I’m trying really hard not to have the TV on during the day. At all. It’s hardest when I’m on the treadmill (oh, it’s on for me…just not on in the adjacent playroom) and when I’m trying to take a shower. So those times are often almost always exceptions. But if the TV is on, Stella is GLUED. The other two would watch about 10 minutes if it stayed on all day and then they’d walk away and play something else. Not Stella…she goes into TV coma. And the other two will sit through an entire show if the TV is only on every now and then. So I definitely have to use it so they won’t kill each other while I shower to my advantage.
Anyway, I was trying to think of something to do today since it rained NONSTOP and we were home all morning and no one wanted to get out of their pajamas. Then I remembered a gift Stella got last year, but we only completed half of it. Paper Bag Puppets! We had exactly three kits left.
Do you want to do more crafts with your kids? Does the thought of the craft make you want to poke your eyes out? These kits from Alex Toys are really great for a quick-start craft. Could my kids do the entire thing by themselves? No. Did the glue stick work awesomely? Not really (even the first time months ago). Did some tape fix everything? Yes. Were the kids entertained and happy for about an hour? YES!
Obviously you could do the same thing with some brown paper lunch bags, colored paper, scissors, glue, and markers/crayons. And it would probably be cheaper if you had the supplies on hand. But this was a really fun treat this morning. Some of the creativity was lost in the pre-determined animals. Each animal came with step-by-step directions. However, you can see that Henry still did his own thing (bird with no wings)…AND the kids had fun creating their own puppet shows afterwards.
If you haven’t come across any of the items from Alex Toys – check them out. There are lots of great things on Amazon. I’ve written about some of their products in the past including the great bathtub toys.
We’ve gotten all of these Alex Toys as birthday gifts so far without requesting them. And I think I’ve found a great gift to give to others in the future that won’t be too much craft-work for the parent.
What’s your favorite rainy-day activity with the kids?
PS – This post contains NO affiliate links. We just had fun today and I wanted to share!
SUPER CUTE
Found you via the Purse Club. This is so cute. I host a weekly link up called Pinterest Tuesdays. It’s for basically anything that can be pinned to pinterest. I invite you to come share some of your great fun ideas! (I know I always need ideas on how to keep my toddler entertained)
Erica
We Three Crabs
http://ericabarker.com