63 Intellectual ideas for teens

I started this post months ago to have ready for the summer. Now seems like a good time to post as we are all choosing to do our part and stay home. Hopefully there is something on this list that you can try. 

Intellectual

This is the skills. New things that are going to work their brains. Will they paint? Will they crochet? Will they build a table? Who knows if they will do anything, but here is a list of things they could try and links to videos or tutorials on how to do them. 

Have a teen that refuses to try new things? When is the last time you tried something new? Maybe set the example and give one of these a try. Curiosity is a great motivator. If they see you trying new and different things, it might get them curious enough to venture into their own experimentation. 
For more ideas go here.

1. Photography
2. Build a Ukulele and learn how to play it
3. Learn a different instrument
4. Learn to draw
5. Doodle/draw
6. Make jewelry
7. Polymer clay sculpting (could be used to make beads for the jewelry)
8. Paint a phone case
9. Crayon melting art
10. Paint rocks
11. Do an acrylic pour This is a different (longer) video option and I really like this youtube channel but her videos are really long. I turn the speed up to 2x. Seriously I watched different videos for over an hour. So many different techniques, such cool results!
12. Paint, you know, get in touch with your inner Bob Ross (acrylic, watercolor, etc.)
13. Graffiti Wall (I'm so stoked about this one. Build some kind of wall/fence and some spray paint. Bam! Graffiti wall)
14. Do a science project
15. Create a block set for Lincoln
16. Do a wood project from wood connection
17. Work on a puzzle
18. Learn to code
19. Puppetry (sock puppet, marionette, create a set, make the puppets, write a play)
20. Carpentry (nothing too fancy, give them some wood and nails)
21. Write a play and act it out (plan this out so cousins can participate)
22. Go to the library
23. Create a neighborhood library
24. Do pancake art
25. Make a music video
26. Make a sock gnome
27. Make a felt board for Lincoln
28. Write a story
29. Make a childrens book (Target books)
30. Make a comic strip
31. String art
32. Do movie reviews
33. Create a Shutterfly book
34. Create a Pinterest board 
35. Create a blog
36. Create your own board game
37. Create a YouTube tutorial for something
38. Listen to a podcast
39. Read a book
40. Duct tape art
41. Make a jelly roll rug
42. Work in the garden
43. Shrink art
44. Origami
45. Paper art
46. Have a water fight
47. Make perler bead art
48. Plan and make a meal
49. Make homemade ice cream
50. Learn to decorate cake or cookies
51. Bake something (bread, cookies, pie)
52. Learn to make jam
53. Learn to face paint
54. learn to make candles
55. learn to grill
56. learn to knit
57. learn macrame
58. learn to crochet
59. learn to juggle
60. learn a magic/card trick
61. learn to sew (pj pants, pillowcase, quilt, use my longarm!)
62. learn calligraphy
63. learn/practice a language

Life is HARD

Life is hard. Like SO hard. I think there are very few people who would argue that. Of course there are those that would debate that it's all in your perspective. They are right, sort of. Our perspective can help us deal with the hard, but I don't think it changes the fact that it is HARD.
Life is difficult in all stages of life. As a baby it's hard because you can't do anything for yourself and you can't talk to tell anyone what it is that you need. The thing about babies is that they don't know that it's hard. As they grow, things are still hard. They have a lot of stuff to learn. They are learning to walk and talk. Fine and gross motor skills. Social mores. So many things! Sometimes they recognize that it's hard, but mostly they just do it. They have lots of support, people constantly encouraging them, helping them, picking them up when they fall. They keep going and learning.
Elementary school kids are still learning a lot as well. They are at an age when they recognize that things are hard. Math is difficult, friends can be tricky, home life requires more of them now. I look at that and would trade for that hard in a heartbeat, but for them, it is all encompassing. Their life is SO HARD. But they still have lots of people encouraging, helping and cheering them on.
Then we move into the teenage years where no one's life has ever been as hard. And no one understands. They have so many things to juggle. Still learning. Math is still hard, friends are the worst (and also the best), parents, activities, grades, chores, etc. SO HARD. They usually don't want it, but they still have a great deal of support and encouragement from the people around them.
And then we move out on our own. We go to college or get a job or both. Now we are responsible for ourselves. We have to feed ourselves, do our own laundry, make our own money, pay our own bills (hopefully you were at least doing your own laundry when you lived at home) and you still have relationships to manage, time to juggle and you are continuing to learn. It is HARD. But mom calls to check in on you, you have a night out with your friends who confirm that they too are struggling with all the hard things.

