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| I am kind of in the same boat--I can't wait to see what people say because I'm kind of going out of my mind. I was all excited for summer because I wouldn't be cooped up like I was all winter, and now I'm cooped up again!! One can only do the baby pool in the yard so many times...great question Charise! I will be watching for responses as well! If you lived near me I would invite you over! :) |
| posted by Briana on 06/11/2007 06:06 PM
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| I here you on that, I love summer but you can only do the pool so many times. Thanks!! |
| posted by charise on 06/11/2007 06:12 PM
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| Hi Charise. I have two boys, 3yrs. and 5mo. One thing, that I remember doing when my son was around one is we bought one of those kiddy tents. Where they can crawl in and out of it. It is made with thin fabric and has openings everywhere. Also, we had a swing for little ones outside under a tree where they can swing and have shade. Also, they have little tykes or step 2 plastic toys that they can slide on or crawl on. Of course you have to have some room in the house for all this. Good luck. |
| posted by Roxanne on 06/11/2007 06:31 PM
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| We go to the little Gym. If you have one . It is GREAT. and Blaney loves it. you might go on line to teh little gym .com and see if they have one. We also belong to a mother club that is internashial and we due sevral play groups and outinga week with them. chack in to something like that. |
| posted by Melissa on 06/11/2007 07:08 PM
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| Yes they have a little gym, but that is way too expensive. I'm just trying to find more playdates for outings in this area but not too many going on yet. |
| posted by charise on 06/11/2007 07:21 PM
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Same boat here and I am going bonkers.
Check out Internation MOMS Club for a chapter near you.
http://www.momsclub.org/links.html
Also check Meetup.com
Good luck and I'm interested in any other ideas for 1-yr old. My daughter is very clinging and is driving me bonkers. |
| posted by Stacy on 06/11/2007 07:35 PM
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I know this sounds extreme but it got there at one point for me, also. Frankly, we had the time of our lives. I bought a cheap little pool the blow up ring kind, placed two beach towels underneath and filled it up only an inch or two. Sometimes, I would just sit and let her play while dipping my feet in and other times we would get the kitchen bowls out and bang and mix the water. Put on some children songs and pretend you are at your own private beach. It is great no sand or chemicals. And, seemed to make naptime even better after so much enjoyment. Hope this gives you an idea, go outside the box, it makes for memories you can't beat.
Tammi(mom of four) |
| posted by on 06/11/2007 07:40 PM
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| That sounds really good. I think I can put the pool on my patio, I live in an apartment on the second floor. But it is better than getting the stroller out of my truck and try to carry a beach bag, a stroller and floating device down to the pool. Thanks for the Advice from all. |
| posted by charise on 06/11/2007 07:45 PM
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Charise, almost anything you can do outside you can also do inside. Just make adjustments to it doesn't mess up your house too much or cause accidents. She is not too young for crafts, just make sure everything is non toxic and watch her closely.
Riding toys can be used inside. The hallway is a good place. You can make tents and forts with couch cushions and bed sheets. You can use an exercise mat for doing gymnastics type activities. You can roll or kick a ball instead of throwing it.
Sensory activities are great too. A dish pan with water and some cups, scoops and a funnel will amuse a 1 year old. Sand is fun too. Try making goop- mix equal parts corn starch and water. Use with scoops and spoons. Playdough and finger paint are good. Use an old bed sheet to cover the table and floor for easy clean up.
Use a laundry basket for a bean bag toss or use rolled up socks. Play music that has actions to go with it, like Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. There are some great music and movement CD's out there. Greg and Steve have a few that are good. Or just play mysic you like and dance. You can tape pieces of paper to the floor and jump from one to another. It can be going from rock to rock or a frog going from lily pad to lily pad.
It can be hard if you don't have a lot of space, but set aside a block of time each day and move some furniture to make room if you have to. Hope some of these help. If I think of any more I will let you know.
Marcia |
| posted by Marcia on 06/11/2007 07:59 PM
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| Marcia, so creative!! I love it!!!! Your ideas are awesome. |
| posted by Briana on 06/11/2007 08:21 PM
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| Good ideas can't wait to try them. Thanks |
| posted by charise on 06/11/2007 08:30 PM
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I use to put Blaney in the high chair and put wiped cream and pudding on the high chair tray and let he play in it. put her in the tub and hosed hear off she loved it. just put a old tabble cloth or a shower curtion down to catch the mess.
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| posted by Melissa on 06/11/2007 08:58 PM
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I heard somewhere but haven't tried it yet about a no mess finger painting ... you put the paint in a ziplock bag & let the move the paint around inside the bag to make designs.
Grace has loved crafts since before she could talk. Get those foam stickers and a piece of paper ... they're great. Oriental Trading has some really cheap, really cute crafts and I think a lot of them can be altered to be for a younger crowd.
