Lancaster Homes is a family-run business and we know that finding family time and spending time with loved ones can be difficult—but time together is ultimately more important that the busy daily schedules we all have! That’s why we’re introducing #LancasterFamilyNight, to encourage everyone to spend more quality time together doing the things that matter most, with the people who matter the most.

We’ve collected a few of our favourite things to do when we get together, as a family or as a couple.

 

DIY crafts together

There are so many different crafts you can try depending on what you and your family like.

Whether it’s making keepsakes or functional pieces for your home, why not turn #LancasterFamilyNight into an opportunity to create something from scratch! Turn old toys into serving dishes, make handprint ornaments out of nature you find around your home, or create some fun paper crafts to enjoy for hours and hours! Don’t be afraid to make a mess, try new things, and explore your creativity.

 

Classic or New “Board” Games

Lancaster loves board games. Loves them—and totally not because we’re super competitive! Scrabble, Monopoly, CandyLand, you name it, we’ll play it.

Board games are a staple for #LancasterFamilyNight—but sometimes the old favourites get stale, and what do you do when you can’t get out and buy new ones?

Check out options online, of course!

There are many online options you can take advantage of. Websites like TableTopia.com and JackBoxGames.com offer many different options for you and your family to enjoy that use technology you likely already have at home. Incorporating technology may be exactly what you need to finally get certain people to join in the fun.

 

Scavenger Hunt

We love a good scavenger hunt during #LancasterFamilyNight! It’s always fun to hide different things around the house and see who wins! We’ve also dabbled in making our own Escape Room, which was a fun challenge. Next on the list we’ll tackle a colour hunt, which is like a scavenger hunt, but you have to find items that fall within a certain colour spectrum.

Consider exploring nature for your scavenger hunt! Hunt for things like pinecones, sticks in a unique shape, certain types of birds or plants, and other types of things that encourage your family to appreciate nature.

 

Movie Night—but with a twist!

Movies are a staple for any family night, or date night, and it’s no different in our family!

We’ve thought of a few things you can do to step up your movie-night game that are also super fun!

• Build a fort! If you can’t build your fort around your TV that’s ok—consider watching your movie on a portable device.
• Create a popcorn bar! We love to add stuff to our popcorn—peanut M&Ms, extra butter and so much more—so why not make a DIY popcorn bar for you and your family to enjoy? You can serve nachos, hot dogs, pretzels, anything that contributes to the movie theater vibe.
• On the same food-related note: why not construct a themed menu? We love browsing Pinterest and AllRecipes for all of our new-dish needs!
• Change your location! If you can watch a film outside in your backyard, try it—we love seeing our homeowners set up projectors and pillows in their backyards to create their own drive-in movie experience.
• Or for couples (perhaps after the kids are tucked-in for the night), search for a new cocktail recipe inspired by your favourite movie.

Let us know in the comments how YOU up your movie night game!

 

Try a new recipe together!

We love to cook and bake at Lancaster! We especially love finding a new cookie recipe and making something from scratch. This is a great opportunity to teach your family valuable skills and share something delicious.

Explore innovative ingredient substitutions, DIY your own cookie cutters and, most of all, don’t stifle your creativity. Use odds and ends from your fridge to make something spectacular! In fact, why not kick back, relax and let your kids cook for you! We’re sure nothing could go wrong…

Couples looking to get some family time—why not try something new and revolutionary? We’re big fans of Sous Vide cooking right now (check out that steak!), and here are three of our best tips:

• Don’t be afraid to experiment with fresh herbs while cooking sous vide, but less is more in this case because the flavours transfer very well in this low-and-slow method of cooking;
• While vacuum sealing your food is definitely not a requirement, we’ve learned it is the secret to more even cooking;
• Experiment with different recipes! Our current favourite is to sous vide steak (followed by a sear on a cast iron pan), but we’ve experimented with octopus, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, poached salmon, and more!

 

Thanks for reading! Let us know in the comments how you and your family celebrate time together and be sure to tag them as #LancasterFamilyNight—and maybe win you and your family some cool swag and a reshare!

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