To get started on planning your game of charades, you will need some rules, a few simple items, and charade word ideas for Halloween.

There are charade words ranging from exciting to spooky, perfect for your kid or adult Halloween parties.

Items You Need to Play Halloween Charades

• Bowl for charade word ideas
• Paper
• Pencil
• Timer
• Players

Halloween Charades – How to Play

To start out your game of Halloween charades, you will need to focus on a few simple rules. First, the youngest person goes first. This person will then choose a topic from the bowl of Halloween charade words. Once a topic has been chosen, the person must act out the topic without speaking. The remaining players must then attempt to guess what it is that is being acted out. The first person to guess correctly before the timer goes off gets to choose and act out a topic next. The game can go on for as long as you prefer or until there are no words left in the bowl.

>>Print out game cards<<

Halloween Charades for Kids

• Pumpkin
• Candy
• Jack-o-lantern
• Brains
• Halloween
• Costume
• Carving Pumpkins
• Scarecrow
• Devil
• Witch
• Broomstick
• Bats
• Werewolf
• Monster
• Candy Apple
• Haunted House
• Spider
• Dragon
• Alien
• Vampire
• Ghost
• Goblin
• Spooky
• Skeleton
• Blood
• Graveyard
• Mummy
• Trick or Treat
• Black Cat
• Zombie
• Cauldron
• Frankenstein
• Fangs
• The Headless Horseman
• Cobwebs
• Haunted
• Mask
• Candy Corn
• Chocolate
• Dark
• Magic
• Evil
• Treats
• Ghoul
• Scary
• Psycho
• Night of the Living Dead
• Spiderwebs
• Dungeon
• Screams
• Goosebumps
• Boo
• Creepy
• Decorations
• Clouds
• Killer
• Horror
• Castle
• Hocus Pocus
• Dolls
• Clowns
• Dracula
• Spirits
• Psychic
• Phantom
• Make up

Halloween is an exciting time of year and playing a game of Halloween charades can make it even better. Just make sure to gather all the materials you need and get some awesome charade word ideas for Halloween. In no time, your family and friends will be enjoying the best game of Halloween charades, ever. Boo!

SEE OUR CHARADE PRINTABLES COLLECTION:

• Everyday Charades
• Thanksgiving Charades
• Christmas Charades
• New Year’s Eve Charades
• … and Restaurant Games, too!

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I sometimes clean with a garbage bag. I carry it around from room to room, emptying drawers, cupboards and shelves. Freeing up a space where before was just clutter. Emptying the house of the old and beginning the day anew.

But not everything is thrown out. There are some things, which although sit empty and used, are kept aside for later – to be created with and given a new beginning.

Egg cartons are one of these special items. Their sturdy shape makes them perfect for simple construction projects. So today, we decided to give several egg cartons a new beginning by making them into a colourful toy train.

 How to make an egg carton train

You need:

• 3 large egg cartons
• 1 long cardboard roll
• 1 plastic straw
• 1 small paper plate
• 1 bottle cap (to fit the end of the paper roll)
• scissors, craft glue, sticky tape and a stapler
• red, black and white paint (optional)

You do:

1. Cut half the egg cups from one of the egg cartons and sit upside down (so that the remaining egg cups face upwards). This will form the front engine.
2. Cut the whole egg cup tray off the two remaining egg cartons and set aside. The lids will form the other two train carriages.
3. Cut 18 egg cups out from the pieces set aside. These will form the wheels.
4. Cut a length of cardboard roll that is equal to the length of the remaining egg cups on the engine. Then cut another piece of roll half the length of this.
5. Cut 2 short lengths of straw and attach to the inside of the smaller cardboard roll using tape.
6. Using sharp scissors, make a small slit on either side of the longer cardboard roll so that the straws can be inserted.
7. Attach the bottle cap to the end of the large roll and then glue this onto the top of the front engine egg carton cups.
8. Cut a small segment from the paper plate and glue onto the front of the engine.
9. Glue 3 wheels onto each side of the engine and carriages.
10. Attach each carriage to the one in front of it using a stapler.

Note: If you choose to paint your train, it is easier to do this before constructing it.

This toy train is a great project to do with the kids as they can do most of it themselves. With or without paint, it provides hours of entertainment – attach a long ribbon to the front and their favourite toys can go for a luxurious ride!

