Calling all Mommies out there!!I need your help! It's still too cold to play outside or go to the park. After last week, I am no longer allowing markers in my home (side note: I cleaned marker off our couch, chairs, floor, stairs, walls, Roy Austin's head, face and feet, Caroline's cheeks and hands....many, many places. Put it this way, Caroline received her first bare bottom spanking on Thursday and then received 2 more over the weekend and RoseArt "washable" markers are not washable). Enough said. I am running out of ideas to keep my children busy!! Please send me some creative time wasters!
Now remember, I have a very "Houdini-like" 16 month old who is extremely curious and is not afraid to put things in his mouth (ie: eating Cascade gel packs or Iams). So please don't suggest anything that will require doing a finger sweep or using a magic eraser. I just need some activities that we can all do together.
Spring is right around the corner:)
Monday, February 23, 2009
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SOunds like you might should start your own chapter of Boredom Busters. Contact Carolina Clipper for details. I feel your pain through the screen. If Jesus doesn't come, I sure can't wait for Spring in second place!
I think your kids are normal and that is a good thing. Put their coats on and let put them outside....They will have a great time.
How about the
Discovery place? Do they still have that place down there? I don't know how old you have to be to enjoy that place. Bring them up to see NANA...That sounds like a plan to me.
I just reread my message...oops! Can't type
Donna, there has to be an indoor "romp and roll" type place there in Charlotte. Just take them to a place like that and let them loose!!!
All great ideas, but I'm asking for FREE ideas!!! Dolly we have many romp and roll type places here in CLT, and we went to one on Friday, but at $10 a person, I can only do that once in a while.
Discovery Place is a good option. We went there last summer and it's really neat, but it's more for older kids, like Caroline and up.
Donna, ONE WORD.....LIBRARY!
It's free and they usually have a "library time". Ours is every Tues. and Fri. a lady reads the kids a story and then they sing and do a craft. Then, we check out a load of books for the week. We LOVE OUR LIBRARY! I've learned to like the musty book smell.
I was going to suggest play dough, but since you have a 16 month old. Hmm what about edible playdough?
PEANUT BUTTER PLAYDOUGH - Edible
18 oz. peanut butter
6 tbsp. honey
Nonfat dry milk
Mix ingredients with enough nonfat dry milk to form into a workable dough. Can be decorated with raisins and then eaten!
My personal favorite playdough recipe is non-toxic but probably wouldn't be very good to eat:
1 c flour
1/2 c salt
1 c water
1T veg oil
2t cream of tar tar
food coloring
Mix all ingredients in non-stick pan, cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mashed potato like, turn out and knead while warm. You can add the food coloring while you cook it or you can let your child knead the food coloring in and have a lesson in color mixing.
I love playdough! Entertains for a long time.
Thanks for inviting me to your blog!
The next free day @ My Gym on Park is March 6. Mark it down!
P.S. Story time at PBK is also every Tuesday.
Does Carolina Place mall still have the indoor playground? Also there's a nicer one at Northlake Mall. Just bathe them in hand sanitizer when they come out.
Nana is free....I rest my case....
Angela--we go to our local Library every Wed. for Boogie Woogie Books, but it is CHAOS!! The class is huge. The kids like it though.
Melissa! I LOVE the edible playdough idea. I will be making that this week. Keep those preschool craft ideas coming this way!!
Greetings Melsie!!! Glad you are here.
Great ideas you shared.
When Jere was 18 months or so I remember letting him play in the bath tub lots! With bath toys, letters. He liked it. He was contained.
I'll keep thinking about this.
Also, lots of playdates!!
Donna, I had a friend who allowed her children to play with spray cool whip as creative art on their kitchen table and said it was great because they could eat it. All you need is a cheap vinyl tableclothe from the $1 store or a nicer reusable one from Target. Let them at it! I have some great edible playdoh recipes of various flavors I will look up the link and send it over too for you!
Donna, another fun idea is Potato stamping...go here for a link to the idea:
http://www.momsmarbles.com/2009/02/potato-stamping.html
Mrs. Graham--I am laughing! I agree! If I could, I'd be dropping mine off at your house!
Take those kids to the YMCA! That's what everyone around here does! Trust me, I'm the one watching their kids! They drop them off in the Child Watch for 2 hours every day while they work out and then have social time in the lobby with all of the other moms. And it is all included in their membership!
