keeping kids creatively occupied

Q. Its summer! There's no school. How do I keep my kids occupied?
A. Camping and competing with other kids is fun, though kids should feel a sense of achievement even if they don't win. Focus on participation and competing with their own best performance. This leaves space for better team play.

If you're at home with them, you don't need to send them from one class to another. Childproof your house or a single room and let them run free. Cleaning up can be done at the end of the day after the fun is over.

Ages 2-8

Make a playdough with 1 cup of wheat flour kneaded with 1/4 cup of salt and some water. Your kids can sit on the floor or at a table with appropriate tools around them. No sharp instruments in case they get into a fight.

Tools - wooden spatulas, holey spoons, blunt roounded butter knives, small unbreakable bowls, wooden rolling pin, cookie cutters.

First distribute the playdough equally to all the kids - be fair (they'll imitate you.) Then show them how to roll out the dough, or just roll a long snake with fingers outstretched. Now use the cookie cutters and holey spoons and butter knives to chop it into fine pieces or different shapes. Put these into separate bowls - they can later pretend to cook with pretend kitchen stuff. Make a Smiley face by rolling out the dough and cutting a circle with a lid. Then dig in the eyes and mouth with the back of a pencil.

The dough can be stored in a plastic bag or container in the fridge for another day. You can even leave it to dry in the sun and paint it later. My daughter made a lovely tortoise and painted its shell in many colors.

If there's more than one child, try to give the same tools to each child so there's no grabbing. They can learn to share after they have a taste of the fun. Don't worry if your 2 year old puts the dough in the mouth - its too salty to taste good.