- Playing in the sink. With duckies, or cups, or bowls, or washing plastic dishes, or washing the tea set or playing in bubbles, or with warm water or cold water or with ice.
- Playing with play dough. We really like this recipe-I made it a month ago in three colors, I just give the kids a hunk out of the fridge of whatever colors they ask for, and then they play with it and mix it all up and I don't feel bad throwing it away when we're done. We still have lots left.
- With the play dough, we use knives, or scissors to cut it, or cookie cutters and rollers, or beads to poke into it, or toothpicks and beads, or raw spaghetti and beads--whatever random thing I can come up with to make it a little bit new.
- Ice and cups and bowls and water and spoons. Katie and Jimmy both love measuring out ice and water and spooning it around and mixing it up.
- Putting away the silverware from the dishwasher. Great sorting activity and fun first chore.
- Katie's been really into cutting and gluing lately, so there have been lots of projects with paper to cut and clue to cardboard. All sorts of paper are fun to cut-newspaper, ads, construction paper, coupons, catalogs, and all sorts of ribbons. I've been thinking we need to try cutting straws (bonus-beads to string when she's done!) and Styrofoam trays (run them through the dishwasher first). We've been using a lot of glue. I've contemplated mixing up some flour and water paste and putting into a glue bottle, but surely glue's not expensive and we're not quite out yet.
- Little animals in the play dough too- and we played with little animals in the snow that we brought inside, and with the snow dough that we made. We did this one which was corn starch and oil and glitter but it didn't hold together that well and wasn't super fun.
We also made this one of corn starch and shaving cream and it was really really fun but
OH MY GOODNESS the mess was amazing and incredible. I was so thankful MJL was home to bathe the kiddos while I cleaned up the mess.
- We also like to paint with water and paint with watercolors. Those wooden trays that Melissa and Doug toys come in are great for watercolors, they soak up the paint nicely and go right back to being used. Acrylic painting is best done with better supervision than I provided on this day. Rocks are great things to paint.
- I keep trying to interest Katie into sorting beads into a muffin tray but that is a big no.
- I want to get them both into helping more with dinner, but so far scrubbing potatoes is the only thing they've done.
How's that for a list? Got some more ideas for me?
2 comments:
I like that play-do idea, to just let them mix colors and then toss it!
Yeah for the Fun Pod!! I also do playing in the water -- but I should give him some ice. The problem is he frequently wants to try to eat it and ER Mama is sure he'll choke.
Must make some play-dough ASAP!
We also do the silverware sort (I feel so happy I thought of something you do on my own -- like I am sort of OK if I thought of it too!).
Ben likes to help "cut the peppers" - I just give him a bell pepper and a butter knife (not sharp), and he pokes and prods and squishes. It usually comes out in 2-4 pieces, but then I can cut it up into whatever size for whatever I am making.
Thank you so much for all of the wonderful ideas!!!
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