The Chick-fil-a Play place is also good. You could also sign them up for The Little Gym or Romp-n-Roll if you have one of those down there. They take kids starting at 6 months for classes!
Wow. I am of no help here. Thankfully my little guy is shipped off to school everyday so I dont have to think about these type of things anymore. However, reading your post got me all tense and scared as I realized I am getting ready to start this all over again. As I read everyones ideas (and some seemed a little fun, but messy or expensive) I got more and more tense thinking of entertaining a baby or toddler 24/7.Oh My! I am too old for all this. I agree with Jane, ship them off to Grandma's or send them outside, its not too cold! Are you putting RA in preschool next year?
Yes, it's me yet again. Here is a link to my dear friends blog in Arizona with a pudding art idea. I love it and play to try it this week or next with Aaron. All you need is pudding and silver foil which is low cost and both your little ones could do it right before bath time for some fun times!
http://azunruhfamily.blogspot.com/2008/06/pudding-painting.html
Build a fort! Lindsay and Anna play in forts forever...but it messes up your house, so at nap time you can clean it up!
You could give them crackers and fruit snacks inside, and books!
Take the cushions off the couch and let them jump on them (you will have to be close so no one gets a black eye!) But it is always fun!!!
Brody eats the Cascade Gel packs tooo. You would think once they put it in their mouth they would realize it is YUCKY!!! but no...he goes back for more.
I am with you too, its too cold outside and Brody is a busy, busy boy and he never watches tV. We just go a lot.
All great ideas. Caroline I LOVE the chocolate pudding idea. I will definitely do this. OH, and I bought a vinyl tablecloth at the dollar store today to do the Redi-Whip art. I am going to let them drive Roy Austin's cars in the "snow"!! It will be messy but fun.
Inger, I forgot how fun tents and forts could be. I will let them do this, too. Am I a boring mom or what?!!
Nana Can I drop out two 12 year olds off? If my boys could just turn out half as wonderful as your three then I could call myself a successful mom! I be there in 10 hours...JK
Donna - you aren't boring just sunshine warmth deprived. I am not a real creative gal, but it looks like the other girls got it covered. I know Gymboree has a music class that is sometimes free. MR is apart of a music program and loves it! It is for all ages. Worth a look into.
We have taken baths and I just let them play for a while in the tub. OR shaving cream in the tub and a big hose down after. My kids love water so I try to use it whenever I can. Lots of bubbles keep them entertained too.
I've been waiting to comment because I had NOTHIN and I really just wanted to hear the ideas from everyone else! Sounds like some good ones. The pudding and cool whip ones sound really fun, but it's going to take me getting over the messy factor...I have a problem with that.
Is there a NANA in Greenville??
Donna
Glad you can use some of my ideas. Since I have older two's (mostly all 3 now) it's hard for me to find activities for a 16 month old that don't involve putting things in their mouths. When your little one gets older (two or so) and the weather warmer, I would suggest getting a sensory tub or some sort of large container (like a Rubbermaid under bed storage box) to place on a coffee table outside. In this homemade sensory tub you can put tons of things inside for children to explore with their hands. Oatmeal, rice, noodles, sand, shaving cream with food coloring, shredded paper, Easter grass, cotton balls, water with dish soap to make bubbles, moldable sand, or just about anything in your imagination. Add some old kitchen tools (spoons, beater, garlic press, funnels, measuring cups) and you have hours of fun and since it's outside you don't have to worry about the mess in your house. Not to mention around two is when the synapses in the sensory part of their brain really start to fire so the more sensory exploration you can provide the better.
BTW I'm heading to IKEA today, I hear they have a play area there for little ones, I'll check it out and let you know.
All great ideas, girls! I learned some things from you today. I also used to go appliance stores and they will give you the big boxes that frig and stoves come in. I would grab a few and drag them home. We would tape them together and the boys would make windows and doors in it and color the outside with crayons or markers. It would entertain them for days b/c all kids LOVE crawling in boxes.
Man, looks like lots of moms came to the rescue. Some people might not like this idea, But a free idea that kids love is the Animal Shelter. They normally love for people to come love on the cats and play, and if it is a nice day, then you can walk dogs. This came in handy during the Nanny days. But once again it might gross some moms out, or you might fall in love and bring home another animal.
Look what I stumbled across. We should have a fun outing for trolley rides!
http://www.free-attractions.com/attraction_record.asp?ID=1242&State=North+Carolina&AttractionName=Charlotte+Trolley+Museum&City=Charlotte
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