Perk the kids up

The summer is here to stay and so are the holidays. Here are a few ideas for the kids to pep themselves up without visiting the summer camp.

But this comes with a warning — all activities should be done under adult supervision.

1. Plant a tree: Take some germinated seeds and sow them. Water them everyday.

Soon, there will be plants sprouting. Keep watering them regularly.

Planting a seed and seeing it grow will give you boundless joy.

2. Get arty-crafty: Be it origami or papier mâché, try your hand at something new.

While the girls can venture into stitching, knitting or embroidery (depending on their age), the boys can take up something like making robots or car models.

Whatever be your age and aptitude, there is a vast variety to choose from.

Recommended websites: www.kidsites.com/sites-edu/art.htm; http://dev.origami.com/diagram.cfm

3. Create your own photo album: Hone your photography skills or develop a taste for photography with the help of a digital camera.

Take pictures of different people, be it family members, friends or even people on the road, at different times — sunrise or sunset — at different places, say a busy market area or the road, in a mall, at the beach or maybe just from your balcony. You can even take pictures of your pets.

Download the pictures to the computer, take printouts and arrange them into an album.

Seeing your photos in print will bring you satisfaction and joy.
For photography tips, visit www.geofflawrence.com/photography_tutorial_tips.php

4. Try experiments at home: When school was on, you wished you could try some science experiments at home but were overburdened with homework, projects and exams.

You sighed and wished you had time to nurture the scientist in you.

Well, now is the time to do so. Some TV programmes, such as Backyard Science, can be very inspiring.

Recommended website: www.sciencemadesimple.com/science_fair_experiment.html

5. Make a greeting card: Card-making is becoming more popular by the day and now it has almost become no less than a trend to send handmade greeting cards to people you love.

You can experiment with different materials, such as lace, ribbons, artificial flowers, embellishments, etc.

Personalise the card by creating a special message for the person you're sending it to.

Sign the cards by rubber-stamping your name on the back of each of them.

For great card-making ideas, visit www.making-greeting-cards.com

6. Maintain a diary: A holiday is the best time to practise writing. Try to develop a taste for it.

Write a day-to-day account of your holiday, with special emphasis on things that move you — memorable moments, any new thing you learn, any new person you meet, etc.

Once the holidays are over, go through the entries and reflect upon what you have written — it may give you an insight into traits of your personality that had been hidden even from you.

7. Do your bit for the environment: Instil in children the values of keeping the environment clean and safe.

Kids need to recognise their responsibility towards the environment as early as possible.

Collecting cans littering the neighbourhood can be a good way to start.

Ask parents to drop these at the nearest recycling centre. For more tips, visit
www.tiki.oneworld.net/global_warming/climate9.html

8. Develop a new hobby: Be it dancing, painting or learning to play a musical instrument, summer holidays are the best time to try to develop a new hobby.

It can be collecting stickers or something more serious, such as collecting the stamps and coins of different countries.

For more hobby ideas, visit www.kids.creativity-portal.com

9. Bake a cake: Ask your mum to buy you some packets of ready-made cake dough and try your hand at baking.

Mixing the ingredients, oiling the dish and pouring the contents into the baking dish can all be great fun.

Nothing, of course, is better than the delicious aroma of a freshly baked cake.

10. Throw a party: Holidays can be a whole lot of fun. Call some friends over and with your funkiest dress on, play some music in the background, make some lemonade and, of course, a home-baked cake, and get the party started.

I am sure all of you will have a rocking time. For party ideas, visit www.amazingmoms.com/htm/KidsBirthdayParties.htm