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Blogging Baby Size 6: Toddlers and water activities
Filed under: Toddlers Preschoolers, Work Life, Development/Milestones: Babies
I have made no secret of the fact that my toddler kicks my butt everyday as I try to keep up with him and all his needs. Having been a working-outside-of-the-home mother with my other two, I am truly struggling as a work-from-home mom with this one. It is a fabulous experience, but one that leaves me quivering with exhaustion at the end of every day. We have recently discovered water, in small and not so deep amounts. Water keeps him content for at least 15 minutes, 25 if I time it right. Following are a few simple, and free, activities we have been doing to entertain ourselves during the ever warming afternoons:- Water balloons. Yes, I know, not age appropriate. But before we get all in an uproar, read on. I fill the up ballons for the older two kids, and any others who happen to congregate around the spigot in the park. Then Devon and I watch as the big kids chase each other and pelt one another into wetness. We usually end up wet and laughing at the spectacle.
- Super soakers. Again, my toddler is too small to operate one, let alone haul one about when it is filled. So we give them to the big kids, give him an empty one and he trails after them pretending to participate.
- Slip and slide. Not much can beat a hot afternoon, a length of wet plastic and screaming kids. Devon hasn't yet gotten the hang of the run, dive and slide technique; he runs, stops and then throws himself on his belly and lies there laughing.
- The hose. This is handy for chasing our dog and the neighboring cats. So fond is his love for cat patrol that the dirt in our yard is no longer the favored potty spot for the many felines in our condo complex.
- The turtle sandbox, or pool. We have an empty turtle sand box that in the afternoons I have begun to fill with an inch or two of water. The number of stuffed animals and household items that Devon thinks deserve a cooling swim is mind boggling. But this one keeps him happy for a good half hour.
- When all else fails, or if I can't catch him fast enough, there is always the toilet to flush.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
6-02-2006 @ 3:06PM
Sadie said...He would probably love something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000641DPQ/qid=1149275180/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-5081265-3807368?v=glance&s=baby
My oldest would play for hours with the one at his preschool.
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6-02-2006 @ 3:17PM
daisy said...Hey, at least Devon isn't drinking out of the dog water bowl or (shudder) the toilet bowl. Those activities are apparently super fun in our house.
Thanks for the other suggestions!
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6-02-2006 @ 3:29PM
Jenny said...We "play water" on the screened porch. This involves taking a bunch of my mixing bowls, a couple of pitchers, and a bunch of measuring cups and filling them with water, then transferring the water from one container to another. Then Mommy fetches more water. Repeat.
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6-02-2006 @ 5:55PM
Keri said...You can add food coloring to the water to make water play more interesting. 'Oobleck' is great, too! What you do is put cornstarch in a plastic bin and add water until you get the right consistency (if you pick it up, you want syrupy drips, not watery drips). The texture is very interesting and fun to play with! You can also add food coloring to the water before mixing it with the cornstarch to make it more interesting. Have fun! =)
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6-02-2006 @ 7:05PM
ivy said...My sister sets the kiddie pool in a small tent during the summer, to keep the leaves and sun out.
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6-02-2006 @ 7:06PM
Laura Snow said...My toddler also loves anything with water. Most annoying is when I'm washing dishes and he wants to 'help' which consists of flooding the entire kitchen...
I think he'd love a squirt gun but I'm against any toy guns of any kind. Guns just aren't toys.
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6-02-2006 @ 8:12PM
formertxmama said...Try giving them a bowl or bucket of water, a thick paintbrush, and taking them outside to the deck, porch, or driveway. They can "paint" all manner of things on the ground, and it dries up with no mess!
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6-03-2006 @ 3:58PM
Andrea said...My 2 year old will spend hours pouring water in and out of bowl - I set her up on the deck stairs with 2 or 3 big mixing bowls or buckets filled with water, and then we chose a variety of smaller bowls, different sizes of spoons, cups and anything else that is intersting, she loves scooping, pouring, sipping, spilling - you name it... and I can get the yard work done...
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7-06-2006 @ 12:13PM
Karyn said...My son and I had a fantastic time in the garden, playing with food dyed spaghetti in water. Its very tactile, slimy and lends itself well to imagery play. Red food dye works best, as it is soaked into the spaghetti when cooking this means it doesn't come off on the hands.
see http://www.fantasticwoowoo.blogspot.com
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