Two of our oldest foster children need constant activity. The best days are the super planned out days where there is not much time to wonder what we should do next! We enrolled Ava, Lamar, and Mia in a summer morning day camp. When they get home it's lunch, stories, and naps. When they wake up we have snack and a planned activity. An activity might be a visit to a park, play dough, painting, swimming....anything fun and organized so everyone is busy! Recently I put a Pinterest idea (from the blog http://naughtysecretaryclub.blogspot.com/2012/03/spring-break-fun-with-kiddlet.html) to use and it was a hit. I needed to share it! I froze small water creatures in large blocks of ice and the kids used tools, water, and brushes to excavate the creatures!
I actually made these ice blocks 2 months ago, but hemmed and hawed over what the kids would use to dig for the creatures. My husband was much braver than me and suggested that the kids use screwdrivers and wrenches. We kept the babies away as the pounding of the ice happened! I think the kids thought it was pretty cool to be using some real tools! The blocks of ice are super easy to make, but did take a while because you have to freeze the toys in stages. Otherwise, they sink to the bottom.
The kids worked hard on this activity for an hour. They were so excited each time they retrieved a creature from the ice! They still haven't finished, so we just put them back in the freezer for another day!
This is a fantastic idea! I know three girls who will thoroughly enjoy this :)
ReplyDeleteAs a general comment on all of your posts: I am thankful for you. It is such a beautiful picture of the Father's heart and Jesus' life, for you & Kyle to love all 5 of those little ones the way you do. God gives us gifts to delight us and sacrificed much for us, and you do the same for the littles. It's so much easier to be a reactive parent than an invested, proactive one - but you will reap the sweet rewards of all of the time and energy you put into your kids! And much more than that, how many people are seeing firsthand an example of Jesus' love through your family? You may not know til Heaven, but be assured that your influence spans greater than here and now. :)
Praying for you and your family! Lots of love!