J is sick….and it’s contagious. Grrr…that means that for the next week there are no playdates, no baby gym, no library, no errands, nothing! Ok, ok, it’s not a nightmare…I can think of several scarier things, but it’s still not fun. Most of the time J is feeling pretty ok. As long as the fever stays down he pretty much plays like usual. So…what’s a Mom to do with a very active 18 month old who’s stuck at home all day long?
Lots and lots of games and sensory activities….that’s what.
We started off the day on a nature walk around the neighborhood. J kept going to do the door wanting to go outside, so I figured why not? We had a fun walk and made a small stop at the playground (there were no other children there to catch his germs). Along the way we gathered lots and lots of pretty leaves, pinecones, and pinestraw. The leaves are just now changing here in the South and there are a ton a beautifully colored ones to choose from. J spent several minutes picking leaves off trees and then insisted on a piggy back ride so that he could get the leaves that were out of his reach.
Yes, that’s my cat who must be in the middle of everything.
When we got home I gave J all of our nature stuff to explore in the lightbox.
Aren’t the leaves so pretty? Too bad he wasn’t all that interested…sigh.
This wasn’t what he really wanted to do…he wanted his red gems. This little tub of gems has been a favorite of J’s for a long time now. I think I first gave it to him at around 14 months or so. This little box of gems kept my son happy for the rest of the day.
Gems on the lightbox, putting on the lid. Dumping and pouring with the lightbox
On the piano bench in metal containers On the floor with plastic containers
Has to get both hands in How he left them before bed…ready for tomorrow
He spent a lot of the day taking the gems in and out of their tub, putting them in other containers, shaking them, taking the lid on and off, and playing with them on the lightbox. This was seriously his favorite thing of the day and they kept him busy until bedtime.
I had other activities planned, but J was really not in the mood this afternoon and wanted to spend most of the evening in my lap. Cuddle time is about the only good thing about a sick toddler.
The day was almost completely child-directed and I had little to no influence on how he played. It turned into a really fun day…for both of us.
What are some of your sick day/rainy day activities to do with young toddlers?
Sorry your son is sick – but looks like you guys had a lot of fun! Thanks for linking up to TGIF!
Beth =-)
Did you just set your light box inside the plastic tub or did you make the tub into a lightbox. Looks like a cool idea. I have a light box but not sure it is bright enough to have much effect inside a plastic tub. Do tell. Thanks for sharing.
Hey there Happy Scrapper. I’ve had a few people ask me that since I first posted about the lightbox. I’m going to do a post tomorrow about how I put my lightbox together.
That’s a fun way to add a new dimension to learning. Another one I”ll have to try.
Your banner photo is stunning! Love your blog!