Grow Your Own Healthy Kids!

Of course it's very possible to grow a bunch of healthy kids, especially if you can find the child in you as well.

Being a kid can be great fun, and there's no reason why we can't run around and play kids games until we are grandparents and beyond. As soon as the sun is shining get outside in the fresh air... especially if you live in a climate that has very short summers ( talking UK here!). Make the most of the sunlight. As long as you protect your skin from harmful rays, sunlight is the best form of vitamin D - and doesn't it make you feel good!

There are lots of outdoor games that need little or no equipment. The secret is to cast your mind back to your own schooldays, or perhaps your parents day and revive the traditional games played before the digital phenomenon infiltrated our homes. Of course, computer games and other computer stuff is great - I mean you are reading this right? And I used my laptop to write it, so I certainly couldn't follow my dreams as easily without the web at my fingertips.

But getting outside is important, as is exercise and fun. A little exercise repays us with tons of energy and the fun factor needs no explanation at all.

Outdoor games

If you have a patio area in your garden, invest in a box of giant chalks and draw out a hopscotch game using paving slabs as squares if possible. If you've never played this great game, google it or check out the books listed below

Ball games, including simple throw and catch games for very small children are a great co-ordination exercise as well as being fun. Badmington, tennis and dodge ball are all possible in a reasonably large garden. If you really haven't got the space, take a trip to the park.

Seasonal Solutions:

Make the most of technology and take a camera on woodland walks. In the springtime, the wild violets, bluebells or daffodils that grow in your region can be captured on camera and then later turned into home-made greetings cards perhaps? Or frame your favourites and brighten up your kitchen with splashes of artistic family photography.

During the autumn or winter, there are often fallen branches or wild fungi that can be collected - the edible ones could even provide a family meal - but obviously not ALL fungi are edible so take a reliable identification source with you.

Small branches can be turned into Christmas decorations, and with a few fallen pine cones and a sprig of holly, they can make attractive table decorations.

Indoor Games

Pencil and paper games have long since gone out of fashion which is a shame as they really are a great educational tool as well as bringing the whole family together in some quality time. Try traditional battleship games played manually rather than on the PC or other electronic form. The exercise of creating your own playing board can be just as much fun as actually playing the game.

Misfits can be played with younger children; First draw a head and neck of any type of creature or even monster, at the top of a length of paper, fold over the paper to hide the picture and then pass to the next player. Then all players draw a body and arms underneath the neck, fold over and pass on. Then repeat, drawing legs and feet. Open them all up to find an assortment of weird and wonderful mixed up creatures. Young children love this game.

For more wonderful ideas on how to grow healthy kids and find the kid in you, read the book, Granny's Book Of Good Old Fashioned Common Sense available direct from Black & White Publishing and Amazon of course: .

 Granny's Book Of Good Old Fashioned Common Sense

 Direct from Amazon




 Or, for a digital input, this Kindle book has tons of great games for all the family...

Traditional Games: How to Have Fun off the Grid

Traditional Games: How to Have Fun off the Grid


Have Fun!

Linda x

Healthy Living in May

Just a quick note to let you know we've launched a brand new 'Healthy Living' magazine that you can read for FREE today, with some great ideas to feed your family on healthy foods. And you can find natural beauty ideas so you can avoid chemicals in your everyday products.

Fun and full of content, this first issue is short and sweet and will inspire you to live a healthier and wealthier lifestyle.

We've included ideas for kid's snacks and recipes for tea time treats and even a funny story that will make all parent's sigh!...

Read your copy here Healthy Living

Linda x

Summer Fun

There are tons of traditional games to keep the family occupied - with little or no cash. Bring our that inner kid and have fun this summer!
 The Kindle edition of  Traditional Games: How to Have Fun off the Grid is available to download now, just in time for summer. :-)


This is just one of the great games you will find in this fun book...

JACKS

One of my favourite games that seems to be making a comeback. The game can be played with small smooth stones or invest a few pennies and buy a set of jacks to get the most fun. The game is simple and can be played almost anywhere. If you are using small pebbles or anything similar, it’s easier to use a small ball for throwing. A ball can bounce, a pebble can’t!

So, you have five jacks and you gently throw them on the ground in front of you. Then you throw up the ball and, before you catch it, you must pick up one ‘jack’ and then catch the ball in the same hand. Here the ball is easier because you get a chance to catch the ball after it’s bounced once, giving you more time to select and pick up a jack.

