FAMILY BRIEFS

TAKE THE CHALLENGE; PLAY A GAME
The fifth annual Million Minute Family Challenge started this month. The idea: to help families, friends and other groups rediscover the value of playing games together.
To participate, play a board game for at least 20 minutes. Then visit www.millionminute.com and log your minutes.
If at least 1,000 groups in each of the 50 states participate, America will have spent a million minutes playing games together. That's a lot of Scrabble -- or Trouble, or Cranium, or Uno ...
DON'T DONATE JUNK
Donating some of your children's toys to charity is a great way to reduce clutter and teach them the value of sharing. But remember that donations should be clean and in good condition.
Some tips from "Put Your House on a Diet: Declutter Your Home and Reclaim Your Life" (Rodale, $17.95):
URun dishwasher-safe toys through your dishwasher. Other toys can be cleaned in the sink with dishwashing soap and baking soda.
UWash doll clothing by hand in cold water, to prevent it from tearing or shrinking.
UStuffed animals can often be cleaned in the washing machine. Read the label for instructions.
UCheck toys for pieces that might be a choking hazard.
UDon't be tempted to give away toys with missing pieces. How would you like to assemble a 300-piece jigsaw puzzle that has only 299 pieces?
VEGGIE TIPS
Family Fun magazine offers these tips to make eating vegetables more fun for kids:
ULet them pick. When kids choose their own veggies at the supermarket, they are more likely to at least try them.
ULet them be weird. If your kids prefer their peas frozen, why fight it? Lots of folks like icy peas. Likewise, your kids may eat raw the same veggies that they can't stand boiled or baked.
UUse a silly utensil. Every so often, set a variety of utensils on the table and let everyone pick one or two to eat their veggies with. Some to try: spatula, ice-cream scoop, bamboo drink umbrella, nutcrackers, tongs.