Growing up, I LOVED eating ice cream. Especially in the summer. I remember as a child, my mother would make us these 4th of July popsicle sticks. She made them only for the 4th of July, however. If you’ve got some time, try to make some for your 4th of July BBQ. It’s also a great way to spend time with your kids. They are so easy enough for your kids to make them.

What you need:

Red, White, and Blue Juices (Cranberry, Coconut, and Blue Kool Aid will work)
Small sized paper cups (3 oz cups will do)
Popsicle sticks
Baking Sheet

What to do:

Line up the cups on a baking sheet.
Pour about 2 tablespoons of cranberry juice into each cup.
Freeze for approximately 2 hours.

Remove from freezer and stick the popsicle sticks in the center of each cup.
Add another 2 tablespoons of coconut juice into each cup.
Freeze for approximately 2 hours.

Remove from freezer.
Add another 2 tablespoons of the blue Kool Aid into each cup.
Freeze until hard.
Once hard, peel off the paper cups and serve.

Enjoy!

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Like anything else, teaching your children to be “green” starts at an early age. What better way to teach them than to integrate it into their daily routine?

This “game” can be played in a group setting such as a classroom or with just your child alone. Before starting the “game” however, you should make sure you child has on a pair of rubber gloves.

Make sure the trash can you use is from an office or somewhere “cleaner”. You don’t want to use the kitchen trash can as it will most likely contain scraps from last night’s dinner and would not be too sanitary.

How to play:

1. At the end of the first day, have your child put on the rubber gloves and pull out 3 different things from the trash. Have your child write down on a sheet of paper 3 different items that they pulled out.
2. Do this for 7 days (one week).
3. At the end of the 7th day, review the list and have him decide which item(s) is the most tossed item.
4. Have him come up with ideas on how you as a family (or classroom) can reduce the amount trash being tossed into that trash can.

The purpose of this game to help eliminate waste. If you see a lot of soda cans or plastic bottles, for example, it would be a great opportunity to teach them about recycling.

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Those small baby food jars keep piling up, don’t they? I bet you don’t want to toss them in the trash because they are too darn cute to throw away. And you probably don’t want to recycle them either because you think you’ll have use for them someday, somehow. Many people don’t think about it, but those little glass jars are great when it comes to organizing your home. Also, it’s great for arts and crafts. Here are just a few ideas.

1. Store loose herbs and spices.
2. If you’re a tea drinker, you can use them to store loose tea leaves. It will stay fresh when you screw on the lids tightly.
3. If you’re a crafter, you can organize your buttons, pins, beads, or other small crafty items.
4. Your husband can use them to organize nails, screws, nuts and bolts in his work area.
5. They’re great for storing salad dressing when you want to bring a homemade salad to work and need to separate the dressing from the salad. On the same token, they are great to store flax seeds or granola when you want to add them to your yogurt.
6. You can make mini snowglobes as a giveaway. Add water to the jars - you can tint them different colors with a dab or food coloring if you want. Add some glitter or confetti to the water. Hot glue some figurines or other small objects to the lid. Let dry. Hot glue the lid to the jar. Shake the jar to make sure no water is dripping. If it leaks, re-glue the lid so that water will no longer drip. You can decorate the lids by painting them and adding a ribbon.

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This is a great game. As a fifth grader, it really makes you think - makes you use a little bit of logic. I remember playing it in the fifth grade. Our teacher would give the winner a small bag of candy to take home.

Of course this game can be played by younger children, but because it involves some logic skills, it might be better for older kids.

Number of players required:
One person to be a “deer” or any animal you want. You also need a group of people to be the “hunters.” The more hunters, the merrier. My fifth grade class had 25 students or so.

Object of game:
For the group to correctly guess the three numbers in the right order (or to get three Bulls Eye).

Supplies needed:
Paper, pencil, and a large blackboard and chalk or large whiteboard and dry erase marker.

Rules of Game:
The “deer” picks three numbers ranging from 0 - 9 and write it down on a sheet of paper. Do not let any of the “hunters” see it. This is only in case the hunters requests to see the paper after the game is over to verify the winner. Or in case the deer forgets which numbers he chose.

