A Wealth of Kid Hobby Ideas

Every young person needs a hobby. An interesting kid hobby will help children learn as well as keep them entertained for hours. It might even help them stay away from a bad peer group and stay out of trouble. Some kids might think of video games or TV as an appropriate kid hobby, but most parents would like to see their kids doing something more challenging or educational.

A good kid hobby is playing a musical instrument. The guitar can often be self-taught from a book if a child has the interest, but for piano playing or other instruments, you will probably have to invest in lessons. Practice is, of course, an essential part of mastering any musical instrument.

Another type of kid hobby is pursuing an art or a craft. Kids can learn to draw, paint, or make scrapbook pages. They can learn needle arts, such as embroidery, sewing, knitting or crocheting. Beginning carpentry is a very useful kid hobby that may turn into a career, or at least skills that will be used for a lifetime.

There are all sorts of things that kids might like to collect for a hobby. Some of the more common collections are of stamps, coins, and rocks. Stamps are interesting because they can be from many different countries, becoming a geography lesson. Coins and stamps both are of historical significance, and encourage reading to learn more about different eras in history. Rock collecting as a kid hobby requires looking into science books.

Other collectibles include bean bag toys or figurines of a certain thing, such as owls, frogs, or unicorns. Anything a child has an interest in can be collected. If a kid is interested in dolphins, for instance, she may not only collect dolphin figurines and posters, but also be motivated to read books about dolphins.

Construction sets also make a good pastime for kids. Many people may think of these only as toys, but children who have grown up with these sets and added components to them down through the years can create some pretty impressive models. They are also gaining skills in reasoning and perception as they build.

Making model, such as cars, boats, and airplanes, has always been a popular kid hobby. If your child is interested in making models, be very encouraging in the beginning. Model car kits can be very complicated and require a great deal of precision. If your child's first few creations leave a little bit to be desired, don't laugh or scold, or he is likely to never want to try to make anything again! Get the easiest kit he is willing to make and then patiently help him as much as needed.

Many kids enjoy sports, making any athletic activity a great kid hobby. Soccer, basketball, and little league baseball all come to mind, but don't forget about track and field events. Maybe your child would enjoy distance running or gymnastics. An active kid hobby will help your child stay in shape as well as make an interesting pastime.

Free Valentine's Day EBook

This is my very first Valentine's Day Give Away. Don't wait to grab your copy of this fabulous eBook full of fun ideas for this fun holiday.

This ebook contains 14 Fun Valentine's ideas for the whole family to enjoy. There are 7 special activities that will keep the kiddies busy and entertained. There are also 7 ideas for couples to enjoy after the wee ones have gone to bed.

Don't miss your chance to get a copy for your very own. Grab it today! Only a limited quatity are being given away and only until Valentine's Day!

Leave a comment on this post to reserve your copy.

Free Holiday Guide Books

1. This twelve page Christmas Holiday Guide e-Book is chock full of ideas to make your winter break more fun for you and your family. There are menu and party planning ideas. Games for children and suggestions to keep them busier and happier over the holidays.

2. This twelve page Hannukah Holiday Guide e-book is also full of ideas to make your holiday season fun. You'll get recipes and party planning ideas. Activities for children to make their winter break more fun.

3. The third in the holiday guide series is about Kwanza. Again, you'll find plenty of holiday fun inside.

These holiday guide books are free for the asking. To get your copy please leave a comment on this post telling me about your favourite holiday memory.
May this holiday season be bright and full of wonderful blessings for You and Your family.

Ideas to Keep the Kids Occupied During Winter Break

Winter break can be very enjoyable for the first few days… but once the kids start to get bored, things can go downhill fast. Here are some ideas to keep your kids occupied during their time off:

Go Sledding: If you live in a climate that gets snow, bundle the family up for a day of sledding. Many towns have hills in parks that are free to use for sledding. If you want a bigger adventure, head to a ski resort and enjoy their large hills. You will have to pay admission, but you will be in for a much bigger thrill ride.