If player is successful, they throw down the jack they picked up and then have to throw up the ball and pick up two ‘jacks’ and catch the ball in the same hand. And so on until all five jacks are picked up at once. If the player doesn’t catch the ball or drops a jack, the other player takes a turn.

This game can also be played by only one person. Try catching the jacks before the ball bounces, then increase the challenge by introducing more ‘jacks’.

Linda x

Ekokids Update

Hi everyone,

This is a quick update to let you know I've closed my home and garden website. 10 years and a labour of love, but I just don't have the time to keep it running anymore.

Some of the patterns on this blog may have links to the website so rather than finding yourself in some nebulous digital cloud (!) pop over to facebook and join me on the Ekokids page. Message me if you'd like to see the patterns available and we can sort out a way of getting them to you tout de suite :-)

The Ekokids on Facebook

Linda x

Halloween Dolls

I can't believe I forgot to mention this fantastic new pattern :-)

Start now and you will have an amazing halloween doll - or two - that will keep the kids entertained far longer than the bright orange pumpkin lollipops - and you won't need to visit the dentist either!

The Ekokid doll patterns are just £1.99 and can be accessed within minutes.

 Ekokid Doll Patterns

 
 Customized kits are available if you'd like all the stuff you need in one neat package. Inbox me on Facebook if you have any questions or would like to order a pattern or kit. The Ekokids on Facebook

The Ekokids are the new generation in environment friendly toys and can be made on a small budget. Don't forget that knitting burns calories and is completely incompatible with eating chocolate!

Top 10 Tips to Survive the Summer Vacation

without maxing out the credit card.....

Puppy dog eyes and constant whingeing is often all it takes to spend tons of cash. STOP! The most fun ways of entertaining the kids can still be found for free. Re-discover the inner child in you and find activities that encourage children to enjoy the moment and won't cost you a penny:

Inside Rainy Day Games

1. Target Practise

Or magazine destruction. Old magazines have great play value, apart from craft possibilities. Put a wastepaper basket in the middle of the room and each player tears out a page from a magazine, rolls it into a ball and throws it at the target. Simple! Just make sure you decide on the magazines to be destroyed before the children decide for you. This is a great game to encourage children to tidy up.

2. Skittles

Skittles is the home version of 10 pin bowling. If you don’t have a set of ‘pins’ or skittles, make them by putting a little sand in the bottom of empty water bottles or something similar. Don’t make them too heavy. Whatever you use must stand up on their own and not be too heavy to be knocked over.

This game can be played outside on an even surface. If playing indoors use a soft ball, a pom pom, rolled up newspaper or anything that rolls and doesn’t destroy the furniture!


3. Memory Game

You’ll need:

A tray,
A cloth that will cover the tray,
And 10-12 small everyday objects, eg, a pencil, notepad, stamp, coin etc;

Player looks at the tray for one minute then the tray is covered with the cloth. One object is secretly taken away and then the tray is revealed to the player, who then has to remember which object is missing. If they remember correctly, another object is taken away. Repeat until player is stuck or has remembered all objects correctly.


4. Dead Lions

All players except one lie down with their eyes closed and stay very still. The ‘hunter’ walks around the lions looking for signs of life. If he spots one of the ‘lions’ move, he taps that player and they are out of the game and must sit outside the play area and wait for the rest of the lions to be caught. The last lion is the winner.


5. I Went to Market

Players need to be of reading age or close enough to play this game. One player starts by saying one thing they bought at the market – that begins with the letter A. The next player declares something they bought with the letter B. This sounds fairly simple until you add the twist. This is an example of how the game should grow.

Player 1: “I went to market and I bought an apple”
Player 2: “I went to market and I bought an apple and a banana”
Player 3: “I went to market and I bought an apple, a banana and a cup”

You can see where this is going. The first player to forget one of the items drops out of the round. The players drop out as they forget the sequence and the last player remaining is the winner. You can play this game with any number of players, although it gets harder with more players because you don’t need to repeat the sequence so often.

Outside Activities

6. Twist and Tangle

This is an outdoor version of the game twister. Each player has their own die.  Using chalks, draw shapes on the ground in different colours. Number the shapes. Create two shapes of each number from 1-6. So you have at least twelve playing shapes.

