Two weeks ago, Andrea was counting the days left for Spring Break. I must confess, I was doing the same. I was dreaming of waking up late, relaxing for a while with no homework and extracurricular activities… But I'd never imagined I would wake up every day to a voice asking me, as if it were my conscience, "Mommy, what are we doing today?"
My hopes for a quiet week shifted quickly to the reality of having children at home. They needed things to do, constantly, so they wouldn't get bored… and that was really stressing me out. I thought I needed super-duper mega plans for them to have a good time. But I came to realize that it doesn't really take that much for the children to have fun. Here are some activities that helped me during vacation time:
Arts and Crafts: This activity is easy to implement and kids love it. You will need watercolors or gouaches, brushes, papers, cup with water to clean the brushes… and keep in mind that the kids' clothes will most likely get dirty. You will be best of dressing them with some old clothes you won't mind if it gets ruined. I always take out a small table to the yard… and let their creativity rule!
Baking– What kid doesn't like mixing up some ingredients and seeing them turn into yummy cupcakes? On the table I set all the ingredients they can use to decorate the cupcakes… and let them express themselves in a sweet manner!
Gardening– Now that my daughter is studying in school the importance of taking care of the planet, she is all about reusing materials. In other words, trying to find a new use for something we have already used. For example, using the yogurt cup as a flowerpot. The other day, after finishing our snacks, we cleaned the cups and went to the garden to sow some flowers in these containers. It's fun to see that, on her night table, she has three of her favorite yogurt cups with daisies that are about to sprout.
And you, how do you keep your kids busy at home?
