Get out of pushing the kid on the swing free cards

Now that the weather is nice, I kill some time during those dreaded post-nap-pre-bed hours at our neighborhood playground, which sadly consists of two swings, a terribly neglected sandbox, and a very scary spider web jungle gym. As a fun alternative, I sometimes send the kids on a scavenger hunt to see what they can track down. Try it -- the kids love it, and it buys me a little iPhone checking time.

Now thanks to Blynken and Nod Playground Scavenger Hunt Cards, I won't get stuck trying to figure out what else to send them to look for after they've come back with a dozen pine cones. This set of 32 laminated cards packed in a sweet muslin bag combines hand-drawn pictures and words to create a fun, imaginative game for little kids and big ones too. Give the entire deck to your kids and let them go wild searching for leaves or ladybugs, or divide it up for a little competition. And best of all, it'll get you out of having to push them on the swings for an entire hour. -Kristen

Visit Blynken and Nod for more info on their Playground Scavenger Hunt Cards, as well as their awesome felt board pieces.