Now you're married and have some kids. And life is SO HARD. You now not only have to take care of and worry about yourself, but you also have a spouse and little people who need you. You had no idea the things that would come up! You didn't know you could be stretched this far without breaking. You didn't know you could cry so many tears, feel so alone, feel so empty and ready to give up. Maybe you keep it all bottled up and put on a brave face and no one is the wiser that you are STRUGGLING. You don't share your trials. Maybe not even with your spouse. And possibly that is making it all the more difficult and heavy to bare.

Unlike when you were a child, you don't feel like you have someone encouraging, cheering and lifting you. You don't want to "burden" others. You cut out the connections in your life.
And just like all the other times in your life, you will make it through. But wouldn't it be better to make it through quicker and easier? There is no magic potion to make our troubles go away. We have to go through them. But remember, things have been HARD your whole life. They have been preparing you. You got through them and learned. And most likely you had a lot of people helping you along the way. Don't shut out those that could and would, lighten your burden. Most often, in our adult problems, there isn't much anyone else can do to take the problem away. But knowing someone is praying for you, knowing someone will listen to you, knowing someone will help you escape for 15 minutes to grab an ice cream, can be all the difference. It can fill your cup and help you fight another day.
Each stage of our lives presents trials and challenges. But each stage of our life helps prepare us for the next stage. If we allow them to, our trials will strengthen us so that we can bare the burdens that are placed upon us. We will still feel weighed down. We will still feel that sometimes, we just can't go forward another step. That is when we need to let someone hold our load for a minute. Let ourselves catch our breath, take a rest, and then get back to it. Remember you are still learning.
Life is tough! But so are you. You have made it through so much already. You can take on whatever you are faced with.

You knew what you were getting into

Anyone who has ever heard "you knew what you were getting into" can probably attest that in most cases, that is not even close to being true. I think it's safe to say that no one ever truly knows what they are getting into. They might have a pretty good idea, but there are just so many variables in life that we can't ever really know how things are going to go.
I have felt that way getting married and becoming a stepmom. When it's hard and I feel like I'm drowning, most people in my life don't understand. No one has actually said those words, but what they have said has implied that that is indeed what they are thinking. "Why are you having such a hard time, it's not like you didn't know it was going to be this way?" "But that's pretty typical right?"
I'm sure I'm reading into things more than they are actually present. I think a lot of people are good about giving me grace. Realizing that I will figure it out and what I'm saying may have not been well thought out. I appreciate those people. I am figuring it out. Where my sisters in law have had 13+ years to ease into dealing with teenagers, I was thrown into the arena. While they have a mothers love for their children and love them in spite of their awfulness, I have kids who are someone else's' kids and while I love them, it is not a mothers love. Kuddos to the stepmom who truly is able to love a stepchild with a mothers' love. You are lucky.
No one prepared me for that. I had no idea it would be this way.
My friend who has 4 girls and is dealing with a very emotional house of hormones, with one being especially troublesome, would surely not agree with anyone who said, you knew what you were getting into when you decided to have kids.
You don't know if your third kid is going to have a disability. You don't know if your 2nd child is going to have a traumatic brain injury, or get cancer, or have some degree of mental illness. You don't know those things when you decide to have a family. You literally have no idea what you are getting into. And you wouldn't think of saying that to someone. At least I hope you wouldn't. So why do we say that to step-parents? We have no way of knowing that in a year the ex-wife is going to decide to move thousands of miles away. We have no way of knowing when the ex is going to let her crazy shine bright. We have no way of knowing that the teenager is going to end up hating us, just because. Just like a traditional family, there are so many things that could happen, so many things that can change in an instant. Why do we expect them to have a better handle on it, just because they knew there were kids involved to begin with?
I truly appreciate those people who don't pretend to understand, but who listen. Who sympathize. Who try to imagine what it might be like. I'd say the best example is my mom. I have only felt supported and loved by her. She is always, ALWAYS on my side. Even when I know I'm being ridiculous. She validates my feelings. She shares her experiences that might be applicable. She encourages me to keep trying, to look at it in the big picture, to think about other points of view.
So I say to you, it's okay you didn't know what you were getting into. Most people, in most situations, don't have a clue what's coming. They don't know how hard it will be. They don't know how they will react. We are all just doing the best we can, with what we've been given.

