Parks and pools are great but if you’re like me then Phoenix’s triple digits have you running inside for the air-conditioning. For those days when slides are like branding irons and pools are like bathwater, beat the heat with these 15 fun indoor activities for kids.

1. An idioglossia is a language created and spoken by one person or few people. Make up a secret language and record the words on Word Central’s Build Your Own Dictionary.
2. Have more fun with language on Word Central’s website with the daily buzzwords and word games.
3. Got a video camera you can trust the kiddos to use safely? Let them make documentaries about their life and family or choreograph their own dance video.
4. Start a family blog on Tumblr.
5. Make some crafts with paper mache.   
6. Remember when Bobby and Cindy Brady tried to teeter-totter their way into the Guinness Book of World Records? Your kids can stay cool indoors and set a dedication record for heaviest ball of plastic wrap  or largest collection of Pokemon memorabilia.
7. Make puppy chow. Get some help in the kitchen with other kid-friendly recipes from Family Fun.    
8. Bring out your child’s inner David Blaine with these easy magic tricks using items from around the house.
9. Play card games geared for ages 3 to 8.
10. Did you know kids can lose two months of grade level equivalency over the summer? That’s known as summer learning loss. Keep their minds active and learn Spanish with these fun lessons.
11. Make a summer memory book. This is next year’s boredom buster!
12. Encourage your little artist or writer to submit their art, poems, or stories to kids’ magazines like Stone Soup.
13. If Clue and Monopoly get boring, make up a family board game with these easy steps.
14. Let your child make Christmas and other special occasion greeting cards for family members to have on hand throughout the year.
15. Didn’t finish your spring cleaning? Summer is as good a time as any to get organized. Let the kids use their idle hands clean out their closets and sock drawers. Assign some extra chores so they can earn spending money they want for all of their fun activities.

If you get sick of your own four walls, head over to Imagination Avenue, an indoor play place and party center.  Whatever activities you choose, stay safe by following these summer safety tips for Arizona children.

With as much as my kids and I enjoy reading, it was only a matter of time before someone chose to have a book theme birthday party. Since it was a teenager party, the structured activities were pretty low key, unless hanging out is a structured activity. But a theme is a theme and I incorporated it where I could.

I happened to have a hard cover book I didn’t want to read again that I donated to the party, and ripped all the pages out. I used some of the pages to make super easy invitations. I got crafty with the majority of the remaining pages to make decorations for the party.  Who knew you could make awesome bouquets from rolled up book pages? I couldn’t stop at decorations, and I used pages to wrap a couple of the gifts and some more to make pockets for the party favors.

Besides eating and opening gifts, the only planned activity was reading an assortment of quotes in our cupcake wrapper fortune cookies. Favorite quotes from our favorite books would have been one way to go with our fortune cookies, but we went with quotes that made us laugh. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Strength is the capacity to break a Hershey bar into four pieces with your bare hands – and then eat just one of the pieces. ~ Judith Viorst
• Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake ~ Napoleon Bonaparte
• Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. ~ Albert Einstein

My favorite part about teenage parties is how easy they are to plan! I’m glad my children still play along and choose a theme, so I can get a little creative.

If you liked this party, be sure to check out these others!

Tangled Party

Star Wars Party

Disco Party

We’re continuing to get out and about quite a bit this spring. April at the Desert Botanical Garden is a time for blooming flowers and a wide variety of butterflies in the Butterfly Pavilion. It is a beautiful place to enjoy a picnic lunch and spend some family time. I almost forgot we live in the desert with all the fragrant blooms and temperate weather, although it did get a little toasty by the mid-afternoon. 

It’s not just about the flowers; we saw several birds, ground squirrels and a huge lizard also enjoy the surroundings. There are several hands on displays to learn more about plants and some of the desert wildlife. On one visit, a volunteer taught us about the many ways the Native Americans use Agave – from a sweetener to drying the fibers to use in brooms or sandals.

On our last trip, another volunteer shared his musical talents by playing several types of wooden flutes.  He belongs to a group of enthusiastic collectors, but his collection was fairly small – at 60 flutes!

By far our favorite part of the Desert Botanical Garden is the Butterfly Pavilion. It is amazing to see that many butterflies in a confined space and to get an up close view of them eating, flying and resting.  My kids think it is a victory to have one land on them. Just outside the pavilion, there are a few crafts and activities for younger kids to enjoy.

If you’ve been considering a trip to the Desert Botanical Garden, now’s the time while the flowers are blooming and before the weather gets too warm.