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The post Upcycle: Egg Carton Train first appeared on BonBon Break.

What you will need:

• 1/3 Cup of Flour
• 1/4 Cup of Water
• 1 packet of Gelatin
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Corn Syrup
• 2 Cups of Bird Seed

Supplies:

• Drinking Straw
• Cookie cutters
• Mixing bowl and Spoon
• Mat or Foil to put your seed on
• Cookie sheet (optional)

How to make your own birdseed dough:

1. Put 2 cups of bird seed in a bowl

2. Add 1/3 Cup of flour

3. Next put in 1 1/2 Tablespoons of corn syrup

4. Then add 1 pouch of gelatin

5. Last add your 1/4 of water

Now mix well until all your ingredients are incorporated nicely and it looks something like this:

Tip: Your mixture will be a bit sticky, but that’s okay!

Now the fun part!

The next step is to pat out your dough, this dough is too sticky to roll. Grab a mat or some foil and lay it on the table with a bit of cooking spray or oil on it to keep it from sticking. Once it’s on the mat, you can pat it out flat with your hands until it is about 1/2 inch thick.

Next, use your cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the dough. While your seed dough is still in the cookie cutter, slide it off the mat and onto a baking sheet.  Just press you dough back together so you can cut more.

This recipe makes about 12-15 bird seed feeders.

Before you bake the feeders, use a drinking straw to make a hole in each one so you can hang them when they cool.

Now its time to bake them! Put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes (it depends on how big and thick yours turn out). You will know they are done when they are hard.

Tip: You can let the bird feeders air dry, but you need to let them sit over night until they are hard. (This can be a long wait for little ones.)

When your feeders are completely cooled (about 30 minutes), you can tie string to them so you can hang them in the trees for the birds to eat!

Now you’re ready to hang! We hung some right outside the window so that we could watch the birds enjoy their new treats.

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This post was written by Katie Myers exclusively for Bonbon Break Media, LLC

The post Bird Seed Dough Bird Feeders first appeared on BonBon Break.

With a set of paints, a box of markers, a pair of scissors, and a bit of imagination, it’s easy to give a simple, ordinary egg carton a whole new life.  From critters to games to science experiments to costumes, get ready for hours of fun and entertainment with just a handful of simple household supplies.

EGG CARTON CRAFTS and ACTIVITIES

A few favorites from BonBon Break:

ANIMALS

INSECTS

FLOWERS

VEHICLES

GAMES & ACTIVITIES

PRINTMAKING

FUNCTIONAL PROJECTS

COSTUME IDEAS

Fairy Crown from Mom to Two Posh Lil Divas (pin it)

EXPERIMENTS

IMAGINATIVE PLAY CRAFTS

FINE MOTOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Find all of these great projects and MANY, MANY MORE on our Egg Carton Crafts and Activities Pinboard:

Follow Bonbon Break’s board Egg Carton Crafts & Activities on Pinterest.

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Here are some great art supplies to have on hand for impromptu projects of all kinds (click to buy now using our affiliate links to Amazon  —  no extra charge to you and a little perk for us):

CONTINUE READING IN THE PLAYROOM

The post Out-of-the-Box Creativity: Egg Carton Crafts and Activities first appeared on BonBon Break.

There are lots of ways to help children to learn and recognize word families, namely through rhyming games. One of my favorite games, and a favorite among both my students and my own kids, has been one that I made quickly and easily using a product that you can find just about anywhere this time of year.

The Easter Egg Word Family Game

Start by collecting some plastic Easter eggs. I used a dozen so I could keep them contained within a recycled egg carton.

On the taller side of each egg, write a word family “chunk.”

On the shorter side, write all the beginning sounds (a consonant or consonant blend, such as st or pl) that, together with the word family chunk, make words.

To play, attach the halves, lining up a beginning sound and ending chunk. Read the word with your child, emphasizing the two sounds that come together to form a single word, as in: “/m/ /op/…/mop/”

Then, twist the two halves so that a new beginning sound lines up with the ending chunk and read the new word: “/st/ /op/…/stop/”

This game is perfect for my preschooler. He knows his letter sounds and is just beginning to recognize chunks within words. This game is challenging without being frustrating for him. For my older son, who is a reader, this game is a bit too easy, so he came up with what he calls “The Challenge Round.” He mixes up two non-matching eggs and reads the resulting nonsense words, like “spump” and “thock.” Apparently it’s really funny if you’re a kindergartner.

