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five-miles-over · 4 years ago

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Holiday Gift Ideas for Joaquin Phoenix Characters

(Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or images. This is just a fun listicle, not designed to offend anyone. As always, please feel free to leave comments and/or constructive criticism below. Thank you, and without any further ado, please enjoy!)

Characters in this List: Arthur Fleck, Joker, Theodore Twombly, Jimmy Emmett, Doug Holt, Doc Sportello, Freddie Quell, Johnny Cash, Max California, Merrill Hess, Ray Elwood, Bruno Weiss, Abbé de Coulmier, Joe, Lucius Hunt, and Emperor Commodus.

Arthur Fleck from Joker: A cookie gift box (or homemade Cookies), an evening with good conversation and company, and perhaps a dance

I’m not sure from where I heard this from, but there was a tumblr post that said Arthur really loved ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ - so that’s why the vinyl record is there. Also, Arthur would be happy to spend the holidays with good company and delicious cookies. (He deserves to have a sweet Christmas and a dance with someone who will enjoy being twirled by him.)

Joker from Joker: Green Hair Dye and a Cigarette Lighter

The green hair dye never hurts because it is something Joker probably needs all the time. Also, I thought the pin-up girl on the vintage cigarette lighter would amuse Joker.

Theodore Twombly from Her: Calligraphy Set

I think a calligraphy set would appeal to Theodore because it would give him a break from his tech-filled world, and indulge in something a bit old-fashioned. It’s great for someone who wants to believe in a romance that many around him see as outdated.

Jimmy Emmett from To Die For: A brand new denim jacket and an M&M candy cane

The denim jacket might fit with Jimmy’s grunge aesthetic, and the M&Ms are there because Jimmy likes candy of all kinds.

Doug Holt from Inventing the Abbotts: An Elvis Presley poster and a nice wallet

The Elvis Presley poster is a bit of a nod to the beginning of Inventing the Abbotts, when Doug draws fake sideburns before going to a party. The song he’s humming in this scene is ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, hence the poster. Also, the wallet is a nice, classy gift for any guy entering adulthood.

Doc Sportello from Inherent Vice: An ornate hookah

It was either this or tarot cards for this pot-smoking, hippie P.I. It might suit his eclectic taste.

Freddie Quell from The Master: A bottle of fine scotch whiskey

It’s a good gift for someone who enjoys alcohol. Plus, it might be a good break from mixing questionable cocktails.

Johnny Cash from Walk the Line: A Watch

A watch is a timeless gift, just like Johnny Cash’s music :)

Max California from 8 MM: Grim Reaper socks, nipple rings, and a steampunk choker

It was tempting to pick something dirty or X-rated for Max’s gift, but since he works in an adult store, I thought why not choose something that encouraged Max’s personal style. Hence, the nipple rings (which would look great under a mesh shirt) and a steampunk choker that looks like it has a phoenix on it.

Merrill Hess from Signs: A hot chocolate gift basket, and a baseball mug

Merrill Hess would probably enjoy hot chocolate during the holidays with his niece and nephew, so the hot chocolate gift basket seemed suitable. Also, I thought the mug would be funny for our favorite baseball professional (even though he can’t drink from it while the kids are around).

Ray Elwood from Buffalo Soldiers: A Beer Gift Basket and Playboy Magazines

The Playboy magazines might be entertaining for Elwood (obviously), plus charging others to read them would be a great way to make extra money on the side. Also, the beer gift basket would be a nice care package for someone overseas in an army bunker.

Bruno Weiss from The Immigrant: Cufflinks and Cologne

Cufflinks and cologne are things that make almost any man feel debonair. For a man like Bruno, with a taste for the finer things, a great set of cufflinks and an unforgettable scent would give him a great impression with other businessmen.

Abbé de Coulmier from Quills: A scarf and a day of playing with abandoned kittens

Abbé is someone more interested in simplistic gifts, rather than in over-the-top, expensive gifts. So perhaps a knitted scarf would be nice for those cold days in Charenton. And because Abbé enjoys altruistic events, he’d be delighted to play with kittens that need warmth during the holidays.

Joe from You Were Never Really Here: Noise-cancelling Headphones

This gift may sound a bit strange at first, but it might be nice for Joe to wear when he’d like to relax. It might also help him deal with noisy areas, or listen to calming meditation music while trying to sleep.

Lucius Hunt from The Village: Tea Set and an assortment of tea bags

I think Lucius Hunt would appreciate a warm cup of tea during cold nights in the village. Also, the strawberry decorations make this tea set a good addition to any cottage.

Emperor Commodus from Gladiator: A spa day, a bouquet of flowers, white chocolate truffles, and a full hug.

Given how stressful it can be ruling over a large empire, a day of relaxation (think hot stone massages, facials, manicures, pedicures) would be a nice change. The white chocolate truffles are a way to pay homage to his iconic armor that he wears for his duel in the Colosseum.

And for the full hug...it goes without saying that the Emperor of Rome deserves many of these year-round, not just during the holidays

Also, a question for anyone reading this: If you had to pick a Joaquin Phoenix character to spend the holidays with, who would you pick?

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duhragonball · 4 years ago

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I think I’m just gonna ramble a bit-- nothing earthshaking-- so here’s a nice, unrelated picture of Cooler to set that up.

I managed to get through Camp Nano in April with about an hour to spare. I’m still frustrated with my pacing, because I’ve gotten pretty good at finishing the November writing goals with time to spare, but I always end up falling behind on the shorter goals I try to do during the rest of the year. July is up next, so I’m kind of hoping I can turn this around by then.

April was difficult all over, so I’m trying to use May to chill the fuck out. Somehow I find that hard to do. Like if I’m relaxing, I just get bored or feel unproductive. That’s one reason I’m writing this post. I just want to get some thoughts out of my head so I can move on.

