The “B” Word, or Using Boredom to Educate

It’s almost summer, and maybe your urchins like mine have finished up most of their formal schoolwork for the year. And, maybe, just maybe, they’ve already used the dreaded B-word once or twice.

“Mom! I’m bored! There’s nothing to do!”

Usually, I threaten to find them something to do, and it is a threat. Scrubbing baseboards is not a desirable or treasured substitute for boredom among my urchins. However, if you want to do something besides make threats, The Deputy Headmistress at The Commmon Room has a deal for you!

Her e-book, 101 Answers to the Summertime, “Mom, I’m Bored” Blues, is available on Amazon for only $3.99. Ms. Deputy Headmistress has seven progeny of her own, and she’s an expert at turning boredom into opportunity. From the book:

“So give your kids the gift of boredom. Turn off the electronics, or at least limit them. Make sure your kids have time to play in mud, water, grass, and sand, to experience a variety of textures and habitats. The ideas in this book are not meant to interfere with free time in outside play, but to complement it.”

The ideas in The Deputy Headmistress’s e-book include indoor games to play, arts and crafts, summer recipes, ideas for water play, gardening ideas, games and playthings for preschoolers, and to top it all off, a story at the end that I thought was worth the price of the book. Read about “Outside Babies” and be encouraged that your children, too, can learn to make their own fun with little or no monetary investment from you.

The DHM has graciously offered to give one copy of 101 Answers to the Summertime, “Mom, I’m Bored” Blues to one of my readers. If you would like to have a copy of this informative little booklet to whip out (on your Kindle) at a moment’s notice or whenever you hear that dreaded word, just leave a comment below with your favorite summertime boredom buster.

I have written about this problem/opportunity before here at Semicolon, and some of my ideas are included in the DHM’s book (along with many more, lots more than 101).

Bored –Nothing to Do: 100 Ideas to Cure Boredom
100 More Things to Do When You’re Bored: Summer Edition
Summer Reading 2010: 52 Picks for the Hol(idays)

I’ll pick a winner at random for the free copy of 101 Answers to the Summertime, “Mom, I’m Bored” Blues on Monday, May 28th. So, get your creative juices going, and give me some new ideas for beating boredom this summer.

And the winner is: Heather at Lines from the Page.

5 thoughts on “The “B” Word, or Using Boredom to Educate

  1. When it is too hot to go outside, I let my younger kids play “water park” with their little people by putting out some containers with water on towels in the kitchen floor.

    I’d love to win this!

  2. My most common answer to my 8-year-old is “Read a book!” seconded only by “Go outside.” I’ll have to use the cleaning threat, I mean motivator, as they might actually like it, and if they don’t it would take care of the “b” word!

  3. I have catalogs (Klutz toys, Schleich animal figures, flowers, Dover). Each child gets one and can cut and paste until the cows come home.

    I’d love this ebook, Sherry. Thanks for the opportunity to try for it.

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