The BiG Story
# i
t
Up, Up And Away
Balloons are one of the best
toys in the world -- just be sure
to keep them far away from
smaller children. Here are some
fun ideas:
* On a tiny piece of paper,
write a secret message (some-
thing nice) and stuff it into a
balloon. Blow up and release.
--Eventually it will pop, or settle
to the ground, and the message
'will escape. Whoever finds it
• will have his.day brightened.
Place a tiny toy inside a bal-
'1oon, then fill with water (not
too full), tie shut and place in
freezer overnight. In the morn-
ing, when the water. is frozen,
remove. balloon' and let the chil
dren play with the ice ball in
the pool. You'll be turprised - at
how quickly the ice melts, so
make several. Let each child
keep one of the toys that
remains.
* Fill balloons with water, tie
shut, and affix with clothespin to
a laundry line. Give.each child
a pushpin and let her see if she
can pop a balloon without get-
ting covered with water.
* Use markers (permanent work
best, but be sure to watch those
little hands) on un-blown bal-
loons to create a family of pup-
pets, perfect for tiny fingers.
When the show is done, blow
up the balloons for some exotic,
and odd, faces.
* Fill balloons with water and
dump them in the pool. How
long can you bounce on them
before they break?
Free And Easy
Summer!
Ten fun, easy and almost no-cost-involved p
help you and your children enjoy summe
Elizabeth Applebaum AppleTree Editor
#1
Turn Your Back Yard Into A Waterpark
Search your basement, garage and kitchen for non-breakable containers.
Buckets, large bowls, pitchers, old shampoo bottles will all work. Next,
be on the lookout for such items as an old sheet, a garden hose, a toy
slide. Take everything in the back yard and start building. Here are some
ideas:
* Turn on the hose and hang it over a tree branch, running into a kiddie
pool, to create your own waterfall.
* Tie the old sheet between two strong posts for a cool hammock, or ask
your child to sit inside and pull him around the back yard for a fun ride,
or hang the sheet from a clothesline and paint it with watercolors (which
wash out — generally — but don't use an expensive sheet just in case).
3* Fill cups with water and stack until they fall down.
Make buckets into tiny oceans. (For a great realistic effect, add blue
food coloring. But note: this may stain hands and toys.) Create
whirlpools, and fill with tiny boats and creepy fake sea creatures.
.0 Have a wet shoot-out at the O-K Corral by squirting water
from some of those ubiquitous plastic bottles that once con-
tained Evian.
* Fill bowls to the brim with water and see who can
dance or hop or jump and spill the least while holding
his bowl.
I If you've got even a small patch of dirt, add lots of
water and make mud pies.
--
7/17
1998
72
e-o
Flower Power
Go on a nature walk and gather
unusual finds. Items should be small
and of as many various shapes as
possible. When you return home,
glue your treasures down on paper
plates and make faces. Some
I ideas:
Daisies make beautiful eyes
0 Abandoned birds' nests or dried
1 weeds create lovely hairstyles, the
envy or Jose Eber himself
.0 Old pistachio seeds or tiny white
stones make for fine teeth
0. Rose petals can be used for
I cheeks
#3
I If you're tired of seeing your chil-
i dren in front of the computer or the
television, try introducing them to
I favorite toys from the Victorian era.
I Among the most popular of these •
was a hoop and stick, which you
can make yourself with an old
broom handle and a hula hoop.
Boys loved marbles and toy sol-
Biers, girls had dolls, and one of
i
the most popular toys in every
home was called Noah's Ark,
which consisted of an ark and ani-
mal dolls. You can easily create
your own using a shoe box which
your child can paint, and plastic
animals, which cost little more than
a song (for an entire ark-full!) at dis-
I count stores. Or you could even do
something royal: Prince Albert of
England believed strongly in teach-
ing his children early on about the
importance of working hard, so his
little ones spent their summers hoe-
ing and digging in the garden. Of ;—'
course, Prince Albert had miniature
gardening tools made especially for
his children; you may want to go
the more convenient (not to mention
inexpensive) route and buy yours.