5 ways to avoid the arsenic hour
At the end of the day, around the time you want to cook dinner, everyone seems to go a little crazy. The kids are hungry for food, hungry for attention, hungry for something interesting to do. It's a wonder anyone eats a home-cooked meal anymore.
Authors Steve and Ruth Bennett don't want you to resort to plugging the kids into the TV and computer every time. In 365 Unplugged Family Fun Activities, they have these suggestions, and more:
* Kitchen floor shuffleboard: Get the lids to unused Tupperware. Have the kids compete to see who can slide theirs the farthest. See who can aim at a specific tile. See who can line up several in a row.
* Play "What borders this state." For example, pick a state and ask your child to tell you what the borders are. Or make it multiple choice: "Which state doesn't border Texas: Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas or Arizona?"
* Draw a menu. Give your child art supplies and then have him or her interview you about tonight's meal. Ask them to draw what they'd like the menu to look like if they were at a restaurant. If they want to throw in pictures of the food or a maze (for a kids' menu), all the better.