When I was a child, rainy days could really dampen playtime for my friends and I because we aren’t allowed to go outside. Playing indoors is boring. But since kids today enjoy a lot of gadgets at home, they probably won’t notice anything different.

However, it’s not a good idea to let children be playing with video games all the time. Sometimes you have to also initiate other activities. On rainy days, it can be challenging but here are some ideas to make playing indoors fun, and without the use of any portable technology.

1. Baking

Parents don’t usually allow kids to be in the kitchen because they may hurt themselves. But with an adult’s help, you can spend the day baking cookie doughs or going for the more ambitious like baking pasta or fish meals. Kids enjoy measuring and doing something with their hands, such as kneading. And I’m sure they will love it more if they see the fruits of their labor — and realize that it tastes really good.

2. Arts and Crafts

Don’t do the usual coloring, cutting and pasting as children do these a lot in school and may now feel like a chore, instead of a fun thing to do. Be creative. This is playtime, so have fun with your ideas. I’m thinking shaving creams mixed with tubed watercolors can be fun. They don’t have to create masterpieces. The idea is to have something that will keep them busy and entertained.

3. Have A Game Of Cards

This one always works with my kids and their game of choice is Go Fish! We make it interesting by placing bets. And we use pebbles for our bets. The more pebbles earned at the end of the game, and the winner gets a prize from Mom or Dad.

My eight year old niece has expressed interest for learning to play the guitar. No one in her immediate family or extended family is musically inclined and this was something that her parents were quite hesitant to follow through, believing that it might just be phase. The child may outgrow the desire and expenses for buying a guitar and taking lessons will all go to waste.

However, my niece was persistent. All through last year, she took lessons and fortunately, has truly learned to love the art of guitar playing.

Today, she performs actively in a small crowd. In school, during family gatherings, she obliges everyone with her music. I see my niece growing from a shy little child to a confident young lady who really loves what she is doing. Even when no one in her family can play with her she is getting so much support from their encouragement and from constantly asking to listen to her music.

The guitar playing did wonders for her, that it also became a good influence in the way she does her school work. She is more inspired I guess, and her mother recently told me that she has gotten straight A’s.

She has also become more confident among peers. It seems that finding what she’s capable of doing and nurturing this, has boosted her self-esteem.

The other day, I found her teaching some of her friends the basic of guitars and I was really so proud of the way she carried herself and became the “teacher” this time. All these happened, because she chose to pursue what she really loved doing!

I promised I’d keep everyone informed on this, so I wanted to check in.  I’m sure you’ve heard by now that the World Health Organization has upgraded the alert status for H1N1 Influenza to 5 (out of 6).  What that means is that H1N1, which we call Swine Flu, is in danger of becoming a pandemic.  A pandemic is a disease which spreads to many or most countries on the globe. 

I said it before and I’ll say it again.  Do not panic.  The numbers of those who’ve fallen ill from this are extremely low, even if it has spread beyond the borders of Mexico into several other countries.  Yes, it should be taken seriously, but a lot of the fear we feel is manufactured by the media; don’t let the constant repetition ratchet up your anxiety level. 

H1N1 is comparable to any other type of flu that humans can get; the big difference is that we haven’t built up much of an immunity to this particular strain.  However, it presents like any other flu and is treated like any other flu. 

Here’s what the CDC says the symptoms of Swine Flu are:

The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. 

Just like regular flu, right?  Of course, regular flu is no walk in the park, and the same people who are most at risk for that illness are at risk for this one, namely, the elderly, small children, and those whose health is already compromised. 

Just remember, wash your hands and make your kids wash their hands often, and if anyone in the family exhibits any of those symptoms, they should stay home.  Don’t risk going to work or school if you’re feeling bad. 

And remember, again…this is not a pandemic and we can help prevent it.  Don’t panic.

Image from cnbc.com

I don’t think that kids are any worse nowadays than they were when I was a kid or my grandparents were kids (parents and parenting may be worse, but that’s another post).  So, I don’t think they’re more inclined to cheat.

But I do think they maybe define cheating differently than adults do.

I found a great site for tween girls, called It’s My Life, which discusses a lot of cool stuff, but one thing on there is cheating.  While they do allow kids to give their input, they also offer some pretty clear guidelines about cheating.  I like that–kids’ experiences should matter, but not at the expense of teaching them right from wrong. 

Here are a few of the things IML says about cheating:

• It applies to all of your homework–not just tests!
• It applies to all tests and quizzes, too, even if the teacher steps out of the room.
• It can even apply to group projects, if not everyone carries their fair share or  you use resources your teacher didn’t approve.

Then it has a section that says these things are cheating:

• writing out answers beforehand
• letting someone else do your work
• doing someone else’s work
• copying out of a book (my college students are still working on this concept)
• copying on a test or letting someone else copy you

Kids know when they’re cheating.  The big clue is for them simply to ask, “Do I mind if my teacher or parent sees me doing this?”  If you don’t want them to know, you’re cheating.  If you weren’t cheating, you wouldn’t have anything to hide.

And parents and teachers…get with the times.  Watch out for that cell phone, laptop, bluetooth, Blackberry, etc.  You might not have figured out all the possibilities,  but they sure have.