Family

Growing up, you might have played many different backyard games, but these days a lot of kids tend to hang out inside, playing video games, staring at the TV, or their phones. One study, published in JAMA Pediatrics revealed that nearly half of preschoolers lacked even one parent-supervised outdoor play session a day. On average those aged 10 to 16 spent just 12.6 minutes per day on vigorous outdoor activity.

Getting outside is not only fun, it also brings a wealth of health benefits. Whether you just purchased one of the Los Angeles homes for sale or you’ve lived in your home for years, the backyard can be your ideal oasis for doing things like running, jumping, and catching that provide important aerobic exercise while helping your kids build motor skills. They’ll burn calories, which helps to prevent obesity and strengthen their bones and muscles too. Plus, getting outside in the sunshine helps strengthen the immune system and even boosts happiness levels.

With that said, there are some backyard games that are fun for both kids and adults to play, perhaps even bringing back some fun memories at the same time. The whole family can reap the benefits and have a good time together.

Cornhole

Cornhole is a classic game, essentially a beanbag toss with the goal to toss the beanbag into the hole. All you need are eight to 10 bean bags and two pieces of plywood that are tilted at an angle on opposite ends. As the object is to toss the bean bags through the holes, you’ll want to cut a single hole through each piece of plywood, closer to the higher end. You can also buy a cornhole set at most toy stores or online. A customizable set provides even more fun as the kids can decorate their platforms. It also means a variety of ages can play the game simply by lowering or raising the difficulty level by changing the distance between the platforms or increasing the angle.

Freeze Tag

Similar to the original Tag game, this one varies in that the players who are tagged have to stay just as they are, standing in place as if they’re “frozen” until they’re “unfrozen.” You need to have at least three people to play, but the more, the better, making it ideal for larger groups. One person is “It” and has the responsibility of catching others. When “It” tags another player, that person is then “frozen” and can only be unfrozen if another active player tags him again. There are lots of variations on the game, like Freeze ‘TV’ Tag. In this version, to unfreeze someone you have to shout out the name of a TV show when you tag them. If you name one that’s already been called, you’re then frozen too. It can be played using just about anything, like animal names, cartoon characters, books, and so on.

Nine Pin

Nine Pin is a bowling game, only you don’t need a bowling ball or official pins. It dates back thousands of years, yet it’s still a fun backyard game today. It’s like bowling, so if you’ve ever bowled before you already know how to play, the only difference is you’ll use nine pins rather than 10. They can be anything from 2-liter soda bottles to empty milk cartons, just set them up in a diamond shape. You’ll also need a plastic ball heavy enough to knock them over. The rules are simple, a point for every pin knocked down and the player with the most points at the end wins.

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When was the last time you got to surprise your parents with a gift delivery or spent a whole day with them? Well, you can’t recall because it’s been long. Due to the mundane life that we all live, at times, it becomes challenging to make time for those who matter to us. And often or not, we take the love of our parents for granted. Isn’t it? It’s never too late to realize and make up for your mistakes.

Here are the 10 ways in which you can pleasantly surprise your parents.

1. Write Letters To Them: In the age of smartphones, write to your parents love letters for the unmatched nostalgia. Nothing compares to the feeling of receiving handwritten letters, till date, it is the most prized possession for most of them, including your parents. You can enclose the letters in envelopes and seal them with a love stamp, or you can send a letter along with a bunch of fresh flowers or gifts.

2. Cook For Them: There is an old saying, “ family that eats together, stays together.” Make this come alive by cooking lunch or dinner for your parents and enjoying it together. It is also one of the best ways to bond and spend some quality time with each other. For the dessert, you can order cake online in the flavour most relished by your parents to end on a sweet note.

3. Call Them Once a Week: If you are living far away from your parents, make sure you call them at least once a week. Take advantage of technology and make your parents feel that you are still close to them while being far away. Over the call, you can show your mom the new collection you just bought, or you can learn from your dad gardening tips, etc.

4. Go With Them To A Trip: A change of weather and location is the natural way to refresh and rejuvenate. It would also give you a chance to unwind from the monotonous life. Take a road trip to a nearby place or go to the mountains to chill.

5. Surprise Them with Gifts: You need not wait for an occasion to send gifts to your parents. They are your parents, and you can pamper them any moment you feel like. So, schedule a gift delivery to your parents home and make them smile from ear to ear. Go for personalized gifts to evoke beautiful memories.

