Anything Can Happen: Old-Fashioned Silliness

Have some fun teaching your kids some of the old games that kids would play to pass the summer days. Think of your childhood games, or even your parents or grandparents. Try them with your kids.  Don't be afraid to look silly... that's half the fun.

Try hula hoops: I admit to remembering when they first came out 50 years ago.  They were only $1.98 and we spent hours and hours developing skills and tricks!





If you can't think of any or need something without shopping try these old favorites:

Tin Foil Ball and Cup:
Crumble tin foil into a ball and attach it to one end of a piece of string about 15-30 inches long. Tie the other end to the handle of a plastic mug. Holding the mug by the handle swing the cup so that the ball swings out of the mug into the air. Now try to catch the ball back in the mug. It is harder than it sounds!

Move a Penny with your Nose:
Lay flat on the floor on your back. Balance a penny on the tip of your nose.  Twitch your nose and move your lips but NOthing else. Don't wiggle you head or move your hands or feet or you body. No cheating.  Can you make the penny fall?




Air Football
A large dining room table is perfect for this game. You will need a ping pong ball. Divide the children into teams. Each team takes an end of the table. The ball is placed at the center of the table. Both teams blow the ball with all their might, trying to blow it off the table at the end of belonging to the opposing team. You can also try this with a balloon but a ping pong ball works best if you can.


Image credits:  dailyhistory.net, waggleroom.com, flickr.com, yorkblog.com, wired.com