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Archive for the ‘Father's Day’ Category

Father’s Day is a day to revere dad for all he does for the family. It’s a time for fun and indulgence and levity. But it doesn’t have to be a big day of expensive Father's day gifts. You can treat dad to an inexpensive, or even free, Father’s Day gift this year. And you may end up having the most fun you ever have.

Some wonderful things exist for free around the country. Why not take advantage of museums, parks and events that are completely free? Every community has something you can do for free on Father’s Day. The Internet is a great resource when you’re trying to find free or low cost things to do around your home town.

Start by searching at the local chamber of commerce. Most major cities will have a site that points to all the arts events in the area. You can look up museums, parks, zoos, and events that are family friendly. Just be prepared that on Father’s Day things won’t usually be free. So you can plan to go with dad on the day before, the Saturday, or on another day around Father’s Day. If you can go during the week, that’s even better as usually there is a free or low cost day during the week at most places. See if you can arrange for dad to get the day off and make a day of it.

Other things you can do for free are to take dad to the park and have a picnic or play some Frisbee. An outing can be a lot of fun especially if you don’t usually get to spend uninterrupted time as a family. If there’s a park that has a natural waterfall, bridge, or other interesting landmark or eye catching point of interest, plan on having your picnic there. Bring a blanket and a cooler full of all dad’s favorite foods and even some yummy Father's day cookies, decorated by the children who love him. You can really get creative and make everything from scratch. Or you can buy everything and save time and effort. Just be sure to pack the cooler with lots of ice and also bring some hand sanitizer as often water and bathrooms, if they exist at all at parks, can be far from your picnic site.

Making gifts is always a fun way to get the kids involved. This year, make use of free software programs online like Picasa, which is powered by Google. You can create entire collages, scrapbooks and photo gifts easily. Upload to sites like Zazzle.com and you can make t-shirts, mugs and more all with the kids’ or dad’s image on them. They cost little and if you order one for everyone in the family, you may qualify for a discount.

Use your imagination and you’ll be able to skip the high-end stores with the high end price tags.  Make something or create a lasting memory by taking dad out into nature or to a free arts event this year for Father’s Day. It’s the memories that count. You won’t remember if you got dad a tie last year, but you’ll sure remember the fun you all had splashing in the pool or kicking around a soccer ball at the park. Create new memories this year on Father’s Day and you’ll have them forever.

Related Articles:

• Ideas For Father's Day Activities
• Famous Dad Trivia & Facts
• Father's Day Gadget Gifts
• Celebrate Father's Day - Gifts and Activities
• Father's Day Craft Ideas For Kids

Cards that are homemade are the highlight of any Father’s Day gift. Dads love seeing the time and effort their children have put into making them a thoughtful card. Why buy store bought cards when your kids can make something even better with a few simple supplies?

The Photo Card

Cards that have photos of dad and the kids are the best kind. You can make them with many different supplies. All you really need is a good quality photo. You can take a few pictures several days before with dad and the kids. Don’t tell dad what you’re doing but be sure to get some good shots. Upload them to your computer and print them on photo paper. Now you’re ready to go.

Supplies for cards can range from recycled card stock or even cardboard boxes that you cut up. Think of all the mediums you can choose from. You can use paint, paper, fabric, foam sheets, ink and rubber stamps, 3D objects like pom poms and charms, glitter, glue, beads, mosaic tiles, and felt. There’s really no end to the kinds of cards you can create if you grab a good bunch of supplies.

If you’re already a crafter, you probably have shelves and bins full of supplies. But if you’re just getting started, you can make lovely cards, too. Look around the house for paper that’s pretty and useable like wrapping paper, wall paper that’s left over, contact paper, and even drawer liners. You’ll be surprised at how many things you find that you can use. No scrap of paper is too small or unusable.

Next, assemble some color. Paints, pastels, markers, crayons,  acrylics, and finger paint will all work. Be sure your materials are suitable for the age of your children and supervise as little fingers can get into trouble quickly.