For whatever reason, I got sucked into watching YouTube videos about the Nostalgia Critic and his various blunders from 2012 to present. That sounds pretty sad now that I write it out, because I never followed the guy that closely, so I keep forgetting the hellacious filming schedule discussed in the Change the Channel movement happened years earlier, and the movies themselves were ridiculed as debacles, so it’s not just one bad year, more like nine or ten. Anyway, watching all of this has given me some stuff to think about.

I think I first heard about the NC when he started doing that “feud” with the Angry Video Game Nerd. They did some videos together teasing a crossover, and then they finally went through with it, and it wasn’t terrible, but I had no idea who the other guy was. It was like Batman teaming up with some indie comics character you never heard of. Batman doesn’t need the rub. From the beginning, I got the sense that Nostalgia Critic was the one driving this concept. Once I heard about Channel Awesome and all these YouTube reviewers crossing over with each other, I was sure of it.

Looking back on it all, I get the sense that NC has never really had much of a creative agenda. His early work involved “reviewing” movies by playing long clips of them to recap the plot, and then making some snarky commentary. Not the worst format, except he kept getting copyright strikes from YouTube, which was why he started his own website to host his videos. Over the years, it feels like people have begun to recognize the flaw in that format. Past a point, you’re not really “reviewing” anything. It’s more like an MST3K style thing, only shorter and less authorized.

Years ago, I used to read this site called “The Agony Booth”, which sort of did the same thing but in text. Before YouTube really got going, the only way to lambast a movie or TV episode properly was to meticulously describe it in prose, with the occasional screenshot here and there. Nostalgia Critic probably represents a point where people realized they could do the same thing in video form, except it starts to cross the line from commentary to something else. Siskel and Ebert never did a blow-by-blow synopsis of a movie. Reviewers like the Agony Booth crew did, because they were often discussing old material, and couldn’t show it to you or assume that you had seen it yourself. A lot of NC’s early stuff was the same deal, where he’d recall something from his childhood and rewatch it to see how it holds up in the present. So I’m sure a lot of his content covered old, out-of-circulation things. But he’d do more recent stuff too, and the attitude surrounding YouTube at the time was that you could pretty much do whatever you wanted as long as you kept it under ten minutes.

Anyway, the Channel Awesome thing looked like an alliance of similar YouTube reviewers, and they kept appearing in each other’s stuff, and then they did the anniversary movies, which were basically “mega crossovers” with all of them appearing together in the same... story, I guess? At the time, I wrote the whole thing of as a masturbatory power fantasy. Comic books did crossovers like these all the time, and YouTube seemed to have hundreds of “reviewers” and “personalities” who would put on silly costumes and carry toy weapons like they were about to fight Thanos instead of discussing the ALF cartoon. The second Channel Awesome movie was about high fantasy tropes, and the third one was a space opera, so that seemed to support my assumption.

From watching all these videos about the movies, though, it looks more like each one was mostly about the Nostalgia Critic talking all his “friends” into another one of his kooky schemes, and they all just sort of go along with it, even though they know him to be a self-centered jerk. Then the third one ends with NC quantum-leaping out of the story itself and meeting Doug Walker, the guy who writes and plays the character. They try to sell the audience on the idea that NC had some sort of character development across the three movies, and he decides to sacrifice himself to save the day or something. This was touted as the finale for the character. Except it turned out later that Doug Walker wasn’t just playing a self-centered jerk, he really was a self-centered jerk, because he treated the others like crap during the filming and didn’t tell any of them that he was killing off their website’s top draw.

That leads into Demo Reel, the series Doug Walker introduced to fill the void. From what I’ve seen, it sure looked like he wanted/expected this to be a big hit, and he killed off his biggest meal ticket to make this happen. But everyone hated it. I think the pilot episode asks the question “What is Demo Reel?” about three times. Each time, the answer makes less and less sense. “Demo Reel” the show is about a studio named “Demo Reel”, run by Donnie DuPre, a self-centered jerk who seems to think there’s big money to be made in plagiarizing movies. The whole thing is just a flimsy plot device to explain why Doug Walker and two other actors would bother making a no-budget parody/re-telling of three Batman movies smooshed together. There’s no real-world or fictional reason for three people to do this, it’s just that Doug Walker wanted to make a YouTube video about Batman, but he didn’t want to use the NC format, and he couldn’t just talk over a Batman movie without getting in trouble with Warner Bros. And I guess just... dressing up like Batman and making jokes needs some sort of context, so that’s where the Demo Reel concept comes in.

What really annoys me is that Demo Reel has this “mockumentary” thing going on at the same time, so you end up watching their parody movie and the scenes where they make the parody movie, and you get these interview segments where they talk about talking about making the parody movie. It’s like “The Office” except every character is completely delusional. They’ve all convinced themselves that this is a really good idea, and I guess the joke is that this is a really stupid job and they must be pretty stupid to work at it.

No one knows where Demo Reel was originally headed, because it was so reviled by the audience that it got cancelled in five episodes, ending with the revelation that Donnie DuPre was the Nostalgia Critic all along, in some sort of amnesiac state. Or maybe that was the plan all along, I’m not sure which scenario would be dumber, honestly. New Coke was a sincere effort to phase out the original Coca-Cola formula, but it was such a failure that everyone thinks it was a brilliant ploy to make consumers appreciate the original. So who knows?

Anyway, this started the next phase of NC, where he would just remake scenes of whatever movie he’s covering that week, a la Demo Reel. I don’t know if that’s just a strategy to avoid YouTube copyright strikes, or a stubborn refusal to give up the core concept of Demo Reel, or what. Then he got around to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”, and everyone crapped on that, big time. I haven’t seen the original movie or his “review”, but from what I gathered, Doug

a) basically did a shot-for-shot remake of the movie, only shorter and cheaper.

b) spent the whole video lambasting the movie and the band for making it.

c) offered his parody songs for sale on iTunes, calling them a “love letter to Pink Floyd.”

