Falling in Love with your Family by Alison
In most parts of the country, the nights are getting colder, and the days are getting shorter. Way, way, shorter. It seems like the sun sets before dinner is cleaned up! I’m a bit of a summer time girl myself and tend to get blue when days are grey. So this winter, I am bringing an old friend back to visit…recess! A poem I recently heard by a fabulous slam poetry champion, Kealoha, has inspired me to combat the cold-weather blues with a daily dose of happiness and family fun in 15 minute packages. Here’s an excerpt from his poem Recess:
Remember the days when we used to play
On the playground everyday?
What was that thing we took?
Recess!!
Yeah that’s right, recess…
15 minutes of sheer madness
15 minutes of running around
Getting down with all of your friends until the bell sounded
That inevitable bell
That wrought the well of time dry
And I
Remember those days so vividly
Licking Jell-O instant pudding
Off of our hands
Making forts out of sand
And doing everything you can to just play
When’s the last time you took 15 minutes out of your day
To just run around and play?
. . . .
And now I see
The masses of our generations falling
Into the trap of daily routine
That unceasing monotony plaguing our society
And I be
Resisting
You see I don’t deal well with monotony
When did watching T.V. ever become an activity?
Letting time pass performing passive viewing
Watching someone else do something we’re not actually doing
Recessing through the eyes of someone else’s 15 minutes of fame
When we could be out living our own 15 minutes of game…
Remember the days when we used to play
On the playground everyday?
What was that thing we took?
Recess…
(www.kealohapoetry.com)
Bring back recess! This winter and beyond, I’m committing myself to spending 15 minutes at the end of every day having “recess” with my kids. I’ll start a quick game of indoor volleyball instead of coveting someone else’s project on Pinterest. I’ll call out a handstand contest instead of checking my email. And instead of sweeping the floor, maybe I’ll make some pudding and lick it off my hands with my kids.
So, let’s do a group brainstorm! What are some good indoor activities? What are fun, thrifty, and easy family activities you can do in just 15 minutes? It’s time for recess!
Tickle time is always been a fave here. Just stay away from the metal bed frame!!
On the few cold days we’ve had so far we have made s’mores with our fire place and played family board games. We also build forts with blankets and chairs. Our kids also like to play hide and go seek in the dark with flashlights in the house. Fun, Fun, Fun with the family!
We take masking tape and map out an obstacle course on the carpet. Jump on the x, spin around on the O, zig zag around the lines, etc. then we take turns picking what we do at each station. And even time ourselves doing it. Then at the end, the masking tape peals up and we sometimes even use the masking tape to pick up any lint on the floor!
Yesterday the kids started writing a Christmas play to put on with their cousins