Parenting Class #2

Boredom is your WORST ENEMY
Keep 'em busy, keep 'em happy!
In the second parenting class we went over lots of ways to keep your kids moving and having fun which couldn't have come at a better time with the long winter days that still lie ahead...

Play Dough- definitely one of my favorite growing up! Here is a great recipe if you need one.

No-Fail Kool-Aid Play Dough
2 1/2 cups flour 3 Tbsp oil
1/2 cup salt 2 cups boiling water
2 pkgs unsweetened Kool-Aid (any color of your choice)
Mix dry ingredients. Put oil in the center of dry mixture. Rapidly stir in boiling water. It will be sticky at this stage. Set mixture until it is cool to touch. Knead well. It should be soft and smooth and not sticky.
Bubble Cup- this one is awesome! Let me see if I can explain and if it doesn't make sense, I can show you.

You need a Styrofoam cup, a bendy straw, Dawn Soap, an old t-shirt you can cut up into 4x4 squares (and dampen) and a rubber band.
Make a hole with the straw just under the rim of the cup. Place damp fabric over the top of the cup and wrap the rubber band around it. Then put soap on the fabric and blow threw straw up through the fabric. Lots and lots of bubbles without the mess!

Pom Poms- safe to throw in the house and use for lots of different activities!

To make: Use any color yarn (one of two) and wrap long ways around a vhs tape. Pull off and wrap and tie in center. Cut either ends and you have your yarn pom pom!

Books- Taking pictures of your kids and making them their own books using words for them to learn are just as good, if not better than other books you can buy!

Picture Puzzle- Take a 5x7 or 8x10 picture of their face and cut it into pieces to make a puzzle.
Lacing Cards/Wind Chimes/Frozen Water Balloons
Dress up/Pretend Play- pull out shirts, shoes, hats, jewelry, scarves, glasses, etc and dress up! You can also use scarves for different kinds of activities on their own.
Sock Puppets-great for teaching kids their body parts. Take a sock and glue eyes on and hair made of yard. Have the puppet kiss their knees, ears, toes, etc.
Treasure Box- Fill with rocks or anything that is special to them. (This could be one thing that they never have to share, they just can't bring it out into a group if they aren't going to share it.)
Greeting Cards- Take pictures of drawings, the kids or anything and make a post card!
Puppet Show Stage- Great way to encourage language, pretend play, etc. You can have puppets that are made of Popsicle sticks, paper bags, socks, dolls, etc.
Balloon Rocket- fishing line tied to either side of room with one side on a slant, straw through fishing line, tape untied balloon to straw and let go!
Flying Balloons- Play Keep-Up (in the air), kick around or just blow up and let go!
Finger Painting- You can use different foods that are fun to taste, but don't stain, such as yogurt, whip cream, pudding, etc. Remember, it is OK to be messy!!!
Thumb Print People/Bean & Rice Box Songs/Finger Plays- Songs like The Itsy Bitsy Spider and Popcorn Popping Stop and Go Game- (Use hand hold with pinky in place.) Stop with a stomp. Great to teach kids to walk next to you and to practice at a curb to watch for cars. "Walk with me."
Musical Instruments- Pots and pans with spoons and whisks! Oatmeal boxes. Jars or cups with different levels of water for kids that know how to be soft, spoons make different sounds.
Seeds- Plant some seeds and watch them sprout! Lima beans in a wet napkin grow too!
Magnifying Glass- Keep as a special exploring toy, if you leave toys out, they will get bored of them. Also looking at body parts or books with it can be fun too.
Blanket Play- swing them in it, drag them, etc. Make forts/huts too! Boxes are great for this as well.
Past Art Work/Jewelry- color pasta with food coloring and glue to paper or put on sting.

Shadows on the Wall- hand puppets

Dinosaur Bread- Use Rhodes Rolls and cut out stencils for different shapes!
Binoculars- Make them by duct taping two toilet paper rolls together, tie string and decorate. A paper towel roll could be used as a telescope.

Play catch with milk jugs- cut in half and using top half hold handle and catch pom poms or balls. Tape Record Household Noises- record phone, doorbell, toilet, dogs, water, etc. and guess what they are. You can also take pics as well and make a bingo game out of it.
Make Cheerio/Fruit Loop Necklaces
Flashlight Play
Body Cutouts on paper/outline with chalk
Sponge toss- throw through hole
Squeeze/Stress Balls- Fill small balloons with flour. Double up the balloon (roll up one and place inside the other) and funnel flour in.
Summer Time:
Fill the bucket- steady cup and pour water into bucket
Bug Hunts- take magnifying glass and search for bugs

Notes:
*Kids need a beginning, a middle and an end to everything.
*Put toys up or away or they will just get bored when they see them all the time.
*Special fun box and blanket: teaches them to play on their own and shows there is a limit. Use the same blanket each time and only for this. Have a special box with sorted bags of activities like coloring, easy puzzles, etc that they can do on their own. Don't bring it out any other time except for the specific time. You can use it when you need to be on the phone, as a breastfeeding box or cleaning time, etc. Set a timer for short amounts at first and make sure you are the one ending it and clean it up together.
*When reading books, have your child to sit in front of you, facing each other. You can get up on your knees to encourage them to sit on their own.