Create a theme for your card. Does dad like to fish? Watch sports? Garden? Cook? Incorporate elements into the card that relate to his hobbies. For instance, kids can glue on dried pasta to make a culinary card for their amateur chef dad. Use your imagination, but also let the kids’ imaginations take hold. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what they come up with.

You are not bound by any rules when making cards. Start by cutting out a size for the card from the paper you’ve chosen. Then provide glue sticks, craft glue, Elmer’s glue, glue dots, or whatever adhesives you have. You can layer paper, add mixed media elements like found objects, trinkets, ticket stubs, etc.

Help your child to add their photo as part of the card. They can simply glue it on or you can laminate it so it won’t get soggy from glue and handling. Make the photo part of the card or have it be removable so dad can display it in his favorite spot.

Cards for Father’s Day are the ideal craft for kids of any age. Encourage them to write in it no matter their age. Dad will treasure what they wrote and even their chicken-scratch handwriting in years to come. Put the date on it so dad can remember how little they were the year he received it. It’s a fun reminder of Father’s Day and dad will save them all.

Related Articles:

• Ideas For Father's Day Activities
• Unique Father?s Day Gift Ideas
• Great Golf Gifts for Father's Day
• 5 Gadgets for Father's Day

Who are some of your favorite TV dads? You know, the ones who make you laugh until your sides split or keep you captivated in high drama shows. TV dads have sure changed over the years. Here are some of the dads you may remember through the ages.

Straight-laced dad Ozzie Nelson was unforgettable as he played himself in “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” on TV from 1952-1966. Does it get any more apple pie and down home goodness than that?

Did you watch a young Danny Thomas on “Make Room for Daddy” in the 1950s and 60s? The character was Danny Williams and he, his wife, and three children made TV history.

Perhaps the best known father of the golden age of TV was Robert Young as Jim Anderson in “Father Knows Best.” He played the ever smiling and sage head of the household in glorious black and white. The 1950s had a role model in this suit-wearing, happy-go-lucky Father of the Year.

Who could forget Walter Brennan and his larger than life Amos McCoy? “The Real McCoys” was a late 1950s and early 1960s smash hit. We still call things “the real McCoy” today because of the show.

June, Ward, and The Beaver couldn’t have pulled it off without cool and unruffled dad, Ward, in “Leave it to Beaver.” The show’s premise was light and the audience loved it. Never was a dad so even keeled and yet so respected.

For the family that had it all and a dimple cheeked dad at the helm, viewers tuned into the “Donna Reed Show.” They found Carl Betz’s portrayal of Alex Stone, the dad with the perfect coiffure a heartthrob.

As the times changed, fathers came to take on roles as single dads in mixed situations. Remember Fred MacMurray as Steve Douglas, the single dad with three boys in “My Three Sons”? This was innovative and must-see TV in the 1960s.

Another single dad was Andy Griffith. His show ran through the 1960s with a young Ron Howard, who would later become Richie Cunningham on “Happy Days.” And speaking of “Happy Days,” Tom Bosley was our favorite plump and loveable dad as Mr. Cunningham, the hardware store owner.

Dads have sure changed over the ages. Cartoon dads like Homer Simpson came to bring a whole new meaning to being a dad. And the dads we didn’t want as our own were many including Al Bundy on “Married with Children,” John Goodman’s and his stint as Roseanne’s husband on the “Roseanne” show and others.

TV went from portraying dads who never had a hair out of place to dads with no hair and a messy life. Viewers love them all and look for traces of their own fathers in the portrayals of television’s most celebrated dads. Perhaps you even see your own dad in some of the comic characters that have graced the screen as head of household.

It’s fun to grab some old episodes of TV from the early days and watch them on DVD. It’s a reminder of what used to be considered the ideal family and how fathers have matured and changed over the ages. Why not make your Father's Day gift be a family movie night this Father’s Day to celebrate your dad and have a few chuckles, too?

