Or a wood frame from Michaels for Father's Day. But I also like to paint rocks (glue on googly eyes when they dry!), the sidewalk (add a bit of dishsoap for washability, and rinse with hose before it dries or your husband sees it), the lawn, the Little Tikes picnic table, you name it. We paint it. Our clothes. Our hair. Each other. And then we get to turn on the hose and wash it all down. A good 45 minutes or more of fun, with very little planning on your part. Congratulations, you are now the mom who organizes "The most funnest day I ever had!!!" (The Meatloaf).

Bonus activity: Sudsy Painty Water Table
Have a water/sand play table? Or a big tub/bucket/storage container? Fill it with water and a little squirt of dishsoap, make bubbles. Lots of them. Then dump all your painting supplies in there and let your littles (and bigs) swish them around. They're cleaning, and they don't even know it. And the water turns interesting colors.

Why? Why add another thing to my day? Why?

My goal is to come up with at least one planned multi-age activity each day. That is to say, we do many activities each day, but many of them are of the unplanned, don't throw that at your sister's head, wait! get down from there! Hold my hand! Wait for Mama! variety. By multi-age, I mean that all, or most, anyway (I'm not that nuts) of my kids can participate and enjoy this activity.

It's summer! That means Young Yeller is out of school, getting along with some of her sisters, and yes, yelling on a fairly regular basis. She likes to yell. She has perfected a growly, from-the-gut yell that is meant to intimidate and get her little sisters out of her room, pronto. Here's the other thing about YY: she gets bored. And when she gets bored, she causes trouble.

And really, my kids all love planned activities. Crafty things, sorting things, move around, music, goofy fish puppets on a stick; you name it. It's good for everyone. And it forces me to pry myself from the dishes and the laundry and the food prep for a few minutes and actually enjoy these little people my husband and I decided to bring into the world.

My goal: at least one planned, multi-age activity each day...short on prep time, long on enjoyment. And post about it. And take pictures. Pictures would be good.