The big question is: Why did he put so much work into making the thing when he had so little to actually say about it? There’s no clear opinion expressed about the movie, even though the video is supposed to be a “review��. He kind of acts like he thought “The Wall” was okay, but the parody lyrics read like the awkward part of a celebrity roast. Why go to all this trouble unless you really love or absolutely despise “The Wall”?

Eventually, I started to figure out that this guy really just doesn’t have much to say. He wants to make videos, make movies, make reviews, but it doesn’t seem like there’s any real opinion or thought that he wants to express. I was watching him freak out over the credit card scene from “Batman and Robin” and thought “Are you that upset over Batman having a credit card?” That’s not even in the top twenty dumbest things in that movie. Sure, it’s worth a snide remark, but not much more than that. But he’s “doing a character”, and the NC’s whole schtick is to flip out over stuff like that.

Except it’s not a character, because NC is just Doug Walker wearing a stupid hat, right? In the movies, NC’s whole persona is that he’s a self-centered jerk who treats his friends like a personal army, and the real Doug Walker was doing the exact same thing off-camera. Donnie DuPre was another “character”, wearing a different hat, only whoops, he’s the Nostalgia Critic too. And even if he wasn’t the same guy, his persona was... you guessed it, a self-centered jerk who treats his friends like a personal army.

There was this whole era on YouTube where it seemed like all these “content creators” were trying to adopt silly gimmicks. I’m guessing the Angry Video Game Nerd started the trend, because he dressed up in a white button-down shirt with a pocket protector and glasses. He looked like a stereotypical nerd, you see. And he’d drink a particular kind of beer, and lose his temper and set Nintendo cartridges on fire, because AVGN was a character. You watch James Rolfe being himself and he’s a whole other person, always smiling and talking about horror movies and filmmaking, because that’s what the real guy is about. There’s a separation there.

I think that was the disconnect. A lot of these YouTubers saw James Rolfe playing the Nerd and just assumed the secret was to rant and rave about some topic, and he used a Nintendo Zapper to shoot a pickle monster once, so dressing up like a Power Ranger in a trenchcoat didn’t seem like a bridge too far. Well, no not if you’re trying to make a movie or tell a story. If all you want to do is talk about Star Wars, you should probably keep it simple. I think one of the consequences of Nostalgia Critic’s fall from grace is that modern YouTubers are more grounded. I’ve watched a lot of Jenny Nicholson videos and she’s pretty funny and animated, but she’s not trying to be a charicture of herself. She’s just this lady sitting on her bed surrounded by porg dolls. It works a lot better.

I used to watch the Game Overthinker unironically. Does anyone remember Moviebob? Well once upon a time he wasn’t completely bonkers. The GO series was reasonably well done and uncomplicated... until the dude started appearing on camera and introducing “characters” and storylines that killed whatever point he was trying to make in his video essays. Then I started watching him ironically, and then I sort of stopped caring about him altogether, and then he pissed away whatever goodwill he had. I can’t help but feel like he might have been better off just staying behind the camera, or if he had to be on-screen, just sit on a bed with a bunch of Mario dolls or whatever.

The fad of YouTube personality as wannabe superhero got me thinking of the whole “Mary Sue” and “self-insert” thing. They’re really poorly defined terms, and they’ve been overused in so many unfair criticisms that I don’t think they make much sense anymore. When I first got into fanfic, I saw a lot of people simply writing themselves into their stories. That’s what a self-insert was. You literally inserted yourself in the story so you could tell Wolverine to his face that his haircut looks stupid, or whatever you wanted to say to him. I always found this idea infuriating, because I know who Wolverine is, but this other guy telling him off is a complete stranger, and why should I care about him? Why should Wolverine care?

One response to that problem would be to present your self-insert like a bigger deal than you are. You could put yourself in this story and not only talk to Wolverine, but give yourself an elaborate backstory, where you’re a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and you and Logan go way back, etc., etc. But that’s a tricky proposition, because if you’re doing it right, you’re just inventing a new character with the same name as you. Or you can overdo it and make the character too big a deal, at the risk of outshining the other characters. The Mary Sue concept originated from this, with Star Trek fanzines getting all these story submissions about young, super-talented ensigns who join the crew and immediately win over Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.

The dirty little secret of character creation is that every character you write is a self-insert or an author surrogate, to some degree. You can have one that’s meant to be your alter ego, the one who’s based on you and tends to react the way you would in a similar situation. But you’re writing all the other characters too, and deciding what they think and say and do, so to a certain point they also think a lot like you do, whether you meant for them to or not. The trick is not to be super-blatant about it, or to revel in the creative freedom to break the fourth wall. Readers hate that stuff, because they don’t know you well enough to get the joke.

That’s the advice I’ve always had at the ready in case anyone ever asked me. But, watching all this stuff about the Nostalgia Critic has made me realize that it applies from the other direction. It’s very easy to say you’ve created a character, distinct from yourself, only for it to turn out to be more of a reflection of you than you intended. I can’t tell if Doug Walker is self-aware or not, but it seems like the joke with all his “characters” is that they’re extremely selfish and shallow, and yet he seems to also be selfish and shallow. So is he aware of this, and he’s trying to exaggerate his flaws for his characters? Or does he just not realize that he’s telling on himself every time he plays these roles? Or does he think everyone is selfish and shallow, and that this is just boilerplate information, like blinking and wearing shoes?

I’ll pick on myself, because it’s handier to do so. I’ve made a bunch of original characters over the years, some that were supporting players, and others who were designed to be big deals. One of my villains was this bitter misanthrope, and eventually I realized that I was a lot more like him than the outgoing group of buddies that he was trying to oppose. That hit me and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with that ever since.

I wrote a butler in my Hellsing fic, basically an anti-Walter based on Marcus Brody from the Indiana Jones movies. He was clueless and couldn’t stand the sight of blood, and he was really old, so he told the vampires that if he ever had a heart attack and dropped dead on the job that they shouldn’t pass up the free meal. Is that me in there? I tend to think a lot about the world moving on without me, and my own obsolescence. I just didn’t think I was tapping into that when I wrote the character. I wouldn’t even bring it up, except I liked writing the guy so much, and that’s the main thing I remember about him.

