#32 Golf course practice putting green

#32 Golf course practice putting range

One of the things I like to do with my boys is to take them to the local golf course range. Sometimes we get a bucket of balls and hit the driving range, but most of the time we just go to the putting green.

It's a lot of fun and an easy thing to do. We just take some time and putt golf balls around. A lot of times we play different games like follow the leader with your golf ball or "H-O-R-S-E" with putting.

So simple, and there's no cost because we bring our own golf balls and putter. It makes for some good quality time and we often stop for a soda or slush on the way home.

#31 Ding and Ditch

#31 Ding and Ditch

I don't know if you did the whole "ding and ditch" thing when you were a kid, but I did. And I got in my fair share of trouble for it. So I'm teaching my kids the NICE version.

Here's the Hatch Family version of ding and ditch. We pick someone we know as a family like a neighbor, family friend or extended family member. We decide as a family what to give them. Usually it's something like a fun treat (cookies, candy, etc.) and a fun drink like a six pack of soda or something similar. Sometimes we even leave a small gift card. We put it all together in a fun package and the kids make encouraging notes to leave along with it. Who we are giving the package to determines if we let them know it was from us or just make it anonymous. Most people find out quickly who it was from anyway.

Here's the fun part. We drive to the target house and park around the corner or down the block. We walk the special package to the door, ring the doorbell, and run fast back to the car. Then we drive by the target house slowly to see if the package has been picked up.

The kids love it because they get to act like sneaky secret agents and we feel like we've had an opportunity to bless someone.

What other "nice" versions of ding and ditch have you done?

Back On Track

Took a week off from posting just to catch my breath from all the craziness around the Hatch home. I will get back on track today with post #31.

Also check back tonight for that giveaway I mentioned a couple weeks ago!

#30 Bike Riding

#30 Bike Riding

It's a special thing when your kids learn to ride bikes. We spend a lot of time out in our cul-de-sac letting the kids ride around.

There is nothing more simple or easier for a dad than getting the bikes out and riding around the block with his kids. But to keep the fun going I am thinking through some other ideas that I'd like to do for our family bike rides.

Here's what I've come up with...

In our community there are several dirt trails that go in and out of different neighborhoods and through desert washes. I'd like my oldest and I to ride every one of these trails before the summer ends.

There's a Starbucks only 1.5 miles from our house. One morning we're going to ride to Starbucks for some coffee and fun treats.

When school is out there will be several empty parking lots that are great for bike riding and setting up race tracks, or playing follow the leader on bikes.

Who's got some more bike riding ideas to share with us?

#29 Channel Surfing I Spy

#29 Channel Surfing I Spy

We've played this a couple times and it's a lot of fun.

I've made a list of things for my kids to spy while we surf through channels on the television. They get a point for every one thing they spy.

I just keep flipping through channels and only stay on one station no longer than 15 seconds. The kids get a kick out of it because sometimes they see funny stuff and only half of a commercial or short shot of a cartoon.

Below is the start of one of my list of things to spy:
a basketball
superhero
red car
someone wearing glasses
hot air balloon
yellow shirt
a beach
mickey mouse

You can finish the list with your own ideas. Don't be afraid to think of some crazy things. Never know what you might see on tv.

Have a blast with this one!

#28 Nerf Guns

#28 Nerf Guns

My boys are starting to get into nerf guns. If you don't have nerf guns I would recommend you get some. They are great birthday or holiday gifts, and there are so many different styles.

We love getting out the nerf guns, putting on the goggles, and having an all out war!

However, we really like having target practice contests! We have come up with all kinds of target practice games. Here are a few:

• Lego People. The kids build some lego people, then we line them up and shoot them down. The place we like to line them up is on the edge of the door trim. Because when they get hit they have a long way to fall! You can also do this with army men.

• Cover the window. We set a timer and see how many suction cup darts we can stick on a glass window in 60 seconds. It's intense!

• Sneak Attack. One person tries to make it from the living room to the family room without getting hit by everyone else who is stationary. They can sneak their way behind chairs, couches or under tables.

Who's got some other target practice ideas?!

#27 Flashlight Tag

#27 Flashlight Tag

There's something special about having your own flashlight as a kid. I think it's because of the imagination that a flashlight is more than just a flashlight. It can become a laser beam or a light saber. My kids love having their own to use and so do I.

There's lots of fun things you can do with flashlights, but one of the best is flashlight tag.

Here's our version. We simply play hide and seek in the dark with the lights off. Those who are seeking have flashlights and try to find the hiders by shining their lights where they are hiding. When they "tag" them with the light, they have found them. Then those who were seeking hide, and those who were hiding seek. We usually play in pairs or groups because my kids are nervous about hiding and seeking in the dark.

Anyone got more flashlight ideas or games?