Handmade thank you cards: You can keep your child busy for an afternoon AND teach them some manners by encouraging them to create handmade thank you cards for the gifts they received over the holiday season.

Have an indoor picnic: Pretend it’s summer for a day and throw an indoor picnic. Throw a blanket on the living room floor and serve sandwiches and other picnic foods. For an extra dose of fun, turn the heat up and have your kids put on their summer shorts and tank tops!

Throw a family slumber party: One night after dinner, have the whole family change into their pj’s, throw some blankets on the floor, pop some popcorn, and watch movies till you fall asleep.

Field Trip: Take the kids to a museum during their break for a lesson in ar
t, science, or history.

Clean house: If your children received an abundance of holiday gifts, this is the perfect time to clean out their rooms and donate the toys and clothes they’ve outgrown to charity.

Crafty Home Business Ideas

If you are blessed with crafting talents, you are in luck. Selling crafts, either online or at craft fairs, is a wonderful way to bring in extra cash.

Online Sales

Selling crafts online is much easier than most people think. As long as you have an inventory of completed items that are easy to ship, you can start selling your items online without much difficulty. An easy way to get started is by creating an online craft store through http://www.etsy.com/. Etsy is an online craft site that is very easy for sellers to use. Signing up for the site and setting up your store is free. The site charges a small listing fee and a 3.5% fee on each item sold.

While Etsy is an easy way to get started, you should eventually purchase your own domain (website address) and set up your own website or blog. A very affordable e-commerce solution is Shop Kit Plus (http://www.shopkitplus.com/).

Craft Fairs

Local craft fairs are another wonderful way to sell your crafts. Many areas have several of these, especially around the holiday season. Here you can set up a booth or table and the shoppers will come to you.

There is usually a fee for space or a table, but these are generally minimal. Check with the local chamber of commerce, churches or civic organizations to find out if there are events scheduled locally at which you can purchase a table.

Other Local Ideas

Another way to sell your items locally is take a cue from the direct sales industry and have a home party! Invite your friends and family over, and encourage them to bring a guest.

On the day of the party, create a nice display of your items. Let your guests touch and feel your items. If you do not have enough supply on hand, simply take orders for your items and deliver the item when it’s completed. Encourage your guests to have their own home party for your items by giving a special discount to your future hostesses.

If you are a crafty person, who enjoys crafting as a hobby, you can turn your favorite pastime into a moneymaking venture. Many people do not have these talents and will be more than happy to pay for your handmade items.

A work in progress - A tutorial - Etsy Bloggers Team Carnival

I like to begin by scanning a photo(s) of my chosen subject into the computer and uploading into a software program called Paint-It. If I am making a composite drawing I will most likely try different combinations in the Paint-It program as it is both easier and faster than making several different sketches.

If I am working from a live model, then I will make several quick sketches and then scan those into Paint-It. It is fairly simple to move things about.

Once I have decided on the composition I will then begin the drawing. At this stage I concentrate on making an outline of the main elements of the drawing. The details will come later. It is important to get the outline drawing as exact as possible. This is the foundation for everything else to come.

I like to rough in the eyes and nose first. If these features are not 'right' the whole drawing is 'bin' material. It also makes me feel not so alone!

Keep on to the end of the road ...

Regional Contact, a tv program serving Ottawa, Ontario and its environs, televised a review of a retired high school teacher and artist, Ozborn Muma. Oz lives in Winchester. He has been an artist all of his life and credits art as the reason he has lived so long. He is in his 90's (at the time of airing).

He visits a local nursing home three times a week and often brings drawing puzzles for the residents to solve. The elements in the drawings are clues to solving the mystery. Needless to say, the residents look forward to his visits.

He likes to work in many different media. His portraits are magnificent. His art pieces fill the walls and surfaces (tables, etc.) of his home.

He said he would keep on creating art as long as he could keep on creating. During the interview he did just that, kept on working on a portrait. His work is full of lively details.

So far as I could discover, Oz does not have an internet presence.

In summing up his philosophy about art, Oz stated simply, "Art is truth".

May we all keep on creating as long as we can.

You go Oz!!!