Good luck ... and Marcia thanks for the tips ... I might use a few of them!!! |
| posted by Lindsey on 06/11/2007 09:38 PM
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You're very welcome for the tips. I worked as a preschool teacher for many years before I had my own child. We had to be creative to entertain 14 children on rainy and snowy days.
The no mess finger painting is a good idea. I had forgotten that one. Hair gel works well too.
Shaving cream is a good sensory activity too. Just put some on table or high chair and give your child something to scrape it with, draw lines in it or cookie cutters to make shapes, or their fingers are a lot of fun too. The smell is strong and reminds a lot of children of daddy! |
| posted by Marcia on 06/12/2007 06:38 AM
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Here is some tips I found online:
Reading
Children of this age can appreciate a simple story, but also like looking at the pictures. Stick with board books that can better withstand a 1-year-olds not-so-gentle touch.
Emptying and filling
One-year-olds are fascinated by the prospect of emptying and filling containers. A milk jug holds a special allure for young explorers because the narrow neck stands in stark contrast to the spacious interior. Try putting small objects such as raisins, Goldfish crackers or Cheerios into the bottle and then let your toddler figure out how to pour them out.
Sorting
Save your junk mail. It now serves a purpose. Your toddler will love the challenge of pulling the inserts out of the envelopes and then trying to put them back in again.
Stacking
Building a tower and then knocking it down is not only fun, it's educational. Placing one piece atop the next teaches kids about balance. And, of course, the demolition reinforces the concept of cause-and-effect.
Scribbling
Your toddler doesn't have any concept of cubism, impressionism or even paint-by-numbers. But that doesn't mean he won't be thrilled by the prospect of putting pen to paper. Buy a large box of crayons, cover the floor in large sheets of paper and let your toddler experiment with various hand grips.
1. Coloring with Crayons for the One-Year-Old
Supplies: Jumbo Crayons, any type of paper
Before sitting the your one-year-old down for arts and crafts time, tape the edges of the paper to the flat surface of the table or high chair tray where he or she will be coloring. Sit your your one-year-old down and bring out a couple of crayons. Use a crayon to dab the paper making dots, to show your one-year-old what crayons can do.
Your one-year-old may simply be interested in the bright colors of the crayons, or in holding the crayons. Encourage his or her hand to make dots on the paper. You can even say the word, "dot" each time the crayon makes a mark. Help your one-year-old make dots with each hand, if they do not seem to be favoring one or the other yet.
2. Exploring Textures with the One-Year-Old
Supplies: super sticky paper used in scrapbooking, a small bag of feathers or pompoms, shapes cut out of shiny papers or construction paper
Again, tape the sticky paper down to a flat surface. The super sticky paper will hold anything your one-year-old sticks to it. Supply a feather or two and a pom pom and show your your one-year-old baby how to stick it to the paper. Your one-year old may be more interested in how the feather tickles his hand than putting it on the paper, and that's okay.
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| posted by Chrissy on 06/13/2007 04:05 PM
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Pudding Painting
Here is a way for the younger kids that might eat paint to get to finger paint. What you'll want to do is make a batch of white pudding (what ever flavor you want) then put it in a few small bowls. Then take food coloring and color the pudding in the bowls different colors. Once you have that done get out construction paper and let them have fun painting with pudding. My son loves doing this. It wipes up easy enough too.
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| posted by Chrissy on 06/13/2007 04:33 PM
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| I also live in Florida and it is extremely hot. We have found a few things that we do that keeps him busy and out of the heat. He likes to color(sometimes eating the crayons non toxic of course lol) we also play hide and seek or go to the mall which he really likes. I also bought a toddler pool that I put on porch( I live in an apartment on the 2nd floor) which is out of the sun and I put bed padding underneath the pool so he doesnt slip and he spends atleast an hour in that. Its hard to find activities for them in the summer when its so hot one thing we tried that works well for us is there is this zoo close to our house that has a playarea for children with water that spouts out and he has a blast in that but the zoo also has an indoor musuem to walk through and is kid friendly and fun and we walk around the zoo outside we attach a battery operated mini fan to his stroller to keep some cool air on him. I am anxious to hear the other suggestions because I am always looking for fun things to do without getting heat stroke LOL : ) |
| posted by amber on 06/13/2007 09:40 PM
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These suggestions may very well save me from losing my mind.
Thanks for listing them! |
| posted by Stacy on 06/14/2007 10:03 AM
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| All the suggestions are great. I tried the pot with water and cups and funnel and my daughter loved it. I gave her some paper and crayons she scribbled a little and tryed to eat them, (non-toxic) of course. She loves to dance so I put music on and she was turning in circles, and fell on her bottome and got back up again. |
| posted by charise on 06/14/2007 11:26 AM
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