Zooom!

How to make house numbers

The house numbers for every home should be easy to see from the street. Imagine having to call the police or an ambulance and finding out that they couldn’t figure out which house was yours. Every minute counts in an emergency.

So here’s an idea for a holiday gift to your family—you can make sure that your home’s house number is visible from the street. Here’s what you’ll need:

house numbers

whiteboard

scissors

The whiteboard is a dry-erase board that usually comes with a marker. You can write on it and then wipe it off with a soft cloth or eraser. The idea is to peel off the house numbers, stick them to the whiteboard, and then attach it to the house. But before you peel off the numbers, cut around them carefully and place them on the white board. See how they look, and use the marker to mark the spots for placing the numbers. Then go ahead and stick the numbers on the whiteboard.

The whiteboard I bought had magnets on the back. If yours does, too, you can simply attach the whiteboard on something metal. Otherwise you can use a string to hang the whiteboard from a nail or hook. Double-sided tape worked for me—you can try that, too. After giving this as a present, you can then ask for help drilling a couple of holes for hanging, or whatever your folks think would work best.

Here’s mine, and good luck with yours!

See your house!

Amaze your friends by showing their houses with just a few keystrokes. Go to instantstreetview.com and then type in a street address that you know in the search box. In seconds, the house or building fitting that address will appear on the screen. If you then click on the Earth symbol at the top of the screen (near the middle), you’ll switch to Map mode and will see all the surrounding streets and landmarks.

Play SameGame

SameGame is a game where you try to click and clear all of the balloons. Look over the board first and try to spot large blocks of color. For example, if you see a single red balloon that’s surrounded by different colors, don’t click on it! Look for balloons that are next to other balloons of the same color. The more balloons that you clear with each click, the higher your score will be—Good luck!

CLICK HERE TO PLAY

Fun with balloons

Here are some games you can play with balloons either inside or outside. Have fun with your friends!

THE BALLOON CATCH DANCE

You’ll need: a bunch of kids • 1 blown-up balloon • a radio or something else that plays music (and someone to turn the music on and off)

Play the music, and while the music is playing, the kids should pass the balloon around. Then stop the music suddenly! The kid holding the balloon when the music stops should call out the name of one of the other kids and throw the balloon in the air. That kid needs to catch the balloon before it hits the ground. But if he doesn’t, he’s out and the game begins again.

THE BALLOON WADDLE RACE

You’ll need: kids • 1 blown-up balloon for each kid

You can play this game anywhere. Decide where the starting line and the finish line is. The kids line up along the starting line and then place a balloon between their knees. They’re going to look so funny as they struggle to keep the balloon between their knees as they race to the finish line! If you have lots of kids, like in a summer camp, you can do this as a relay race. For example, you might have, instead of 5 individual kids, you might have 5 lines of kids with 3 or 4 kids in each line. So when the first kid runs to the finish line, he or she will then run back and hand the balloon to the next kid in line.

TIDY BALLOON GAME

You’ll need: kids • a bunch of blown-up balloons • 1 pool noodle for each kid • 1 big empty box or laundry basket

Place the empty box or basket in the middle of the floor, and then surround it with the balloons. Then give each kid a pool noodle. Then on the word “GO!” the kids need to put the balloons into the box or basket using only the pool noodle. If they use their hands, feet, or bodies, they’re disqualified—but they can work as partners if they want to.

THE SPELL-IT GAME

You’ll need: a bunch of kids • a bunch of blown-up balloons • a magic marker or Sharpie marker

Prepare the balloons in advance. After blowing up the balloons and tying knots to keep them inflated, take the marker and spell out words on the balloons (one letter per balloon). You probably won’t know how many kids will play this game, so keep the words short (like DOG, CAT, and BUG). When it’s time to play the game, shout GO! or blow a whistle and have the kids to grab one balloon each. Then they’ll have to run around and spell words with their balloons.

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Frostbite!

What do Santa’s elves do after school?
Their gnomework!

What do snowmen like to eat for breakfast?
Frosted Flakes!

What is the fear of Ole St Nick called?
Claustrophobia!