Monday, April 06, 2009

Suggestion box

This is to all the moms (and kids and former kids) out there on what to do with spring break time? We're planning a few adventures this week to places like museums/science centers/etc., but what do you do on a day like today with thunderstorms outside and no planned activities? The kids can only play with their toys and look at their books for so long (i.e. before they start hounding me...)

If anyone has a great suggestion on something unique and fun to do, let me know. I'd love to hear it!

6 comments:

Anali said...

My nieces like to plan and put on a performance. They rehearse songs and dances, set a time for the show, and create a program. You could also round it out with making refreshments. This could take several hours to accomplish, so could easily be an all-day project.

I don't know what your boys like to do, but all kids like to be center-stage. I'm sure they'd love to have some excuse to show off.

The Coloradans said...

I don't know what we should have done but this year we spent the week cleaning and let me tell you - the kids had a blast...okay, not really but they did it because they were getting new rooms...and spring break was 2 weeks ago here and the rooms are still kinda a mess but - oh well I guess I am not much help. Usually we like to rent a video (Redbox for $1) and pop some popcorn (microwave) and have soda (usually reserved for Pizza night) and have fun lounging on the couch.

We also have spent MANY HOURS using the Perler beads http://www.perlerbeads.com/
I like to get them at Hobby Lobby or Michael's using my 40% coupons. Not sure what you have as far as Hobby-type stores there. All you need is some bowls for sorting, patience, a good broom for sweeping up the ones that fall, an iron and some ticky-tack for hanging the creations on their bedroom walls (they aren't good for much else)

Kristi

Marci said...

We have tons of musical instruments that the kids can pull out to play while MP3s are going. We have a jump-o-lene and collapsible trampoline which are also life savers for rainy days. We have a flip video camera that the kids have been making a Star Wars video on. I had Eric and one of his friends make a stop motion lego movie by setting up our camera on a tripod and letting them take pictures as they moved the legos around. They love the Brainpops and Brainpop jr. and GameTap sites. We put on audio books for them to listen to. You could take them out puddle jumping. Art projects take up lots of time at our house--they could make goop or home made play dough that would take up hours. Get them on the webcam with grandparents or cousins. Build a fort and let them pretend that they are stranded on a desert island and are taking refuge in a cave, or they're blasting off to the moon. Give them a sponge and some regular soap and get them in the tub to scrub away. Movie night picnics on the living room floor with pizza. Teach them funny camp songs. Remind them of all the toys they haven't touched for months and threaten to throw them out if they don't play with them immediately :) Take them on a seek-and-find car ride with printed out sheets for them to check off as you go along. Have them write letters or put together packages to send to someone special. Sticker collages. Take pictures of things around the house that look like letters of the alphabet, print them out, and put them in order. Are you trying to stay indoors or are you wanting to go outdoors? Guess I should have asked that first.

Anonymous said...

Hey Mara-
My girls have always liked making "experiments" in the kitchen. Baking soda and vinegar are always a hit, regardless how old we are. They also had fun tasting each different ingredient when we made cookies, etc. They could taste the difference in the soda, salt, sugar, flour, and baking powder even though they look similar. Oobleck and salt dough (I have a good recipe) are also fun to make. We also have had fun doing scrapbook pages and writing stories with pictures. Good luck and Happy Spring Break! We love you guys! -Bec-

Eddie said...

Well, this is too late for you, but, we build caves and tunnels with blankets and sheets. We cover the sofa and chairs with the blankets and sheets and then read stories with a flashlight, have a picnic, or chase each other in the tunnels/cave. I use my right arm to attack the boys - I call it la mana loca (the crazy hand). The boys love it. You never know when la mana loca will strike!

vdg family said...

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