And I have to say that having LASIK eye surgery has really changed my life– and even the way I enjoy a FAMILY VACATION (more on that soon)–I never knew how intrusive wearing glasses and especially contact lenses was on my daily routine. Now I wake up in the morning seeing everything and am not scurrying around looking for glasses which I could never find. I love going to the gym and not worrying that my glasses are going to fall off on the treadmill because I don’t need them anymore. I also see perfectly while driving now without glasses and Dr. Silverman gave me the documentation I needed to drive with no corrective lenses.
I admit it I am not the sportsperson my kids or husband are but there are times where I want to join in and be part of the action and with glasses I was limited and had to forgo a spontaneous game of touch football on the lawn. Now I can go out and have a football or baseball catch with my son and not worry that he will hit my glasses or they will fall off while running. If I want to go out for a run with my daughter I just go, no glasses, no contacts and I don’t worry about breaking my glasses or scratching the lenses if they fall. And if I want to take in a day at the museum like I did during our trip to Bucks County with the kids- I can too (more on that soon!)
I always had to wear contact lenses when I went out because I thought I looked better without glasses but I generally did not like the process of putting on lenses, the never felt completely comfortable and they were very costly to buy year after year. Now after LASIK I can go out and look and feel my best. I don’t have to worry about running out of contact lenses or solution anymore like this pic of me during our recent trip to Bucks County .
I went to EyeCare 20/20 for my LASIK procedure. LASIK uses a computer-controlled laser to reshape the cornea and correct refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Short for Laser in Situ Keratomileusis, LASIK involves the use of a laser to reshape the cornea from underneath a corneal flap. A specialized laser called an excimer laser is used to perform LASIK, as it is designed to address refractive errors like myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, and astigmatism. It is utilized to improve vision and remove the need for eyeglasses and contact lenses.
The excimer laser, which is used in LASIK and other types of refractive surgery, works by emitting a beam of UV light to get rid of corneal tissue. Its main ability is ablating certain aspects of the eye that need reshaping, such as flattening the cornea to treat nearsightedness, increasing the steepness of the cornea to correct farsightedness, and evening out an irregularly shaped cornea to correct astigmatism.
Another high-energy laser used in LASIK is the femtosecond laser, which was launched only in 1999. Having WaveLight’s FS200 in an eye care center’s arsenal is a statement that reflects the practice’s commitment to delivering state-of-the-art ophthalmology services. Dr. Cary M. Silverman from EyeCare 20/20 uses this femtosecond laser in performing delicate LASIK eye surgeries on patients So with all that being said- I am ready to PLAY and truly take part in winter break fun with my kids- GLASSES free and here are some ways I am doing it with FREE Winter Break Activities That Encourage Kids to Play, Learn and Give Back !
FUN with Hula Hoops
Musical Hoops: Boogie around the room to the music until it stops, then jump into any hula hoop that is on the floor (one per person). Add some extra fun and movement practice by giving a designated movement skill to do inside the hoop before boogie time starts again.
Driver’s Seat: Get inside the Hula Hoop with your child. Pretend it is a car. Who will be in front and be the driver and steer as you move around? When your child takes the driver’s seat he is practicing stability. Make it a bit harder by adding some resistance to the child’s pull. What type of car are you driving and where are you going? Use your imagination!
Hoop Toss: Create a big target such as milk jug or soda bottle (filled with some sand to weigh it down) and toss the hoop to land around the target. Start close and slowly increase the distance.
Fun with paper plates
Paper Plates Scootin’ Around: Place a paper plate on a carpeted floor. Children place both hands on the plate and push it around, keeping their knees off the floor. Put a small object on the plate that they have to “deliver” to you across the room, put in a container, or “drive” to a destination—use your imagination. Children have great fun while developing upper body strength and endurance and practicing stability.
Cruising: Pretend the paper plate is a steering wheel and drive around the house or classroom to develop cardiovascular endurance. Use a stop/go sign made from another plate to practice stopping and going on cue. Add music for more fun. Children can stop, go and change speeds according to the music.
Bring Homeroom Home: Use the extra spare time to incorporate learning into non-school days in a playful way. Start a book club for your entire household or use these fun free math worksheets organized by grade level to incentivize upcoming outings or chill out after a long day of play. We love this book *Math Lab for Kids* Even unenthusiastic math students will be fired up to learn with these hands-on labs that make math more than just numbers! Math Lab for Kids is a fun, engaging, and colorful approach to the wide world of mathematics.
Keep It Social: More unstructured time for kids can be tough for parents, aggravating worries about social-emotional well-being. Use this time to ask your child at least one open-ended question about their social lives per day (“Who did you eat lunch with today?” and “What did you do during recess?”).