To get you started, listed below are the 37 most common word family chunks. Pick your favorite dozen, and make your own Easter Egg Word Family Game!

–ab (cab, lab, blab, crab, flab, grab, scab, slab, stab)
–ack (back, pack, quack, rack, black, crack, shack, snack, stack, track)
–ag (bag, rag, tag, brag, flag)
–ail (fail, mail, jail, nail, pail, rail, sail, tail, snail, trail)
–ain (main, pain, rain, brain, chain, drain, grain, plain, Spain, sprain, stain, train)
–ake (bake, cake, fake, lake, make, quake, rake, take, wake, brake, flake, shake, snake)
–am (ham, Sam, clam, slam, swam)
–an (can, fan, man, pan, ran, tan, van, bran, plan, than)
–ank (bank, sank, yank, blank, crank, drank, thank)
–ap (cap, lap, map, nap, rap, tap, clap, flap, scrap, slap, snap, strap, trap, wrap)
–at (bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, rat, sat, brat, chat, flat, spat, that)
–ay (day, may, pay, say, clay, play, pray, spray, stay, tray)
–eed (feed, need, seed, weed, bleed, freed, greed, speed)
–ell (bell, fell, sell, tell, well, yell, shell, smell, spell, swell)
–est (best, guest, nest, pest, rest, test, vest, west, chest, crest)
–ew (dew, few, knew, new, blew, chew)
–ick (kick, lick, pick, quick, sick, brick, chick, click, stick, thick, trick)
–ight (knight, light, might, night, right, sight, tight, bright, flight, fright, slight)
–ill (fill, hill, pill, will, chill, drill, grill, skill, spill, thrill)
–in (bin, fin, pin, sin, win, chin, grin, shin, skin, spin, thin, twin)
–ine (fine, line, mine, nine, pine, vine, wine, shine, spine, whine)
–ing (king, ring, sing, wing, bring, cling, spring, sting, string, swing, thing)
–ink (link, pink, sink, wink, blink, drink, shrink, stink, think)
–ip (dip, hip, lip, rip, sip, tip, chip, clip, drip, flip, grip, ship, skip, strip, trip, whip)
–ob (knob, mob, rob, blob, slob, snob)
–ock (knock, lock, dock, rock, sock, block, clock, frock, shock, stock)
–op (cop, hop, mop, pop, top, chop, crop, drop, flop, plop, shop, stop)
–ore (bore, more, sore, tore, wore, chore, score, shore, snore, store)
–ot (got, dot, hot, knot, lot, not, plot, shot, spot)
–out (grout, scout, shout, spout, sprout)
–ow (cow, how, now, brow, chow, plow)
–uck (buck, duck, luck, cluck, stuck, truck)
–um (gum, hum, drum, plum, slum)
–unk (junk, chunk, drunk, shrunk, stunk, trunk)
–y (by, my, cry, dry, fly, fry, shy, sky, spy, try, why)

ACTIVITY SUPPLIES:

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This post was written by Sarah Harris exclusively for BonBon Break Media, LLC.

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The post DIY Easter Egg Word Family Game first appeared on BonBon Break.

There are many charade word ideas for Thanksgiving that can get your game started and make everyone grateful for your efforts.

Items You Need for Thanksgiving Charades

• Timer
• Paper
• Pencil
• Players
• Bowl
• List of charade word ideas

Thanksgiving Charades – How to Play

To get started with your game of Thanksgiving charades you will have to write out some charade words on individual pieces of paper and place them in the bowl to mix them up. The youngest person should be the first to go, choosing a topic from the bowl. Once a topic has been chosen, the player has to act it out without saying a word. The other players will have to guess what is being acted out. The first person to guess correctly prior to the timer going off will be the next one to act out another topic. The game can go on for as long as everyone wants, or until there are no words left inside the bowl.