6. Make A Surprise Visit To Them: Leave them open-mouth by making a surprise visit to them on the weekend. They would love it to the core. Spend a whole weekend with them, talk to them, lend your helping hand to your mother in the kitchen, and enjoy a sweet family gathering.

7. Throw Them A Party: Yes! Throw an intimate party by calling your parents and their friends home. Let them have fun and relive their golden days. Organize for snacks and drinks. Include some fun games like Tambola, musical chair, passing the parcel, etc. for cheery vibes.

8. Pamper Them With Spa Day: Parents often forget to take care of themselves. So, book a spa appointment for them, and help them to relax and recharge. Book a couple spa for them so that they can spend some cozy time with each other.

9 Help Them With Their Work: If you live with them, the best way to pamper and surprise them is to help them with their daily chores. You can help your mother in the kitchen and dad with his office work. Share their workload and ease of burden on their shoulders.

10. Say “I Love You” To Them: How many times have you expressed to them that you love them unconditionally? You can show them your love by way of sweet gestures and tokens. You can give them a jar full of love notes, or you can bake them heart-shaped cookies, etc. So, seize every opportunity to make them feel your love, care, and warmth.

Do surprise them with any or all of these ideas and watch them wear their broadest smile.

To read more on topics like this, check out the Family category.

Sunday, the 10th of May is approaching, and it is something special. Yes, you got it right. We are talking about Mother’s Day, the best day of the year. And this day shouldn’t pass without gifts. Let us tell you one thing that for your Mother, you are the best gift. But there is still a need to make her smile on Mother’s Day with a gift. It could be something cool, something unique, something useful, or something as beautiful as she is. There is nothing to worry about buying an expensive gift because gifts don’t depict value; they depict emotions and sentiments. Even a single flower from your garden can do the talking. All that matters is your concern and love towards her. But if you want some Mother’s Day gift ideas to surprise your mom, find them below:

Flowers

We just told you that even a single hand-picked flower could do the magic. Believe us, flowers have never failed to impress, and they will never do. You can choose from roses, lilies, carnations, orchids, daisies, tulips and many more. You can create a bouquet of flowers by yourself, or you can buy one online. Get the bouquet furnished with a beautiful message outlining the importance of your mom in your life.

Personalised Cushion

This one is the gift having both personal touch and comfort. Moms keep on working throughout the day restlessly, which is really tiring. Gift your mom a personalised cushion having her picture printed on it with a heartwarming message. It is one of the best personalised Mothers Day gifts. It is useful as whenever she feels exhausted, she can place it on the back of the chair to relax. And won’t stop smiling after receiving this gift.

Cake

Almost everybody in the world loves to eat cake. And cakes are best to celebrate any kind of moment. Get a delicious and mouth-watering cake baked with all the premium ingredients and with proper keep on hygiene, especially for the occasion of Mother’s Day to treat and surprise your lovely mom at the same time. You can also get her a designer cake or a photo cake to make the cake look amazing.

Write Down A Poem

It has been told many times before that; words can do wonders. The kind of power words hold is unmatchable. To surprise your mom in the most amazon way on Mothers Day, try to write down a poem on your own. You don’t have to sound like a perfect poet. All you need to write down what you feel for your Mother while trying to match the rhymes a bit. Make your mom sit on the sofa, give her a cup of coffee, and spit out the poem. We bet she will hug you after that.

Strawberry Shake

It may not sound like a gift, but it is. Everything that we present to someone with a view of surprising the him/her and to make the person smile is a gift. Bring all the ingredients such as strawberry pulp, fresh strawberries, milk, ice cream, and chocolate syrup (to add some blend of different flavours). Hit the kitchen and prepare a tooth-some strawberry shake for your mom.

Jogging Shoes

Everyone is marching towards a healthy lifestyle nowadays, and that’s a great thing. Your mom is getting older, which means she needs to take great care of her body. Gift her a pair of comfortable jogging shoes which will motivate her to go on a walk every morning. This way, you will keep her healthy and will also put a wide smile on her face on Mother’s Day occasion.

Don’t think much, choose a Mother’s Day gift for your mom and buy it now!

