Wednesday 8 June 2011

Family choice


My family has started playing a game we like to call Ideas In The Pot. This involves everyone writing down - or drawing - suggestions for fun things to do. We use our colourful felt-tip pens, and sometimes put the list into an actual pot to help us reach a finite amount of options. As we've played this game a few times now, we have a shorter version whereby we simply take turns to tell each other our ideas and just act out throwing them into an imaginary pot. Whichever way we play it, it's proving to be an inclusive and democratic way of planning family time. Be it for an ordinary Saturday or a special holiday - it ensures everyone's choices are taken into consideration.


We played this game just before going on holiday to Wales last week. Here are some of the fun ideas that went in the pot:

Go rock-pooling
Have a BBQ on the beach
Make pancakes
Visit a lighthouse
Cross a stream by stepping stones
Try body-boarding
Go on a cliff walk
Eat chocolate chip Weetabix Minis (chocolate breakfasts are a treat we reserve for holidays)
Go sand-sledging
Explore a ruined castle
Watch Star Wars (Episode IV - A New Hope, obviously)

We all chose ideas with prior knowledge of the location - this being our fourth family holiday in the same place - and I'm pleased to say we got to do most of them.




Of course we found plenty of other fun things to do along the way - some of which will doubtless be chosen for the pot deliberately in the future.

Make a new best friend
Meet some horses
Make potions on the beach
Have a Cowboy Dinner - bangers, beans 'n' bread - as the sun goes down
Paint pebbles on the beach
Listen to lots of Billie Holiday
Make a sand and lolly-stick toy car tunnel
Make a perfect Gin & Tonic
Watch a cricket match in the evening sun
Follow a walk using an OS map
Pose Action Man climbing up a stone wall rock-face



So here's to Ideas In The Pot - and holidays of course; I'm already looking forward to our next one.

3 comments:

  1. What a great idea! Billie Holiday (on holiday haha) must be in the air, only yesterday I dusted her down and put her into my little car. She has been singing full blast ever since. I have been known to join in. Wonderful.

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  2. This is gorgeous! And I have been working on something a little bit similar with the girls this week (well, the 2 year old not the 1 year old! ha!)

    I'm planning on using some of mine as positive behaviour management tools as well, as C has well and truly entered the hideousness of TwoHood!
    Thanks for linking up again, always nice to see your ideas!

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  3. Hi Karen and Brooke - thanks so much for leaving such lovely comments.
    Karen - Glad Billie H is loud 'n' proud on your car stereo; she's simply THE sound of summer for me!

    Hi Anna - so funny you talking about positive behaviour management; I've had a week at work (museum teaching) where the kids (all about 5 and 6) really needed a bit of that. Their teachers were on a spiralling negative tip... oh dear. I loved doing all my 'tricks' (+ve B M) to get their attention,and getting them to communicate and follow instructions willingly. Am exhausted now though. Thank goodness I have a day off tomorrow!

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