3 year old with chicken pox

[Limelight]

3yo DS has chicken pox and so is away from nursery for the forseeable (well this week anyway). I also have a frequently feeding 9 week DD so am a bit tied to the sofa. He's actually feeling completely fine (if itchy) and isn't running a temperature or anything.

I would be hugely hugely grateful for ideas of things which will keep him occupied and entertained? Just want to keep some things up my sleeve for when my ideas run out!! We had a lovely day today looking for worms in the garden to feed the cat (don't ask), and reading ALL of his Mr Men books (twice), but he's a bit miffed about not going to 'big school' and I want to make sure he doesn't spend the week waiting for me to finish feeding his sister!

[jellybelly25]

Some sort of den-building exercise? Inside AND outside if you really want to milk it?

Then picnic in said den!

[jellybelly25]

Potion-making with all sorts of yuk stuff eg shampoo, toothpaste, rice, food colouring (think George's marvellous medicine!!)

[BlueChampagne]

Planting seeds - cress, salad etc.
Bug/spider web hunt in the garden?
garden & bubbles, and maybe a water pistol to shoot down the bubbles?
Cooking
Dressing up
Create a new Mr Man and story?

[Bumperlicioso]

'Washing up' standing at the sink playing with the water.

LOTS of baths (with oats/bicarb to help with the itching).

Chalks on the patio

If it is dry 'painting' on the outside walls using water and a paint brush

Lots of tv and snacks!

How long since the spots came out? DD seemed fine the first day or so, then crashed for a day or two so he may just want to lie on the sofa tomorrow. If very tired I resorted to chucking both the kids in the car and going for a long drive.

[Haribojoe]

another fan of chalks on the patio here, my oldest 2 love doing this.

Not super exciting but maybe a nice DVD that you can cuddle up with while feeding the baby.

Mine also love stickers, cutting up paper (laughingly referred to in our house as crafts)

FWIW I feel your pain before Christmas I was snowed in for a week with DS1 (5) DS2 (3) and DS3 (3months) followed by another week indoors with chickenpox (DS2) and ear infection (DS1), oh and did I mention DS2 then went on to get full blown flu

Hope little one feels better soon.

If all else fails I can give you some tips on tunnelling out

[dikkertjedap]

Watch Mr Maker together and then do the things he makes (usually they are things you may already have at home, or you can get it for next day). DD loved:

• spaghetti pictures (break it up in different lenghts) use PVA to glue it to paper
  
• a castle with an empty plastic food tray and 4 kitchen rolls and a teabag box. Food tray forms the base and cover with PVA so you can later also paint it, then glue the tea bag box to the tray and then the four kitchen rolls at the corners of the tea bag box. Then paint it, make windows (paint or coloured paper), door etc. If you leave the tea box so it can open and close you have a treasure box as well.
  
• do you have wool or buttons? kids love to sort wool and buttons (don't know why but seems to entertain them for ages)
  
• do you have a train set he can build or you build the track together and he plays with it.
  
• cupcake or biscuit decorating is also nice
  
• painting or drawing
  
• puzzles
  
• duplo
  
• toy cars, you can make tunnels with shoe boxes and empty kitchen rolls, you can also let him built something so they can whoosh down the sofa side by side (side by side kitchen roll tunnels).
  

Hope this helps.