The first hunter picks three numbers. If one of the numbers picked by the hunter is in the same place as one of the numbers picked by the deer, then there is one Bulls Eye. If the hunter picks a number that is picked by the deer but is in a different order, then there is one Hit. If none of the numbers is picked by the deer, then there is a Miss.

If the first number is a B (Bulls Eye), he does not have to tell the hunters that the first number is a Bulls Eye. He just has to tell them that there is a Bulls Eye. It is the hunter’s job to figure out which number is the Bulls Eye (or which number is the same number in the same location).

Unless the first hunter picks three Bulls Eyes, then the next hunter gets to pick the next three numbers. The game continues until there are three Bulls Eyes. The person who guesses three Bulls Eyes wins the game.

Example:

Deer picks 345 and writes that number down on a sheet of paper and puts it in his pocket.

Hunter #1 picks: 123

Deer writes on the blackboard: HMM (for Hit, Miss, Miss). In this case, the 3 is correct but is in the wrong location. Therefore, it’s a Hit. Notice that the Deer does NOT have to write MMH. This will be too obvious. It is the hunter’s job to figure out which number is a Hit.

Hunter #2 picks: 198

Deer writes on blackboard: MMM. This should also tell the hunters to eliminate 1 as the correct number and that either 2 or 3 is the Hit number (from Hunter #1 above).

Hunter #3 picks: 430

Deer writes on blackboard: HMH. (Remember, the Deer can write the H, M, or B in any order).

Hunter #4 picks: 463

Deer writes on blackboard: MBH. At this point, the hunters should be able to deduce that 3 and 4 are the correct number and one of then is in the correct location.

Hunter #5 picks: 347

Deer writers: BMB

Hunter #6 picks: 345

Deer writes: BBB

The bag of candy goes to Hunter #6!

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See how long it takes your child to find all the words in this fun St. Patrick’s Day word search.

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If you are in Southern CA, and love the environment, you may be interested in a tree planting event. It’s a great opportunity for your kids to pick up some leadership skills as well as learn about the environment. They will also learn that their “little” effort makes a difference in promoting a healthy world.

Event details:

What: Tree Musketeers will be planting 120 trees along Imperial Hwy, near LAX.

When: March 8, 2008

Time: 9 am - noon

Why: To beautify, to “greenify”, and to create a noise barrier along Imperial Hwy

Contact: info@treemusketeers.org

136 Main St. Ste A, El Segundo, CA 90245

Tel: 310-322-0263

Youth Hotline: 800- 473-0263

For more details regarding this event, see the attached flyer: 120-trees.pdf

For more information regarding the Tree Musketeers, visit their website here: Tree Musketeers

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This isn’t so much for kids, but if moms/girlfriends want to get together, HGTV is looking for volunteer audience members for a new show! I believe it’s called Design Club with Matt & Shari, and they’re filming almost everyday in February. There are 2 shifts per day with 2 show tapings per shift. The first shift is 8:30am-12:30pm and the second is 1:30pm-5:30pm.

The organizers say the biggest need is during the 1st week (which is now), from Feb 6-9 and 11-12. Following tapings are from Feb 19-23 and Feb 25-28. Note that there is a dress code since audience members may appear on TV.

Email feelgoodnights@gmail.com or danaryan18@gmail.com to RSVP!

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One of my favorite weekend activities as a kid, and even now, is attending festivals. Some are based on food, like strawberries or garlic, while others are based on culture, like Chinese or Japanese. When else can you take advantage of a day that celebrates chili and people’s love of chili?! It’s also a great opportunity to expose your kids to a variety of activities, shows, and people.

Check out my new Local Events page for a list of festivals and events in Southern California: http://gagazine.com/test/local-events/. If you can’t get to these events, use your favorite search engine to find similar festivals near you!

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I don’t have kids yet, but I’m a kid at heart. Recently, a friend had a birthday party at Color Me Mine. Where has this place been all my life?! You choose an unpainted pottery piece (i.e. plate, bowl, mug, dog, penguin, etc.), paint it however you want with provided paint, leave it there for firing in their kiln, and pick up your masterpiece a few days later!

There’s a small fee to use the studio and the cost of your pottery depends on the piece that you choose, but most locations designate certain days/times as 50% off fees or fee free.

Touted as a fun rainy-day activity for kids, I don’t need to wait for stormy weather to go to Color Me Mine for hours of entertainment.

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