As a kid one of my favorite things to do was to pour over various Make and Do books which were so prevalent in those days. They were full of crafts and recipes and games and ideas for filling up the days with fun and creativity.
As an adult, those books are still some of my favorites and I have a wide collection of various tomes from the 50s, 60s and 70s that I have picked up over the years at thrift stores and book sales. I pick them off the shelves at various times of year and leave them scattered about the house just waiting for some passerby (read: one of my four children or me) to pick one up, peruse its pages and get inspired. In these books there is truly something for everyone.
I have often wondered why there wasn’t a modern day equivalent to these books. Books that are timeless in their content and ageless in their target market.
And then Suz Lipman of Slow Family Online sent me a copy of her new book; Fed Up With Frenzy; Slow Down. Reconnect. It’s easier than you think.
It is a beautiful Make and Do book for families with a focus on slowing down and finding family connection within the tasks and activities.
It is full of thoughtful suggestions for living family life, games and crafts and garden activities. It has ideas for rituals and kitchen projects and family celebrations. And if you leave it out on the table in your house I guarantee someone will get inspired to create something magical that will surely spur your family onto feeling more joy and more connection.
I received my copy shortly before our big family road trip and tucked it in my travel bag. A few hundred miles in I pulled it out and went right to the Travel Games section. It is full of games to play in the car – some I remembered from my own youth, and others that were new to me or offered a twist I never thought of. For the rest of the trip, each time we needed inspiration we pulled out the book in search of what to do next. We took turns flipping through the pages finding ideas for things to do or just reading along for future plans and projects.
Now home I’m excited to dive into some of the kitchen projects with my kids – crafts and fun science projects. We’ll leave this one out on the table for months I’m sure and turn to it each time we need simple inspiration or ideas for things to do together or just a good read on a lazy afternoon.
This is the book of Make and Do but it is so much more than that. It will give you ideas for things to do with your kids. Ways to add more beauty to your home and your yard and the community at large. It will remind you that the road to connection is paved with simple things – things all within our grasp. You should totally get a copy and display it prominently so that each time your seeking ways to reconnect, you’ll find it here in these pages.
Thanks to the author I’ve got one copy to giveaway which I’ll be doing next Wednesday on my site. Leave a comment here and tell me what was the last project or activity your family did together or what one you’ve got planned for the near future.
16 Comments to 'Fed Up with Frenzy? Things to Make and Do.'
August 9, 2012
We played a hilarious game of “Would you Rather…” on our road trip a couple weeks ago. (Thanks for all the advice on that, BTW!)
Now that we’re at the beach, I’ve got a scavenger hunt up my sleeve. But they’ve been so busy just playing that we haven’t been at loose ends yet.
Yay for slow vacations!
August 9, 2012
We do family reading a couple of nights a week, have played Charades for kids and spent two afternoons gardening together this last week.
August 9, 2012
Yes yes yes! Love what this book is all about.
And I love you, Bern!
August 9, 2012
The PERFECT book to start the school year off with our priorities right. Thanks for sharing….
August 9, 2012
We live in the pacific northwest where it’s often wet and gloomy. My 3.5 yr old and I have taken to going on rock hunts, bringing a few beauties back to the house where we spend time painting them brilliant, bright colors. After they dry, we return them to our garden or yard as a way to brighten the winter days.
I’m excited to read this book…thanks for sharing!
August 10, 2012
We cook together and especially like to bring out old family traditional Bulgarian recipes! We’d live this book to get some more ideas for family time.
August 10, 2012
We keep a family journal by the dining table and as often as we’re inspired (usually at least a couple of times a week), we take turns telling each other our favorite things from the day and/or something we’re grateful for and these things are written down in the journal. After dinner, the kids like to take turns drawing pictures in it. I love this little book!
August 10, 2012
I love this idea. We have a book that I keep for each of the kids but I love the idea of a family book.
So perfect.
August 10, 2012
We love to cook together. My kids sit on the counter, add ingredients, and help stir. My three-year-old is already an expert at cracking eggs. Their favorite part is licking the spoons and bowls, of course!
August 10, 2012
We like to go on “Adventure walks”–my kids came up with that name–through the woods and trails near our house. Sometimes we’re looking for stuff (animal prints, acorns), sometimes we’re listening for stuff but we always enjoy the time together out of the house.
August 10, 2012
We went to an air show with the Blue Angels! This book sounds great!
August 10, 2012
LOVE the intent here! Right up our alley, as we try to cook together, eat together and encourage others to do the same
August 10, 2012
We cook together quite a bit. Seems like there’s always a Lego model in progress, too. Most of those require a little help from everyone to come together just so.
August 10, 2012
We used painters tape on our hardwood floors and created a shuffle board court! Then we used our swiffer to whack the round lid of an oatmeal container and voila! It’s like we were on a cruise playing on the Aledo deck! I think the kids were most impressed that we actually own a swiffer….I never clean.:)
August 13, 2012
We made a water balloon catapult with 2 empty milk containers, a yard stick, a rubberband, duct tape, and a plastic bowl from the recycle bin. It was great fun to launch the balloons at one another, including grandpa and grandma, on a hot summer day. Credits go to the Museum of Science and Industry and their summer brain games suggestions for at home family activity projects. Baking soda and vinegar rockets are next!
August 13, 2012
We have been finding things around the house to re-purpose into garden art, bird baths, etc. And we’ve created a new way to play Guess Who where instead of using the games’ characters we use friends and family members as our subjects. The best part is the reveal of the portrait that has been drawn of each person!
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