Thanksgiving Charades Word List

—PRINT OUT GAME CARDS—

• Turkey
• Grateful
• Pilgrim
• Pumpkin Pie
• Apple Pie
• Leaves
• Fall
• Corn
• Gravy
• Gobble
• Football
• Hayride
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Mashed Potatoes
• Apple pie
• Wishbone
• Parade
• Apple Cider
• Family
• Leftovers
• Centerpiece
• November
•  Pie
• Bread
• Cornucopia
• Platter
• Cook
• Cranberries
• Recipes
• Feast
• Ham
• Nap
• Vegetables
• Tradition
• Stuffing
• Tablecloth
• Serve
• Oven
• Casseroles
• Dessert
• Buffet
• Harvest
• Corn Maze
• Potluck

Thanksgiving is a time to participate in family traditions and create new ones. Why not make a game of Thanksgiving charades a new tradition for every year? Just make sure you gather some awesome charade word lists for Thanksgiving and get playing!

SEE OUR CHARADE PRINTABLES COLLECTION:

• Everyday Charades
  
• Halloween Charades
• Christmas Charades
• New Year’s Eve Charades
• … and Restaurant Games, too!

The post Thanksgiving Charades Word List [printable] first appeared on BonBon Break.

Over the recent break, my kids started this game up on their own. I bet you can guess which ones they came up with!!

On to the play, here are a few helpful hints to keep everyone giggling:

Charades for Kids Helpful Hints

1. Are props allowed?
2. Can the littlest players make sounds?
3. Who is going to be the “reader” for the non-readers?
4. Are you keeping score or just having fun?
5. Will you have signals for “animal”, “person” or others?

Supplies needed:

• Charades cards (printable here)
• Hat
• Timer
• Paper and pencil (if needed)
• Props (if needed)

Rules:

1. Have the youngest player pick a card.
2. The timer starts after the card has been read. They have 60 seconds.
3. Other players guess what the actor is trying to share.
4. If no one gets it, the person to the left can give the same word a try or they can grab a new card. The choice is theirs.
5. Continue around the group.
6. The game is over when one person scores 10 or everyone has had enough. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE

SEE OUR CHARADE PRINTABLES COLLECTION:

• Halloween Charades
• Thanksgiving Charades
• Christmas Charades
• New Year’s Eve Charades
• … and Restaurant Games, too!

READ MORE FROM VAL:

• You’re Grounded and Now It’s Going to Sting {Printable}
• Why Your Kid Doesn’t Deserve an “A”
• 20 Apps You Can Play With Your Kids

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This post was written exclusively for  BonBon Break Media, LLC

The post Charades for Kids (with printable game cards) first appeared on BonBon Break.

Hot days and  l o n g  hours spent playing outside.

Running, chasing, jumping, splashing – until tired, warm little bodies find their way back inside for a rest in the cool.

Summer also means paint dries fast.

So while taking refuge from the heat of the sun, little hands can be kept busy in the playroom or in the shade on the deck making a project like this:

Cardboard Box Road

You need:

1 large cardboard box

Ruler

Pencil

Black paint

Green paint

White paint

Medium-sized paintbrush

Small paintbrush

Sponge

You do:

1) Undo the bottom of the box, cut carefully down one side, and lay the box out flat.

2) Using a pencil, rule straight lines to make the road.

3) Using the medium-sized paintbrush, paint the road black.

4) Sponge green paint onto the surrounding areas.

5) Using the small paintbrush, paint white lines onto the road.

6) Leave to dry (about 20 minutes).

This is such an easy project to make, and can be added to as much as you like. We sponged on some extra bright green paint to make grassy areas, and made some paper roll trees. (To make the trees, just paint some cardboard rolls brown, and when dry, cut short slits up one end, fold out, and glue onto the board. The tops of the trees were made by scrunching up paper and poking into the top of the roll, then decorated with a bit of green paint and cut-out green leaf shapes.)

A tiny town can be made using small cardboard boxes or cartons, and drawing doors and windows onto these. A long strip of cardboard could form a bridge.

“A cardboard box can open up an entire world of cars, houses, castles and tunnels.”

(Amy Thomas)

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The post Cardboard Box Racetrack first appeared on BonBon Break.

Several times this spring and summer, when the weather kept everyone inside, it became very clear to me that I had two choices:

Let my kids watch a mind-numbing amount of television until bedtime.

OR

Get creative.

Now, I’m not hating on screen time. I’ve plunked my kids in front of an episode of Team UmiZoomi more than once to get dinner cooked. Just being honest. Besides, they really do learn stuff like sign language, Spanish, music, nursery rhymes, patterns, shapes, and even how to turn the dumpiest house in the neighborhood into the home of your dreams!