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The Greek island of Santorini is one of the most popular for tourists and is known for its great landscape, quaint villages, and amazing beaches. While it’s not always the first destination people think about when planning a family trip, it can be very family-friendly, as long as you’re prepared. Below are a few tips for your next family trip to Santorini. We’ll also share a few things you should know first so that you can avoid the problems that can come from visiting Greece’s most popular island with your children.

Travel During the Low Season

The high season in Santorini goes from June through September. This is when the planes are full, beaches are crowded, and tourist attractions are packed. If you’re travelling with kids, try to travel when there are fewer people.

One option would be to travel between March and May. The mild weather is great for sight-seeing, and things aren’t crowded. You also won’t have to work so hard to book a hotel. Another good period is from mid-September through to October. The tourist volume falls during that period, but most restaurants and tourist attractions remain open. It is often warm enough to hit the beach, too.

Book a Private Residence Instead of Staying in a Hotel

Booking a villa could be a good idea if you’re travelling with your family. Villas are a bargain when you compare them with other luxury accommodation. Another great thing about villas is that you get to cook your own food, and you don’t have to share amenities with other people. It’s the added luxury and privacy that makes villas such a great choice. Not to mention that you can always keep an eye on the kids, but let them have their fun as well.

If you want to find a great villa, you can check out BlueVillas at https://www.bluevillascollection.com/santorini. They have villas in Santorini that range from large apartments in town to spacious rural estates. You can further sort by price, the number of bedrooms, and location. They will even let you search for a child-friendly villa. These villas are designed for the maximum comfort of your little ones. They will be able to enjoy the villa as much as you and will be happy and safe under the Mediterranean sun, without the dangers you don’t want your children exposed to.

Stay in a Less Popular Town

While Santorini is the most heavily visited island in Greece, it is full of smaller towns that see far fewer tourists. For example, you could stay in Pyrgos instead of Oia. Pyrgos offers amazing views of the caldera instead of the open Aegean Sea you can watch from a balcony in Oia. But Oia’s steep hills are harder to manage with children or strollers. Pyrgos is the former capital, and it offers the same whitewashed buildings along with castle ruins and ocean views.

Rent a Car

Santorini offers ancient history, modern art museums, world-class seafood, wineries and beaches in several different colours. While it does have buses and taxis, families should rent a car instead. Then you don’t have to walk long distances or try to negotiate public transit in a foreign country with kids in tow. And you can drive back to your villa when the kids get tired after exploring ancient ruins. Furthermore, you won’t have to wait 10 minutes for one of the few taxis on the island, hoping you don’t get ripped off.

Skip the Ferry and Book a Flight

While you might spend a few hours staring at the sea on a ferry ride, it will bore your children to death. Skip the ferry, and fly into Santorini. If you want them to experience time on the Aegean Sea, go on a boat tour around the caldera instead. Your children can swim in a real volcanic hot spring when they arrive.

Explore the Beaches

Volcanic activity has created black, white and red beaches on the same island. And your kids will love the beach, whether it is teenagers who want to go kayaking or toddlers who will be thrilled to play in black sand. Just know when your kids aren’t capable of making a steep climb like the red beach in Akrotiri.

Take a Baby Carrier

If you have a young child, take a baby carrier. The steep hills can be hard to walk up with a pushchair. However, the older parts of town are harder to access with a buggy, since they don’t have sidewalks or ramps. Just make sure you get in shape carrying your baby on your back before you try to hike two kilometres of twisting, narrow pathways.

While Santorini is best known as a getaway for couples and newlyweds, it remains a great place to take your family. Just plan in advance so that you can get the most out of your Greek vacation.

To read more on topics like this, check out the family category.

Barbara Bush rightly said, “The home is the child’s first school.” A child’s basic education starts at home. Right from lisping conversations to picking up activities, it is completely affected by the kind of environment it is raised in. Therefore, it becomes inevitable for parents to give a right direction to the manner their home functions.

It is not about learning alphabets by rote or being handed books on various subjects. The horizon widens when parents involve themselves more into the household. This does not only prove beneficial for the child but also for the entire family on a lot of levels.

Home gardening is one such activity that involves every member of the house to contribute in their own way. It is a gardening or farming system for the family in their own garden space. And no wonder, it has a lot of benefits on individual, family and environmental level. Do you wonder why you should opt for it? We give you 9 reasons why you’d absolutely love it:

Fosters Family Bond

Gardening involves sharing. Starting a family garden promotes constructive communication, sharing of ideas and exchange of knowledge with the other members of the family. Therefore, it naturally helps the family in being well knit as they engage in an everyday activity.

