I have a new idea that might be fun for you and your family. I was thinking about all my friends I’m so glad to know and that I’m missing these last few weeks. I decided I would create an appreciation chain so that I can remember all the fun things we did together.

I cut coloured paper into strips and on each strip, I put one of my friend’s names. Then I wrote or drew pictures of all the things I appreciated about our friendship. When I finished, I taped the strip into a circle and added each strip to the next. I created a long chain with all my favourite friends, games and activities on it. I felt real happy making the chain and now I smile every time I look at it in my room. I told my friends and they are making their chains too! We are planning to hook all our chains together when we can all play together again.

How many strips will you be able to add to your chain? Try this activity and see if you feel happier. Let me know how it goes.

Here is a chance for everyone to share a time you travelled on an Open Road in the last week.

If you missed it, you will find the poster here. Print it out and pop it up for all the family to use.

There are also colouring pages for you to decorate.

Open Road Colouring Pages

Now draw a map of your favourite Open road, name the road and draw a picture or write to show what you do when you travel on this road.

Did you colour any of my colouring pages? If you missed them, you will find them here.

Open Road Colouring Pages

These pictures are of my family and friends. They also show you how to stay on the Open Roads.

Which of the dragsters is your favourite? What do you like about them?

Blind Obstacles

Set up some obstacles in the room. Blindfold one player and the rest of the players must lead them through the obstacle course by telling them the way to go. Left to avoid a chair, right 2 steps to avoid a table. etc.

For bigger groups, split them into pairs and let each person playing take a turn at leading and navigating.

Here are some other variations to play:

Red light, Green light

When you call out “green light!”, a player begins moving through the obstacles.  Call out “red light!” and that’s their cue to stop – even if they’re mid-step! They have to balance until you call out “green light” again.

Animal Walks

Have children try moving like an animal all the way through the obstacle course. The children can pick their own favourite animal to try.

Song Signal

Play music as the children move through the obstacles.  Stop the music without warning and see if kids can freeze as soon as they hear it stop.  Repeat!

Here is a game to get your brain working and have some fun too!

Minister’s Cat: An old Victorian game where you think of adjectives to describe the Minister’s Cat in alphabetical order, e.g. start with “The minister’s cat is an adorable cat”.  

The next person says e.g. “The minister’s cat is an adorable bouncy cat” and so on. See how many letters of the alphabet you can include.

For younger players, you can even do a drawing version where each child draws a cat’s head, passes it to the next person to add more of the body and so on until you have a completed “monster” or fantasy creature from each child’s initial drawing.