What the what?!? What is happening to our Canadian winter weather? We’ve had some serious craziness going on here the past couple weeks. We’ve gone from snowstorms to frigid temps to freezing rain to rain storms… all of which have kept us housebound and dreaming of sunny days playing in the snow. So, needless to say, we’ve got a serious case of cabin fever, and I have a feeling we’re not the only ones.
We’ve been searching for, and desperately testing out some indoor activities these past weeks, and we’re collaborating with our friend Mar from www.toandfroblog.com to bring you a few of our favourites – because I’m willing to bed you’re in the same crazy-toddler boat that we are!
I’ve been taking inspiration from some veteran mamas (I’m looking at you Harlow & Thistle and My So-Called Mommy Life) on the idea front, and we’ve come up with our Top 3 Cabin Fever Cures for Tiny Tots:
- Straws in a Colander: This is exactly what it sounds like. Scrounge up some plastic straws (the more bendy the better), pull your colander out of the cupboard, and give your little one a demonstration of how to thread the straws through the holes! Bonus points if you have straws of a few different colours and you can add in some pattern and colour education.
- Glow-Bath Party: This one is sooo much fun when it’s dreary and grey outside. If your little one loves the water like Emmett, then it’s a guaranteed winner (I can personally testify that this activity lasts a minimum of 30 mins for us… which is basically like 10 hours in toddler time). Fill your bath tub, dim the lights, crack out the non-toxic glow sticks and toss them in the tub! We turn on some Caspar Babypants tunes and get the party started! Bonus points again for sorting the glow stick colours while you party!
- Paint in a Bag: This one satisfies Em’s ongoing desire to make a mess, and my ongoing struggle (it’s real friends) to tidy up the chaos. Grab some non-toxic paints (we found ours at the dollar store), toss a bit of each colour into a large ziplock freezer bag, squish the air out of the bags and seal them shut, use some masking tape to tape them up (toddler height) on a glass door or low window, and watch your toddler create! Em loves squishing the colours around, and you get bonus points for colour learning and/or practicing drawing shapes with your fingers!
Here’s hoping this saves you from full-blown cabin fever, and make sure to check out our friend Mar over at To and Fro Blog, because she’s put this list of her own favourite boredom busters just for you!
