Book Collections (project)

You probably know what kinds of books you like. Do you like mysteries or adventures? Do you like books about snakes or horses? When you go to a library or a bookstore, you probably look for books that you like. If so, then you already know what kind of book collections you have, or would like to have.
Maybe you collect books from a certain series or books by the same author. You might like fairy tales and have several that would make a collection. I have a collection of Christmas books and buy a new one every December. I also collect cat picture books, and picture books about Japan (here are some in this picture).
You might discover that you have a book collection you didn't know you have!
Look through the books in your house and see if some of them go together (are similar in some way). You could display them like a bookstore would and play 'bookstore'. Get a date stamp and cards and play 'librarian'! Or you could just put similar books together on the shelf.
The next time you buy books, which collection would you like to add to, or what kind of collection would you like to start? Make a list of books you would like to look for.
The kinds of book collections you have tell a lot about you!

Boredom Buster Box (project)

Game #2

* You can play this game by yourself or with others.
* Open your Boredom Buster Box and take out one item.
* Either choose an item you like, or choose one without looking.
* Decide if players will be timed or not.
* Now name 10 things in the room that begin with the same letter as the item you chose.


I chose a wheel:
1. window 2. wrench
3. wall 4. Windex
5. welcome mat 6. watermelon
7. wheat bread 8. wires
9. wood 10.white (fridge)
Can you guess what room I am in?
OK, number 10 gave it away!

Come back again for more games!
See the September 13, 2009 post for directions for making a Boredom Buster Box and game #1.

Boredom Buster Box (project)

MATERIALS NEEDED:
* a small box
(A little metal box like the ones that mints are sold in works well.)
* lots of little items that will fit into the box
(The box in this picture has twenty things in it!)
* paper and pencils

DIRECTIONS FOR GAME #1:
* the first player chooses items from the box and lays them out for everyone to see.
(choose fewer items for younger children, more for older children or for more players.)
* everyone except player one closes their eyes while player one removes an item.
* player two tries to tell what the missing item is
* player one congratulates player two and returns the item
* player two now removes an item while player one closes thier eyes.



variation:
* player one does not return the item after player two names it
* player three (or more) closes their eyes while player two removes an item
* player three now names items 1 and 2 that are missing
* continue this pattern for as many players in the game

variation:
* player one lays out 10 items and gives everyone a few minutes to look them over
* everyone except player one closes their eyes while player one removes five items
* everyone except player one writes the names of the five missing items onto a piece of paper
* the player with the most correct 'wins' the chance to choose items for the next round

Print these directions and put them in your box.
This is a great game to play at a restaurant or anywhere else that you have to wait. Check back for more ways to use your Boredom Buster Box.

Make a Good Luck/ Wishing Kit (project)

Making a wish on a birthday candle is a fun tradition. There are lots of other wishing tricks. Have you ever made a wish on a star, or when blowing dandelion seeds fluff? Other wishing traditions use things that you hold, such as a penny or a wishbone, to make the wish on.
There are many traditional good luck symbols as well. Some examples of good luck symbols are horseshoes, ladybugs, four-leaf clovers, pigs, goldfish, elephants, and acorns. The penny and star are used for both wishing and for good luck.

Here is a simple and fun project to celebrate wishing and good luck:
* Use a box of any kind. The size, and type of box, doesn’t matter. You could write on the box and decorate it if you want.
*Research wishing and good luck for more ideas of things to collect. Ask friends and family members about their favorite wishing and good luck traditions. There are even websites to search.
*Find items to represent as many wishing and good luck ideas as you’d like. You could find things such as little toy plastic pigs, ladybug necklaces, and four-leaf clover pins just about anywhere, but a good place to look is at discount stores and yard sales. The items do not need to be the real thing, either. For example, scrapbooking and craft stores have huge selections of stickers that might have the symbols you’d like to collect. You could simply print pictures from a website, or just draw them yourself.
*Put all your good luck and wishing symbols in your box.
*Since it is a collection (like rocks or shells), you could write the history and/ or directions for each symbol to put with the items.
*When you feel like you need a little extra luck, or need to make a wish, get out your collection! You could write your wish on a slip of paper and put it in the box to soak up all the good luck!

Of course, whether or not you believe your kit will really work is up to you. Either way, it is an easy, fun, and interesting collection to work on.
Good luck and best wishes!