2011 March Madness

Even if your alma mater isn't one of the 64 teams playing ball this weekend, chances are you or someone in your home is wrapped up in March Madness. The annual NCAA basketball tournament has a way of bringing out the basketball fan in everyone. Whether you're headed out to a viewing party or just cheering on your team at home, here are some activities to get lil ones in on the hoops action.

• Set up a mini basketball game. Using Nerf balls (so younger kids won't hurt each other) and lower hoops, create a court just the right size for the littlest basketball fans. If they're too young to understand playing a full game, try a game like HORSE, where each time a tot scores a basket she gets a letter until she spells out the word horse. Better yet, choose a word that is associated with your favorite team for them to spell out.
• Create a basketball-themed buffet. Dessert tables are still all the rage, and a March Madness table is easy to create. Basketball-decorated cake pops, a basketball cake, bowls filled with cantaloupe cut with a melon baller, and themed cookies, like the ones pictured above ($65), make for a beautifully themed table.
• Put the kids in training camp. During half time, arrange a series of dribbling and shooting drills, silly obstacle courses, and ultimately a piñata for tots to develop their hoops skills.

Most of you — 84 percent — said that March Madness betting is all in good fun, in a recent poll. But did you know that the enjoyment you get while watching the college basketball games will be reduced if you're betting on the outcome? In fact, it even "ruins it for many people," says Stephen Nowlis, professor of marketing at Washington University. Fortune cites Nowlis:

It's basic psychology, he says: lay down a bet for a team to win, and you'll feel jittery and anxious as you watch. We are our own worst enemies.

Everyone may have conflicting opinions about Nowlis's theory. Those who participate (but aren't in it to win) in a betting pool can probably laugh off their losses more easily than those who take it seriously. If you have money on the line, seeing your favored team losing will probably hit you more negatively. What do you think — does betting take the fun away from March Madness?