"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
Albert Einstein
A Message From Lindsay
I'm sad to say that it took me a very long time to work out how to
run my house and my family - and as a result there were some chaotic
times when the kids were young! But gradually, bit by bit, I built up
some simple systems that have worked for me, as well as gathering
together ideas which I have found on the internet over the years. Some
of my favourite simplifications follow:
When my stress levels over the laundry pile threatened to cause a
meltdown in my house, I sat down and thought about what I washed each
week, and made a simple plan: "whites" on Mondays, "darks" on Tuesdays,
bed linen on Wednesdays, towels and another load of whites on Thursdays,
"murky" colours in Fridays, and school and games clothes on Saturday
evening. Sunday I declared my washing day of rest. I've had to modify
the plan over the years but it still works for me, and it means that I
don't feel guilty if there are clothes still in the laundry baskets: I
know I'll get there eventually.
We used to try to go swimming and the library at least once a week,
and inevitably ended up rushing around trying to find the goggles,
towels, library books and other bits and pieces we required. And I lost
count of the times I found that I had forgotten to bring a hair brush or
the arm bands! Eventually I put up a row of hooks and found a basket or
bag for each activity. Swim things went straight into the bag as soon as
they were washed and dried, as did a second set of all toiletries that
might be required and pound coins for the lockers. As library books were
read they were put straight back into the bag, which also had a list of
books that we had out and our library cards. Unfortunately I put the
hooks up too high and Tilly had trouble putting her books back, so if I
did it again I would make sure that everything was child height.
Finally, we have adopted a tip which a reader sent in a few years
ago: to stitch a little loop on bathroom towels and put hooks on the
wall, just above the radiator, to hang them on. Even as teenagers my
kids have huge problems hanging towels neatly over the towel rack, and
the problem has been solved so simply I wish I had thought of it years
ago!
If you have any brilliant systems of your own I would love to hear
from you, and to share them in future issues of the newsletter. Drop me
an email at
editor-at-activityvillage.co.uk
"All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best." William of Ockham (Ockham's Razor)
If you or your child has made use of our craft ideas or printables, we'd
love to share the results here! Drop me a line by emailing editor-at-activityvillage.co.uk
(replace -at- with @).
What's New At Activity Village?
Sarah has come up with 9 more super craft ideas for Valentine's Day -
including two cute lovebugs, roses, suncatcher hearts, a valentine card
box, a gorgeous little lovebird (my favourite - I think a flock of these
would look so pretty hanging in a classroom) and more... Valentine's Day Crafts
We've got
6 very cute new Valentine booklets to print, fold and fill - great for all
sorts of writing and drawing projects, and a sweet alternative to a
Valentine card if filled with love messages... Valentine Booklets
9 new valentine writing paper designs have been added - all available blank, lined or with
handwriting lines... Valentine Stationery
We've added two new sets of Valentine bookmarks today - one blank for your own
messages, one with jokes. Valentine Bookmarks
We've got three new "word" colouring pages for holidays coming up
soon:
For a day by day listing of everything new at Activity Village, bookmark our
What's New page or subscribe to the feed
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and get the word out about your business!
A Giggle
(An old one, but a good one!)
One afternoon a man came home from work to find total mayhem in his house. His
three children were outside, still in their pyjamas, playing in the mud, with
empty food boxes and wrappers thrown all about the front yard. The door to his
wife’s car was open, as was the front door to the house. Inside the house he
found an even bigger mess.
A lamp had been knocked over and a rug was squashed up against one wall. In the
front room the TV was blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn
with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink,
breakfast food was spilled on the counter, dog food was spilled on the floor, a
broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand lay piled up by the
back door.
He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes,
looking for his wife. He was worried that she might be ill, or worse!
He found her lounging into the bedroom, still in her pyjamas, reading a novel.
She smiled, looked up at him and asked how his day went. He looked at her
bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?"
She again smiled and answered, "You know everyday when you come home from work
and ask me what in the world did I do today?"
"Yes", he replied reluctantly.
She answered, "We'll, today I didn't do it!!"
Videos To Enjoy With The Kids..
Sing along to this Chinese New Year song!
NB: Children should not browse video sharing sites unsupervised
How about trying some paper cutting?
NB: Children should not browse video sharing sites unsupervised
Something To Think About..
“If you would plant for days, plant flowers.
If you would plant for years, plant trees.
If you would plant for eternity, plant ideas.” Chinese proverb
The new Play section of the Sport Relief website provides hours of
entertainment and fun for UK children (and it’s also running a free
prize draw for kids to win a Nintendo Wii Sports Package). Land of Lost
Socks (Sport Relief)
