It’s been three weeks since our quarantine began and I think most of us are ready to pull our hair out. I know I am. Momming without a “break” by hitting up a childcare inclusive gym, visiting a coffee shop, or being able to stop at the park for an hour IS SO HARD. Breathe, mamas. Stay calm. I have rounded up some more ideas to help you pass time & keep the littles busy. You might only have to hear “I’m soOooOo bored” once today.
A few nights ago, we learned that our social distancing guidelines have been extended through the end of April. I’m bummed for so many reasons and I’m sure you are as well. This week, I talked with a few other mom’s who are also struggling through this lockdown. We collaborated to bring you some fun ideas that your kids will have fun with and help you to KNOW you’re killin’ the mom game. I’ve linked their instas below so that you can check out more of the content they share.
Storm Cloud Experiment
This week we talked and practiced the letter S & to follow up we did this Storm Cloud Experiment. This was so easy!! Jaxon will tell anyone who will listen that he’s going to be a scientist when he grows up so it was right up his alley. All you need is a mason jar, shaving cream, and blue food dye. Fill your jar with water, top with a shaving cream “cloud,” and add a few drops of food dye. After a few minutes, the dye runs through the shaving cream cloud and begins to “storm.”
Popsicle Craft
Who doesn’t love ice cream & popsicles?! Here’s a sweet activity that’s quick and easy to put together. Cut thicker paper (like cardstock) into the shape of a popsicle & glue a popsicle stick to create your own paper popsicle. Cut out different shapes from different colored papers and place in a container. For younger ones, you can squeeze glue all over the paper popsicle so they can just simply stick their “sprinkles” to it. For a little older children, give their own glue stick so they can dab the glue on the paper and stick it to the popsicle!
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Spring Tulips Fork Painting
Reese is definitely my crafty girl and she LOVED this one. She was able to do it almost 100% independently making it even more fun for her. Choose a few spring paint colors, dip a plastic fork, and dab away. Around 10 tulips fit perfectly. Your kiddo can add a flower stem after stamping their tulips with either a paint brush or even just their finger.
Next Level Painting
Explore something fun for you AND them. Pull out the water colors that your sister-in-law bought you for Christmas 6 years ago and learn alongside your kids. Be fun, creative, turn on your playlist from 2003 and get in touch with your emo self.
Water color is by far the most forgiving paint to work with. Don’t like what you just did? Add a few drops of water to it and dab your paper towel across. Let each kid make their own custom shades of blue and paint the ocean together.
The best part…you can let this paint sit out all day because when it’s hard all you need to do is add a wet brush and wipe across the paint blob. Yes, blob. I’m a very fancy artist if you haven’t noticed.
Counting with Clothespins
We headed outside for some fresh air and did this simple clothespin counting activity while having what the kids consider a gourmet lunch– pizza lunchables. This is really inexpensive to do and you may already have the supplies. I wrote numbers 1-10 across 10 large popsicle sticks. Each stick was missing 1 number. Jax loved figuring out the missing number and then hunting for the correct clothespin to pin in it’s place. This is definitely a unique way to practice counting/number recognition.
Waterpainting
Find a wall, any wall (outside!!) Or a fence, a driveway…give your little one a bucket of water and some tools. Paint brushes, roller brushers, a sieve, a funnel, a cloth rag, a sock with a tennis ball inside, really anything! And just let your little one CREATE! And get wet and just have fun!
@moments.forever
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Cherry Blossom Q-Tip Painting
One of my favorite crafts! I can’t wait to dig up all the variations we’ve done of this simple activity over the past few years. This is the first time we’ve made cherry blossoms but previously we’ve used different colors to create fall foliage & even snow dusted trees in the winter. To begin I print a bare tree silhouette. To create the blossoms we bundled Q-Tips and bound them with a tiny gum band. The kids then dip them in a small amount of paint and stamp all over the tree branches. This craft never disappoints! So pretty and so simple.
Caterpillar Counting
The kids loved making these cute caterpillars. The activity is simple & hits a few different skills- math, creative play, & fine motor development. Write the numbers you’d like the kids to practice along with a yellow caterpillar head down the left hand side. They can then finger paint enough little green body segments to match the number!
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