Family Fun

Family Vacation Jar
A family vacation jar (or box) is a decorated jar used to save for the next big adventure.Whether it's a family trip or a visit to the local ice cream store, decorate the jar with pictures and words of what your saving for and the jar becomes a daily visual reminder of your dreams. Encourage everyone in the family to place any spare change in the jar and before long you will have enough for your special treat!

Friday Fun

Fun with Gas - Make Carbon Dioxide to Blow up a Balloon

Materials
Balloons
Small funnel or a small piece of paper rolled up in a funnel shape
Baking soda
Vinegar
Small clean empty bottle

Directions
Using the funnel, add 3 teaspoons of baking soda to each balloon. Fill each bottle 1/3 full with vinegar. Without dropping in the baking soda, fit the balloon over the bottle opening. Hold up the balloon and let the baking soda fall into the vinegar. Watch as the baking soda mixes with the vinegar to make carbon dioxide gas and blow up the balloon.

What's Going On?
The vinegar mixes with the baking soda to create a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide gas. The gas then blows up the balloon. This is a fun rainy day experiment for the whole family!

Parent Tip

Fit Generation: 6 Fun Ways to Sneak in Exercise

By Shaun Dreisbach, Parenting

1. Hit the playground! "It's honestly better -- and far more fun -- than any gym," says Stefko. The monkey bars and mini-rock wall build upper-body muscle. Jumping off the climbing structures boosts bone density and leg strength. Heck, even the swings can be a good core workout. It's like an outside circuit course.


2. Play a game. Kick-ball, tag, jumping rope, wheelbarrow races -- they're classics that absolutely count toward your child's daily activity requirement. For younger kids, try Move Like an Animal (it's a huge hit with the children Stefko works with). Call out the name of a critter and challenge your child to mimic the way it moves: hop like a frog, balance on one leg like a flamingo, stretch like a cat, and so on.


3. Do fun chores, like washing the car (and getting soaked and soapy in the process) or planting the garden -- it all counts toward 60 minutes of activity a day!


4. Check out a class. Take your child to an open gym at the local gymnastics center and let her try out the equipment, or head to the indoor climbing wall or skate park for a lesson. One-offs like this are good because they let your kid try out a bunch of different activities to see what she likes best -- without the time and money commitment of full-on, three-days-a-week lessons (which your child may end up hating).


5. Use people power. Ditch the car and walk or bike when you can. Pedal to the pool, playground, or pizza shop, and trek the mile to school on foot.


6. Inspire her. "Bring your kid to a sporting event -- a Major League Baseball game or a high school volleyball match -- so she can see and be motivated by the athletes," suggests Stefko. Before or after the game, kick around a ball together, shoot baskets, or play a little backyard volleyball.