Gives A Sense of Responsibility

Considering there are plants dependent on individuals, it is hard to ignore and not be involved when a life is at stake. Even if a certain member is ignorant, the family is the right push for the person to be involved and develop a sense of accountability.

Lowers Stress

Gardens are designed for serenity and according to a recent study in the Netherlands, they reduce stress and give an engaging mental pleasure. Gardening is considered as one of the best leisure activities. Studies also point out that inhaling M. vaccae, a healthy bacteria living in soil increase levels of serotonin, thereby reducing anxiety.

Develops Environmental Consciousness

A family supports biodiversity when it works in harmony with the environment. It increases environmental interest and awareness. With deteriorating environmental health, gardeners are adopting sustainable gardening options and learning new methods to nurture pollinators, birds and wildlife in general.

Acts As An Investment

Greens are both beautiful and beneficial. You are able to cut down a lot on your expenses by growing greens at home. Outdoor greens like Indian basil, bush beans, peppers, cabbage and lettuce and indoor plants like lemons, figs, apricots etc are sure to serve the purpose. Grow marigold as an add-on to drive the pests away.

Promotes Healthy Eating

Home grown fruits and vegetables is synonymous to adding more nutritional value to your diet. You eat more vegetables and fresh fruits. Moreover, you are in the know of what fertilizers and pesticides are coming in contact with your plants. Therefore, you can completely stave off the need of unwanted materials for your produce.

Teaches Life Lessons

The family learns a lot of life lessons like patience and scientific gardening methods. But most importantly, members learn the art of cooking which is substantial for sustenance. Gardening develops a habit of newer ways of consumption and thereby, helps develop the basic lesson of cooking.

Home gardening is not just a leisure pursuit but a great way to learn and grow together. The benefits go beyond food. So, make a beginning with the constructive activity for a healthier, happier life.

To read more on topics like this, check out the family category.

If you enjoy playing fun, casual games with your family, in order to create memories that will last a lifetime, it’s well worth playing games with your family using Alexa. To discover a few Alexa games which are well worth playing with your family in the evenings, simply continue reading.

Alexa games family:

Alexa number game:

One simple game that is easy to learn but hard to beat is Alexa’s number game. In which you’ll be challenged to guess Alexa’s mystery number. Each time a member of your family makes a guess, Alexa will tell them if her chosen number is higher or lower than the number that they guessed. To play the number game as a family, take it in turns to guess Alexa’s mystery number. The winner of each game is the first individual in your family to successfully guess the number that Alexa is thinking of. While the number game may seem like a fairly simple game, you’ll be surprised at just how addicting it is to play.

True or false:

To get Alexa to play true or false with your family, simply say “Alexa play true or false”. In true or false Alexa will give you a series of random facts about the world. The object of true or false is to correctly guess whether the statement which Alexa has just told you is true or false. Again, make sure to take it in turns to answer Alexa’s fun trivia questions. You may want to play true or false with knockout rules that specify that if a family member gets an answer wrong, that they’ll be eliminated from that particular game. So that you’ll eventually be left with a single winner.

If you’re worried that you’ll start to be able to memorize all the answers to the questions which Alexa asks you, don’t worry as new questions are added to true or false on a weekly basis. So there’s no way of memorizing every single answer.

Twenty Questions:

Twenty questions is another fun classic game, that your family will enjoy playing with Alexa. As you may have guessed Alexa will think of a random animal, vegetable, mineral or musical related item. Your job as a family will be to take it in turns to figure out what item Alexa is thinking of within 21 questions. Remember that you can only ask Alexa simple yes or no questions. If your family succesfully figures out the item Alexa is thinking of, your family wins the game. While if you fail to correctly guess the item which Alexa is thinking of within 21 questions, your family will lose the game and Alexa will win the game.

Song Quiz:

One fun family friendly game which is worth playing is Song Quiz. That will challenge your family to guess the song names of famous songs from the 2010s, 2000s, 90s, 80s and 70s.

So if your kids love playing family friendly games with Alexa as a family, it’s well worth grabbing your kids and testing out a few of the fun guessing games which are listed above.