Research tells us that adults are often the last to know about problems like bullying, and making sure peer relationships are part of your regular conversations at home will help you notice potential issues early – and make your child more likely to come to you for help right from the start. You can also make conversation time fun by incorporating this Family Bucket list. And even start a College Conversation! One of the most powerful things parents can do to improve their child’s chances for success in college is simply to talk about it! Take a day trip to a nearby college and have a picnic on the lawn. Ask questions about how they’d like to spend their summers as they get older and are preparing to leave for college. You’ll learn more about what interests them, all while laying the groundwork for a solid academic future.
Socks FUN
Bean Bag Fun: Make beanbags from socks. Partially fill socks with rice or small beans. Sew ends of socks shut to keep beans from spilling and the children from putting the beans in their mouths. Toss the bean bags into a big container such as a laundry basket or try to balance them on different body parts.
Duck Waddle: Place a basket or other container about 10-12 feet away. Children will put a rolled up pair of socks between their knees and try to waddle over to the basket to drop the socks in. Make it harder by increasing the distance. Make it sillier by putting socks under their arms too!
Crab Walks: Place a basket or other container about 10-12 feet away. Children will put a rolled up pair of socks on their tummy as they crab walk over to the basket to drop the socks in. Make it harder by increasing the distance or the number of socks. What else can they balance on their tummy?
Use an App to give back SHIP THEIR BAT ABROAD
Use Sports Gift to send-off the hockey stick or baseball bat your child no longer uses to a disadvantaged child somewhere in the world who will love it.
PLANT THEIR NIKES: Nike Reuse-a-Shoe recycles your child’s old shoe soles to create lovely new playgrounds across the nation, where they’re most needed.
REGIFT THEIR JERSEY: Your local Freecycle Network will send your child’s old jerseys or equipment to be reused by another child – and kept out of the landfill.
Scarves FUN
Imagine This: Encourage children to use their imagination to pretend with the scarf. Model yourself. It can be a kite, a cloud in the sky, a beautiful tail on a horse, a butterfly wing, etc. Act it out, move your feet around the play area, and be creative. Continue to move creatively using concepts like right, left, high, low, out, in, up, down, etc.
Toss and Catch: Show children how to toss the scarf: Lay the scarf on the palm of one hand, and with the thumb and pointer finger of the other hand pinch the scarf in the middle and lift it off the palm. Give it a flick into the air and catch it. Keep palm facing out when catching. Toss and catch with one hand, alternate hands, clap once or twice before a catch. For a challenge, try toss-spin around-catch. Try tossing and catching with a partner or a small group.
Body Part Fun: Children might try tossing the scarf and watching it land on different body parts (back of hand, head, foot, back, etc.). They can watch it land on their own body parts, then on the body parts of their friends
Beach Ball FUN
Cooperation Carry: Pair 2 children to walk across the room or play area carrying the beach ball together. First they might use two hands, then one hand each. No hands?! What fun and silly ways will they think of to carry the ball?
Toss and Turn: This is “Simon Says” with a twist. Toss the beach ball up into the air and do something fun before it hits the ground. An adult (Simon) gives a direction, such as “touch your nose,” “clap your hands,” “jump up and down,” “turn around”. Children throw the ball up into the air and do what Simon Says before it hits the ground. For added fun, let the children take turns being Simon.
Body Ball Roll: Using a ball work on rolling the ball around your body. Stand up, sit down, kneel or lie down. Such a simple activity can give children practice with stabilizing and controlling actions and explore relational and space awareness.
There’s a lot of great activities to do with kids over winter break. We tried to do different things over Christmas to the point he was ready to go to sleep every night. I love all your ideas here.
These are great. Conversation is key to any activity and life in general. It’s scary to think we’ll be the last one to know.
We don’t get a break like this, but jealous of those who do!! I love your ideas. I am going to keep them in mind for our next day off!
What fun ideas and so glad you had this procedure done – I’m sure life is so much better now! And Blake would totally love that paper plate scoot around – I’m going to give it a try!
Thank you for these ideas! One day in and my kids are already driving me nutso!! Seriously, nuts!
You have so many fun ideas here. I LOVE the duck walk one. I HAVE to have my boys try it – I am sure it will be hysterical!!
These are all really fun ideas for the kids! Paper plate scooting I know my kids would LOVE to play this!
I think I need to make an appointment for my eyes. Wondering if Lasik just might be the thing for me.
It’s almost time for winter break here too. These are some great ideas to keep kids entertained during it.
I love the math lab and can’t wait until my kids are old enough to really enjoy it! My dad brought us things like that and we spent many hours doing the spiro-graphs and projects.
These are so fun for kids! I am sure my kids will enjoy these!