Your kids have been home for only a week, but they’re already bored, have eaten everything in the pantry, and are driving you crazy. You don’t want to get them glued to their tablets or screens all summer, but you don’t know what to do! We’ve got you covered! Here are just a few fun ideas using materials that you probably already have on hand that will keep their brains and imaginations active without a screen while secretly studying Science principles! After a little research either in the library or online, have some family fun that everyone can enjoy.
1 – Build and Destroy! Who doesn’t love building a tall stack of LEGO or blocks and then knocking it all down again? Use JENGA blocks, playing cards, or even folded index cards to build a tall tower or other structures. Then make a catapult out of binder clips, spoons, or even just a rubber band and shoot pom poms or crumpled paper balls (or other indoor friendly objects) at the tower and knock it all down! Want to get really creative? Make your own Angry Birds set up or make castles with paper cups and challenge a partner to a battle.
2. Rube Goldberg Machines A classic since the cartoons were published in the early 1900s. Rube Goldberg’s cartoons showed extraordinarily complicated processes to achieve a very simple end result. These machines became so popular that there is an annual contest for student groups. This year’s official contest task is to open a box.
Use household items to make a similar machine or even just a complicated marble run. Need some inspiration? Take a look at Joseph’s Machines or the OK GO video for “This Too Shall Pass.”
3. Go Flying Doesn’t everyone wish that they could fly? Well, maybe we can’t fly without a plane just yet, but you can design fantastic paper airplanes. Check out a book of designs from your library, then test and tweak designs for the fastest and farthest flights. Do you prefer parachutes? Design a parachute using a plastic grocery bag as your fabric. Think outside the bag! A parachute can be in the shape of an X, a triangle, or a rectangle. It doesn’t have to be circular! Attach them to a doll, action figure, or even an empty plastic drink bottle. Drop from a safe place and measure how long it takes before hitting the ground. Can you make it drop even more slowly?
4. Shrinky Dinks A favorite from the 70s and 80s, they’ve never really gone away. You can buy a kit, buy ready to use sheets, or simply use the plastic from a clear plastic take away container. It needs to be plastic #6. Use permanent markers to trace or draw your design onto the plastic. Trim it to your desired shape. Then place onto parchment paper and heat it in a toaster oven or regular oven at 325 ℉ for only 1-2 minutes. The plastic will curl up before it flattens back out. Remember it will be hot when you first take it out. Once it’s cooled down, you can coat it with some clear nail polish to protect the drawings. Make jewelry, key chain charms, ornaments, or even little characters.
5. Visit a museum! We have one we’d like to suggest. 😀 Museums are a wonderful way to explore ideas and objects that you wouldn’t normally get to see. Learn things about new places and time periods. There’s a museum on almost every topic. Computers, House Cats, Puppets, Science – you name it! Bonus for summer fun – they’re air conditioned!
6. Flip Books Animation at its most accessible. Use a stack of index cards. You can cut them in half or use them full sized. Decide on a basic storyline. Eg. A ball or dot rolls in, bounces, and rolls out. On each card make a slight change to the drawing to show the motion of your object or character. Flip through the cards to check your home made movie every so often. A large distance between drawings will make it look like your object is moving fast. Small changes will show a slower motion. You can make stop motion animations with an app like Aardman Animator – great for beginners – but that uses a screen…
7. Couch Fort This was always one of my favorite activities as a kid. Use your couch cushions, chairs, and other furniture with permission. Drape sheets or blankets over them to make a fancy tent or fort. Grab a flashlight or some battery powered string lights for soft illumination. Now you’ve got your own private space. Bring in a reading light or head lamp and you’ve got the perfect place to curl up with a good book!
8. Backyard Science Get outside! Make observations! Enjoy nature! Check out a local river, lake, or forest trail. Bring a pocket microscope and look at leaves, dirt, or even just your own hand. Make a homemade weather station and record daily weather observations. Get out of town (or just the light pollution) and look at the stars. Can you find well known constellations? Are they in the same place each night? What about the Moon? Does it look the same every night?
9. Shadow Puppets Grab a flashlight and find a blank wall. Make shapes with your hands to create images with their shadows. Want to be very creative? Create puppets on dowels using paper, file folders, cardboard, tissue paper, or clean plastic containers. Use brads to make movable arms and legs. Create a shadow puppet play by creating a story for your new characters.
Most importantly – be safe and have fun!
