Indoor Activities

As many of you know, we only have one vehicle at the moment. During the warmer months it isn't a big deal, but in the winter months it gets a little rough. Ax and I are stuck at home while Jordan is working and we both start to get pretty stir crazy after awhile. Luckily, this winter hasn't been too harsh, but still with Axel's respiratory issues, I certainly don't want to take him for walks and things when it is so bitter cold.

I've been trying to stay creative and keep him entertained by playing games in the halls, experimenting with different foods and textures, and lately we've been spending a lot of time playing cars (his new favorite thing, after his beloved books of course).

Today, we had fun with a couple new activities! I took an empty diaper box and royally dubbed it our "activity box". Then I went through the house gathering random items that Axel might enjoy. I put in a picture of Jordan and I, his cup with juice, an empty cup, a muffin tin, a cell phone holder, a closed container of goldfish crackers, and some alphabet magnets from our fridge. I shook the box to catch Axel's attention and set it down next to him. He got up, looked inside and said "oooh!". Then he sat back down and returned to his book. Hmmm.. Not the reaction I was expecting. I let him continue and watched from the side to see if the activity box would ever entice him. It did! He wasn't interested in all of the contents but we spent about 30 minutes putting the goldfish in the muffin tin (and our mouths!) and back into their container. It's amazing how such a simple game can hold a child's attention for so long! And it's fun to watch him think and sort.

Once that got old we hung out for a bit, had a snack and found a new game. Axel LOVES playing with water and will come up to me with empty bottles and cups that he finds, hand them to me and say, "couuuu?" which in his language means "will you please put water in this cup?".

I laid a towel on the floor and got out a few storage containers and some baking pans, filled some of them with water at different levels and set them on the towel. Axel was stoked! We took his pants and shirt off (because any time he gets water he gets wet.. Go figure right?). Then we played in the water forever! He had sooo much fun! Finally I had to end it because I could tell he was getting cold (but didn't care) and didn't want him to get sick.

Again, it's so amazing how such simple activities can keep him entertained for such a long time! I'm super anxious for spring and summer so we can spend all day outside, but for now I suppose we make it work.