#26 Tongue Depressor Catapult

#26 Tongue Depressor Catapult

I love making fun stuff with my kids, so throughout this blog I am going to share some of the things we've made that we had a blast doing.

The first one is a Tongue Depressor Catapult.

For each catapult you'll need a total of 11 tongue depressor sticks, 4 rubber bands, a soda bottle cap, and glue.

Instructions are below, but you can also watch this video to see how to put it together.

Start by putting 2 sticks with a rubber band at one end. Then put 9 sticks together with one rubber band at both ends. Slide the 9 sticks in between the 2 sticks so that the 2 sticks split apart. Use a rubber band to attach the two sets of sticks together where they connect. Glue a bottle cap to one of the 2 sticks. Give it a couple minutes to dry then... launch away!

It works awesome and you can launch anything from little pebbles to small pieces of crumpled paper. We have contests of trying to launch into buckets or bowls, and also trying to knock down action figures. Loads of fun for some easy work!

Any adaptations are welcome :)

Catchin' Up

I know I haven't posted in a while, but things have been real crazy busy around here. I know that's the case for everyone else too, so I will catch up soon.

But I do want to let you know that next week I will doing a boring dad GIVEAWAY CONTEST!
So keep checking for all the details.

Enjoy your weekend!

#25 Beeper

#25 Beeper

Most people have a game to play where you try to be the first to see a Volkswagen Beetle Bug car. You might know it as slug-bug, or kiss-a-bug, or some other silly name.

For us it's called "Beeper".



Our kids love playing it whenever we go out for a ride in the car no matter what we are heading out to do. It's so simple and easy, but so fun because the kids are so into it! Simply tell everyone to look for as many VW Beetles as they can. When they see one they have to call out "Beeper!" They get a point for every one they see first. The person with the most points at the end of the drive wins.

I usually give a little prize for the winner each time. It could be as simple as getting to push the garage door button closed, or holding the door open for everyone, or choosing which book to read before bed time. Yes, my kids think these are prizes because it gives them a privilege and sometimes allows them to act bigger then they are. It works because they are still young, but prizes don't have to be huge things all the time or even things that cost. Simple things are good enough for most kids.



Any other fun versions of "Beeper"?

#24 Local Library

#24 Local Library

Taking your kids to the local library seems simple and easy enough to do, but here's a couple tips for us dads to make it a little easier.

• Helping choose books to read to my kids can be tedious. Us dads usually don't have time to go through the shelves to pick out the right books. My library puts a bunch of random books on top of the shelves to display, and that's where I look first. I take a quick look at the front and skim through the pages to see if it's a winner. Judging a book by it's cover in this case is a win.
• Find a quiet corner to read to your kids. My three love being read to. I let them each choose one book for me to read to them all while we are there. Makes for some good, meaningful, quiet time.
  
• Free movies! My library has a good size movie section. I love letting my kids each find a movie to watch at no cost to me.

Anyone have more library tips for dads?

#23 Squirt Gun Graffiti

#23 Squirt Gun Graffiti

All you need for this one is a hot day, some powerful squirt guns (like super soakers), and a brick wall or driveway.

Fill up the squirt guns, find a wall or driveway and go to town writing your names, drawing some small pics or just shooting away. We've even played tic-tac-toe. On a hot day the water dries quickly so you can start over again within a minute or two. It's like a giant etch-a-sketch with squirt guns.



It's a lot of fun and the kids actually get to work on their spelling too.

Any creative thoughts to go along with this one?

#22 Chalk People

#22 Chalk People

Remember the chalk outlines of people at crime scenes that you would see in the movies? Well this is the same idea minus the whole crime scene thing.

My kids already love using sidewalk chalk and especially love it when we make chalk people. I just have my kids lie on the driveway and trace their figures with sidewalk chalk. Then they have fun adding all the details by drawing faces, clothes and accessories.



They love doing all kinds of different poses and it's fun to see how they turn out.

Anyone have additional chalk ideas?

#21 Homemade Cards

#21 Homemade Cards

Okay dads, here's my little help to you since Mother's Day is this coming Sunday.

I usually have my kids make cards for their mom for holidays. They love to draw and write, especially for someone else. My office has all kinds of coloring pages and notes from my kids. They really try to do a good job knowing it's for someone special.

I would encourage you to do this for Mother's Day. Have your kids make cards for their mom. Let them be as creative as they want. Use markers, scissors, different kinds of paper and stickers. Help them think through what to write on the card. They will love doing this knowing they are doing it for someone they love. Plus it's so much cheaper than getting cards from the store.

If cards aren't your thing then let your kids think about something else creative to give or to do for their mom. From my experience something homemade goes over a lot better than something store bought. Just sayin'.

It also doesn't have to be for a holiday. You can do it for mom anytime just to let her know she's awesome!

If you're a mom reading this, pass it on to your kids dad and then... forget you saw it.

Any other tips from you dads about making Mom's Day special?