Active Fun at Home. Dinosaur Mini Golf.

Now that the winter is here with its snow, cold weather and sniffles and coughs (I got these), I find it is important to allow Santino play actively at home as often as possible. Active fun helps him spend his energy, develops his gross motor skills, and gives us something to do together.

I try bringing him to the pool once a week, we walk and play outside every day, but on the days when I'm feeling not 100%, something needs to be done at home. Something fun.

Dinosaurs to the rescue! We set up a tiny mini golf course using some of our toys. Here is what it looked like.

What we used: a plastic castle, 3 dinosaurs, wooden rail tracks, toy golf clubs, plastic balls (we both needed to have our own, as per Santino), 2 blank cards (to build the ramp up the lowered gate, which doesn't touch the floor). I'm sure there are more ways to build it, add to it, build the whole course, but we started small. This was an hour of fun!

 

The challenge was to push the ball down the bridge straight enough for it to go through the castle gates and roll right into Parasaurolophus' hands. If you do it wrong, the ball will go to one of the sides, where it would get "caught" by one of the Deinonychus.

 

This can be difficult to accomplish, if you hit too hard, or too soft. The ball might go in the wrong direction, or simply stop before getting to the castle.  

 

It starts at the top of the bridge. First, I wanted to start at the bottom and hit it up the bridge, but this was too complicated for Santino. And me. Yes, and me. It was just too complicated, let's put it this way.

 

Santino wasn't afraid of the challenge. I'm impressed how readily he accepts the rules, follows them and really tries to get it right! I think in this game he won. I can't believe I was beaten by a 3 year old. Ha ha! (This gives you an idea of my gross motor skills; or at least of my golfing skills. I suck.)

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This is just another game we invented together to play with dinosaurs. I am looking for more ideas!