i know it is march but summer at-home activities?
my nephew will be born in June and my sis needs to pull my niece out
of daycare for the summer to help save some cash while she is on
maternity leave. Niece will be 3.5 years old. she has a "water table"
and a patio and is thinking they will go on a lot of walks and to the
playground but is looking for some basic summer activity ideas that
will occupy Zoe while she is taking care of the newborn. she is fine
with TV but that only lasts so long. enrolling her in a camp or
something will negate the taking her out of daycare savings
my idea of a "small cage" appears to only work with dogs and is
another reason why i am unfit for motherhood.
i am sure there are obvious ideas here that i am missing (i am going
to send bubble and sidewalk chalk) but other ideas appreciated.
why am i asking this? b/c her close friend and i are going to probably have a "sprinkle" to give her some bottles, diapers etc and i want to start putting some things into a "big sister" box that will entertain her for a bit. we want to have this late april, which is not terribly far away.
Re: i know it is march but summer at-home activities?
ps i was only kidding about the cage....and FWIW they have a HUGE yard so outdoor stuff is good. i said she might want to look for hand me down outdoor playschool type stuff.
no...not local....plane ride away
We have this bubble machine and it is great because you don't have to blow the bubbles which would be great if she is holding the newborn.
Playdough is a big hit in our house right now and 3.5 is probably old enough to not eat it without constant supervision.
What about a table cover so she can use washable crayons and markers without direct supervision as well? For us the only problem is the coloring on our table and while it comes off easily enough, a table cover makes it easier.
Does she have an easel and a roll of paper and some washable paints? Maggie could paint for hours (outside activity).
For inside Maggie so into her barbie like dolls right now - mostly disney princess. She also loves the smaller disney princess sets and her FP snap & style dolls. If we were having a new baby now I would have a few new toys stashed in the closet for rainy and cranky days as a distraction.
My kids have this tunnel/ball pit and they love it. I love that it is lightweight and can fold up and hide under the couch. It can be set up indoors or outdoors. Play hut also makes other similar tunnel systems. Sorry I can't make it clicky
https://www.amazon.com/PlayHut-10868-74R-Mega-Playland/dp/B0000206G9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298505645&sr=8-1
Last summer my kids also liked the blow up kiddie pool. They could play in that for hours. Our neighbors had a smaller bounce house that they would blow up in the yard that was a HUGE hit. And of course they love to ride their bikes and use sidewalk chalk. I also had some gardening tools for them so they could dig in the dirt, rake, and all that other good stuff.
pps have good suggestions; the only thing is that if it's really hot, your sister may not be able to spend a lot of time outside, as you can't put sunscreen on a baby younger than 6mo old and they get dehydrated easily, so she'd be BFing around the clock just to keep him hydrated (if she BFs)
is she part of a playgroup? perhaps she can join one and have some playdates at her house while also going to others' houses, this will keep her DD occupied
A word of caution about messy things: ideally, they won't require a huge clean-up effort by your sister (either of your niece, her clothing, the project, or the surrounding area). There were plenty of times during DS's newborn stage that DD wanted to do chalk, painting, or playdoh. And I had to say no because I just couldn't deal with the inevitable mess...my house was already trashed enough and I couldn't keep up with it. But maybe your sister is more laid back than I am.
My DD is currently interested in learning to write and always asks me to spell words, so activity books that teach tracing letters and their sounds and such are a hit with her. So are letter refrigerator magnets and large foam letters...it's a mind-numbing activity for me, but at least it's "educational." My mom gave her some learning-to-read books that hold her interest even though they're a bit advanced for her...she spends a good amount of time "reading" everything in her bookshelf to herself. Also, stickers are a perennial favorite...she's constantly using them up. She loves her window markers that are surprisingly easy to clean up and don't stain things. Dress-up is interesting her more and more, so any stuff either age-appropriate or hand-me-down from you (DD loves my headbands, scarves, and high heels) could work. Her hands-down favorite thing to do right now is "cook" with her fake food and pots and pans and Disney Princess oven...it can keep her occupied for hours. She also can't get enough of (1) puzzles, and (2) "memory" games.
Basic outdoor toys like assorted balls, a soccer goal, a t-ball stand, roller skates, a jump rope, a tennis racket, an inflatable pool, etc. might be nice. Even if your niece doesn't use them for their intended purpose, maybe her imagination would run wild. She's at an in-between stage where a trike would be too juvenile but she may not be ready for a bike. If you could ship it, a scooter might be nice so your sister can take walks with the stroller and your niece could keep up.
I don't know if they give gift certificates to indoor play places near them, but you could buy some gift cards if your sister is OK with activities like that. With a newborn, she might not be able to "hover" over your niece much. But if it's a place where you can safely turn your kid loose and watch from the sidelines, it could be a welcome energy-burner.
Hope that helps a bit...I tried to think of things your sister could supervise without having to participate in much
Dear Strug,
I know that you east coasters live an hour in the future from us Illini (did I use that right?!?!?! Still learning...) but, March? Please don't let time speed that far ahead of us!
Time goes marching on,
kewliegirl
OMG this is so cool! (the ball!)
and thanks for the other suggestions! i will certainly put these too good use.