Wait…that last one is Fixer Upper. That’s my jam.
Moral of the story: Screen time in moderation is fine in my opinion. What I’m talking about is not medicating the looong hours of nail-on-chalkboard boredom that your kids face when the weather doesn’t cooperate by hooking them up to a screen like tiny cyborgs.

So, here is my list of tested and approved activities to get your kids up and moving, and to engage their imagination and creativity (and YOURS). Most of these activities involve everyday objects lying around the house (like couch cushions…or a card table…or you).

11 Screen-Free Rainy Day Activities for Kids

1. Make and mail some homemade cards

Supplies:
Paint
Paint Brushes
Crayons/Markers
Construction Paper
Scissors
Glue

Clear off a table and set up some watercolors and crayons. Grab some scissors, glue, and construction paper (supervise the cutting!) and make a card for the grandparents, friends, or someone else special. Let it dry and send it to them in the mail. Wouldn’t that brighten anyone’s day?

Bonus Tip: If the children are too young to draw a picture, try tracing their handprints with their names and ages below each one, then let them scribble on the cover and add a message inside.

2. Build a car ramp

Supplies:
Card Table
Box or Couch Cushion

Sometimes happiness is my 2-year-old boy racing every car, truck, and train in his possession down a race track for an hour. Place one end of a card table (or some other flat, hard surface like a large lid) on a couch cushion or box. Grab every toy with wheels and send them flying down the ramp (sound effects encouraged).

Bonus Tip: Add a second ramp on the other side of the cushion and hold a drag race.

3. Build a maze

Supplies:
Cushions
Pillows
Chairs
Boxes
Ottomans
Bed sheets/Blankets

Clear a space in the playroom or living room and assemble a maze with your children using furniture and boxes. Create tunnels using bed sheets and blankets. Hide objects and send them on a rescue mission to retrieve them. This activity is a bit more involved, but it also gives your children a chance to use their imagination and construct something fun with their hands.

Bonus Tip: For a circle track, place an ottoman in the middle of the room, leave a large space around it (for running), and then surround it with a wide circle with chairs, boxes and pillows.
Leave some exits otherwise you’re probably going to clean up after some very dizzy kids.

4. Create a “dry” muddle puddle – (My Kids’ Favorite)

Supplies:
Cushions
Pillows
Blankets
Stuffed Animals

Desperation was the mother of this invention. I was babysitting my friends’ boys who were around the same age as my two. My four tiny charges were moping around the house devastated that it was raining and they couldn’t go outside to play. Attitudes were disintegrating.

So we threw every soft item we could find into the middle of the floor and (SAFELY) took turns jumping into our very own indoor “mud puddle.” By the end, all four kids were red-faced and panting with giant grins on their faces.

Bonus Tip: You can change the title of this game as the seasons change – once again engaging
your child’s imagination. In the summer, we call it a splash pad. In the fall, it’s a leaf pile. And in the winter, it’s a snow mound.

5. Dinner prep together

Supplies:
Ingredients
Mixing Bowls
Tiny Taste Testers
Aprons (optional)

Remember how I said I let my kids watch a show while I got dinner ready? That was becoming a normal pattern for us, so I decided to invite the children to help me get dinner ready. It could be as simple as letting them stir or add seasonings or bang a wooden spoon on a bowl while you do the cooking.

My daughter got a little apron for Christmas last year and now little brother wants one, too. It’sone more way to see my kids enjoy time at home doing something together without that habitual pre-dinner Netflix show.

6. Indoor Hopscotch

Supplies:
Large cardboard box
Scissors
Marker

Slice open the biggest box you can find, lay it out, and draw a hopscotch board on the inside. Clear a space in the house and let the bouncing begin. This game helps your children learn their numbers.

Bonus Tip: Get out some crayons and let your children practice tracing the big numbers (or adding their own drawings for fun).

7. Card Games

Supplies:
Deck of Cards
Bowl of Snacks

I mean, do you remember how fun “Spoons” was when you were a kid?

8. Hire some help

Are your children old enough to sort socks, fold towels, make their beds, load the dishwasher, clean up their room or set the table? Hire them to help you. Not only does this help them develop a work ethic, but you can begin the conversation about what to do with money, how to save, how to spend, and how to give.

