Okay, need some great thinkers out there to help me out. We fly out June 11th to go to Bulgaria to meet our 3 newest kids. 2 of them are at an older kids orphanage. They are 9yo and 10yo. The 10yo boy & his group is who I need ideas for. We'll be spending a few hours a day for about 3 days there. During this time, we'll need to think of some entertainment ideas. Thought about buying a soccer ball or something once I'm over there but not sure. What are some ideas to entertain a group of boys for a couple hours. They obviously do not speak English & I don't know enough Bulgarian. Has to be something light to pack as well. I had a friend take glowsticks the airline officials accused them of having "terrorist sticks." So glowing anything is out. LOL. Thanks in advance for any ideas you come up with. On a separate note, we're collecting donations for the orphanages. We've been asking people for $2 or $4. Trying to raise $2000. That would allow us to give each orphanage $1000 to purchase much needed shoes, underwear, socks & other basics we take for granted. From what I hear, this is a poor orphanage w/ very little resources. Two of my kids came home from Russia w/ shoes 3 sizes too small & there's was not considered a "poor" orphanage. So, I can only imagine the condition of this one. If anyone would like to know more, feel free to write me. I guarantee it ALL goes to the kids as we're hand carrying it over there, going to the store & purchasing items ourselves. Thanks for letting me share. Start the ideas coming w/ how to entertain kids in that age group that don't speak the same language. Take care, Stephanie-- mom to 7 (soon to be 10!)
You could buy a couple of inflatable balls and they could use them as soccer balls or to just hit them back and forth. You could get a number of them cheaply this time of year. My son and his friends have a blast just hitting them and kicking them around. Of course it becomes a competition to see how many times it can be hit around before it hits the floor. I love to play, too!
You could pack lots of beach balls in a suitcase. What about punching balloons. They may not last long, but it could be fun. Would something like sidewalk chalk be allowed?
Thanks. I think inflatable balls would be great! Punching balloons too. Does anyone know how long Oriental Trading takes to ship stuff to your house? I know they tend to have very cheap stuff. The silly string would be awesome but I could see where that would go wrong w/ some of the boys. And orphanage directors would hate me the rest of the trip. LOL. Maybe some cards too? Keep the ideas coming please. Thanks Stephanie-- mom to 7 (soon to be 10!)
What about something like this... http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11060213
Congrats, Stephanie! How about some hackey sacks (sp)? They should be easy to transport. I googled Bulgaria boys games, and this link is interesting: http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q...TU3cPz&sig=AHIEtbR5uDowMs2P9c9-uNfQXCGHMwai0g Is there something equivalent to Uno that you could pick up once you're there? Good luck!
See, this is why I write on here. Completely forgot about hackey sacks! That would indeed be simple & easy to transport. One time we sent one of our kids' orphanages puzzles. Labeled that box like crazy as they thought it was bomb parts at the post office. LOL. I know for a fact these kids have absolutely nothing. So anything would be great but I want to make it something they'll remember if even for just a few days. I was thinking a frisbee too. The girls will be easy to entertain. They'll let you do their hair for hours on end simply b/c no one has ever done that for them before. Keep the ideas coming. I really can use them. My brain is fried anyhow. Stephanie-- mom to 7 (soon to be 10!)
With the apparent language problem, a hand held translator. Franklin has them as cheap as $29. Nothing keeps kids more busy than a "keypad" these days
A zip lock bag full of Legos can keep my 10yo (11 next month) occupied for a LONG time! There's a Lego store at Crabtree you can buy by the brick if you don't want a 'set'. Just fill up a gallon bag and let'em build.
Do you have the address that you could ship things to ahead of your trip? Chess Checkers Coloring book and crayons Jump rope Jacks Cat's Cradle Croquet
