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So, even the best made plans can easily get messed up. Weather man wrong about that beautiful sunny day you were supposed to have? Kids wake up sick? A friend has an emergency and needs you to watch her kids? So many things can come into play that can change everything about the day you were supposed to have. If you plan ahead a little bit with some back-ups disaster can easily be avoided, and everyone can still have a great time!
I have a couple of back up plans in mind for once our summer really starts. The first two are great for bad weather alternatives as well as for entertaining extra children!
Kool-aid play dough and Homemade GAK! My little ones love playing with playdough, and I like giving them home made stuff since I know (mostly) what is in it! The smell of the kool-aid makes these even more popular! Miss E loves to make this up for the little ones so this works for four of my kids! However; I wanted something that my older boys could have fun with too. I saw a few posts recently on homemade GAK and thought my boys would not only love playing with it, but making it up as well!
Sorting, stringing, patterns, and a snack too! This is a super simple activity, but one that can appeal to infants AND older kids! Just keep a bag/box of some sort of "loop" cereal on hand (I purchase the cheap stuff in the bag since I can see that the holes are big enough to get the yarn through. I've noticed in the past that some brands do not have large enough holes for this activity!).
-The littlest ones just like to sit and snack while they watch everyone.
-Toddlers and pre-schoolers can sort the big bowl of loops into smaller bowls of individual colors and string them on their yarn.
-Kindergarden and Elementary aged kids can FIRST either draw or write out what pattern they intend to use and then string the loops.
*since we have VERY tight limits on the amount of sugar our kids are allowed just pulling out the bag of these loops causes quite the excitement!
While these first activities could be nice for sick kids too, having a special movie on hand that the kids have not seen could be just what the doctor ordered if the kids (or mom) end up getting sick or you just need some quiet time. **While we love using Netflix, and have for several years, we've started using ChristianCinema.com as well! I'll be posting a review AND a giveaway for them in just a few days, so watch for that!** Having some lunch or snack foods on hand that are special and easy to eat infront of the TV make this extra special for the kids.
Next week I'll post on being productive. Summers are not just for playing! Not only do I want to make good use of our summer, I really NEED to! I plan to get the kids involved in some of the things that need to be done around here, or getting them going on their own projects!
I've been wanting to make some of those Kool-aid Play Doh colors! I have a bunch of Kool-aid already! I'll need to remember this for a rainy day! Stopping by from HHH!
ReplyDeletefun- my boys will love this!
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