365 DAYS OF PLAY

This breezy compendium of simple ideas for solitary and group entertainment offers something for nearly everyone.

A range of activities are presented in a way that is not tied to specific dates or holidays, creating a versatile, browsable collection. The variety of options for interactive and solitary amusement suggests an appealing reprieve from screens for families dealing with travel, rainy days, or simply needing to redirect attention. Camp counselors and youth group leaders will find plenty of entertaining and usable material here. Card games, word games, paper folding, crafts, simple art projects, recipes, and active games are intermingled, adding to the appeal of browsing randomly. Some are quick diversions, others require planning, time, space, or equipment. Most are well within the reach of 8- to 12-year-olds; many could be used with younger children or in mixed-age groups. Adults will want to vet activities and crafts for environmental impact (as with those involving balloons or toilet paper, for example), dietary or safety issues, or messes and risks that might be undesirable. The entire presentation is cheerfully designed and clearly presented in a friendly, unfussy format, with a brief introduction and list of all the activities at the front. Clear, concise visual and written instructions and uncluttered cartoon art accompany each activity. Icons indicate categories for those searching for particular kinds of projects: outdoors, games, recipes, tricks, science experiments, ones requiring imagination, and ones with no supplies needed.

Lots of great possibilities for fending off boredom.