Want more exciting Arizona destinations?  Try these:

The Phoenix Zoo (It’s right next door.)

Superstition Mountain Museum

Arizona Science Center

I’m noticing a trend in my choice of books over the last few months, Museum of Thieves, City of Lies – and now our latest Family Book Club pick, The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. I hope this won’t be a bad influence on my children!  Actually I think they are a bad influence on me since they’re the ones who got me started on these books. (That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.)

The Thief is set in a time long ago in an area similar to Greece with a unique mythology created by Mrs. Turner. The story is captivating, the writing is good, and the fantasy elements are not overpowering. It takes a while to find out exactly what treasure Gen, the thief, is expected to steal on a quest for the King. Just when I figured out where the story was going, a new twist sprung up and left me surprised in the end.

While we all liked the book, we had some very different ideas about what the characters should do next. It was also interesting to compare our perceptions about the characters, events and the treasure. Even the ‘slow’ parts of the book are interesting and entertaining with the pace of the action building chapter by chapter until the exciting climax that kept us on the edge of our seats!

After our discussion of the book, we tried our hand at a little pick pocketing. We used all the pointers we’ve gained from faithfully watching White Collar and The Mentalist.   I’m happy to report that neither I nor my children will be bragging anytime soon about our talents for thievery!

If you liked this Family Book Club recap, be sure to read the following!

Science Fair Book Club

Matilda Book Club

A Week in the Woods Book Club

Spring Break is still trickling through Arizona and this is our prime time to head outside to enjoy those glorious Arizona attractions.  One great place to spend a day with the kiddos is the Phoenix Zoo!

Don’t all kids want to live at the zoo or be a veterinarian at some point? (Or was that just me?)  One of my children is especially focused on becoming a zookeeper when she grows up – not just any zookeeper; she wants to be a book-writing, orchestra-playing, store-owning zookeeper artist!  At least she will never be bored.  In the meantime, she’s cultivating her own stuffed animal zoo right here in our home.

While a trip to the zoo was the perfect day for her, the other kids enjoyed it too. Besides the various animals, the Phoenix Zoo offers other activities for those times when the kids need a change of pace.  There’s a train ride, petal boats, a carousel and several playground.  One of the playgrounds has a seasonal water feature that should open next month.

But let’s face it, it mostly about the animals.  Some of the first animals we saw were burrowing owls, which were even more interesting since our family book club read Hoot. I loved getting close to the Spider Monkeys in the Monkey Village.  Zookeepers allow you to enter the cage and be in the middle of the monkeys jumping, swinging and eating. Another one of my favorite exhibits is the Stingray Bay.  From October to April (for a small fee) guests may reach in the pool and pet the stingrays as they swim near the edge.  It’s a little freaky at first, but then it’s amazing.

We took a break from walking by sitting down and enjoying an animal show.  It was another cool way to see more animals up close and learn about them, although I was a little nervous being that close to a porcupine.

After such a great day, it’s easy to see why the Phoenix Zoo is one of the top zoos in the country.

Here’s some other great Arizona attractions!

Superstition Mountain Museum

Arizona Science Center

Superstition Farm

Generally the thought of spring cleaning doesn’t make my heart leap with excitement; it makes me think of washing walls, scrubbing baseboards and other tediously time consuming jobs.  But there are those times that I’m in the mood to organize and purge. It can be so satisfying and exciting!  The only thing more productive and joyful is getting the kids involved too.

Over Spring Break that cleaning bug hit me.  The craft closet kept calling my name; I’d look and see a jumble of unorganized projects and supplies I haven’t used in years.  Although the mess was getting to me, how was I going to find the time to do anything about it while my kids were home from school wanting to be entertained?  It only took one phone call, the in-laws were coming.

After spending time cleaning the main living areas, I devoted a few minutes to purging several trays and bags that I was saving to help with the organizing.  After clearing out that little bit of space, I rearranged a few things so the closet was a little more useable.

Next I showed the kids their allotted space.  Their treasures needed to fit on those shelves or they would need to do some purging of their own.  A couple of the kids got involved with great attitudes.  One of my daughters worked with me to purge and organize four boxes of beads to fit into one.  We ended up with a good size pile of craft supplies that could be passed on to someone who would use them.

There is something therapeutic about seeing more of the floor!  By then they had the bug too as we moved to the playroom.   The kids found a bag of dress up clothes they didn’t use anymore plus several other things.  I was enjoying helping my house lose weight so much, I was late for a fun shopping trip!

