Tons of Fun!

By Deborah Shelton,
the author of The Five Minute Parent:
Fun & Fast Activities for You and Your Little Ones

National Sandwich Month
*Create a double-decker super long submarine
sandwich that the entire family will enjoy making
and eating together.
*Sandwich Shapes are a fun way to get little ones
to eat their lunch. Prepare their favorite sandwich, and then use cookie cutters to make stars, hearts, or other neat sandwich treats.
*Take your cue from Scooby-Doo and Shaggy: Make
the weirdest sandwich filling combination you can think of. Don't waste food, though! Only use ingredients that you really like and will eat.

National Golf Month
*Practice your putting technique indoors. Set small plastic cups on the floor on their sides, and use a plastic club or a real one to tap golf balls into the cups.
*Visit a miniature golf course for a guaranteed good time! Don't worry about keeping score; just have fun!

National Clown Week
*Dress up like a clown! If you don't have any old clown Halloween costumes, dress as a hobo clown with mismatched and oversized clothing.
*Become a face painter! Use non-toxic face paint to create colorful designs and patterns on each other's faces.

National Smile Week
*Make people smile! Tell a joke; pay someone a
compliment; make a silly face; tell your family 'I love you.'
*Keep track of the number of smiles you made
during the week.
*Paint a smiley face onto a T-shirt, and then paint the number of smiles you got, above it. You earned it!

DID YOU KNOW...

Family Day
*Have a picnic in the park. Just relax and enjoy the day with warm family conversation and togetherness.
*Call or write to family members who live far away, and let them know how much they're loved and missed.
*Rent movies and veg out all day on the sofa together.
*Look through family photo albums together.  Remind each other of the stories behind the pictures.

National Garage Sale Day
*Visit garage sales in your neighborhood to find items to build your collections; children's books; toys; board games; puzzles (it's okay if some of the pieces are missing-use the pieces to decorate picture frames and small boxes).
*Host your own garage sale! If your children need a little inspiration to clean their rooms, let them keep the money from old toys and games that are sold.

National Tell a Joke Day
*Have a family contest to see who can make up the
silliest; grossest; or most hilarious jokes.
*Check out a joke book at your local library to learn new witty anecdotes and zany one-liners that will have your friends rolling with laughter.

National Aviation Day
*Make paper airplanes and fly them around the
neighborhood!
*Start a new hobby by building model airplanes together. When you're finished, suspend them from the ceiling for everyone to see.
*Put on a pair of water goggles; tie a scarf around your neck; then spread your arms wide, like the wings of an airplane, and fly around your front yard.

National Gymnastics Day
*How many continuous cartwheels can you do? Have
a contest with your friends to see who can do the
most!
*See how well you can walk on your hands...and
how far!

About the Author:
Deborah Shelton is the author of The Five Minute Parent:
Fun & Fast Activities for You and Your Little Ones. Visit
The Five Minute Parent for fun rainy-day activities, family
links, and a free email newsletter filled with craft ideas,
guest articles, contests and so much more!
http://www.fiveminuteparent.com