Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Boredom Busters



I’m a firm believer in the fact that, no matter where you are, no matter how much money you’ve spent to be there, like say Disney World, for instance, kids are always going to complain about being bored. Always.  On a two thousand dollar, fun filled excursion to the mountains, when you ski, play in the snow, stay at a water park hotel, swim while it’s snowing outside (how cool is that, btw?), eat pancakes till you puke, ride a water thrill ride that flushed you down  the drain in the complete darkness, shop, enjoy the chocolate wonderfall at Golden Corral that you ALWAYS wanted to go to,  climb a rock wall, lay on a bed of nails, blow giant bubbles, watch your mom miserably fail at skiing so badly that she skis over some poor 5 year old (who she doesn’t even know), going between her legs like a cartoon, somehow, when your poor, old, exhausted parents who’ve just spent a bundle and their energy reserves for the next six months want to lay down for ten minutes and rest, you’re bored. With a capital B.  B-O-R-E-D. “There’s nothing to do. What can we do now? We’re so booooooored. Uuuunnnnhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Moooooommm. “ And so it begins. To combat this mind-numbing, terrible disease, I do a little proactive preparation. I make an “I’m bored List” of easy, fun things that the kids have forgotten that there is to do. Here’s my summer camping I’m Bored List…
Our favorite board/ card games
1.       Sorry, Sorry Card Revenge, & Sorry Sliders
2.       Chess & Checkers
3.       Uno & Uno flash
4.       Go fish
5.       Connect 4 & Connect 4 x 4
6.       Monopoly (We have a National Parks version we love)
7.       Twister Hoopla
8.       Scrabble
9.       Rumikub
10.   Pictureka & Pictureka Flipper
11.   Pigmania
12.   Yhatzee
13.   Battleship
14.   Bingo
15.   Perfection

Outside Activities
1.       Make crayon rubbings of trees, plants, etc.
2.       Balloon Volleyball (toss a balloon back and forth across a line drawn in the ground, trying not to let it hit the ground)
3.       Play I Spy
4.       Skip rocks
5.       Make a Nature Journal
6.       Throw the ball
7.       Race Cars/ hot wheels
8.       Fly kites
9.       Ride scooters
10.   Hopscotch
11.   Chalk Tic tac toe
12.   Chalk hangman
13.   Take pictures
14.   Scavenger hunt
15.   Pose for pictures
16.    Watch nature 

18.   Paint
19.   Pop Ball toss (it’s this thing the Easter Bunny brought with 2 cones and a ping pong ball that pops out and you try to catch it in your cone)
21.   Walk
22.   Ride Bikes
23.   Swim
24.   Snorkel
25.   Play war
26.   Build a city
27.   Super bouncy balls
28.   Chalk
29.   Bubbles
30.   Make Glow chalk
31.   Pick up trash

Inside/ Rainy Day Activities
1.       Sticker art
2.        Stamp art
3.       Draw
4.       Color
5.       Read
6.       Word Searches
7.       Playdough
8.       Make jewelry
9.       Make windchimes
10.   Play school
11.   Barbies
12.   Make posters encouraging people not to litter
13.   Watch movies
14.   Mosaic garden
15.   Pixos
16.   Bling rings
17.   Magic snow
18.   Floam
19.   Orbeez
20.   Friendship bracelets
21.   Magic loops (keychains)

Hilighted items are inexpensive little kits we’ve picked up here and there and store in the camper for boredom emergencies. 

Got any more ideas for banishing boredom? We'd love to hear them!

You may also like Fun Camping Activities and Frugal Family Fun

3 comments:

  1. Great ideas! We are heading out on our 3rd camping trip for the month so I need some fresh ideas. Here is a list of my favorite "Boredom Busters"

    http://content.elementoutfitters.com/110/keep-kids-happy-camping/

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  2. Glad you found some ideas you can use! Have fun, and let me know how they go. You've got some great stuff as well! Thanks!

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  3. This is a little more expensive off the get-go, but have your considered geo-caching? I think it would be a great way to do scavenger hunts in each location you go to.

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