Beat the Rainy Day Blahs

Last week's weather here in Rochester, NY was such a tease! We wore t-shirts and shorts. We opened the sandbox and played on the swing set. We went to the park. We spent hours in the glorious sunshine (protected by sunblock and hats, of course). And best of all, it made the kids so exhausted that they slept incredibly well last week.

Not so much, this week.

Playing indoors seems like double torture this week, after tasting that sweet warmth just days ago. Going back to long sleeves, pants, and jackets is disappointing, to say the least. So far this week, I've softened the blow with a trip to the library, Strong National Museum of Play, and a stop at Petco to pick out two new goldfish. But today we are stuck indoors so we are beating the Rainy Day Blahs with a couple of sure-to-make-'em-smile activities.

ROCmomma's Rainy Day Blah-Beater Activity #1: The Obstacle Course

We've done a few variations of this activity. Sometimes I scatter couch cushions around the floor, and we are bunnies hopping through the garden; if we hit a cushion, we fall down the rabbit hole. A fellow ROCpoppa pointed out that this is a variation of the Hot Lava game. There was even a Tosh 2.0 clip on YouTube where he talked about playing this as a kid; unfortunately that video has been deleted. It was funny. Oh well.

Indoor obstacle courses are fun and can be altered after playing for a while, to keep them occupied even longer. It doesn't matter how much or how little space you have; it will still be fun. Try to find things that the kids can go OVER, UNDER, AROUND, or THROUGH. If you have cardboard boxes or those colorful cardboard "bricks" you can even build a wall for them to smash. Grab a mixing bowl or soup pot and some kiddie spoons for a tossing-game obstacle. Be creative!

We started in front of the fireplace:

1. Crawl OVER the ottoman
2. Crawl UNDER the tall chair
3. Go AROUND the bean bag chair
4. BALL TOSS - get one squishy ball into any hole

     
5. BEAN BAG TOSS - three bean bags in each bowl; get one into the bucket to proceed

      6. Jump OVER the tiger, jump OVER puppy 1, and jump OVER puppy 2
      7. Crawl THROUGH the tunnel

      8. EGG TOSS - get one plastic Easter egg into the basket

      9. Cross the Finish Line - Hooray!!!

    10. Do it again!     

This lasted for about 45 minutes, with no variations. I just had to replace the squishy balls, bean bags, and eggs every so often. In between, I washed the dishes, swept the floor, and even read a magazine article. Woo hoo!

ROCmomma's Rainy Day Blah-Beater Activity #2: Baby Chick Eggs

For this craft project you'll need:

• Plastic Easter eggs, any size
• Google eyes (or cut out white circles and color the pupils in yourself)
• Orange foam sheets or cardstock
• Glue sticks, plus white craft glue or glue dots, and perhaps some masking tape
• Assorted feathers, pom poms, and/or tissue paper
• Scissors

1. Cut heart shapes from the orange foam or card stock, then trim the two curved tops of the heart with some zig zig snips to make webbed feet. This is all free-hand; just eyeball it.
2. If you're using glue dots, put a glue dot in the center of each set of feet, with some of the backing paper still on top. Otherwise, leave as is for now.
3. Cut small triangles from the orange foam or card stock.
4. Set up stations for each child with eggs, google eyes, feet, noses, a glue stick, and any decorative touches (feathers, pom poms, tissue paper, etc.)

      5. Kids can remove the backing paper from the glue dot on the feet and attach to the bottom of the egg, or attach with craft glue.

       6. Kids can attach eyes with glue dots or craft glue (I started running low on glue dots, and craft glue was actually taking too long to dry...so I rolled up strips of masking tape and we used those!)
       7. Kids can attach nose and decorations with glue sticks

      8. Perch the baby chicks around the house, or place a few in a basket filled with crinkle paper/ basket-fill. Enjoy your sweet creations!

ROCmomma's Other Random Rainy Day Blah Beaters

• Play Doh and any plastic cookie-cutters you have in your collection; or an assortment of plastic cups, spoons, forks, and container lids.
• Silly String (officially, it's "Unique Wacky String") - I've found it in the party aisles at both Target and Michaels in a variety of colors; just shake well & often, and avoid carpets and furniture; otherwise it cleans up easily. 
• Boat Races in the bathtub - for this one, we don't actually get in the bath tub; either fill the tub part way or pull the infant tub out of the attic and place on a few towels on the kitchen floor; add a few toy boats or other water toys; be sure to STAY WITH KIDS AT ALL TIMES WHEN WATER IS INVOLVED. Please, and thank you.
• Indoor Sandbox - First, cover the table with a tablecloth or other protection. Next, fill a large shallow container or bowl with anything you've had in the cupboard for a while and won't need anytime soon: unpopped popcorn, oatmeal, raw rice, uncooked pasta, dried beans, Cheerios, or even flour. Give your kids some spoons, measuring cups, small plastic containers, even a small plastic shovel or truck. Super ROCmommas and Super ROCpoppas can even add a few small dinosaurs, army men, or Littlest Pet Shop creatures and tell the kids they're digging for treasure.
• Or check out these ideas to "Beat Cabin Fever" on Kiwi magazine's website.