A lot of my villains in Luffa are representations of things that I’d like to see punched, because Luffa is an unapologetic Mary Sue Self Insert. I made her all these other things that I’m not: brave, a woman of color, a good cook, a charismatic lover. But fuck that, this was all just a ploy to keep people from noticing any resemblance to me and my imaginary punching agenda. But the villains hold all these shitty attitudes and shitty behaviors, things which I consider to be wrong but sometimes catch myself turning a blind eye to. Jealousy, greed, fear, resentment, and so on.

You end up putting a lot of yourself into your writing, there’s really no way to avoid it. The only real trick is to disguise it a bit so it looks like a story instead of just an essay or an autobiography. I think that’s where some of the YouTube personalities got it wrong, because they would try to tell a story AND write an essay at the the same time, and that’s tough to pull off. One of the big things that came out of that whole Channel Awesome document was this problematic scene in “To Boldly Flee” where Linkara has been replaced by a cyborg duplicate, and he converts Lindsey Ellis into a cyborg, and someone hears all these suggestive noises and thinks they’re having rough sex. It’s awkward anyway you slice it, but it gets even worse because it’s basically the real Linkara and Lindsey Ellis. Their “characters” are so poorly distinguished from the real people that there’s no other way to describe it.

Also, one of the most salient points I picked up from watching all these commentary videos is that real people can’t have character arcs. You can’t just stick Filmdude and Captain Snark and Filmdudette and Movie Sniffer and The Comics Complainer all into the same scene and expect anything important to happen to any of them. They can’t learn anything or grow in any appreciable way during the story, because they’re real and the story is fictional. The only “character” to their roles are the bit where they review pop culture stuff, which might as well be non-fictional, so why bother? Even if I’m wrong, and there really is a more complete fictionalized version of everybody in the Channel Awesome Trilogy, the waters are so muddied that you can’t make sense of it.

And that’s the real danger of leaning too hard into putting a 1:1 replica of yourself into your stories. Stephen King can be a bus driver in one of his movies, and Stan Lee can be a bus driver in Avengers 3, but if Stan Lee just started kicking the shit out of Ultron it’d be confusing, especially for people who didn’t know who he was. And if Joss Whedon started kicking the shit out of Ultron, it’d be even worse, because he’s not as well-known as Stan Lee. You’re better off making up a guy like Thor or the Hulk who can do it for you, and then putting just enough of yourself into those characters that you won’t get caught.

At least, that’s how I see it.

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garrettafbs418-blog · 5 years ago

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Is Tech Making Bath And Tennis Hotel Better or Worse?

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northpolenotes · 6 years ago

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Fun Games and Activities To Play While Babysitting

List of 20 awesome things to do while babysitting!

This post contains affiliate links. Please read our Disclaimer for more information.

So what is babysitting? Babysitting is when a Mom or Dad have commitments and/or engagements and want or need to be kid free for a period of time. And who should they call upon as their most trusted babysitter?

Well, if they have the option, an Aunt is a great choice for this very task. We’re a trusted resource for parents and it’s also a great way for us to build strong bonds with our niblings (especially the younger ones).

But what do you do with them when you’re babysitting? Turn on the TV and let the time pass until Mom and Dad get home? Not if your’e an awesome babysitter.

Go in with a plan to have fun, be safe, and bond with these little ones. Playing with them is the best way to bond in my opinion.

Need some ideas on what to play or how to have fun? I’ve put together a list of games and activities that babysitters can play during your visits. Enjoy them!!

Bubbles

What kid doesn’t love to play with bubbles? It’s fun to blow them, but what every kid loves to do is POP the bubbles. That’s why I prefer to have a bubble maker around so I can pop them too.

This bubble maker creates over Frog Over 500 bubbles per minute!

Get creative! See if you can..

Make a bubble snowman – catch and stack 3 bubbles on top of each other before they pop!

Have the kids count how many bubbles they can pop before you count to 10

Click here to check it out on Amazon:

Bubble Maker

Play Doh & Play Doh Sets

Play Doh is also a fan favorite for nearly every child. It’s not only for fun, it’s also functional. Play doh is great for exercising their fine motor skills. Kids need fine motor skills for writing, eating, and tying their shoes, etc.

You can do so much with it too! Roll it, flatten it, chop it, cut it, poke it, squish it, pinch it, mix it and more!

I like to have both a play doh sets so they have some tools to work with while making their masterpieces. However, it’s also a good idea to have extra on hand. The more colors the better!

Click here to check them out on Amazon:

Play Doh

Play Doh Playset

Make Believe

Playing make believe comes naturally to children and it’s a great way to build a bond with them. I find that sometimes all they need is to set up a scenario and then they’ll take it from there.

Here’s a thought, mold some fish and sharks out of play doh, turn on the bubble maker, and make believe you’re under the sea!

Coloring

When you find yourself babysitting your niece or nephew (which many Aunts do on a regular basis), it’s a good idea to have an action plan. Picking out a movie to watch or playing a board game can be a lot of fun. But you know what? You’re gonna want to have a quiet activity planned too – like coloring.

It helps them develop their fine motor skills!

It’s relaxing!

It promotes creativity!

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Drawing

Drawing is sort of my thing, but I know it’s not everyone’s strong suit. My niece and nephews often ask me draw them a picture of their favorite characters and superheroes. We’ve gotten to the point now where I have to do a good job because they want them framed!

I highly suggest Art for Kids Hub on YouTube. This channel breaks down all the steps to drawing popular cartoon characters, to emojis and more! He does it all with his kids drawing with him! It’s a kid friend channel and fan favorite in my family.

Scavenger Hunt

Send them on a scavenger hunt! Whether you have one child a few, it’s an easy way to add fun to your babysitting duties. Plus, you can turn almost anything into a scavenger hunt!

Get your Spring Scavenger Hunt Printable!

