Screen Freeish

My husband and I have recently decided that we need to cut back on how much TV is watched at our house. With it being windy, rainy, etc. It's virtually impossible to take Will outside, and when its just me, I can't just leave a six month old in the house so I can let the 2 year old outside and play, no matter what the weather is.  And I figure as we are heading into the Fall/Winter months, I'm going to have to find things for us to do inside anyway.

My girl is currently obsessed with numbers, letters, and shapes, so I thought we'd do something along those lines.

So I started with 1 and worked up to 8. Just copier paper, red marker, and popsicle sticks.

She loved it. I think we did shapes yesterday for an hour.

Today she asked for her name and W,X,Y, and Z :)

And in my defense, I got the letters waaaaay too big, so she told me the A needed to have a top on it and the I needed more on the bottom. It only needs to be perfect in her eyes!

Katie came over so I could get some things straightened up, and one of Maris favorite things to do outside is paint with water on the sidewalk, and I can do that because I can open the window on the front door and paint with her outside and still be able to hear Will.  So she asked to do that with Katie. 

Yes thats my foot, and we need a bigger trellis for our rose bush we thought was dead but isn't.  And apparently our welcome mat has faded. Oh well :)

We also did simple sign language, color patterns with colored popsicle sticks, built a fort out of boxes, and did various chores around the house as well as our map work and Bible book work.

All told, I think everything total cost maybe 4 dollars.  Not even that. Trying to find some simple and cheap ways to entertain my child who needs to be busy every second she is awake can be super challenging, especially having a baby too.  You don't need fancy toys and contraptions from who knows where to entertain your kiddo. You don't even need to have the big box of lights and colors to entertain them.  Sometimes the best thing for her and me is to just put some music on and dance it out. 

Be creative, use what you already have. If you're tied to the house like I am most days, you don't have the option of running to the store to get something real quick. 

Next up is a string maze in the hallway and water fun in the bath since she got mud all over her painting outside. We also need to make muffins and dinner, so all told, it should be a fun afternoon!

Oh and what was Will doing during all of this?


Chillaxin in his Rock N Play, in my lap or on his play mat nearby.  If he can see sister, he's a happy camper.