"AMAZING WAYS TO PLAY" CONTEST WINNERS!!

Dana Friedman and Lisa Murtha

1st Place- Indoor- "Pirate Map"

Winter is always challenging for playtime. The LI weather does not always allow for outside time that kids (and parents!) so desperately need! My boys are 4 and 6.5 and have high energy, and need to have that large muscle movement, especially in the winter. My husband and I came up with a game that keeps them energized, and requires only materials you have in the house, and a pencil and paper. My husband designs a pirate map using pencil and paper. We number the steps so it is easy for the kids to follow. At each station, there is an activity that they must complete to move on to the next station. We denote each station with a red construction paper X. The first station might be "build a fort using pillows and blankets to keep away the enemies!" The next station could be do 10 jumping jacks, 6 sit-ups and belly crawl across the living room to the next station. This station could say "Build a protective wall of stuffed animals to fend off the bad guys!" Next, the children are asked to find 5 tennis balls to use as ammunition (we hide tennis balls around the house). Then they are told to "Gather your strength and eat a healthy snack" (including putting plates and cups in the sink after the snack). We prepare a healthy snack of grapes and string cheese and put it in the fridge-easy for them to find! Next could be "Walk the plank" We set up a line in the playroom with blue painters tape and have them walk back and forth several times. The game always ends in a pillow fight with mom and dad as the "bad guys" This is a great way for the kids to have some indoor fun, use their map skills and use up some energy. It is a favorite in our house!!!

-Lisa Murtha, West Sayville



Lisa Murtha, Dana Friedman and Jamie Lyn Seevers

2nd Place - Indoor - "Spy Game"

I was so excited to hear about this website and to be able to share our favorite way to play at home! Ryan is two and a half and loves to talk about the environment around him! This can be an indoor or outdoor game and can be played anywhere! We do not need anything except our imaginations to play!!

It's called "I spy a great story!"

First you pick a spot in the house or outside (where ever you happen to be and can all see), such as something from the dining room table, or something in the backyard, etc.

Then one of us says, "We spy with our little eyes something great to tell a story about in the backyard!" (You would adjust for the age, but I make it something my 2.5 year old will be able to "spy" too!) Once he guesses, I make up a short little story about that object and make the people in the story our family and friends. Then he "spies" and tell his story! He LOVES to be part of the story and loves that he gets to pick something to tell a story about too. He usually ends up asking questions and learning something new and exciting!

We play it at least once day and it passes the time anywhere we are!!

-Jamie Lyn Seevers, Islandia


1st Place- Outdoor-"Obstacle Course"

We've seen it on Survivor but you don't need to be a TV producer to set one up yourself. One day in the backyard I decided to use all of the play gear we had laying around and set up an obstacle course to get the kids playing together and exercising. I assigned several stations: a jump rope they had to jump ten times, a pile of assorted balls they had to carry across the yard and dump into a bucket, a tricycle they had to ride in a slalom up and down the driveway, a pile of logs they had to climb over and a row of chairs they needed to crawl under. They used lacrosse sticks to scoop up a ball and carry it 15 feet. They had to putt a golf ball into a cup and shoot a basketball into the hoop. The most fun part for me was to get creative in setting up the course. And I found it satisfying to see some of the neglected sports equipment actually getting used. The kids had a terrific time running through it and timing themselves with a stop watch. They even invited some neighbors over to play, too. They set up teams and relays and then came up with their own variations on the challenges. This game is simple because almost anything can become part of the course and age-appropriate variations are easy to include (score as many baskets as your age or grade in school, etc.). A scaled down version of it can be played indoors-crawl under the dining room table and weave around the kitchen chairs, etc.-when the weather is bad and the kids need some active playtime

-Tricia Medved, Mineola



Kerri Lawrence and Ana Salgado

2nd Place- Outdoor- "Walk Around the Block"

My grandson and I have our way to play. We called it "Walk around the block" (he will pick the block he wants to walk around: the right block or the left block) or it could be a "walk in or to the park" or a "walk on the path" or a "walk on the beach."

A walk with my grandson is a fun time guaranteed. It brings us the opportunity to talk and play. When Brandon was younger we walked to the park. I noticed that this activity was an opportunity to create games too. During our walk different subjects came out, such as:

• Recognize the numbers" on the mail boxes or the number of stones in the street. This gave me the chance to praise him for the numbers he got right!
• "Walk on the ridges" began as I held his hand, but now he is able to keep his balance without assistance.
• "Skip the lines" would occur as we walked. We skip lines of the sidewalk, but if you miss or if you do it differently you "lose".
• "Tag" running for short periods of time. This means taking "time off" (requested either from him or me). Our streets are very quiet. We always stop running if a car is coming. By practicing he learned to always look both ways before crossing the street. He also learned the meaning of the stop sign.
• "Look at the lawn decorations" (Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July and Halloween) and talk about the holidays.
• "Talk about the spring." The fact that every house has different flowers blooming brought us something to talk about. This included birds, nests, squirrels (death and alive), dogs (inside the homes or walking ones), spider webs, etc.

One Sunday our walk focused on "sounds": while walking we listening to the waves crashing n the rocks, an airplane, a helicopter, the birds singing, the dog barking, a car, a truck. I asked Brandon to guess if the sound came from something big or small, far or close. Another day we went to the beach. Closer to the sand and found fingerprints. We played "detective" trying to figure out who did the prints in the sand. We found dog prints, and of course there was people's prints (what happened?) somebody was walking a dog. Big dog or small dog. We also found little prints, maybe cat's prints, and then bird prints making up stories of what may have happened we had a lot of fun.

To my surprise one day at home he asked me for scrap paper to draw on. He asked me if I was able to guess the name of the animal by the "prints", Brandon drew the prints and I guessed. This game made me think about how much he was impressed by what we found during our "walks around the town and the block."

-Ana Salgado, Sea Cliff