Three for Thursday from The Parent’s Play Book
Treat yourself, just roll with it, and feed the birds
Quick win
Stay involved - without losing your mind
For the days when you have nothing left to give… but still need to entertain the children. Treat yourself to an adult colouring book.
We don’t always need to be doing the exact same activity as our children for them to feel like we’re joining in. If they’re busy with arts and crafts, an adult colouring book lets you sit alongside them, stay involved, and enjoy a small moment of calm for yourself.
There are also loads of free printable adult colouring pages available online. Collaborative colouring sheets are another great option — you each colour your own section but still feel like you’re creating something together.
After school activity
Just roll with it
~15 mins
Beetle is a fun, retro pencil-and-paper game you can customise to any creature your kids love — beetles, spiders, cats, dragons, unicorns… anything works.
How to try it:
First, draw a simple version of the creature you’re aiming to complete, then assign a number (1–6) to each body part.
Give each player a blank sheet of paper.
Take turns rolling a single die. Each roll tells you which part you’re allowed to draw:
1 = eye
2 = antenna
3 = leg
4 = wing
5 = head
6 = body
You can only add certain parts once the basics are in place — for example, no eyes without a head, no legs without a body.
The first player to finish their creature shouts “Beetle!” (or whatever you’ve chosen to draw) and the round ends. Add up your points and start again.
How the scoring works:
The winner earns 14 points (or however many body parts your creature has in total).
Everyone else scores 1 point for each body part they managed to draw before the round ended.
3–5 rounds usually works well, though attention spans can sometimes evaporate mid-beetle.
Weekend project
Feed the birds (or at least try to)
~30 mins + birdwatching time
A little birdy told me the cold months are tough for those who don’t migrate south for a bit of winter sun – but I’m starting to think he might have lied.
Our homemade birdfeeders have been up for three days, and they are yet to pique the interest of even a single pigeon.
I’d imagined flocks of grateful songbirds swooping down singing hymns of thanks – while my children sketched rare species from the window, like tiny David Attenboroughs. This has not happened.
Still, the making of the feeders was a surprisingly enjoyable experience even when outnumbered by a three- and six-year-old.
Here’s how we made ours:
Option 1 – peanut butter toilet roll
- Cut or poke two small holes near the top of the toilet roll and thread 20–30cm of string through to make a hanger (we only had some red wool available).
- Spread peanut butter all over the outside.
- Roll the tube in birdseed until it’s completely covered.
- Hang the feeder somewhere high enough that pets or squirrels can’t get to it, and ideally where you can watch visiting birds from a window (if they ever turn up!)
Option 2 – recycled plastic bottle feeder
- Make two holes directly opposite each other, near the bottom of the bottle — these will hold the first perch.
- Ensure the holes are just big enough for a stick or wooden spoon to slide through snugly, then push the stick through.
- Cut small seed-access holes just above each perch so the birds can reach the food.
- Repeat this process above for the second perch.
- Tie string tightly around the bottle neck, just under the lid, and knot it to create a hanging loop.
- Use a funnel (or a rolled piece of paper) to fill the bottle with birdseed, then screw the lid on securely.
- Hang the feeder somewhere high enough that pets or squirrels can’t get to it.
Until next week,
Harvey
Share your creations with us online using #TheParentsPlayBook – we’d love to see them.
Three for Thursday
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