Would Your Rather

Select the first player and have them ask a question that begins with “Would you rather…?” The player will provide two scenarios for the other players to choose from.

Each player must pick one of the two scenarios he or she would “rather” do.

“Both” or “Neither.” can never be the response. You must choose ONE of the two options given.

I’ve created some questions to get your game started. Click here for 20 FREE would you rather questions for kids!

I Spy

To begin, one person looks around the room and spies something. The person keeps it a secret. Then they say out loud, “I spy with my little eye, something… The spy must give a descriptive clue, i.e. something orange, something that starts with R, etc. The item must be visible to the other players.

Whoever guesses correctly then becomes the new spy.

20 questions

One player is starts the game by picking a word and keeping it a secret. They are the word keeper.

Everyone else is a guesser.

Each guesser takes a turn asking one yes or no question.

We usually start off the game with the first questions being is it an animal? Is it a vegetable? Is it a mineral?

The word keeper must answer the questions honestly. Lying is never allowed.

If any of the guessers figure out the secret word in 20 questions or less, they become the word keep for the next round.

If the word is not guessed, the word keeper for that round goes again.

Build a couch or pillow fort

Stack pillows and couch cushions in a square space, leaving room in the middle to sit.

Place a blanket over top.

Us this space to tell stories, read a book, or better yet…as safety for your sock wars!

Sock war

This was a favorite game of ours when we were growing up. Your ammunition? Dirty socks!

Establish boundaries and safe zones.

Take off your socks and fold them into a ball. Each player tries to hit their opponent with their dirty sock. The game only ends when you’ve had enough.

Use the forts you just built as home base for each side.

This is safe play because socks won’t hurt anyone, but it’s also loads of fun to hit someone with a sock.

Mega Bloks

Lego sets are great when kids get older and can read and follow directions for putting them together. However, I like Mega Bloks because they’re super easy to clean up, they’re great for little hands, and I won’t limp for an hour if I accidentally step on one.

Build a tower, knock it down! Let their imaginations sore with this kid friendly toy.

It’s great to bring in other toys such as stuff animals, action figures, LOL surprise dolls, etc. to build a home, bed, school, or anything else you can come up with.

Click here to check them out on Amazon:

Mega Bloks

Paint a Rock

I literally just used this paint a rock kit with my niece and nephew the last time I babysat them.

My niece Layla is older and had a great time getting detailed and making her rock look like the ones on the box.

My nephew, Julian is only 3, but he didn’t care. He went to town mixing colors on his rock and had a blast.

Get creative! Paint these rocks, allow them to dry, let the kids hide them and then add them to your scavenger hunt!

Layla and I didn’t put on that many coats of paint so our rocks dried pretty quickly. I can’t say the same for Julian’s so just keep that in mind if you want to hide them immediately. Let the kids know the more paint you put on, the longer it’ll take for them to dry.

Click here to check them out on Amazon:

Rocking Painting Kit

Build a Puzzle

When you’ve had enough active play and you’re ready for a quiet activity, I suggest doing a puzzle together. It’s relaxing but it keeps their attention because they have to focus on putting the pieces together.

Sit down together and build this underwater scene!

Click here to check them out on Amazon:

Under The Sea Puzzle

This giant floor puzzle by Melissa and Doug is made from durable, extra-thick cardboard pieces. It’s broken into 48 pieces which is not too many pieces where they get overwhelmed and lose interest. It’s also not too few pieces where they would complete it in 4 seconds.

Minute to Win it Games!

M&M Challenge

Supplies needed:

M&M’s

Table

Straws

Empty Cup

Kitchen Timer

Setting up the game:

Start by spreading M&M’s on the table or inside a bowl.

Hand each player a straw and empty cup. Place the cup next to the child on the table.

Objective:

Players must suck up one M&M at a time and place it into the empty bowl next to them. They cannot use their hands to pick up the candy.

Players have ONE MINUTE to suck up as many candies as possible and drop them in their empty cup!

The player who transferred the most M&M’s is the winner! Everyone gets to eat their M&M’s though!

Variation:

Put the empty cups farther away on another table and have them walk their M&M’s to the cup! This will get messier so if you want a simply clean up, have them closer. However, if you don’t mind the mess, try it – IT’S FUN!

Balloon Challenge

Supplies needed:

Inflated Balloon(s)

Kitchen Time

Free Space

How to Play/Objective:

I suggest allowing one person to go at a time to avoid injury, but use your discretion based upon space.

Players will each take an inflated balloon, toss it above their head and keep it up by lightly taping it into the air.

They have ONE MINUTE to keep it above their head. If it falls below their chin, the game starts over.

Variations:

Add more balloons! Think it’s too easy with 1 balloon? Try 3!!

Too hard to keep it above your head? Change the rules so that they only have to keep the balloon in the air, not above their head.

Cookie Challenge

Supplies needed:

Empty chair or floor space

Kitchen timer

How to Play/Objective:

Sit in a chair or on the floor. Give a cookie such as an Oreo to each player. Have them lean their head back and place a cookie in the middle of their forehead.

When the timer begins, players can only use their facial muscles to move the cookie from their forehead to their mouth.

They can tip their head and move their neck, but players cannot touch the cookie with your hands.

The cookie must remain in contact with their face. They can’t try to toss it from your forehead and catch it in your mouth.

If a cookie falls before it reaches their mouth, they must start over by placing it back on their forehead.

The cookie must actually go in your mouth to count.

Variations:

Give them 2 or 3 cookies to start. After the first cookie makes it to their mouth, they must remove it and start over with another one on their forehead. The challenge is completed when all 3 make it to their mouth before the minute is up.

Popsicle/Dice Challenge

Supplies needed:

Popsicle sticks

5 Dice

Kitchen timer

How to Play/Objective:

Players must hold one end of a popsicle stick in their mouth.

Take each die and one by one stack them on the other end of the popsicle stick on top of each other.

They must stack 5 dice in a tower at the end on the stick.

