Keep Em Busy Activities — by Guest Mom Amy Stigler

As essential as planning the food is organizing a few activities to keep the kids engaged. Once again, we keep it pretty simple and try to involve our kids in the planning and preparations. In fact, it has become so routine, our oldest sets up 'activity stations' on any given weekend evening, regardless of whether guests are scheduled. A few insights:

Kid's-height table = Kid magnet.
I have found that by centrally locating a few small tables and covering them with 'curiosities' I ensure two things: the kids keep busy AND they congregate where we want them to. I strategically place a few engaging items on the tables — pipe cleaners, crayons, puzzles, etc. Inevitably its almost always the first place the kids explore when they arrive at our house. It also makes things a little easier for child that is shy or uncertain of who to interact with when they arrive. Before dinner we just clear the tables and use them for kid-height-dining. An affordable & easy- to-clean option is the IKEA Lack table. We have a few of them on hand and pull them out depending on the crowd.



Yin/Yang Activities.
Weather permitting, we always hope to be outside for some portion of the evening. In the winter, we may try to squeeze a pre-dinner sled in and our summer parties almost always end around the bonfire. Regardless of whether we are in or out, we always try to start with something something active and end with something quiet.

Favorite Active Activities.
-paper airplanes: launch and chase, launch & chase.
-bear hunt: into the 'woods' (or basement) .... sooo scary.
-dance party: great inside or out. remember the balloons. we also love "flashlight dancing" in the dark.
-obstacle course/relays/sack races: great energy expenders.
-'recess games': kickball, t-ball, four-square ... adults have a blast playing along!

Favorite Quiet Activities.
-coloring: we set out a few Ed Emberley books, crayons & a stack of paper and its magic.
-crafts: sculpting/collaging/anything semi-containable (no glitter & glue unless outside!)
-movies: we love anything by Miyazaki or we might Tivo 'Oswald' for the little ones
-story-time: librarian-style (up front, kids at feet) or mommy-style (in BIG bed, mash of kids)
-bonfire: after the initial s'mores & excitement, this is fall-asleep-mesmerizing (we even sometimes set up a tent for 'snoozers')



Interactive Desserts.
The meal may be the main course for the adults but for the kids its all about sweets. My kids anyway. When we entertain with kids we often indulge their sweet tooth just a little bit. Ok. Sometimes a lot. Our favorite trick is to make the dessert 'interactive' .... we figure that they are burning through some of the sugar-energy while they are creating. And I swear they eat less after they have 'played' with the goodies.

Our Favorites:
-Cupcake Bar: We pre-frost the cupcakes and let the kids decorate with colored sugars & little candies. Sunday bar works too (but we reserve this for summer).
-Cookie Sandwiches: We bake chocolate chip cookies and then put out 2 or 3 icecreams and let the kids make their own 'icecream sandwich.' To simplify, you could purchase Nabisco chocolate wafers. Roll sandwiches in sprinkles for added excitement.
-Marshmallow "Snow People": bamboo sticks (structure), marshmallows (body), a touch of frosting (glue), licorice (scarf) and some colorful candies (eyes, buttons, etc) make the cutest snow people! you can also make aliens or clowns .... just vary the candies.
-S'mores: the quintessential interactive dessert. Use chocolate graham crackers and white chocolate for a twist on tradition.

On that sweet note, its time to say "adieu.' I have really enjoyed posting this week ... its been such fun to share ..... and while I realize not all tips will be useful to all of you (ie. bonfires in the city???), I hope everyone gleaned some little tidbit of inspiration!