It's Friday Fun Friend time!!!! Is it you????

 

 

Drum roll please.................

 

 

This week's Friday Fun Friend is Diane from Michigan. What she likes best about MAD is all the craft ideas. For fun she talks to her neighbor lady, ummm, I am her neighbor! LOL See I am entertaining in real life too!

The craft item she can't live without is paper and crayons. When asked if she had anything else to share she said:

 

I have no awesome children. LOL Actually I have 3 and one dog. I need to start doing some crafts with my kids though.

 

Congrats to Diane! I would say watch you mailbox, but I plan to just have the oldest Fun Tester do the delivery and save on shipping. :) To learn how to be considered for MADs Friday Fun Friend click here .

 

 



Fun with Fairies, a little childhood magic

A Fairy Hosue

Childhood should be a magical time of life. When imaginations blossom and anything is possible. So few kids today have that magic in their lives. Even my oldest is beginning to get jaded and ask question. So today I asked him if he thought fairies were real. I was answered with a simple but firm "NO." How sad is it that at just six, he didn't even think maybe.

 

Something had to be done and fast! If the possibility of fairy existence is in question, you know Santa is next! So I quickly grabbed a bag and we head out for a walk in our yard. I told him to put nature things in the bag like flowers and berries. He asked why, but I just told him to wait and see.

 

When we returned to the house I told him we were going to invite fairies to live at our house. We would make a nature potion, build a house and sprinkle the house with the potion and watch! So we made up our potion, collected items and built a house, made a big ceremony out of sprinkling it and he spent the rest of the day checking for fairies! This morning they did not exist, but tonight, maybe, just maybe, they might.......

"Fairy Potion"

What You’ll Need:

• Glass jar
• Water
• Food coloring
• Flower petals and other items from nature

Gather your items from nature to put in the fairy potion.  After you’ve gathered your nature items for your potion, you’ll then add water and food coloring to your jar. Next add the nature items to the jars. You could mix them up with a "magic stick," but my son being a boy decided to shake it up.


 "Fairy House"

 

For our house we gathered sticks and bark and used a tree's root area to build. Let your child do this on their own as there is no wrong or right way to build one. I did however tell my son, no glue or nails, that the fairies would notice and be on to us. After my son finished his house he covered it with grass to make it look even more natural.

 

You can also make a mythical creature playset with this idea and let your little one's imagination go wild.

 

 

Umi Off to School Coloring Pack

Fall is here and school is upon us. Parents cheer, children, well, let's just say they may not be as happy about it is we are! Build some back to school excitement with this coloring pack from Nick Jr.

Our Fun 50 States Giveaway

We at MAD love to travel (we don't get to do it much anymore) and visit all the wonderful and FUN states. I was shopping the other day and ran across this book, workbook, and flash cards. I grabbed them for my oldest son and then though, "hey I bet someone's child might like these too!" So I grab an extra of each to give away to one of you!

Simply us the the rafflecopter gadget below to enter. You can get extra entries for following our blog or sharing this giveaway with your friends! For extra entries you must complete the initial entry requirement of liking MAD on Facebook or the extra entries won’t qualify. And yes I do check.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on September 7, 2012 at 12:01 AM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winner will be announced here on MAD's blog AND on our Facebook page and will have three days to contact us at madfamilyfun@gmail.com or a new winner will be chosen in their place

And don't miss out on any fun in your state. Visit the FUN IN YOUR STATE section of our blog to find activities and festivals in your state.



And the flashcards are good for

learning the capitals.

The durable soft cover book
is full of wonderful facts.



The workbook has lots of activities to get a
child learning while having fun.








 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FREE admission to the past

I am sure only a very few of you are aware, I have a B.S. in History. I love sharing the past with other, especially children. There is nothing more amazing then when you see in a child's eye that spark when they make the connection with the past and realize how it impacts them.

If you live in Michigan or near by in a neighboring state and have no plans for Labor Day yet, I want to let you know about Target Day at Greenfield Village. If you have never heard of Greenfield Village it is a trip back in time. I have never been due to the prices, which on a normal day are $24 for adult and $17.50 for youth. We just don't have $65.50 to drop like that and I am sure most of you don't either.

I would like to thank one of our Fun Friends, Penny, for giving me the heads up on this great opportunity.

Monday, September 3, 2012 in Greenfield Village (Labor Day)

• Free Admission to Greenfield Village
• Hands-on and interactive programs
• Dramatic presentations
• Live musical performances

*** Just a reminder if you do plan on going, I have heard this place is large with lots of walking. The weather for Labor Day is looking iffy due to the hurricane down south bringing Michigan rain. This is a great opportunity but check the weather before you go.

Unplug and go outside

I am sure we all have heard that kids today spend way to much time plugged in and not enough time playing outside. I honestly hate our television. If I would let him (which I will not) my oldest would sit for ours watching mind numbing cartoons. But as I said, I don't let him. I make him go out and enjoy the day, hunt bugs, and dig in the dirt. And when he really doesn't want to, I set an example by going out with him, even if I have other things I need to do

If your child is like most, they just want to sit. So what can a parent do. Well I have one friend who literally send her kids out and then LOCKS the door so they have to stay outside. While it makes me laugh, I can't see doing that to my son. The last thing I need is the neighbors calling to tell me my sound is in the yard "watering" the tree.

I saw this image posted online, and for the life of me I can't remember where, but I clicked on it and read it. It had some very interesting information..... go on, click on it and read it..... I'll wait.....

I know, your sitting there going, yup, those darn children need to get outside, but how do I get them outside. I may not have the best answer to how to get your kids outside but I do have a fun one from the Children and Nature Initiative by Nation Environmental Education Foundation. Write them an Rx like a doctor would with these handy script forms.

 

 

Be creative with this...tell them they have to go find 5 ants and write what they were doing, spot three different species of birds and draw pictures of them, or collect 5 types of leaves and ID them. If you have a pool, tell them to do laps. Do they have a bike? Tell them to ride around the block so many times. You never know, they might just enjoy what you prescribed!

 

If you need a few more ideas, check out our post of outdoor activities for people who don't like camping.

 

 



So you don't like camping.....try these

So you are not a camping kind of person. Bugs bother you. You prefer a hotel. Guess what? In the words of Dr. Phil (who I don't really like but hey) It's not all about YOU. What about your children?

Children today sit in front of T.V.s and computers. We all know it is not healthy. When I was a child we went outside to play ALL day in the summer. Outside is a place children don't go anymore. Some times as parents we have to suck it up and do things we don't necessarily care for, like go outside, go camping, and look at bugs, so our children will start to do those things too.

Here are some simple ways to ease into the outdoors for you and your children. Try to push yourself AND your children past your comfort zone. You might just find out you do enjoy the outdoors more then you thought! And if you still don't like camping, it's okay! At least your child will have experienced life beyond the walls of your house. And who knows, you might spark a love of nature in them in the process.

Take a hike/walk. A nice walk can be a chance to connect with your child.

Throw rocks. In land or on water. It’s almost therapeutic.

Read books. But not necessarily on your couch. Pack a backpack full of books and find a nice natural area to hang out for awhile.

Play in a river. Kids love splash around and you might too.

Go for a picnic. Grab some food or pack a lunch and find a shady spot.

Ride bikes.

Spend time in the backyard just playing.

Take pictures. Take pictures of things you see and find, it will get your child really looking at nature.

Catch frogs. Or other other critters. I know I am pushing some of you bug haters on this one

Go on a expedition You can collect rock, flowers, leaves, sticks, etc.

So now that you have some simple ideas, get out there!