Players have ONE MINUTE to complete this challenge.

If they dice fall off, have them pick it up and start over before the time runs out.

Variations:

Use fewer dice in the tower

Spaghetti Challenge

Supplies Needed:

Six uncooked penne or tube shaped pasta per player

One uncooked piece of spaghetti per player

Empty table space

Kitchen timer

How to Play/Objective:

Place the pasta around the edge of the table so that the open end faces outward.

Players must stand at the table with their hands behind the back.

When the timer starts, the player can then pick up the spaghetti with their hands and put it in their mouth.

The player then goes around the table skewering the pasta, one at a time, with the spaghetti.

If the spaghetti breaks, just give them another piece

To win, all six pieces of pasta must be on the spaghetti within ONE MINUTE!

Card Shark!

Supplies Needed:

1 Deck of Playing Card

Kitchen Timer

How to Play/Objective:

Shuffle 1 deck of playing cards.

One player at a time goes unless you have more than 1 deck of cards

Players make 4 piles of cards with each pile containing only one suit in ONE MINUTE!.

Variations:

To make it harder! Player must put 1 pile in order from ace to king!

Even harder! Player must put 2 piles in order from ace to king!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:

5 Most Important Tips for Babysitting Your Niece or Nephew

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evnoweb · 6 years ago

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Who said that? Teacher’s Edition

Earlier this week, I had written a post and pulled a number of comments from this blog. It was fun to look through and grab them. I never figured that I’d write this post so I didn’t formally keep track of who said what when I copy/pasted them although I think I know. I do have someone who is only happy to correct anything I do so I went back and made sure that I got things right. Where the commenter had a website or blog listed beside them, I’ve included a link back if their comment inspires you to read their blogging.

Some folks recognized their writing and responded but there was a request for the answers. So, here goes.

Looking back at 2018, I smile at some of the wonderful comments that have appeared on this blog in response to some of my posts.

Do you see yourself in there? Do you see others?

1 I had forgotten about that commercial! Thanks for the umm… blast from the past, Doug! I was surprised that it did have a “violent” part. That part didn’t stick in my memory, but the “blue” light did! Sorry to hear of your incident! Here’s to more uneventful walks with the dog.. I had a good smile with Andrew’s comment too. I have searched youtube to confirm quotes and lines from TV shows and movies as well… just to be sure A recent attempt was: “It’s cold enough out there to freeze your Winnebago!” Like Aviva, I have always wondered about how graphic a message needs to be to stick. I worry that it goes too far at times, especially in consideration of young children. I guess there might be individual differences in regards to what will “hit home”, but…

Sheila Stewart – sheilaspeaking.wordpress.com

2 Oh, going to have to try this one out – looks like a lot of fun! (and I will suggest it to some people I know, since I don’t have a classroom to play in right now). Thanks, as ever!

Lisa Noble – madamenoble.wordpress.com

3 Thanks for including me Doug. Still fighting that bug, but class back up to 65%! Listened to the show (twioe) last night…awesome as always. Got a chuckle over Stephen’s mention of “the Good Room” and all the banter between you, as always. Keep on keeping on!

Ramona Meharg –mymonkeysmycircussite.wordpress.com

4 Love the post. It made me think about what my role is. Probably a lot more Bluesman than thought leader I guess. But really I started to think that is just important to do what I can do and let other people think about labels. I’m just a teacher with opinions and a blog. That’s good enough for me I think.

Alfred Thompson –http://blog.acthompson.net

5 Hi Doug, and all:) Here is my addition – if I ever hear the word Wheelhouse again it will be too soon. Also I will probably get in trouble for this but I don’t like all the Like a Pirate business. For heaven’s sake. Pirates are real. They steal and murder people. I am working on another blog post, a more thoughtful consideration of the word “modern” – which really has an existing definition and has been co-opted more recently to mean “contemporary.” I know, I am so fussy:)

Anne Shillolo

6 I like Broadway http://fontsgeek.com/fonts/Broadway-Regular, but I have a weakness for art deco fonts. It’s too decorative to read though, but good for posters and titles. For reading I usually go for arial but recently have been preferring Trebuchet https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/microsoft/trebuchet/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAiKrUBRD6ARIsADS2OLn1B3-UN6EjbTMRsPmw2xTQWIwFrCXNtyTxAmFoh7p_XYxWjXX_lzYaAlJVEALw_wcBit’s nice and clean. Oddly, if I’m going for a computer styled font I use something like Courier which is a web friendly way to imitate those old fixed width fonts https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/microsoft/courier-new/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAiKrUBRD6ARIsADS2OLnfMx1LblHmfXsmRm32zv_x9kHDMf5_ySTNErPWQ_7GmrGvY-qQCsMaApnbEALw_wcB If you’ve never messed around with fonts, you’re missing something.

Tim King-plus.google.com/+TimothyKing

7 My teaching partner and I used to do ‘a theme’, back when themes were a thing in kindergarten, around EGGS at Easter time. We did different experiments with eggs each day – how many books can we stack on a raw egg before it breaks, what happens when you soak an egg in vinegar, sinking and floating eggs, spinning eggs (raw eggs wobble, hard cooked eggs spin) and so on. We read lots of books about animals that hatch from eggs. My favourite was always “Chickens aren’t the only ones” by Ruth Heller. Like you, many of our children didn’t celebrate Easter but they were seeing eggs and bunnies everywhere in stores and on TV.

Lisa Cranston – educationandinspirationblog.com

8 Thank you for capturing two days of amazing learning and connecting for us Doug. It was a pleasure to finally have some conversation time with you and I am glad Steven Hurley didn’t beam us up with his modern day transcorder. Appreciate the power that comes in building bridges in this business and you sir are a bridge builder. Looking forward to our next conversation. W

Will Gourley –escheweducationalist.wordpress.com

9 Our mornings begin with the fragrance of espresso filling the air. Milk is heated, the espresso is added to the hot milk and voilà, the magic potion is ready. When we go out, we seldom stop to buy coffee anywhere. We caddy thermos cups of our home brew. If we run out of the elixir…tea it is. When we have friends join us for a formal meal, we usually end the meal with a demitasse of espresso…except for the tea drinkers. We like it that espresso has a lower caffeine content than drip coffee: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question645.htm Of course, current science might draw different conclusions.