You shouldn’t pay them for every task they ever do, but you’re not spoiling them by instructing them how to earn and use money responsibly at a young age.

Bonus Tip: If your child is young (3-5 years old), pay them for tasks the moment they’re complete to make sure the lesson makes the most impact.

9. Easy Playtime Tent

Supplies:
Table
Bed Sheet
Blanket

Clear off your table and use the chairs to create a walking path leading up to the table. Spread a fleece blanket on the floor under the table. Throw a large bed sheet over the table and chairs to make a roof. Tada. Tent.

10. Recreate the outdoors in your living room

Supplies:
Blankets Pillows Laundry Baskets Household items the color of nature

My 3-year-old invented this game on a lazy, rainy day. She found a small, round, green laundry basket and held it up, asking, “Can we make this into a tree?”
Before long, the entire living floor was transformed. A floral blanket became a meadow. A blue pillow case was a lake. The green basket sat atop a stack of boxes with a brown towel draped over one side as a tree trunk. Pillows became boulders. I’m pretty sure at one point I was playing by myself, so lost was I in the transformation.

11. Change up story time

Creating new fun can be as easy as changing an old routine. Instead of reading a storybook in bed or on the couch, try a few of these fun alternatives:
 Listen to an audio book. The library has a lot of these, from picture books to chapter books. Not only does this give your children a new way to enjoy story time, but it teaches them how to sit still and listen which will help them in countless ways down the road.
 Read where you land. Was today “mud puddle” day and you’re all lying in a heap of pillows and blankets right before bedtime? Great! Grab a book and read there. If it’s
under a table, then read under the table.
 Read by flashlight. Pitch a tent with a few chairs and blankets. Kill the lights and read in the tent.

Hopefully, these 11 ideas gave you some inspiration on your next rainy day with the kids. What will you do with your kids after the TV and iPads are turned off on the next rainy day?

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The post 11 Screen-Free Rainy Day Activities for Kids first appeared on BonBon Break.

TEETH SCIENCE FOR KIDS – WHY DO WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF OUR TEETH?

Getting kids to brush their teeth can be a nightmare even with older kids who listen and follow instructions.  Showing them why we need to take care of our teeth is one of the most fun ways to get kids to clean their teeth without any hassle.

Emma from Science Sparks, an educational site which is just bursting with fun, creative science activity ideas for kids, is joining us in the Playroom on BonBon Break with a little experiment about why we need to take care of our teeth that you can do at home with ingredients from the kitchen cupboards.

We obviously don’t want to experiment on our teeth, so we are using eggs to represent them. The shell of an egg has a similar composition to tooth enamel.

Materials

• Eggs
• Glass or similar kind of container for each condition
• Water
• Tea/Coffee
• Fizzy flavoured drink
• Vinegar

Instructions

• Pour the same amount of fizzy drink, vinegar, water and tea or coffee into your containers.

• Add a whole egg in its shell to each.

• Leave for three days, observing what happens.

• Remove the eggs and rinse.

Has anything changed?

Results

We found the eggs in the fizzy drink and tea/coffee stained considerably. You can see the difference here between the egg in Pepsi and the egg in water.

The egg in water is our control. We use this so we can easily see the change in colour of the test condition eggs.

The tea-stained egg is also a very different color to the water egg.

The shell of the vinegar soaked egg completely dissolved. Can you imagine the effect on your teeth of too much vinegar or acidic foods?

Why does this happen?

We can clearly see staining of both the tea and fizzy drink-soaked eggs.

Tea is rich in tannins which are known to stain teeth while cola and fizzy drinks are acidic as well as containing products which are known to stain teeth.

Vinegar is acidic and dissolves the calcium carbonate in the shell. The inside of the egg remains intact because the vinegar doesn’t break down the egg membrane. You can also clearly see that the egg has with no shell is bigger than the egg with a shell; this is because some of the water ( perhaps when we rinsed the egg ) has seeped into it via osmosis.

Extension tasks

Can you carefully bounce the egg with no shell? If the shell didn’t dissolve completely, you could put it back in the vinegar for a bit longer.

Can you think of any other drinks which might stain your teeth?

Try covering half an egg with toothpaste, and placing it in vinegar, does the toothpaste protect the egg shell?