8 non-religious spiritual goals

We are in a weird place with our kids. They live with their non religious mom and anti religious step father. We are pretty religious people in our home. We are trying very hard not to push religion on them, since they've expressed they don't have an interest in it (12 and 15, not really surprising). We go to church every Sunday and I think they've resigned themselves to going, since they are rarely here so it's "not that bad" for one Sunday every so often.

Whether you're religious or not, your spiritual health is still very important. Here are 8 ideas for how to care for your spirit without religion. I think your spiritual health is directly linked to your mental health. Heaven knows mental illness is on the rise. While I don't think these will cure any illness you may or may not have, I do believe they will help you be happier and avoid some of the things that can contribute to declined mental health.

1. Write in your journal
2. Read or listen to uplifting literature
• Chicken soup for the soul
• TED talks
• Self help book or podcast (7 habits of highly effective teens)
3. Meditate
4. Learn a new coping skill and put it into practice
5. Put your phone in airplane mode every night at 10pm
6. Start a gratitude journal
7. Stay off social media one day a week
8. Make your bed every day (this is why you should)

Advent for all ages

Who grew up with some kind of advent calendar? Maybe it was something as simple as a little bear moving through little pockets of a house with the date on them. Or something like this Grinch advent I made for my sister a couple years ago.

Maybe the "elves" visited and left a gift every day. How about the ones where you punch out the door and there's a chocolate behind it? Lot's of people do the 12 days of Christmas whether for their own family or as a service to another family. An advent calendar is a great way to create memories and connect with your kids.
As a new mom and a teacher, I'm starting this year with a family tradition of a reading advent calendar. You wrap 24 Christmas books and every day you get to unwrap one and read it together.
I hadn't really thought of any type of advent calendar to do with my bonus kids since they live so far away and will only be here for a week around Christmas.
A few days ago, their mom invited us to join them for her version of the 12 days of Christmas. It's a social media 25 days of Christmas. She has a calendar and each day you take a picture to represent what's on the calendar and tag each other in the post. For example, one day says "all that glitters". Each person would find something to take a picture of that goes with "all that glitters". It wouldn't be too difficult to come up with your own calendar. If you are religious, throw in a few more that focus on Christ. If religion isn't so much your thing, Christmas songs seem to be a good place to look for ideas.  I'll have a blue Christmas, Here Comes Santa Clause, Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, etc. She also put in a few that you could turn into an activity together like "C is for Christmas cookie". That would make for a great opportunity to make Christmas cookies together. If you are looking for a more service or Christ centered advent calendar I would recommend lighttheworld.org You can download a free calendar with Christ centered service ideas for the whole month. Three others that I really like are The Little Lamb from Bethlehem similar to Elf of the Shelf but more Christ centered with a little lamb you can move around, this 25 days of Christmas ornament set and this service centered manger.
Back to the social media 25 days of Christmas, I really love this idea because it allows my husband and I to participate even though we live so far away. I really appreciate that she thought to invite us to have this opportunity for a little more connection. You can follow along with our Instagram 25 days of Christmas here.