create (with kids): Sick Bodies, Busy Hands

Not only did we play in Sweatshirts yesterday- no mittens, no scarves, no heavy winter coats- but we played as a Healthy family. Which means I am sleeping and functioning as a normal person again. I had a bad bout of kids-with-flu brain last week resulting in my looking all over the house for my keys- that I was holding in my hand, or finding our container of oatmeal (raw, not cooked) in the frig where I'd put it the morning before. So I took it easy on myself last week and tried not to blog unless I could triple-check my legibility and coherency. Which, between two sick kids and toxic laundry, wasn't a lot. So here's to a new healthy week and regular posting! (wink)

As I've shared before, our kids rarely stop and take a breath. They're the hit-the-ground-running sort. While they did crash in the beginning of the week, as we cuddled to a healthy dose of PBS kids, by the middle of the week they were over it. They wanted, as Isia calls them, "Activities!" So here are a few activities I offered to keep their hands busy while their bodies, and their Mama, were still recovering.

Our first activity was a DIY matching game inspired by this Happy Hooligan's post, here. We enjoyed searching our house for objects to include. While Isia helped me place the objects on the paper, I did the tracing myself. (Although I think that could be part of the fun for older kids!) She was entertained through the process of making it, but only played with it briefly when we were done. So I packed it away until the next day...

...and got it out again. She played with it for awhile, then her interest started to wane. So I took it one step further and added the letter for each object. It quickly became a game of "Can you find an object that starts with the letter...?" This kept her occupied longer, and was a nice way to practice our letter sounds.   With this variation in mind, I would love to collect a larger assortment of letter sounds next time. We ended up with several repeats of the same letter. "S" was especially popular!  

A large pan of baking soda with two containers of colored vinegar was another popular activity. Not only was Isia learning color mixing and cause/effect, but she was also building her hand muscles using a dropper. Did I also mention that this kept her occupied for over twenty minutes while her brother napped? Which is, coincidentally, the time it takes to unload a dishwasher, switch out laundry, brew a pot of strong tea, and catch my breath before little brother wakes up.

And then there were, supervised, scissor activities. Here she is with a pile of magazines, cutting away to her heart's delight. Do you have a kiddo that loves scissors? We're also enjoying My First Book Of Cutting (Kumon Workbooks). I found ours used, but I will definitely buy it again new for our home- and maybe for someone else's home too. It'd make a darling preschooler gift! Back to Isia's lovely cuttings, which needed a place of honor.

A pink piece of construction paper and glue stick later, they were secured in place. I found it really interesting how Isia arranged them in just one area of the paper. I asked if she wanted to add more. She said no, then changed her mind- "It needs one more thing." She took her scissors and put a cut in the top of the paper, then declared it finished.

It's so interesting to see how this little mind works. She's always up to something, and I don't know if I've ever seen busier little hands. Not that I would mind if she would slow down and take a nap every now and then... but I appreciate she has bigger things to do than sleep. (smile)