Search Results for: blog games in the dark

Fun in the Dark

Surviving in a home without electricity or heat for days on end is no laughing matter. Unfortunately, that’s the scenario hundreds of thousands of residents battered by Superstorm Sandy are experiencing right now. Their misery is far from fun, still that’s not stopping relief workers from trying to make life a bit better for the youngest victims. Last night, I saw a piece on CNN that showed volunteers providing kids affected by the storm with games, toys and crafts that they could play with despite their homes being without power. The effort was designed to create a momentary distraction for … Continue reading →

Fun in the Dark

Not that kind of fun… As of this writing, nearly four million residents living along the East Coast of the United States are without power right now thanks to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene. NBC News showed families in North Carolina cooking on an open fire in their backyards because they were still without electricity more than 24 hours after Irene made landfall. Despite the fact that these particular families had no power, they seemed remarkably upbeat. One mom commented that her four children were getting a bit stir crazy minus the lack of television, video games and movies. Still, there is … Continue reading →

Earth Hour – Fun in the Dark

Tonight, March 29, 2008 is the second annual Earth Hour, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund. The idea behind this hour is to raise awareness of steps we can all do to fight climate change. It’s an international event. The idea is simple, turn off your lights at 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. your local time. Turn off those computers. You can leave on security lights, the fridge and the heat! Millions of people around the globe are participating. If you go to do a Google search today, you’ll see even they have “turned off the lights”. This hour is … Continue reading →

Playing Computer and Video Games Together

My daughters have been teaching me how to play SIMS 2 on the computer. We had a dreadfully wet and rainy weekend this past weekend–nonstop downpours with dark clouds and blustery leaves. No one wanted to go outside even to get a jug of milk. So once we’d watched all the movies, my almost-eighteen-year-old got out the computer games and the three of us built our homes and families and I struggled along to learn how to play. By all practical standards, we might all three be considered “too old” for such activities. I have certainly never been one to … Continue reading →

Children’s Fitness: New Global Health Threat in the Form of Video Games?

I’ve talked about World of Warcraft here before and I’ve addressed problems from concerned parents about the amount of time their kids spend playing video games versus how much time they spend on physical activities. Today, I want to take this discussion a bit further and I have my own personal reasons for maintaining my level of concern and this concern is something that I am working on here in my own family. My seven-year-old nephew loves to play this game and plays it at his father’s house a great deal. We can limit his game time when he is … Continue reading →

Games in the Dark

“Because the night belongs to us…” Okay, I am starting this post with a fairly cheesy song lyric but it seems to fit the theme here, which is essentially that there is much family fun to be had sans lighting and minus the sun. The good times definitely don’t need to come to a close just because the sun has decided to lay on the beach in Hawaii and pay a visit to Asia. Because the night offers so many unique and exclusive games, you may very well be tempted to close the blinds and vanquish the artificial light on … Continue reading →

Teaching Internet Safety via Games

As more and more children spend time on the internet, it is important they understand about safety. Between companies trying to make offers tempting to young minds and predators lurking in dark (and sometimes bright) corners, we need to do everything possible to teach them safety. Today, game manufacturers are getting in on the game plan by putting together games that help with internet safety. I wanted to tell you about two specific games designed for this very purpose, both excellent. The first is a game called Privacy Playground: The First Adventure of the Three Little CyperPigs. This particular game … Continue reading →

Kids Frugal Entertainment: Travel Games For Anywhere

Many people travel during the holiday season. By car, by bus, by train, by plane. Regardless of how you go, you are stuck “inside” something until you reach your destination. I consider that a place to entertain children indoors. Oddly enough, we’ve carried these travel games to our kitchen table, to our living room on family night and even at bedtime we sometimes play a game. We aren’t traveling this holiday season, but many times even just for a trip to the mall or somewhere else in the car we play these games. The best part? They cost nothing, are … Continue reading →

What to Know about the Glow

Glow sticks are extremely popular this time of year.  You can find kids sporting them at summer fireworks shows, evening baseball games, backyard barbeques and during bike rides at dusk.  My 8-year-old loves to bend them into bracelets, necklaces and headbands and wear them while we stroll along the beach after sunset. While I’m game for the glow, other parents are not as thrilled to see their kids playing with the popular, yet potentially poisonous neon sticks.  Many moms and dads question the contents of glow sticks.  After all, if the liquid inside the sticks can make plastic light up like … Continue reading →

Simple Summer Fun

After an extended school year, brought about by using too many snow days in the winter, classes are officially over for kids in my neck of the woods. And by woods, I mean fenced in backyards where parents can let their kids roam free before cabin fever sets in. If you are looking for simple projects to keep your kids entertained during the endless days of summer, consider the following: Fluorescent Slime Materials: Glow-in-the-dark paint Elmer’s glue gel Borax Hot water Directions: Combine one cup of hot water with a cup of Borax.  Stir until the Borax won’t dissolve anymore. … Continue reading →