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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Bored Out Of My Gourd

bored_out_of_my_gourd.jpg

Today is the start of Ellia's Fall break.
I should be excited....... (Right?)

No morning rush, no lunch to be packed, no homework to be signed, and most importantly, more
time to spend with my sweet 6 year old....... (Right?)


Wrong!!


Because my sweet 6 year old loves school. She wants to be at school. She is bored at home...BORED OUT OF HER GOURD! And she is very vocal about it.

So the options, as I see it, are a) ship her off to a friend's house  b) have a 2-day movie marathon, or
c) head her off at the pass (Read: outsmart the 6 year old - not always easy to do!)

I thought about the things 6 year olds love: Friends. Challenges. Prizes. Fun. I thought about the ways I would like to see her to spend her time off: Engaged. Creative. Productive. (Read: too busy to complain about being bored!) I thought about how we could both get what we want out of this Fall break. It's possible...... (Right?)

Right!! With the help of this "Bored Out of My Gourd" Challenge I created!

 
I started with a list of 10 things Ellia would like to do but might not come up with on her own:
  1. Write a little note and draw a little picture to mail to a far-away friend.
  2. Create a new snack recipe using ingredients you find in the cupboard.
  3. Trace your hands and feet on paper and turn them into fun drawings.
  4. Dig through the recycling bin and find a new use for something. Decorate and use it!
  5. Find different textures throughout the house and use them to make crayon rubbings.
  6. Take photos of 10 favorite things around the house or yard.
  7. Write an original Haiku.
  8. Create a new painting technique.
  9. Cut, wrap, tie or pin an old t-shirt to make clothes for a stuffed animal.
  10. Use anything you can find around the house to transform your bedroom into an alternate location of your choice (e.g. zoo, hospital, park, movie theater, salon...)

I wrote each idea on a small piece of cardstock, then folded it up and numbered it.

 
Next, I tied each folded idea onto a gourd.
 


I made a deal with Ellia: If you complete all 10 "tasks" by the time your break is over, we can go to Yo Mama's for ice cream. I figure, if nothing else, at least she'll keep busy trying to earn herself a sundae! Better yet, maybe she'll actually find herself having - gasp! - fun at home!

Either way, I'm hoping it buys me a few moments of freedom from the dreaded mantra.... "I'M BORED!!" and gives us a chance to BOTH enjoy her time off :)
 
 
 
 
Thanks for taking a peek inside my Lemon Tree Dwelling!
I hope you feel right at home :)
-Cathy
 
 

7 comments :

  1. What a novel idea! It's a good thing you bought those gourds at the pumpkin farm last weekend.
    I hope that Ellia will get into the spirit of it. (Read Ellia is smart. She might recognize the method to your madness.)
    Greta will probably want to join in the fun. Will Ellia be ok with that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ok, more than this post, I love Mrs. Daniels response . . . . she sounds, ahem, exactly, like, ummmm, your mother : )

      I hope that it works! I can't wait to hear!!

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  2. Great idea, Cath! I'm seriously impressed that Ellia knows what a haiku is...Owen would think it was a ninja move. I'd have to adjust the list for my...ahem...less-sophisticated...family.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! She doesn't know what a Haiku is...but I told her. Hers goes something like this:

      I am Ellia
      I have brown hair and brown eyes
      I am six years old

      :)

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  3. Brilliant! I've had my granddaughter the past few weeks on and off - she was sick for a week and Hurricane Sandy gave her another week off). She's not known what to do. This is perfect!! Thanks, Linda

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    Replies
    1. Hi Linda, sorry to hear your family was affected by the hurricane. I hope everyone is doing ok. My daughter had a GREAT time with the activities and has repeated several of them on her own. I hope it goes well if you decide to try it! Thanks for checking it out:)

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  4. That's such a cute idea!! I'll have to remember this for when I have kids of my own.

    ReplyDelete

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