Players throw their dice in turn and have to place one arm or one leg on one of the shapes representing the number they threw. You can decide on variations before you start. Either one limb has to move, or two, or even three perhaps? Not sure if this would work but maybe worth a try.

The game goes on until players are too tangled up to move! Or, if you want to add a little competition, eliminate players as they fall over or miss their target shape.


7. Rounders

Rounders is the game to play when there are lots of players with plenty of energy available! The official guidelines for playing rounders indicate that there should be at least seven players on each team, but you can adjust the game to suit the players.

You need a tennis ball sized ball, a bat and items to indicate the batting position, the bowling position and four bases. Don't use sticks as they can be dangerous if a child falls. However, to add a bit of interest, perhaps each ‘base’ could have a bell that has to be rung as a player reaches the base, or a tin lid to bang?

To play:

The bowler stands on the bowling spot and throws the ball to the batsman (positioned on the batting spot). The ball should be thrown underarm and aimed within reaching distance of the batsman. If the ball is way off course, it’s considered a no-ball and bowler throws again.

Whether the batsman hits or misses the ball, he must drop his bat and run to first base, making sure he touches the base or he may be called ‘out’. The player can be called ‘out’ if one of the fielders catches the ball cleanly before it touches the ground and after it has been hit. Or the player can be called ‘out’ if one of the fielders touches the base he’s running to with the ball, before he gets there.

If player manages to run to base two or three before the bowler has the ball back on the bowlers spot, he scores half a rounder. If he gets to base four it’s a whole rounder.


8. Skipping Games

Skipping on your own can be very satisfying. Competing with yourself and trying to beat the number of skips you’ve set yourself as a record is a sure way to keep you fit! Skip at different paces – Note here: if you haven’t skipped for a while, take it slowly and maybe do a few warm up exercises first.  Your calf muscles will shout at you otherwise!

Skipping races: Every player has their own rope and skips along a track as in a running race.

Three or more players with a long rope can have fun for hours. Two players hold either end of the rope and stand far enough apart so that when they turn the rope it just touches the ground. Practise turning for a while. When the rope is turning, the third player has to run in and jump the rope.


9. Piggy in the Middle

You need three players and a ball. All the players should be a similar height or this game doesn’t really work very well, unless allowances are made. Two players throw the ball to each other and the third player stands between them and tries to intercept the ball. If successful they swap places with the player who should have caught the ball. And so on….:-)


10. Go for a walk!  

 Simple but very effective - especially for burning off excess energy - Take a bag and collect fallen twigs, dried leaves and grasses - then when you get home, the children can make pictures from the items collected while you get on with the dinner!

Check out the new Ekokid halloween design here:  Ekokid Online Patterns  

Remember This Game?

Today you can grab a Kindle copy of 'Traditional Games: How to Have Fun off the Grid' totally FREE!

 Traditional Games: How to Have Fun off the Grid



This handy little book is packed with great ideas for games to play indoors or out, young or old. There are sitting down games for those of us who overdid Sunday lunch and some great fun outdoor games with lots of blasts from the past!

Do you remember this one?

What’s The Time Mr. Wolf?

This used to be a playground favourite. One player is the ‘wolf’ and faces a wall. All the other players stand in a line a fair distance behind him.

The players call out ‘what’s the time Mr. Wolf?’ and the ‘wolf’ calls out, for example, ‘1 o’clock’. The players then take one step towards the wolf.

They repeat ‘What’s the time Mr. Wolf?’ and the ‘wolf’ may call ‘It’s two o’clock’. The players take two further steps closer to the wolf.

The wolf doesn’t have to choose one o’clock then two o’clock etc; it can be totally random.

This goes on until the ‘wolf’ chooses when it’s teatime. After the players have called out ‘what’s the time?’ the wolf can say at any time ‘It’s teatime!’

As soon as he has, he chases the players, who all run away from the wolf, and the one he catches is the next wolf.

"Phew! Sounds hectic, but great fun :-)"

If you're still relaxing after Sunday lunch, the family dice game with scorecard will keep you amused :-) Traditional Games: How to Have Fun off the Grid

Don't miss this - no strings  attached.. BUT it's only free for today (Friday 14th June 2013). Download and enjoy!

Linda x