How to Entertain, Distract, and Unplug Your Kids: Tricks, Tools, and Spontaneous Screen-Free Activities

Watching my 4-year-old Granddaughter full time since she was born I am always looking for ideas, tips and tricks to keep Alice entertained. I am not a fan of sticking her in front of the television; although I have to admit it’s very tempting!! We do use a lot of learning apps on the iPad but I would love to have a few minutes of quiet time while she is still entertained. Since Alice and family live in an apartment I can’t just send her outside to play. Outside means a drive to a park.
Matthew Jervis wrote How to Entertain, Distract, and Unplug Your Kids: Tricks, Tools, and Spontaneous Screen-Free Activities for people just like me! Some of these ideas are smack your forehead and ask “Why didn’t I THINK of that before!?!”

The ideas in this book are fun, practical and easy to use. I can actually have a few minutes to myself! While a lot of the activities work best with more than one child there are still plenty of ideas for that single child.

I also use several of the ideas for playtime for US together. Building a fort is always a huge hit!  At Home Printing is a project was fun; painting on the bottom of a cookie sheet, then using fingers, cars or whatever Alice has collected to make the design for our ‘print’. Then turn the cookie sheet over on to paper, canvas, t-shirt  and you have instant art!! We made several ‘prints’ One I put on a canvas, one paper and one on paper towel. Things I learned; if you let the paper set too long on the cookie sheet you will have to scrub everything off… so don’t let the paint dry!!  Alice lasted less than 15 minutes verses the 45 to 60 minutes the book says. Again! Alice is four! Older kids would stay engaged longer.

How cool is my new piece of art!?!

How to Entertain; is wonderfully written with plenty of cute stories, history and sarcasm. Y’all know how I love the sarcasm! The doodle like art work is awesome.

Each project has a time estimate for the project. Some time estimates are a little on the high side BUT, I’m working with a four year old and just one kid. It might be more accurate for multiple and older kids.

From photo bombing magazines in the dentist’s office to sock matching speed trials to making bread, this book provides spontaneous activities that kids can do with or without you, leaving time for you to do parent stuff like making dinner, reading the paper, or enjoying a glass of wine.

Matthew Jervis is a graphic designer, artist, and single dad raising two kids, ages 9 and 12. He has appeared numerous times at Maker Faire and has served as a consultant for summer camps, universities, and private and public teaching programs. He has taken his programs all over California and beyond–as a featured speaker for corporate retreats, homeschool groups, scouting groups, universities, and elementary and middle schools. Jervis currently teaches Creative Strategies and Thinking in the M.F.A. program at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University. He lives in Berkeley

WHINES

This is a fun, funny, informative, easy to use and FULL of great ideas that don’t include tv time or computer time! No whining here!!

ISBN: 9781632206251
ISBN-10: 1632206250
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Publication Date: August 4th, 2015
Pages: 192
Language: English

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