Muscatine

Not to buy toys for your kids made in China. If they don't try to poison our kids with lead they make toys that contain the same chemical found in the date rape drug.

Whatever happend to just giving kids a big empty box and letting them use their imagination?

I heard a commerical on the radio the other day and the parents where asking what they could get for their kids that they don't have to worry about lead and the kid says video games.

I think that parents resort to video games and t.v. as a babysitter. I will admit I WAS one of those parents, we live in an apartment, and my son just goes right to the tv or to his video games. I seen how much weight he was gaining and how lazy he was becoming. I have now limited his video game playing to a total of 4 hours a week, how and when he uses those 4 hours is up to him, but once they are used that is it. I have done the same with t.v. Since I have done this he is not as lazy. We walk together more, we go to the park more. We play board games at home in the evening together instead of watching tv. We talk to eachother more. I didn't realize that I was missing out on my kids so much until I started doing this.

So that raises my question for you all. What do you do that is FUN with your kids? *oh and he loves large empty boxes, more so when I get down and play too.*

Well-

It's been a long time since my kids were young-uns but, we only had a small B&W TV. Got 3 channels if the wind was right. I made sure my kids all had bikes. Took 'em fishing. Took boys hunting when they got old 'nuff. Taught one daughter to shoot 'cause she wanted to. Went to movies when we could afford it. Ate out on pay days. Went on lots of rides. My kids were familiar with all the streets and country roads around here. They were familiar with the library too. Still are. Played board games. Built models. Didn't need electronics to entertain us then, still don't.

I grew up on board games.

Spent many hours with my parents and sisters playing board games. Remember going to Grandma's and playing crazy eights and spoons. What some great memories. Board games are a fun way to learn things too. They can be educational. Like you Aussie, I am not a big proponent of video games or letting the TV babysit. In my opinion what kids need more of is parents interaction. Play with your kids, get involved with their intrests. That can make a big difference in a kids life.

depends on the age of your kids

Of course we have video games, computer, etc, and now we can't seem to separate her from her cell phone, but when my daughter was small, she loved to color and paint. Nothing beats a huge box of crayons, some chalk, paint, and a roll of freezer paper and some coloring books. Who needs wallpaper when you have little ones? :)

She was always into making stuff more than playing games.

But...when she was in grade-school, we taught her multiplication playing Yahtzee long before they taught it to her in school.

'course, she's almost 16 now, so all this is just a memory now.

Aussielee, I love the empty box thing...we have made more playhouses in our lifetime than I care to remember, but it's great fun!

One of my daughter's favorite things to do (before she became a teen and found that parents are lame and boring)...was to build a fort or tent in the living room and camp out watching movies all night. We dragged every chair, pole, and blanket we owned out. I spent many uncomfortable nights sleeping on the living room floor, but I wouldn't trade a minute of it! Even now, we sometimes both sleep in the living room and have a girl night watching chick flicks and eating lots of really buttery popcorn.

Dang, they grow up too fast!

Lil