Cabin Fever? Part 3

"Spring Clean" now, play later!

Whoever came up with the idea of "spring cleaning" clearly did not live in the north. On these bone chilling winter days I often dream of spring and all the fun we'll have outdoors when the inches upon inches of snow melts and we can finally see our grass again. Why would I save my cleaning and organizing for then when I could be taking care of it now?

In an effort to beat cabin fever, satisfy your need for activity and get your house clean at the same time!

Cabin Fever? Part 2

Exercise Indoors

If you've experienced cabin fever with a toddler or young child, you know that the greatest factor to contend with is lack of exercise (i.e. inability to empty their energy tanks for the day). If the tanks stay full throughout the day, things can get ugly, and they can get ugly fast.

Try these exercises/games and enjoy the process of wearing them out!

*Lead them in exercises. You can do jumping jacks, somersaults (yes, furniture will need to be moved), make a bridge with your body and let them craw under you, run in place, etc. Let them run, skip or walk around until you blow a whistle, then give them a command and let them practice following instructions (Simon Says can work, too). Get creative and get involved. Chances are you'll be craving the movement, too!

*Act out books/songs. There are several books and songs out there that are conducive to this activity. Here are just a few:

*Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

*From Head to Toe by Eric Carle

*The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears - act these out

*Hide and Seek. This game came keep just about any age entertained. Even if they can't grasp the concept of staying hidden or waiting while you hide, you'll get to run around and it's bound to produce lots of laughter from you and your little guys!

Cabin Fever? Part 1

Too rainy? Too hot (where do you live?)? Too cold? Too snowed in? Whatever the reason for your confinement with small children, you're desperate for some reprieve and so I thought it might be helpful to equip you with means of temporary escape (or activity).

So here goes...

BAKING

*Stick an apron on your little guy or gal, make chef's hats out of white construction paper and bake (or make) anything! Kids love to participate in grown-up activities and they love to get their hands dirty (just make sure they're not dirty before you begin your cooking endeavor). They can stir, break eggs (warning: probably 50% in the bowl, 50% on the floor), pour, press, roll, whatever!

*It's not too early to make Valentine cookies (and not to late to make gingerbread cookies in my book). If you're stuck inside because of the snow - we are - then you could make snowmen and/or snowball cookies.

*Purchase some safe skewers - without sharp tips - and let them practice piercing cubed fruits, vegetables, cheeses, etc. to make kid-friendly kabobs.

*You can even let them help with a meal. Take your time showing them how to measure with cups and spoons and which spices to add for flavor. Let them do "taste tests" to determine if something else is needed.

*If their attention span is really impressive, you could watch a recorded episode from the Food Network together and then try to imitate the dish afterward.

Happy cooking and bon appetit!