Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Bathtub Art

 With a forecast of major snow heading our way, Paul opted to take our 4-wheel-drive vehicle to work, just in case.  Since that's the car I usually drive the boys' car seats were inside, leaving us home bound for the day.  Something I really need to work on is being more creative with activities for the boys at home.  I too often fall back on PBS Kids games online for lack of better ideas.  But knowing we'd be home all day, and also that I couldn't remember the last time either child was bathed, I pulled this idea out of the cache in my brain (and my crafty bookmarks folder) and tried it out.  It was an overall success, but I'll tweak the recipe next time.




Can you tell what the boys' favorite colors are?






Cleanup was simple (even though I still had to do most of it) and even left the tub a bit cleaner than before (definitely a plus).


The basic recipe in the link is this:  Mix 2 T. cornstarch and 1/4 c. liquid dish soap with a few drops of food coloring until smooth.  Then add 2-3 T. water and start painting.  Next time I'll leave out the water so the paint stays on the walls, or add only a tiny amount if it needs it.

Suggestions for other indoor (hopefully non-messy/non-baking) activities would be greatly appreciated!  (I have come to just admit the fact that I have almost zero patience for cooking with small children.  Maybe I'll be better when they're 12.)

5 comments:

Lisa Wolf Smith said...

1- I love that idea! We used to do that all the time as kids, and it was so fun. My mom always hated cleaning it up though- smart move with giving the boys a sponge.
2- I love the fact that you couldn't remember the last time they were bathed- hahaha
Your awesome.

Lisa said...

Hahaha, I can't remember the last time Jonathan was bathed, either :) I think it was recent-ish?

What a cool idea! I'm not good at ideas, either. I might have to check back and see what ideas people give you.

Rebekah said...

what a great idea!

have you tried gymboree bubble ooodles? i love them and use them indoors all the time.

Sarah said...

I'm right there with ya on not being able to remember the last bath. :) What a great idea, though. Thanks for the recipe.

A few random indoor activity ideas:

Flashlight Chase - Move a flashlight beam slowly around the room and have them try to stomp on it. They could take turns being in charge of the light.

Paper Airplanes – Make paper airplanes, then color, decorate, and practice flying them.

Squishy Bags - Put shaving cream and food coloring in Ziploc bag. Use your fingers to draw and make shapes and impressions in the bag.

Cardboard Boxes - Make a house, fort, whatever. Color it if you want, and go on an adventure.

Sheet and ball - With everyone holding the edge of sheet, put a ball on top. Move the sheet up and down and try to knock the ball off. Or do parachute where everyone runs under the sheet while still holding on. (This is better with several kids.)

Good luck!

Suzy said...

Cool idea Vicky! :) I'll have to try that one...

One of our boredom buster ideas is to make things out of diaper boxes - cars, boats, kitchen furniture (like oven, fridge and sink)... the kids like helping me put things together and then playing with it afterwards! :) Glad you guys are doing so well!