One thing I'm re-learning as I play with my toddler grandson is how much fun balloons can be. Now, I don't recommend letting them loose outside as they can pose a health risk to birds and other wildlife but indoors, let's have some fun. Here's one I think you and the family will enjoy. Could you sink a balloon into a laundry basket using a wooden spoon? What if your spoon were replaced by a paper plate? Welcome to the Very Serious Balloon Championships, where the equipment is questionable and the sports haven’t quite been invented yet. Start with Spoon Basketball. After that, your family gets to invent the next event. Gather Your Gear: Recruit the Equipment You’ll need one inflated balloon, a basket or open box, and a few lightweight, blunt household objects: wooden spoons, paper plates, cardboard, or an empty plastic container. Clear a small playing space. Ask an adult if you need help blowing up the balloons. Be sure to throw any broken bits in the trash. Steps 1. Open with Spoon Basketball. Place the basket nearby and choose a starting spot. Hold the balloon in your free hand, then release it and use a wooden spoon to send it toward the basket. Tap, guide, or balance it on the spoon. After releasing it, use only the spoon to move it. You can play seated. 2. Give everyone a turn. Players choose how close to start. If the balloon lands outside the basket, pick it up and try again. A balloon that bounces off the rim, lands behind the player, or refuses to leave the spoon may deserve an instant replay. 3. Change the equipment. Try the same shot with a paper plate or piece of cardboard. Does a different tool suggest a completely different technique? Players can demonstrate discoveries or keep experimenting. 4. Let someone change the event. Keep the balloon and change one part of the sport. Turn the basket sideways. Make the balloon land on a cushion. Use two paper plates to pass it between players before taking the shot. Try the new event before deciding its rules. 5. Hold the championships your way. Repeat the favorite event, challenge an adult, or invent another. Players can keep scores if they want, award ridiculous titles, or simply demand another go. Commentary and grand entrances are available to anyone who enjoys them.

Thanks to @Varsha Mistry for sharing her quick chickpea curry. I needed a quick dinner and was able to toss this together in minutes. Varsha also hosted a cook-along for us in August and has a great community called The Indian Cooking Club if you and your family want to explore different foods. From prep to dinner in under 15 minutes. https://www.skool.com/everyday-indian-cooking-9801/about?ref=ae78ccb9c3874cd9ae85d4e7fca1e29e

This month's leaderboard is 🔥 and we're thrilled to celebrate the incredible humans who've been showing up and making waves: 🥇 @Paulette Ng — #1 this month AND the undisputed all-time champion. Your creative energy is contagious, Paulette. 🥈 @Andrew Brooks — #2 this month, bringing that passion for metabolic transformation every single day. 🥉 @Tosca Fasso — #3 this month, leading the charge on AI delegation and CEO elevation. Also climbing strong: @Sandy Chong (#4, and a consistent top-3 all-time legend), @Chanie Twersky (#5), @Jen Staniforth (#6, sitting at #2 all time—consistency personified), @Auli Takala (#7), @Dan Mowinski (#8), @Henry Hunter (#9), and @Anna Murrietta (#10). Ready to make your mark? Jump in, share your wins, and show us what you've got—the leaderboard is wide open.

We're thrilled to have some wonderful new folks joining Connected Through Play! This community thrives because people like you believe that play is where the real magic happens and we can't wait to see what you bring to the mix. @Daniel Albert is here to connect with people who share ideas, and as a single father navigating the beautiful chaos of raising children, he's excited to find new ways to engage with them. @Anita Jeffrey was drawn to the power of play as a tool for building stronger connections, and she's committed to learning fresh approaches that center the children in her life. @Patricia Wilson , an ER nurse and business owner from Atherton, is here to discover fun and meaningful ways to create lasting memories with her two daughters. @Pacita Florida a brings strategic thinking and a passion for practical solutions—and she's looking forward to ditching the screens and playing the old-fashioned way with her 3-year-old grandson. @Emily Harper is passionate about understanding how play supports children's development and learning, and she's eager to both contribute ideas and learn from others here. @Audrey Worm, a podcast manager and coach who helps mothers balance business and family, is hunting for fresh play ideas to enrich time with her kids. @Jessica Meraz is focused on building better memories with her kids while honoring their ADHD, just like her own, and she's excited about learning different ways to connect. Dive into the conversations, share your stories, and remember, there's no such thing as too silly when it comes to play. We're so glad you're here.

Here’s one to get your creativity flowing as we head into the weekend. The conference has been eye opening and I’m ready for home but not quite yet. See what you can create this weekend. We all know that rooms have rules.Floors go on the bottom. Doors belong in walls. Beds don’t usually hang from ceilings. What other rules do rooms have? Today, one of those rules has to go. Your goal is to ask yourself what kind of room could I build if something about it were completely impossible? Gather Your Gear: Pick Your Building World Use a building system you already enjoy. This could be blocks, LEGO, or other building bricks. Maybe it’s magnetic tiles or dollhouse pieces. Think about toys, cardboard, paper, clay, or other craft supplies. Of course you can mix completely different things together. Your room can fill a tabletop, fit on a tray or exist on a single piece of paper with a few objects added on top. There is no special supply list. Build with your world, your way. Steps 1. Break one rule. Decide what’s impossible about your room. Maybe gravity goes sideways. Furniture belongs on the ceiling. The door is underneath the bed. Everything is tiny except one enormous chair. Or invent a rule nobody else would think of. 2. Start building. Don’t worry about making a perfect miniature room. Build enough of your impossible world to start seeing the idea come alive. 3. Make the impossible obvious. Add, move, flip or rearrange things until your broken rule becomes part of the room. Change your mind whenever you want. 4. Somebody has to live here. Add a toy, figure, imaginary creature, finger character or simply pretend someone has arrived. Now play. Move through the room, use the strange furniture, climb the walls or discover what it’s like to live where your rule is normal. 5. Mess with the world. Turn the whole room around. Move the furniture. Add another character. Change something while someone else is playing. Or leave your impossible world exactly as it is and come back to it later.