WFMW: The long jump
Have kids? Check
Have Christmas cookies? Check
Have cold weather? Check
Have kids eating more sugar than normal and cooped up inside because of cold weather? Check.Check.Check.
One day when we were doing school I decided to see how far the boys can jump, just for fun. They loved it. No, actually they LOVED it! Now they beg for me to mark off a jump for them again. It’s the perfect way to encourage energy release without simply doing something mundane like running stairs.
All you need is painters tape and a yardstick or some other way to measure. A hallway works fabulously, but any open space will do. I marked off a long starting line and then one foot increments off to the side. If the tape is on carpet and they land on it, the tape tends to work it’s way loose. When it’s beside them, they can still easily count how far they’ve jumped.
We all three ran and jumped because it was just that much fun. Those crazy boys can out-jump me already!
Tell me something your children like to do when they’re cooped up inside and then go have some fun!
My 3 yr. old loves play doh , and they all love to take cushions off the couch and jump away 🙂 Merry Christmas!
Jumping is definitely a love here. Couch cushions off and practicing somersaults on the couch. Check.:)
My children hunker down with their Lego sets. Your boys look like quit the athlete’s!
I love when they play legos. They’ve lost the love at the moment because they have to sit at the table to do it so Zara can’t reach the tiny pieces. Somehow not being on the floor killed their lego joy temporarily.
That is simply brilliant.
That’s a fun idea, and your boys have some awesome jumps. Seeing that pillow in the background reminds me that I’d like to see a picture of the whole area down there with the new pillows. 🙂
Did I never send you pictures? Shame, shame! It’s so light and airy down there you can almost forget you’re in a basement. We love it!
great idea. We use painters tape and make circles or square of random size and placement in the living room. Then a line where they stand behind and throw bean bags to see which hole they can reach. Each hole is assigned certain points…. 5, 10, 20, 100! We will certainly be using your idea! That’ll get rid of more energy too! =) Merry Christmas!
I love this idea, Carmen! Such great aiming practice, too! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Ummmm……riding down the stairs on couch cushions or sleeping bags. Southern sledding, I guess. Secret mailman, where they give each other notes and little gifts. Target practice with rubber band guns and toy farm animals. You can tell I have boys. 🙂
I forgot about zooming down the steps until your belly is sore. We girls used to do that. The boys will love it. 🙂 Target practice with rubberbands happens here, too …. although on each other almost as much as on the toy animals. 😉
We play ping-pong on the kitchen table. I found some mini paddles somewhere and we use those. Such fun. 🙂
We’ll have to try this long jump. My kids would love it.
Now that sounds like FUN!