I’m still not in the mood to wash walls, but I would like to spend some more time cleaning the craft closet.  Is there a part of spring cleaning you actually enjoy?

If you enjoyed this organization article, be sure to read these too!

Stop, Start and Continue: Evaluating your Progress

SMART Goals for the New Year

Stay at Home Summer Camp Themes

With Spring Break just around the corner, parents need some interesting places to take the kids and enjoy the spring weather here in Arizona.  This time of year is our reward for enduring the melting temperatures of the summer.  One great place to explore is the Superstition Mountain Museum and it’s several out buildings and walking paths.

You enter the main building in their cute gift shop – my kiddos wanted to spend their allowance on many of the cool treasures.  After paying my $5 (kids are free), we continued on to the museum.  It’s on the small side, but they make good use of the space and cover a wide variety of topics from minerals and mining equipment to Indian artifacts to military uniforms.  One corner was devoted to books about the Superstition Mountains.

The first stop of our explorations outdoor explorations was the Elvis Memorial Chapel where ceremonies are still being held.  Inside there are movie posters and memorabilia from several Westerns filmed at the chapel and its original home, Apacheland.

Back outside, the kiddos climbed in the stagecoach.  Talk about a great photo op!  No Wild West study is complete without a Sheriff’s office and jail.  It was pretty funny watching my kids take turns pretending to be the Sheriff and then trying out the other side of the bars as a prisoner.   Hopefully this isn’t indicative of things to come!

We continued up the path to the rustic ‘Rifleman’ barn with plenty of horse parking.  Inside the barn, we found old wagons and related paraphernalia along with more celebrity photos and movie memorabilia from its days on the Apacheland set.  Tucked in the corner was small saloon with swinging doors, an old piano and of coarse the bar so my kids could have a little taste of tending bar.  Don’t worry, that’s all they tasted – it’s an alcohol free zone.

We ended our tour with a brief cruise through “Boot Hill”.  Let’s just say that a lot of those cowboys died from less than noble causes, and while the tombstone descriptions were often humorous, they led to questions I’d rather not explain to the under 10 crowd.

Overall, the Superstition Museum is a great place to spend a couple of hours learning about the landmarks and history in our own backyard, especially during this Centennial year.  Share your favorite hang out!

If you liked this Arizona Hot Spot, check out these other places of interest.

Hobby Town RC Car Races

Superstition Farm

Joe’s Farm Grill and The Coffee Shop

I like to use any excuse to create a party for our family.  Leap year is a perfect example of a non-traditional event.  It doesn’t happen every year, so making it fun and unique is just a small part of it.  Having a leap year party is one more family memory that you can make with your child and any happy memories are worth it!

Here are some ideas to have a fun leap year party with your family or friends.

Froggy Jumps- If your child isn’t wheelchair bound, create a jump race from one end of the room to the other.  Whoever wins, gets to go first on the next game.

Songs about Frogs-  A basic search on the internet will come up with a ton of different songs about frogs.  Here are a few of the ones I found:  Frog Song, Five Speckled Frogs (A Nursery Rhyme), Princess and the Frog Music Video, A Frog Named Sam-Ben Rudnick & Friends, Sesame Street:  This Frog, and The Little Green Frog by Pamela Sunshine.

Watch Princess and the Frog with your child.  Ask them questions about the movie and how frogs behave.  Pop some popcorn with other snacks and make it a movie night for your family.

Play Pin the frog legs- Using a pattern, make pre-cut frog legs and have the kids try to pin them on the frog.  Have a prize for the person who has the wackiest looking frog.

Color a picture of a frog.  There are various styles available and with a variety of crayons, your child can dream up his/her own frog or copy the look of a real frog.

Create your own frog costume.  Sometimes looking like a frog helps.  You can design your own frog attire or use one that someone else designed.  Be creative and your child will have fun, too!

Frog Food- Bake cupcakes with frog faces.  Use a frog cookie cutter and cut out a sandwich in the shape of a frog or any other type of food.  Be creative!

These are only a few ideas to have a Leap Year party.  The party is limited in as much as your imagination is limited.  Have fun!

I knew I felt busy lately, but we must really be busier because it took us a few months to read Science Fair for our family book club.  It wasn’t because we didn’t enjoy the book.  My younger children shied away from reading it on their own because of the odd names, preferring me to read it out loud to them instead.  Finding that time where our schedules intersected slowed us down – and it was a fairly long book.