This activity is great for helping children to understand why caring for their teeth is so important.

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 This post was written by Emma Vanstone exclusively for BonBon Break Media, LLC.

 Click to see more from the Playroom

The post Teeth Science for Kids – Why do we need to take care of our teeth first appeared on BonBon Break.

Yup! I also keep a few card games in my bag. Forget bandaids – I rarely ever have those (yes, they are in the van) – but, I always have a few games for my kids to play.

Let’s chat about the worksheet:

Games to Play with Your Kids in Restaurants

Tic-Tac-Toe

Your traditional game. Xs and Os. These can always continue on the back, but there are enough to get the game going.

Dots

This is also an easy way to pass the time. Each player draws a line until they form a box. If they form a box, they place their initials in it AND they get to make one more line. The player with the most boxes wins. If you need more details directions, go here.

Word Bomb

This is an alternative to Hangman. I just can’t play that version of this game anymore. Another conversation for another day, but just think about it, m’kay?

Here is how you use this game board:

1. Create your dashes for the word or phrase in the bottom.
2. Use the middle space to write incorrect guesses.
3. Every time the player guesses an incorrect letter, a section of the fuse is crossed out. Once the last section is crossed out… BOOM!

There are some other suggestions across the bottom that do not require a pen or pencil.

I Spy

One person picks something in or out of the restaurant and others at the table have to guess what that item is by asking “yes or no” questions. They can ask if it is something to eat? Is it furniture? Is it outside? Is it red? Is it in our booth? The game ends when someone guesses or they give up.

ABC Spy

We love this one in restaurants and on the road as well. The idea is that you have to work your way around your space by identifying things that start with each letter of the alphabet. If it is a place you frequent, don’t allow for repetition. for younger players, have them find the letters on the menu.

20 Questions

We play this one at dinner, in restaurants, on the road, just about everywhere. The way we play is that the caller has to provide the players with 3 clues.

The older your kids get, the tricker they become about the clues. I love to introduce this idea by saying, “Ok, my item is black, white and red.” The kids look about madly to see if it is something in their immediate area. Nope. I will cut to the chase… it is a newspaper. Black, white and READ. They really start to have fun with this play on words and I am always surprised by what they come up with! Glaciers, asteroids, rainbows and the World Cup have all made it into the game.

1 0r 2?

This is a game for two players. Place seven sugar packets in a row. Player 1 may take away one or two sugar packets. Player 2 may also take away one or two packets. Continue to take turns in this manner. The one who is left with the last sugar packet loses. The loser gets to go first in the next round. This is an awesome game to teach your kids how to develop different strategies.

Would You Rather?

This is another game we play all of the time. My daughter loves to climb into bed in the morning and do a few rounds. I think she loves it because it always cracks us up!

Would you rather kiss a donkey or eat a worm?

Would you rather live in the mountains or down by the beach?

Would you rather swim in the ocean or in a pool?

Would you rather go on vacation with Bear Grylls or Simon Cowell?

You get the idea…

Some of the links here will take you to Amazon.

If you make a purchase, we receive a little bonus which feels like a hug for creating great content for you!

Games to Keep in Your Bag

A deck of cards

So many options with War being the easiest. Here is a great source for card games to play with your kids.

Uno

This is the classic game of matching colors and numbers. Buy here.

Blink

This game is similar to Uno, but it is FASTER! The speed element really gets kids going. Buy it here.

Rat-a-Tat Cat

This game is SO awesome.  This is just a great game to have in your bag of tricks. It’s competitive, requires some strategy and has an element of surprise. We play it at home, on the ferry, camping, on the road, and in restaurants. Buy it here.

So there you go. You should feel safe to head out the door and give yourself a break from making dinner tonight! Don’t forget to download our printable worksheet.

Click here to print

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The post 11 Games to Play with Your Kids in Restaurants first appeared on BonBon Break.

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ABOUT SARAH: Sarah is a busy homeschooling mom of four boys, ages 2-10. She blogs about crafts, educational activities, and play ideas from a boy-mom perspective over at Frugal Fun for Boys. Her boys love Legos, ninjas, Hot Wheels cars, and exploring the outdoors. Two Fridays each month, she shares Lego building challenges for kids. Kids (girls, too!) can participate by linking up a blog post or sharing photos on Facebook.  

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