Noeline Laccetti – nlaccetti.wordpress.comx

10 … that look of betrayal on my wife’s face when I mentioned that I am trying to quit with coffee. She, up to several years ago, hated the stuff. Hated the smell, the taste, the satisfied look on my face as relaxed through my second or third cup in the morning. I guess it was my fault. Someway somehow, she now can’t start her day without it. My attempt at scaling back my caffeine consumption has put my life is in danger. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. I shouldn’t have even written this post. If my blog goes dark for a while its because I am in hiding. Tell my wife, I was wrong … oh so wrong …

Chris Cluff

11 Hi Doug, thanks for sharing your learning from the Ontario Summit. To add to this already great resource, here is a link to all of the presenter’s resources from the weekend: https://edtech.team/OntarioResources18 – Lots more goodies there!

Emily Fitzpatrick

12 I saw this presentation at SIGCSE and left with mixed feelings. The session was pitched as ML for CS teachers with little CS knowledge. The pizza app is cool but I left thinking that there was a big missing piece which was the actual under the hood ML. It looks great as a tool where the teacher is already knowledgeable but I don’t know how much serious mileage a class will get out of it beyond being a cool demo if the teacher doesn’t already know the subject.

Mike Zemansky – https://cestlaz.github.io

13 I love to sew, but hardly have the time. I go by feel when choosing fabric for any project or any “already made” clothes. I don’t care what it’s called – I only care about how it feels and how well it will wash. I do not remember the fabric you’re talking about, though I feel as if I should. My mom used to see for me, so I likely had many things made from it.

Lisa Corbett –alotalot.wordpress.comx

14 Morning Doug, this brought to mind attendance tracking of students and how if they are going to leave or walk out consequnces mean nothing. The reason you give them to stay is far more powerful. I think folks need to understand the purpose but more importantly if you leave the impression, regardless of this is it’s purpose that people’s whereabouts are what we are starting with and not the culture of a welcoming, inclusive and non intrusive learning environment, the same thing will happen as it does in a secondary school…they opt out as it is no longer about the them but the system they exist within.

Kelly @thebeastedu

15 Good morning Doug! (and Jamie) I’m glad you guys keep your eyes open when you’re out for your walks. There’s no doubt that keeping an eye out for other vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians (and dogs) is a critical responsibility for motor vehicle drivers. I was pleased to read your “exit, stage left“ quote, And even happier when I saw that you had included a picture of SnagglePuss. You are smarter than the average bear.

Andrew Forgrave

16 I don’t remember exactly when Chrome came out, but I do for Gmail. I went straight to eBay and bought an invitation so I could join. It cost me $5. The invitation also included another new Google service. Do you remember what it was?

Peter Beens –beens.org

17 I noticed this too when watching cartoons with my nephews. There also seemed to be a whole lot of yelling. Okay now I’m sounding like the old guy who just wants the kids to get off his lawn. I loved the old Hanna-Barbara cartoons from the mid-60’s. Space Ghost, Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles, the original Scooby-Doo, Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines, The Herculoids, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour – that one was pretty weird, but I did teach some of my grade 6’s the theme song, Jonny Quest and the Jetsons. I kind of thought we’d be living like the Jetsons by now. At least I thought they would have finished repairing all the roads.

Colin Harris –plus.google.com/+ColinHarrisdigitalnative

18 Hey Doug, As always your posts seem so timely. Today on my way home from church I noticed a few trees in the neighbourhood who have started to show your beautiful fall colors. I couldn’t help but recall several projects that I had to complete as a child where we would go out into the neighbourhood and find several fall leaves. We then needed to place the leaves in between two pieces of wax paper and iron them . To be honest, I don’t recall what the intended learning outcome was… But what I do remember was that it was a project that my mom and I needed to do together (hot irons and safety) . Sometimes it is those unintended outcomes (special time with a parent) which are just as meaningful as the curriculum outcomes.

Sue Bruyns –susanbruyns.com

19 I have never heard of Qwant until you mentioned it. I also gave it a try and I must admit that it is a very impressive search engine. I used the Brave web browser in the past; I had no issues with it. In my case, I utilise the Google Chrome web browser, because I use certain extensions. The Brave web browser loads quickly.

Renard Moreau –renardsworld.wordpress.com

20 Hey! This is the fourth time visiting now and I personally just wanted to say I truley enjoy reading your blog site. I’ve decided to bookmark it at reddit.com with the title: %BLOGTITLE% and your Web address: %BLOGURL%. I hope this is alright with you, I’m trying to give your great blog a bit more coverage. Be back shortly.

superstar femme orange (Trick question – this is from spam caught and someone who doesn’t know how to use their software – notice the spam format of the message. I won’t share the URL that they claim to be from)

21 Do you worry about free services going away after a while? = Sometimes. I’m still wounded about the closing of Bitstrips for Schools (which I liked waaaaaay better than Pixton – sorry, Pixton). It went so fast that I couldn’t collect all the old comics I wanted to archive (so Jacob, if you are reading this, please let us grab our files for a quick, one week period, please!) What is your contingency plans in case that happens? = Wish I had one! Do you backup your online presence in case it goes away? = I print my blogs as a birthday gift to myself once a year. I did a Twournal for the first part of my tweeting, but I’d love to back up all my Tweets in a print format. Now you’ve got me paranoid Doug!

Diana Maliszewski –mondaymollymusings.blogspot.ca

Thanks to those who took time to share a comment throughout 2018. I hope that I can write on topics that will continue the efforts in 2019.

So, how many did you get right the first time?

