Friday, November 11, 2011

Family Fun Night

The lights went out on Oct. 29th, computers suddenly went black and we struggled to find some matches to light a candle. What do you do when the lights go out?


We live in New England so power failures are not unusual in the winter. I was not prepared for one so early in the season and found myself a little frustrated without a good supply of candles. My son asked me, "How did people do anything before electricity, candles give off so little light?" It's true, I could not even read a book. I told him, "I think they went to bed early and got up at the crack of dawn."


This got me thinking though, about Family Fun Night. Sometimes we have to be prepared to make the best of things. I remember when my kids were young and we had a long power outage, how we cuddled in the living room under blankets and read books by flashlight until we fell asleep. That was fun and the kids wanted to do it again even when we had power.

You don't have to wait for a power outage, you can stage one for a night of fun. Plan ahead by purchasing or borrowing a gas or oil lamp. You may also want to have a small flashlight and extra batteries for each child's safety. Create a meal plan that requires no cooking, or if you have a fire place you can try roasting corn or potatoes in foil. This could be a great learning experience for young children to prepare them for the real thing by helping them feel safe. If your kids are elementary school age you can help them learn about life in earlier time periods when oil, gas or candles were used for lamps.

Think of some games you can play together that don't require a lot of light. Games like Mancala, Jenga, or even Twister don't require reading and could be played with light from an oil lamp. Of course you could use flashlights and play cards or any board games if your kids are old enough to not get frustrated.

Another idea would be to set up a treasure hunt or scavenger hunt ahead of time that can be done with flashlights. If it's not too cold and your kids are old enough you cold play flashlight tag outside. Flashlight shadow plays and making scary faces with the flashlight under your chin are good indoor entertainment for younger kids.

Teaching our children that they can take care of themselves and even have fun without electricity is a great way to prepare them for unexpected circumstances in life. Having a Family Night with no electricity requires and teaches creativity, and it can also be an enjoyable bonding experience. What will you do the next time the lights go out?

19 comments:

  1. New follower from Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop!
    http://amomjustwingingit.blogspot.com

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  2. Our power recently went out for a couple of hours. I was lucky that it was during the day while my kids were at school. But it did give me a bit of a wake-up call. What would I make for dinner? Did we have dry firewood for heat? And, yes, what games would we play to stay busy. It's amazing how dependent we are on electronics, not just electricity.

    I love the idea of practicing so that kids know they can be safe in the dark. We are mostly past that, but my 13-year old was still a little nervous.

    Thanks for stopping by on my SITS day. It was a fun day for me.

    I hope you have a lovely weekend.

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  3. Oh what a fun idea. I can't wait to try a no power night my my kids when they are a few years older. You've come up with some great ideas to work off of. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Love this post...& those lamps give remind me some of memories...
    I am your new follower
    Midweek Fiesta @every Wednesday

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  5. thanks for the follow...following you back!!!
    http://whybecauseimthemommy.blogspot.com/

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  6. ey, following back! :) Have a great weekend.

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  7. Thanks for following my blog...I'm back here following you!~ :) Have a happy weekend...I'm looking forward to checking out your blog!
    ~Lisa @ O.C.

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  8. Simply beautifully captured shots...lovely!

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  9. These are great ideas...I too have a hard time wrapping my finger around living in a time with no electricity. That means no internet, no blogging =( hehehhe...thanks again for dropping by Cool Bean Mommas!

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  10. Thanks for the follow - following you back! http://www.bargaingab.com.

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  11. Hi, I am returning the follow. My children love it when we have a power cut! We have candles handy and they love sitting with the candles on.

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  12. Thanks for following, following back! :)

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  13. Hi Cheryl,

    Thanks for stopping by and following me yesterday. I'm here to return the favor.

    I... love... board games! I try to have a game night at least once a month - and I love the idea of having a "kit" ready for those power outages :)

    Have a great weekend!

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  14. Following back. Appreciate it.
    Ohio Outdoors

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  15. How fun! I always LOVED power outages when I was a kid. I love big storms too- though, this is a reminder that I am nowhere NEAR prepared for a situation like this! AHHH! Now I'm panicking! LOL.

    Thanks for visiting my blog and for your awesome comment!

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  16. Thanks for stopping by. I also love board games. We were just playing them all day. Happily following back:)

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  17. Thanks for the follow! Love your blog and am following back.

    Have a great day!

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  18. Thanks for stopping by following u back

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