There is something about warmer weather that lends itself nicely to not only being creative but active with the kids! While almost every child loves spending time with their parent, grandparent, or caregiver, there is something extra special about an activity that develops pride in them as well as passing the time. While the Six Nations community, like its neighboring towns and cities, has been experiencing the growing pains of pandemic social distancing measures, there’s no reason we can’t get creative with our kids and share time as families, to help them get through. While some activities we read about on our social feeds or see in the media take a bit of expertise to execute, here are some ideas which are exceptionally special, and won’t set you up for a fail.
Lacrosse
Many of our kids have their own lacrosse sticks at home, making it easy for the family to get together and throw the ball around, work on special skills, and talk about the game. It not only has a great significance to the Six Nations community and culture, but it builds coordination and endurance, and can also be a bonding experience the kids will long remember. For those requiring the basic tools to play, ILA Sports at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena has recently had some great deals, and their knowledgeable staff can assist with any questions you might have. Getting the children together to play catch back and forth, or even do shooting drills on a net with their mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, or aunts and uncles is something they’ll enjoy and will help take their minds away from what’s going on around them.
Bone and Toggle Game
Bone and toggle is an indoor game our community members played a while back. The only game piece required was made using either a sharp stick or a bone with a leather stringer tied to it. On the stringer would be a weight of some sort, fashioned from another bone or a piece of antler. And, at the end of the leather stringer was the target, which was fashioned from a piece of leather with holes cut into it. The object of this game is to put the handheld bone or stick through one of the holes on the leather piece. The game helps kids develop their hand-eye coordination as well as accuracy. Some of you may have seen the game being played at a Six Nations Tourism special event table, or as an activity at the Chiefswood National Historic Site. To make one at home, the same concept can be recreated using a pencil, some string, and a piece of card stock!
Water Games
In times of warm-to-extreme heat, water play with kids is always a good bet! Filling up water balloons with a hose, playing in a kiddie pool, or making your own slip-n-slide can go a long way towards cooling kids off and giving them some homemade fun. The It’s Always Autumn site has a great list of “25 Water Games Your Kids Can Play This Summer,” and it includes some fairly easy and inexpensive things you can do right here at home.
Written by Spring Sault