Who said that? Teacher’s Edition published first on https://medium.com/@DigitalDLCourse

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landscape-design300-blog · 7 years ago

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10 Procedures Each individual Home-owner Should Comply with When Landscaping

Very simple, effortless and inventive recipes and initiatives delivered straight in your inbox.

E mail Handle

We use this area to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you can be marked being a spammer. Signal Up! Performing to create our home beautiful is one of our top ambitions, not merely the inside nevertheless the exterior at the same time. Over the last many weeks, we have now shared our issue place close to the avenue the place the grass was dead and the weeds had taken in excess of. We mounted a stone walkway and planted shade loving crops in landscape design beds all over the trees. Right now we have been wrapping everything up by installing the brand new sod and sharing 10 Rules Each individual Home-owner Ought to Abide by When Landscaping.

Click listed here in your Totally free garden and landscape journal- the first step to gardening success!

Everyone would like a lawn that is definitely stunning and straightforward to deal with! These 10 Rules each individual homeowner should really adhere to when landscaping is likely to make it uncomplicated and enjoyment for yourself! Click on around the Photograph to find out more!

Developing up, my Dad prided himself on how well groomed his property was. So it's been a target of ours to have a wonderful property. Of course, I’m undecided we'll at any time occur close to my Dad’s property, but we've been absolutely striving. A person of issues I remember accomplishing being a young lady, is laying on the blanket and buying out styles inside the clouds. Which is tricky to do when your grass is not wonderful and comfortable. We have been thrilled to share our new landscaping (& ten Principles Each individual Property owner Ought to Follow When Landscaping), complete with sod with you!

All people wants a garden that is certainly wonderful and straightforward to deal with! These 10 Procedures just about every property owner really should stick to when landscaping can make it straightforward and exciting for you! Click on around the Photo to find out more!

In case you didn’t know, I’m very blessed to own a hubby who knows his way around soil, a shovel and landscaping. Doug has a degree in Agronomy, so now, he is sharing ten Guidelines each and every Property owner should really adhere to when Landscaping!

Planting

1. Choose your style - The surface of your house must reflect your personal style as much as the interior of your dwelling. Do you have formal parties with business associates? Is your style extra casual and just go with the flow? Use your landscape to set the tone for visitors and friends alike.

2. Design the landscape to work for you - There are some elements in every single landscape design that should really be thought through that most people don’t consider when designing their landscape that make maintaining it so much easier. Unless you are designing a formal garden, avoid designing beds with sharp curves and angles. These make mowing a lot more difficult and necessitate the use of a trimmer when with some planning you could avoid. Additionally design so that the distance between the different elements of your landscape are far enough apart that your mowers and other equipment have room to maneuver through.

Weekend-DIY-Curb-Appeal-Project-drawing

3. Sketch out your ideas before accomplishing anything else - Draw, redraw and redraw again if necessary. Getting your ideas down on paper will let you weed out all the unnecessary components and keep the elements that are really important to you.

4. Plan for the future - Most of us quickly realize that performing your own landscaping is a labor of love, and we have been fine with that. But there are few things much more disheartening than spending time and money on 1 area of the garden and then realizing that when you want to create some changes you need to tear out plants and hardscaping that could have been avoided with a little future planning.

5. Budget, Plus 15-20% - Be realistic when designing your project and keep in mind that there will likely be setbacks and unexpected expenses that will need to be addressed to finish the project. So be objective when setting the budget on your project. But try as you may to list each item you will need, you need to add 15-20% for your budget to cover these expenses.

6. Take care of problems before they finish you - This can include everything from amending the soil while in the landscape beds with compost to improving the drainage of tight soils to prevent diseases. And let’s not forget about weeds, taking treatment of dilemma weeds with Weed & Grass Killer before you go through all the hard work of planting or sodding your yard.

Planting

7. Plant in odd multiples - Years ago in college I took numerous courses that included basic landscaping rules along with the single rule that I’ve never strayed away from is planting in odd multiples. It works well for interior design; doesn’t a group of three candles look better grouped together than just two? The same goes for plants so aim for 1’s, 3’s, 5’s, 7’s, 9’s. Now once you get into double digits you can relax the rule slightly but I’ve always strived for odds unless planting species like ivy, vinca and other ground cover.

8. Plant in mass but don’t overcrowd - There’s no better may I know of making a statement in your landscape than by planting plant varieties in mass. This rule goes hand in hand with planting in odd multiples. Think of it this way, say you have two Hosta varieties that when mature have got a 12 inch spread along with the other has a 30 inch spread. To get a spectacular show you would need to plant a greater number of the 12 inch spread variety than the 30 inch variety. But don’t just plant for the sake of planting.

9. Keep plant records with a drawing - After you have the last plant from the ground and before you clean up your tools, acquire the time to do a drawing with the placement of what you have just planted. Include plant names including the variety along with the planting date and where by you purchased the plants from. All reputable greenhouses and stores have at least a one year guarantee on perennials, shrubs and trees and also the information you record at this time will help when you have got a plant that perishes due to natural means. This record is especially handy when you decide to plant Spring flowering bulbs and need to keep track of where you plant them.

ten. Have a very maintenance plan in place - After spending all that time and effort to make your yard look great you don’t want to drop the ball now. And with everyone’s busy schedules you can’t and don’t need to spend hours laboring within the midday sun to keep it looking how you intended. Understand that perennials will occasionally need to be divided and replanted to keep them healthy. And spot applications of weed and grass killer to the tricky to control weeds will take the worry out of maintaining your beds.

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evnoweb · 6 years ago

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Who said that?

Looking back at 2018, I smile at some of the wonderful comments that have appeared on this blog in response to some of my posts.

Do you see yourself in there? Do you see others?

2 Oh, going to have to try this one out – looks like a lot of fun! (and I will suggest it to some people I know, since I don’t have a classroom to play in right now). Thanks, as ever!

Thanks to those who took time to share a comment throughout 2018. I hope that I can write on topics that will continue the efforts in 2019.

Who said that? published first on https://medium.com/@DigitalDLCourse

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