Good luck to everyone stuck indoors with kids. I hope these ideas help you battle the blahs, and that your kids love the activities so much that they'll tell you what a great ROCmomma or ROCpoppa you are! Thanks for reading, and please post your own great ideas - or your success stories with these activities - in the Comments section.

Hop To It & Make Some Easter Decorations

Yes, it's beautiful outside, but sometimes the kids need a break from running around the yard. And with the St. Patrick's Day decorations down, it's looking a little bare in our house. SOLUTION: time to make some Easter decorations. Why spend full price on holiday decorations when you can make some now, and then get the nicer stuff for 50% off later in the season (sometimes 75%!) to save for next year? Added bonus: making your own decorations is a preemptive strike against the "I'm bored" whining of children.

I'm a big fan of creating three afternoons of activities around every holiday:

1. Make the decorations (this may be done over the course of a few days, or until the kids are sick of the same tube of foam stickers)
2. Decorate the house with your new creations, plus anything else from your attic, garage, basement, closet, clown car, etc. Have the kids pick out the "perfect spot" for each (most) decoration.
3. After the holiday, take down the decorations and pack them up for next year*

Today we began Day One of the "Make The Decorations" step. We looked through our craft supply bin and found lots of goodies to use! Even if you don't have a craft supply bin, you probably have more supplies than you realize around the house to make some super-cute bunnies, baskets, and more. Check out these ideas for household items:

Random Craft Supplies #1 & 2: Paper Plates and Cereal Boxes

1. Cut a semi-circle from the center of the plates and give them to the kids to decorate, along with any assortment of crayons, markers, glitter glue pens, stickers, pom poms, feathers, you name it.
2. Draw a large egg on the inside of a cereal box and cut it out. Use it as a template to outline more eggs and cut those out. Let the kids have at them.
3. Use tape or glue to adhere the eggs to the back of the baskets. 
4. Hang up your Easter Baskets!

Random Craft Supply #3: Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Rolls

Add some paint, pom pom noses and tails, construction paper ears and bow ties, and draw on the eyes, whiskers, and mouth with a permanent marker...and you have yourself an Easter Bunny Family. Check out a photo and the complete instructions on Crafts by Amanda.

Random Craft Supply #4: Lollipops

Okay, this one may require a trip to the craft store for more supplies, but they are so cute! Turn the lollipop upside down and adhere a wooden or foam heart for feet; add white pom poms for the head, arms, and tail; and use a pipe cleaner for the ears on your Bunny Lollipop. Definitely too sweet to eat. You can find photos and complete instructions on The Mother Huddle.

Random Craft Supply #5: Yarn

Once upon a time, I thought I'd take up knitting. Unfortunately, knitting didn't accept my Friend Request so there is a bag of yarn in my closet just waiting to become...Easter Baskets! Yup, just some white craft glue, plastic wrap, and plastic bowls and we're ready to sing "A Tisket, A Tasket."

For this one, just turn the bowl upside down and cover with plastic wrap. Soak the yarn (cut into arm's length strands) in the glue and then apply one strand at a time over the plastic wrap until it's covered. Let it dry overnight, then remove the plastic wrap and you have yourself a funky Easter basket. The complete directions and photos are on Eighteen 25.

If you make any of these crafts, or if you have other ideas you'd like to share, please post them in the Comments section. Thank you, and have fun decorating!

*One more thing: after Easter, when you're getting ready for the Take-Down-Decorations Day, there are a few things to keep in mind so that you're organized for next year. These tips will eliminate the, "Oh crap! I know I bought ______ last year; where IS IT?!?!?" moments. Or hours.

• Stop by Michael's, Target, and any other favorite stores to check out their clearance inventory. Pay special attention to craft supplies as well as decorations. Last year I found Easter-themed foam sticker sets for 75% off at Michael's. We'll be using those this week!
• Pack up the bargain treasures along with the other decorations so you'll know where they are next year.
• Gather any magazine articles, print outs from web searches, recipes, et cetera, and pack those in with the decorations, too.
• LABEL THE BOX. Yes, it seems like this is a tip from Captain Obvious but even the most organized people can forget this step...and it makes you want to pull out your hair. Yes, I'm speaking from experience.

Once again, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy these ideas for Easter decorations!