by Muffy Mendoza
Tags: black barbie collection
building confidence in Black children
hobbies with kids
kid activities
video games and boys
Now, who said Black people don’t have hobbies. Getting a few family hobbies for my kids and hubby have created some of our most memorable family moments. In addition, hobbies give your kids superior knowledge on a specific subject and often are a very cost effective way to provide family entertainment. So here’s my list of family friendly hobbies.
Start a Collection: From stamps, to model cars, Barbies and sports memorabilia, starting a family collection is a great way to expand your kids mind and give them something to brag about to their friends. In addition, most collectors items can start off very cheap. You can often find memorabilia and keepsakes at second-hand stores.
Gardening: When the weather is warm, gardening is a great hobby for mommys to do with their kids. In addition to being relaxing and therapeutic, gardening gives your kid the real-life skill of knowing how to grow their own food. It’s what I call a real-life skill because gardening starts out in the yards and ends on the table. So your kid gets to see the value of the habit. Rather than letting the school teach your kid healthy eating habits, you can take credit for that one.
Music/Art: As most brown mommys know, schools no longer providing the arts and music curriculum of the past. Your child will be lucky if they get choir and basic painting classes in school. So music and art are a great way to enhance the culture in your home. Plus, exploring a new genre of music with your kids or mimicking a classic artist can be a learning experience for you and your kid, no matter the age.
Outdoor Activities: Whether is finding all of the parks in your city, running or exploring local caves. Outdoor activities are lots of fun for kids. They will almost always will want to do these activities. It also teaches the value of physical activities and the possibilities are endless. Here’s a link to Venture Outdoors, a great place in Pittsburgh to find your inside outdoors-men. 
Aquascaping: This is one of my personal favorites because its one of my family hobbies. Basically you are just collecting fish and fish tanks and designing them. Fish are a super cheap purchase and we find fish tanks everywhere. Often we find fish tanks on craigslist and at failing businesses for less than $50, that’s cheaper than taking my whole family to the movies. And, my kids love designing the fish tank from picking plants to finding large pieces of wood at the park, they are always thinking about. My oldest son even blogs about it occasionally. Plus, who knew there were so many kinds of fish!
Video Games: AHHH, save the best for last. My family loves video games; especially the fighting games. A game of Tekken, Soul Calibur or Injustice can really spice up family game nights. We have certain characters each family member plays with and have given them new outfits — yes you can do that. Plus, this is a hobby dad will be all in on. Many parents don’t realize the strategy skills moderately playing video games gives kids. It forces them to out think their opponent. This is my favorite hobby of all time.