This game is fun because you get to go anywhere, or any when you want!
The kids can really use their imaginations in thinking of places they want to
go. You don't even have to think about plane fares or hotel bills.
1. Think about different places and time periods you would like to visit.
Make a list of all the ideas as you think of them.
2. Pick one place/time and come up with ideas to experience what it would be
like to be there.
Get some books and movies from the library to find
out more about the place you've chosen.
Plan a meal using foods from that place.
Make decorations that will help you imagine you are in the that place.
Paint on a background on a large piece of fabric or paper. Hang them
on a wall inside, or even from a clothesline if you are creating your space
outside.
Get
some music so that you can 'hear' the sounds.
Do you know anyone who has lived in or visited this place? Talk to
them about what it was like, maybe even see some pictures.
Here's a few Ideas for places to get you started.
Victorian England - Have a tea party on the lawn. Watch a movie like
the Secret Garden. Play croquet.
Safari in Africa - Get some animal sounds tapes to play in the
background. Pack a lunch to have while you are on the trail. Use
stuffed animals to create jungle or savannah scenes.
Ancient Japan - Learn about the tea ceremony and have your own.
Build a Japanese
Castle.
Send in more ideas and we'll add to the list.
Hint:The
secret to this game is letting the kids come up with the ideas. Adults
should help by suggesting and reading books about the place, and maybe picking
the movie. But let the kids do the actual planning, decorating, menu
choice, and of course, the cleanup.
Don't worry if they mix up ideas from different countries or time
periods. They are creating a place from their imaginations. Let them
build the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Ancient Rome, or have a Japanese Tea Ceremony
on the Great Wall of China.
For time travel books, my kids love the stories about the
Binkerton kids' adventures in the Good Times Travel Agency. They
open a guide book and are transported to a different place and time.
Of course, they have to finish reading the book to get transported back to
the present, and there are all sorts of adventures along the
way.
The books are like a comic book with lots of 'guide book facts' and a
reference section at the end. The kids go to Ancient Egypt, Middle
Ages, Ice Age, Vikings, Ancient China and Ancient Greece. We borrowed them from the public library a few times and then bought our own set.
