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Ways to keep bordom at bay

Parenting 101

By TIMES STAFF
Published June 4, 2007

PARENTING 101

School's out. They're bored. You're stressed.

So make like a parent: take charge and create a little fun - for everyone. Here are some ideas from books out this year:

Toddlers: Make a cave by hanging a blanket over a card table. Tuck one side up to be a door and throw in supplies like toys and a snack. You've got "deluxe toddler accommodations, " Roni Cohen Leiderman and Wendy Masi say in Gymboree's 365 Activities You and Your Toddler Will Love ($16.95, Key Porter).

Younger elementary kids: Take your kids on a tour of their hometown. Get a map, pick up brochures and see the sights and sites like visitors do, says Joanne O'Sullivan in 101 Things You Gotta Do Before You're 12! ($9.95, Lark Books). While her book is aimed at children, many activities could be fun for the whole family.

Older elementary kids: If your kids want to make a little money, they could tap into current food trends and sell preservative-free, low-sugar lemonade or sweets made with healthy ingredients, advise Arthur Bochner and Rose Bochner in The New Totally Awesome Business Book for Kids ($9.95, Newmarket).

Tweens: Ask your daughter to teach you one of the crafts that's the rage among her friends. "This activity has the added bonus of giving your daughter the pride of knowing that there's something she can do better than her hero, " Joe Kelly says in The Dads & Daughters Togetherness Guide ($10.95, Broadway Books).

Potty training help

June is potty training awareness month. And no one can be more aware than the families in the throes of this or those considering the beginning of the quest. The folks at Pull-Ups Training Pants want to help and are offering one family the use of a potty training expert for a one-day, one-on-one training workshop. The family will also get a potty seat, reward stickers and a supply of Pull-Ups. To enter and for the rules, visit www.pull-ups.com or call toll free 1-877-4BIG-KID (424-4543).

More expectations

It seems the folks in the What to Expect franchise never run out of ideas. Now they have come up with the What to Expect Pregnancy Journal and Organizer, which features two journals - one to write during the pregnancy and one during childbirth (can you write then?) - and an organizer for remembering all your doctor's appointments, prenatal tests and results, classes, finances and nursery needs. The paperback, written by Heidi Murkoff, is new out this spring and costs $12.95. Look for it in bookstores and online.

By the numbers

You may be amazed by how much the television is on in your house. Take a look at these numbers:

4 hours 41 minutes

Average amount of time U.S. kids spend each day in front of a screen (TV/computer/video games)

40, 000 Number of TV commercials kids see each year

200, 000 On average, number of violent acts a kid sees on TV by age 18

40 Percent of Americans who say they always or often watch TV while eating dinner

1, 023 Hours kids spend watching TV in a year

900 Hours kids spend in school in a year

Sources: Nielsen Media Research, Kaiser Family Foundation, National Institute on Media and the Family, Annenberg Public Policy Center, Benjamin Barber (University of Maryland ), American Academy of Pediatrics, U.S. Senate

[Last modified June 4, 2007, 02:05:01]