10 Unexpected Ways to Keep Boredom at Bay

By NYMetroParents Staff February 17, 2015

After the novelty of no more school! has worn off, and between camp sessions, there will be days when you wake up and wonder what the heck to do. Presenting 10 unexpected ideas to keep boredom at bay.

1. Have a percussion parade.

Around the yard or around the block, a single-file parade of little drummers will make quite a scene—and it’ll be all-the-more appealing if the kids make their own drums first (project time!). A big cookie tin may have initially said “yummy” to you, but it will say “noisy” in its second life. This project requires very few skills to make, but will receive a cheerful standing ovation—or better yet, a well-deserved drum roll. For a full how-to and template for making this toy drum, courtesy of Petit Collage: 25 Easy Craft and Décor Projects for a Playful Home ($24.99; Potter Craft) by Lorena Siminovich, go to nymetroparents.com/drum.

2. Conduct a goofy family photo shoot.

Designate the day photo-worthy no matter what you do, and set up your own family photo session. Gathering and making props is half the fun—think cut-out mustaches, hats and sunglasses culled from every closet, Dad’s neckties for Mom, Mom’s handbags for baby, big sis’s hair bows for Fido…you get the idea. Taking pictures outdoors in natural light is most flattering, so you’ve got one more reason to hang out in the sun. At the end of the day make sure to enter the kids in our NYMetroParents 2014 Cover Contest for a chance to win the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX 100 digital camera (ARV $550), courtesy of B&H Photo Video. Get all the details and enter by June 11 at nymetroparents.com/cover.

family photo shoot

3. Lend some hands.

Volunteer as a group to help an elderly neighbor or a local organization or park clean up their grounds—it’s a rewarding way to spend time together outdoors. If you don’t have time for such a full-fledged project, pick some flowers during a morning hike and hang them as a surprise on a neighbor’s door. Find more ways to give back with your kids at nymetroparents.com/volunteer.

4. Make your own natural watercolors, says Mickey...

The easiest way to make rich, natural watercolors is by boiling the plant with water to release its natural dyes. There are many common plants that can be used to create all-natural watercolor paints.

Red onion peels: crimson red and burgundy Mickey Mouse
Pokeberries: deep red
Orange pekoe tea: brown
Black walnuts: black
Queen Anne’s Lace: green
Marigolds: yellow
Goldenrod: lime green
Blueberries: blue
Cayenne pepper: rust red
Yellow onion peels: various hues of yellow and tan
Coffee beans: browns and tans
Dandelions: mossy greens

Tip: Try using leaves, sticks, grass, and pinecones as paintbrushes.

Excerpted with permission from “Go Green! A Family Guide to a Sustainable Lifestyle” from Disney’s Mickey & Friends Collection ($12.99; EDDA USA)

5. ...now set up an outdoor easel, and create!

6. Keep tots cool and occupied.

Younger kids will love ice excavating: Simply freeze plastic toys in a large bowl and let them chip away at the ice.

7. Have an '80s flashback, and bring the kids along.

roller skates Cue up the ’80s music and rummage through your old photo albums (remember those?) to get in touch with your inner roller-skating self, because there’s a fabulous new rink in town—and while it’s not under the stars, exactly, it is in the fresh Prospect Park air. Head over to Lefrak Center at Lakeside, Brooklyn’s all-new, covered, open-air skating facility. The 16,000-square-foot roller rink overlooks Prospect Park Lake and has plenty of open lounging areas (which are perfect for enjoying a frozen treat from the Bluestone Lakeside Café after a skating session). The rink offers beginners skating, roller hockey, and roller derby classes. During Friday night dance party skating you can show off some of those Xanadu dance moves for your kids (you’ve still got it, right?)—they’ll love it. Open seven days a week, with affordable on-site skate rentals, this is a one-stop shop for summer fun on wheels. And if you’re traveling from the ’burbs or another borough, pick a night when there’s a free show at the bandshell (celebratebrooklyn.org) to maximize your family outing at the park! Call for more information on classes. Hours: Monday-Thursday 2-6pm; Friday 2-10pm; Saturday 10am-10pm; Sunday 10am-6:30pm. Admission: $6 Monday-Friday; $8 weekends and holidays. Lefrak Center at Lakeside, 171 East Drive, Prospect Park, Brooklyn. 718-462-0010. lakesideprospectpark.com.

8. Extend the fun into the evening.

Don’t let darkness chase you indoors! This ThermaCELL lantern ($22.99; walmart.com) lights up the night with three LED bulbs while keeping bugs at bay. The portable, butane-operated lantern wards off mosquitoes, black f?lies, no-see-ums, and other biting insects, creating a 15-square-foot comfort zone—with no unpleasant citronella scent.

9. Fake a crime scene, for scientific purposes.

You can test how well people remember details from a crime scene by creating your own scene and then comparing the eyewitness testimony from several viewers.

• Using a video camera and several friends, film a short video of a simple crime. For example, your friends could pretend to be walking down the street and a “thief” could come by and snatch a purse or other object from one of them.
• Create a written list of questions that a police investigator would ask an eye-witness to the crime. Ideas include: Describe what you saw. Was the criminal male or female? What was the criminal wearing? Approximately how tall was the criminal? Give a general description of the criminal.
• Assemble a group of volunteers to watch your video without knowing what they will see. After the volunteers watch the video, question each volunteer individually. Half of them should answer the questions immediately. Have the second group answer the questions several hours later.
• Compare the answers from each eyewitness. How many answered the questions correctly? Which questions were most likely to be answered correctly or incorrectly? How did the responses from each group differ?

To investigate more, create different versions of your video—use different lighting, have the criminal wear different clothing or appear on screen for shorter or longer periods, or film from a different distance or angle. How do these changes affect your eyewitness testimony? You may also change the amount of time between watching the video and answering the questions. How does this affect eyewitness testimony?

10. Head upstate to go underground.

Take a day or weekend trip to Howe Caverns Adventure Park in Cobleskill (approximately a 3-hour drive from NYC), where you can journey more than 150 feet below the Earth's surface and tour an underground cavern 6 million years in the making. We recommend the Family Flashlight Tour, a 2-hour cavern tour with flashlights and headlamps offered on Sunday evenings (for ages 5 and older). $35 per person. Reservations required; call 518-296-8900. Visite howecaverns.com for more details.