Entertain your kids at home with simple things you already have around the house. Draw pictures on grocery bags, make no-bake cookies or play old-fashioned games such as hopscotch and "I Spy." Read a story they've never heard and leave off the last word of every sentence to let them fill in the blanks. Ask the kids to write a simple movie script, then use your video camera to film your own blockbuster movie starring them.
Build a Fort
If your kids are very young, gather all your extra blankets and pillows and help them make a fort under your dining-room table. Drape the blankets on top of the table, then lower them until they just graze the floor. Hold them in place with strips of duct tape or hook-and-loop fastener. Save one blanket to spread on the floor inside the fort and add pillows, stuffed animals, favorite story books and a flashlight.
If your kids are older, make your fort outside. Hang the blankets over tree limbs or a clothes line, bring out the barbecue grill and roast hot dogs and marshmallows over the "camp fire." Tell a few ghost stories or ask the kids to make up stories about each other.
Experiment
Conduct simple science experiments such as the Taste Test. Blindfold the kids and give them small amounts of foods using spoons, droppers and straws. The Kids Science Experiments website suggests using a variety of textures and flavors such as sugar cubes, fruit slices, chocolate milk and vinegar. Have the kids taste the foods with and without holding their noses and ask them if they noticed a difference. Place foods on different areas of their tongues and ask them if they could detect the same qualities in every area.
You can also use your refrigerator magnets to explore the magnetic force. Have the kids hold two magnets together, attach metal and non-metal objects to the magnets and magnetize needles by rubbing them with a magnet.
Scavenger Hunt
Gather 10 to 12 objects and hide them in your house or yard. Make a note of the hiding places in case something isn't found. Write a list of clues for the kids to solve as they look for the hidden items. For example, hide a sock under a sofa cushion and give a clue such as, "You may be sitting on a cover for your foot." Make it non-competitive by hiding multiples of each item so that every child finds one, or make it a contest by hiding just one of each item and awarding a prize to the child who finds the most objects.
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