Showing posts with label Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Games. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

5 Ways to Keep Kids Occupied on Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

I hope tomorrow brings you much joy and laughter as you celebrate all that God has given you. 

One of the many blessings that I have, is a whole troop of little people in my family. My young siblings, my cousin's kids (who are almost like nieces and nephews), will be joining us tomorrow for Thanksgiving Dinner. I've been working on a few games to keep them entertained while the adults enjoy coffee and pumpkin pie, and I thought I would share a few of them with ya'll in case you also have young'uns attending your festivities.

1) Thankful Birdie

This one is pretty easy and so it will work for kids old enough to talk, up to the eldest of us. All you have to do is get a badminton birdie and draw a turkey face on it. The kids sit in a circle, duck-duck-goose style. You toss the birdie to one kid, they will say one thing they are thankful for, then toss it to someone else. Each child says something they are thankful for before tossing it to someone else.

Speaking of duck-duck-goose, you can also play Duck-Duck-Turkey. ;)

2) The Turkey Trot

This is a fun game I found on Pinterest, and I am SO excited to do this one. It should be pretty funny, especially if I can get some of the teen to young-adult kids to play. You set up an obstacle course. The kids pair up into two-person teams. Each team will stand back-to-back and link elbows. (This makes it sort of like a three-legged race.) You give each team a ball (or in our case a Styrofoam pumpkin). They must then navigate the obstacle course and then toss a ball into the goal.

3) Ad-Lib Skit

This is an idea that comes from Youth Camp days. The director will read the skit, and the randomly selected participants must act out what is being read. This can become pretty comical, depending on those involved. I'm going to do the Bible story of the Seven Lepers this year.

4) Pumpkin Hunt

I did this one for the kids last year as well and it was a total hit! I take two or three of those small, decorative pumpkins and hide them in the yard. The kids run around trying to find them. The first kids to find it get a prize. Think Easter egg hunt, but with pumpkins instead.

5) Feather Race

This is another new one for me this year, but it promises to be entertaining. Place small feathers on a smooth surface, such as a hardwood floor, or a big table. Put a box at the other end, tipped up to be the goal. Kids must use turkey basters to blow the feathers into the goal. Child with the most points at the end of the time allotted wins!

What tricks do you use to keep little ones occupied (Ahem, out of the kitchen) on Thanksgiving Day?


Friday, September 1, 2017

Here We Go! Fun & Games for Launch Day with #giveaway

Launch Day!!!
Do you remember the feeling you get when you're on a roller coaster and the cars reach the top of the incline just about ready to let go and launch into the ride?

That's how I feel right now.


A mix of excitement, why-did-I-get-myself-into-this, and that feeling in your stomach like you ate a troll for lunch. 

That's right, it's book launch day. And in a lot of ways, it feels like a roller coaster ride. Even though this is technically my 6th 'official' book to be published, I still get the same feeling I did with the first one.

One of my adoring fans reading
Solve by Christmas
Of course, this book launch is magnified a little bit because I'm stepping into a little bit of a new genre. My very first mystery. So even though reviews up to this point have been encouraging, it's nerve wracking to know that people other than my adoring family and friends are going to read it.

Now is the real test.

Did you readers know authors get so nervous? Because I know I'm not the only one. LOL.

Anyway, a FUN FRIDAY post is exactly what I need to get my mind off of being so nervously happy. So let's play a couple of games. First, let's craft a mystery of our very own. I'll start with the first sentence, then you can comment with the next sentence or two of the story and we'll build from there.

Ready?

Eli was terrified of the dark. But what he saw when the lightning flashed made him wish for cave darkness.

Help me continue the story in the comments below! Your comments will get your name in the drawing for a fun, Solve by Christmas list pad.

Win this super cool list pad!
Also, just for ya'll, we have extended the Solve by Christmas pre-order bonus through today! If you order today, September 1st, LAUNCH DAY and forward your purcahse receipt to vwpreorder@gmail.com you will get the fantastic pre-order bonuses which include a printable file of postcards, gift tags, etc. as well as more than 15 minutes of exclusive behind the scenes discussion of the book. Check it out on Amazon.

Since I'm going to be on the road most of the day today, I'll probably add some more games in the comments. So be sure to check back and be part of the fun! 

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Time for a Birthday Scavenger Hunt! #giveaway

This Birthday Bash is on the roll and today we've got a SUPER special and fun activity for ya'll with a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card!!

In the process, you'll learn more about the STT authors and their books. Are you ready?

Here's how it works. Below is a list of 13 of the STT authors and their links. You'll navigate to each of these websites to find the clue/answer. Enter the answer in the appropriate box in the giveaway widget below. Each correct answer/clue gives you another entry to win the gift card! Don't worry if you're a busy bee today, because you have until Sunday to hunt down the clues! Winner will be announced in the Weekly Windup.

Clue #1: Crystal Barnes - Crystal calls her Newsletter the _ _ _ _ _ _    _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _?
Find Crystal's Clue at http://www.crystal-barnes.com/

Clue #2: Carole Brown - In Carole's latest book, Starli finds a Knight in Shining _ _ _ _ _.
Find Carole's Clue at http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/


Clue #3: Catherine Castle - Catherine's Book The Nun and the Narc has finaled or won how many contests?

 Find Catherine's Clue at https://catherinecastle1.wordpress.com!

Clue #4: Jennifer Fromke - Jennifer's website picture is taken at a _ _ _ _.
Find Jennifer's clue at http://jenniferfromke.com/

Clue #5: Norma Gail - What animal appears on Norma's website?
Find Norma's Clue at http://www.normagail.org/ 

Clue #6: Teresa Ives Lilly - Teresa is an author and a _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
Find Teresa's clue at https://teresalilly.wordpress.com/ 

Clue #7: Elaine Manders - Elaine is retired from which branch of the military?
Find Elaine's clue at https://elainemanders.com/ 

Clue #8: Linda Shenton Matchett - Linda's latest book is a fictionalization of which book of the Bible?
Find Linda's Clue at http://www.lindashentonmatchett.com/

Clue #9: Caryl McAdoo -What is Caryl's husband's first name?
Find Caryl's Clue at http://carylmcadoo.com/ 

Clue #10: Shirley Raye Redmond - Shirley Raye has a recipe on her website from which of her books?
Find Shirley Raye's clue at http://www.shirleyrayeredmond.com 

Clue #11: Amber Schamel - Amber comes from a big family. She is one of how many children?
Find Amber's clue at http://www.amberschamel.com/

Clue #12: Terri Wangard - Terri Writes about which war?
Find Terri's clue at http://www.terriwangard.com/

Clue #13: Jodie Wolfe - Jodie was inspired by which television series?
Find Jodie's clue at http://www.jodiewolfe.com/

Ready to enter your answers? Here ya go!
 a Rafflecopter giveaway