Quick games, clever crafts, and creative learning activities to banish the "I'm bored" blues. Jump-start the fun with a sampling of these special excerpts from FamilyFun's new My Great Idea book. WHEELBARROW SANDBOX
Make Your Own Moveable Play Area
"Since we live in a neighborhood with plenty of cats and leaf-shedding trees, I needed a sandbox that would stay safe and clean for my three children, Matthew, age seven, Drew, five, and Isabelle, two. I came up with the perfect solution: a plastic wheelbarrow I found at the hardware store. Filled with sand and toys, it can be rolled in and out of the garage as needed. Since it's so easy to move, we can set it up anywhere we want around the yard -- in the sun or the shade -- and then wheel it back into the garage at the end of the day. Our sandbox stays dry on rainy days, and the children can play with it in the garage even when it's snowing out. Plus, when the children outgrow it, I will still have a useful wheelbarrow." -- Clare Collins, Wellesley, Massachusetts

WORD PITCH GAME
A Baseball Spelling Challenge Keeps Kids on the Ball
"I wanted to add a little spice to my classroom's spelling lesson, so I invented the game of Spelling Baseball. To play, I divide the class into two teams, and instead of pitching balls, I announce words for each child 'at bat' to spell. If the batter spells the word correctly, he or she gets on base, but if the batter misspells the word, it's an out. More difficult words are worth a double or a triple, and the really difficult words are worth a home run. Sometimes we play outside, and sometimes we set up our classroom players, because you can use imaginary ones to advance through the bases." -- Paul Bratcher, New Rochelle, New York

CRAFT SUPPLY STATION
Stock Multidrawer Bins with a Mix of Materials
"I was looking for a unique birthday gift for my daughter's friends and hit upon this idea. I bought several inexpensive three-drawer plastic organizers at a bed-and-bath store, then stocked each drawer with supplies such as tape, glue, stickers, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, pom-poms, and paper. The kids -- not to mention their parents -- have been very excited to get them." -- Jennifer Hech, Columbus, Ohio

TOY ANIMAL ZOO
Create a miniature version of the real thing
"My children, Rachel, age four, and Michael, age three, decided it would be fun to open their own zoo, so we gathered all the toy animals we could find and grouped them according to their species or habitat (jungle, ocean, and the like). Then we went in search of containers -- everything from a salad spinner to cardboard boxes -- to use as holding pens. We had a great time setting up exhibits throughout the living room. Next, we cut tickets out of construction paper and found a stamp to mark the hands of 'tourists.' For about a week, the kids pretended to feed the animals and clean the cages. And anytime someone came over, they 'sold' them a ticket and then showed them around." -- Lauren Seeley, Burlington, Massachusetts

WADING POOL GARDEN
A Plastic Pool Makes the Perfect Spot for Planting
"Our eight-year-old daughter, Marissa, really wanted a garden. Since we were hesitant to dig up the yard, we instead used a plastic kiddie pool to create a giant container garden. After cutting drainage holes in the bottom and filling it with dirt, we planted tomatoes, carrots, radishes, lettuce, and cucumbers. It looked cute and worked perfectly, allowing us to save our lawn. We had a great time as a family watering, weeding, and eating fresh vegetables from it." -- Barb Ramos, Indianola, Iowa

T-SHIRT QUILT
Turn Outgrown Shirts into a Comfy Quilt of Souvenirs
"My son, Jason, age 10, has a number of T-shirts from sports teams he's played on, camps he's gone to, and places we've visited. Jason's Aunt Linda came up with a creative way to preserve those memories after he has outgrown the shirts. She cuts a section from the front and back of each shirt, sews them together, and lightly stuffs them to make mini-pillows. She then sews them together to make a soft and comfortable quilt. It's a great keepsake, and as Jason gets older and taller, the quilt just grows with him." -- Debbie Emery, Northboro, Massachusetts

TABLETOP MAP
Use Decoupage to Put the World at Your Kids' Fingertips
"Having served us through 11 years of marriage and three children, our kitchen table was in rough shape. It was riddled with scratches, stains, dents, and marker streaks. Getting a new one didn't make sense because the kids were still little, and it would just get ruined too. Since my two older children love looking at maps and learning the names and locations of places, I decided to decoupage a world map onto the tabletop. I centered a large map on the table and used four coats of decoupage glue to attach it. I let it dry and then covered it with clear, self-adhesive vinyl, available by the yard at a fabric store, to stainproof it. The table looks brand new -- and every time we sit down to eat, the whole family learns something new about the world." -- Jancie Soviero, Milford, Connecticut