The book describes a junior high science fair with an eclectic cast of characters, including a group from the small country of Krpshtskan.  I don’t think I pronounced their country the same way twice.  I can’t neglect to mention the spoiled rich kids, the kooky Science Shop owner, and our heroes Toby, Tamara and Micah.  Who knew espionage, science experiments and pre-adolescent angst could be so comical?

After we finally finished reading the book, we made time for our fun book club meeting.  We started off discussing our favorite parts of the book – there were a lot to choose from!  Then we each drew something from the Science Fair.  My kiddos drew pictures of the memorable experiments like the “Hotness Box”, while I chose to draw the Weiner mobile in the chaos outside of the gym.  (You know you are jealous of my artistic abilities!)

We finished off our meeting with a game of Hide and Seek Tag, which is a typical game of hide and seek that turns into tag once you’re spotted.  May I say that that the hider is trapped 95% of the time, and I get tagged a lot.  In case you are wondering, this game is an excellent tie in to the Science Fair’s climax.

Now that I’ve piqued your interest with a book about preteens, foreign nationals, a science fair and the Weiner Mobile you probably need to read this book with your kids.  Let me know what kind of fun activities you try out because of it.

If you like this book club recap, be sure to read the following as well.

The Enormous Egg Book Club

The Name of this Book is Secret Book Club

Pushcart War Book Club

Every year the struggle with figuring out what to do with our kids during spring break begins sometimes in January or earlier.  For those of us who work, we need to figure out some sort of arrangement for care.  Some of us even have to use some of our vacation to make sure our kids are taken care of during the week. Here are some ideas if you are home with your child to make spring break special for your special needs child and you don’t even have to travel out of the city!

Sidewalk Chalk Art Display-Most of us have some sort of sidewalk near our homes and even if you are in an apartment, you can always go to a park or a friend or relative’s home to do this.  Chalk is relatively cheap (under a $1 at most places) and your child can use their imagination.  Even if your child needs assistance in getting around, they can draw or color their artwork.  It’s more fun when they have buddies working on their own art as well.  This is also a great time of year in Arizona to be outside!

Camping at Home- Even if you don’t have a yard or your child has too many limitations to actually camp, you can create your own camping experience.  Using your furniture and what blankets you have, create a tent in one of your rooms.  Have your child bring their favorite pillows or stuffed animals into the tent and create a space to hang out.  You can create your own smores using your microwave, have your own “campfire” with a candle at a table or a flashlight, have “nature” walks around your neighborhood, etc.  It’s really as fun and creative as your imagination.

Surprise Your Parent Day-If your child is old enough and understands the concept, have them create a special day with activities that you can do at or home or close by that doesn’t cost anything.  Let them know that they can use household items to create stuff.  For example, use empty toilet paper rolls to make binoculars with string.  It’s a pretty cheap idea and it keeps them occupied crafting.  Let them use their imagination and you’ll be surprised what they want to do!

Theme Days-If you prefer to have specific themes, you can create a different theme everyday and have them try to dress accordingly.  Beach day can be the color blue, go to a splash pad at a mall and eat things from the sea or shaped like the sea.  You can do a dinosaur day and look for bones in your backyard or Pirate day and pretend your house is a ship.  Kids love dressing up and pretending they are someone different, so create activities that are fun and easily done by your child.

Surprise Fun Day Trip-If you don’t have a lot of extra cash, you can check to see what Museums or locations close to your home that you haven’t been to or would love to do and see if they have coupons or free days.  Take advantage of these types of outings and your child will get a kick out of doing something out of the ordinary.  If you plan ahead, you can make sure that these events are something your child can do.

Plant a Garden-Kids love all things that are natural, so either plant a garden indoors or outdoors.  If your child has limitations or your home doesn’t have a yard, you can always plant an herb garden or something simple that they can water and take care of on their own.  It allows them to learn responsibility on something that isn’t human or animal and it looks nice, too!

Picnic in the Park-This never gets old and children love the great outdoors.  Since we melt during the summer, this is a perfect spring break activity.  Bring balls and other things that your child can play with while you are setting up the picnic.  Have them help you make the lunch and involve them in planning the trip.  If you can’t get outside, have it in your house and make it as fun as possible with special music and activities.

There are many more activities that you can do to make the week fun and interesting for your child.  These are what great memories are made of and many children will remember the great time they had spending it with you.  Take your camera and take pictures or video of your activities.  Maybe have a video premiere of some highlights of the week with the other parent or grandparent that wasn’t able to participate.  Involve the rest of the family in going over the memories and share some laughs.  Have fun!