Related Articles:

• Famous Dad Trivia & Facts
• The Origins of a Special Day for Dad
• 5 Gadgets for Father's Day
• Unique Father's Day Gift Ideas

In America, when the third Sunday in June rolls around, everyone knows its Father’s Day. But in other countries, Father’s Day does not necessarily fall on that day. And different countries celebrate their dads in different ways. It’s fun to look at the traditions of Father’s Day around the world.

In the United States, Father’s Day means a day to honor dad. That’s pretty much a standard no matter where you go. American dads enjoy feasting on barbecues, Father's Day cookies or a meal out with the family. They receive cards, gifts, and treats of all kinds. Often the family will give dad the day off to do whatever he likes. Dads are honored for being the important members of the family and leaders of the household.

Other countries that celebrate Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June include Argentina, the Netherlands, France, Canada, Chile, Japan, England, and India. It’s interesting to note that in India, Father’s Day was never celebrated until around 2000! Fathers were always revered there, of course, but it has been the effect of the United States and the United Kingdom’s celebrations of the day that have had an effect on how India has changed their holiday.

Taking their cue from the Western world, India has declared the third Sunday in June to be their unique day for fathers. They look to the traditions of the west to include cards, gifts, and a day to lift up dad in praise. It’s catching on more now in the larger cities and more populated areas. The outlying areas haven’t really made it a huge tradition yet. But as more and more people find themselves swept up in the marketing of Father’s Day, dad is likely to get a bigger party every year.

Several countries, including Denmark and Norway, host their Father’s Day in November. Their celebrations of dad fall on the second Sunday. If you’re in Portugal, don’t expect to celebrate in June either. You’ll find dads being honored on St. Joseph’s Day on March 19^th.  In Spain, the same holds true.

In Germany, the date changes each year. Fathers are celebrated on Ascension Thursday which falls exactly forty days after Easter.

Visiting Taiwan in August? Prepare to celebrate Father’s Day on August 8^th if you’re there. And if you happen to be in Brazil around the same time, you’ll see Father’s Day celebrations the second Sunday in August.

If you’re in Thailand, December 5^th is the day reserved for Father’s Day. It’s in honor of a past king. Australians will party with dad on the first Sunday in September and be joined by their neighbor, New Zealand.

Interestingly, Sweden also finds the first Sunday in September to be the proper day to honor dad.

Dads are revered the world over in many different ways and on many different dates. It doesn’t matter when or where you celebrate the important men in your life who have taught and guided you.

Just be sure to make the day special. A handwritten note or card is often the best Father's Day gift you can give a man to show him that he has meant so much to you over the years.

Get the kids involved to make their own brand of lovely gifts and cards for a truly memorable day for all.

More Father's Day Articles:

• Father's Day Gadget Gift Ideas
• Celebrate Father's Day - Gifts and Activities
• Father's Day Fun Facts

There's till time to make dad a special gift for Father's Day!

One of my favorites is a homemade card made to look like a shirt and tie.

Materials Needed:

• Decorative Scrapbook Paper
• Scissors
• Glue

Instructions:

1. First cut a 4 x 12 inch rectangle from a piece of decorative scrapbook paper and fold it in half to create a double-layer 4 x 6 inch rectangle.
2. Form the collar by cutting 2 matching 1 inch long horizontal slits about 1 inch below the fold.
3. Fold over the 2 flaps as shown, then glue them down with a 5-inch-long tie shape cut from another piece of decorative paper glued between them. Glue a pair of small buttons to the collar.
4. Once the glue has dried, lift the bottom front of the card and write a Father's Day greeting inside.

A fun idea for the younger group is to make a card on computer, then inside print questions about dad and ask your little one to answer the questions, then fill in their answers.  Questions could be: "How old is Daddy?", "What does Daddy like to do on the weekends?", "How tall is Daddy?", "I know Daddy loves me because . . .".  The answers are sure to bring a smile and can be tucked away to look back on years from now.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!  Be sure to check out the Celebrate Father's Day - Activities and Ideas lens at Squidoo for even more great ideas.

Shirt and Tie Card Credit: Family Fun