Fun city activity - crayon rubbings!

My friend and fellow New Yorker J.J. likes to make crayon rubbings with his kids. It's fun, practically free, and the big city is loaded with stuff to rub (if you know what I mean). Here's an action shot of one of his little individuals grabbing an impression of a Central Park sewer grate. The finished product, suitably framed, is at top.  

J.J. says: Just buy a big roll of paper and the biggest crayons you can find and head out for the day. Bring a broom or large paint brush to sweep off your subject matter and be prepared to share – all kinds if people will stop and want to make a rubbing, too.

With the leftover paper J.J. & kids hang big sheets on the wall for rainy day murals.

I told J.J. my kids would draw all over the wall if I hung a piece of paper on it, and he said if you limit the media to crayons & washable markers, clean-up is minimal. 

I’m totally inspired – aren’t you?

How to get kids to play outside: Try a camera

study of 3rd Place, Brooklyn

If you want to get kids off the couch and into the Great Outdoors, try giving them a camera to play with. Kids love cameras! Buy a cheap one and don’t worry too much about the quality. For most kids, taking pictures is all about snapping the photos and not so much about how they look.

You might even suggest a photo essay. (And for extra credit, why not hold a contest and offer a prize?)

Cool fort! Building a hideout gets kids outdoors

Classic fort structure: Way too low for an adult to get into

A fort is a kids-only shelter – that’s what makes it fun. And the idea of building one will get your kids off the couch and into the great outdoors.

If it’s not too snowy, you can do it like this: 

1. Pick the perfect spot. 

Scout out an existing support that you can build your fort against. This might be a tree, a bush, a fence or a big rock. Or even the side of your house. 

2. Gather together your materials.

Grab up anything you can possibly build with, like sticks, branches, logs and old lumber - whatever you can find.

3. Build the fort, like this: 

• After you choose a good spot next to a supporting structure, clear out the floor space. You can lay a tarp on the ground if you want to, but either way clear the space of sticks, twigs, rocks and poky things.

• Make a frame using big pieces of wood by leaning and criss-crossing them against your supporting structure.

• Once you have the frame in place and the walls started, anything your kids can drag, lug or gather to weave into or lean on the frame will make the fort take shape and give it special character.

• Don't boss the kids around too much. Sure, I want a professional-looking fort as much as the next control freak, but if my 4 year old wants to spend the whole time decorating a log with pinecones, I let her.

Pinecone decor

• Make sure to plan in some windows and a door. 

• Make a roof out of branches.

• Hold a secret meeting. Elect officers.

4. In case of snow: 

Build a snow fort if the snow is sticky enough, by rolling giant balls of snow (à la snowman) until you achieve big blocks. Pile the blocks up into a circle or semi-circle and cover them with a tarp. 

Or just build a quick tent - run a rope between two trees and sling a tarp over it. Weigh down the edges of the tarp with rocks. Done, and kids love this - it's like magic how fast you can build this tent from scratch.

Bundle up and have a great time!