stuck indoors need ideas

[Greatfun]

DD aged 3 has chicken pox so we are to stay indoors for the rest of the week. I don't cope well with this situatuion.In fact I hate the whole SAHM experience at the best of the times but couped up indoors with 2 kids is my idea of hell. Any ideas on how to keep her and DS (15 months) entertained (and me as well as I am out of my brain with boredom). I can't stand cooking cakes and all that malarkey so anything relatively mess free would be good.

Thanks

[TheArmadillo]

Stick them in bath with different sized bottles/pots/pans maybe even some paints (though they take a while to clear up afterwards) while you sit on bog with book.

Make an obstacle course indoors with various items of furniture. Make it long. Send them round and pretend to time them while reading a book.

[muddleduck]

cbeebies

[Greatfun]

we have done cbeebies to death and DS just will not ait and watch it despite my efforts .

Love your ideas aramadillo. That my ida of parenting.

God I hate the tedious stuff.

[Hotcrossbunny]

Make a den under the dining room table and serve their meals there. Put comfy cushions, books etc and with any luck they might even doze off in there

Make pasta necklaces/pictures? Not too messy...

Will keep thinking.

[Greatfun]

Pasta necklaces - yes I can do that. Best go DS is pulling stuff out the bin and trying to eat it.

[muddleduck]

Play doctors and nurses.
you get to lie down and be the patient

[bigchris]

go to remote places like a walk in thew woods, you'll be fine

[Gemzooks]

at least you're being considerate: here in Holland people let their kids run round with chicken pox; there were 2 siblings with full blown c pox at a pool last week and no one batted an eyelid! best of luck with recovery!

[lowrib]

Do 'cooking' - make your own pizza by buying plain cheese and tomato and then adding extra bits - one pizza each - help them to make a face maybe - or let them freestyle it Jackson Pollock style!

You can use the toppings to introduce new foods or get them to enjoy veg.

Suggested toppings:

Mushrooms
Onions (rings good for eyes!)
Olives if yo uthink there's any chance they're go for them (good for pupils in the eyes!)
Peppers
Ham if you're not veggie
Pineapple
Extra cheese
Anything else in your fridge.

Cut them up beforehand so all the kids have to do is add to the pizza.

If I was doing this with older children on a holiday we'd also maybe make a sign for the "pizza restaurant" and stick it up where you eat, and then dress the table with a couple of take away menus & napkins etc to make it more fun. (Would the 3yo appreciate this?)

I used to do a similar thing with my mates kids and a couple of DVDS in half term - we'd turn the house into a 'cinema' and get the kids to do posters for the films they've chosen, get them to help rearrange the front room a cinema etc so that the build up to actually watching the DVDs turns into an activity and takes up a lot of time!

Sorry I'm digressing, I'll try to think of something a bit more suitable for little ones.

[BiscuitStuffer]

Buy a load of mushrooms and set your older one at the table with a 'grown up' table knife and your younger one with a childs knife and let them do 'cutting'.

'Washing up'

All cushions off the sofa and do jumping on the chushions and the bare sofa (if it will take it).

Washing up bowls in the garden if you have one with pots and spoons etc for water play (or in the bath as suggested earlier).

Get thickish paper - cut out circles - get them to paint them and then use blue tac to put each up on their bedroom wall and they can take them off and move them around etc.

Give them 2 huge towels / blankets and see what they do with them.

Go to local off licence and ask for cardboard boxes and get masking tape and make a play house with a door etc - they'll play in it for hours.

Borrow toys off friends that they may be interested in - duplo / train sets etc

Give old lip gloss and a mirror to your 3 year old......as long as she sits still you'll be fine!

Face painting

Body painting in the bath

[alarkaspree]

Make play dough

[alarkaspree]

And if you have friends whose children have already had chickenpox, invite them round.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

Definitely agree with the bath with lots of things. DD will sit in the bath for hours.

We usually do 30 mins of messy painting, followed by 1 hour in the bath when I can clean up after her mess!

Big bowl of water and toys - they can 'help' wash up.

Sheets of paper selotaped to the ground, crayons for doodling.

Music and dancing - get them to practise dancing to some kids songs.

Do you have access to a car? If so, go for a drive and to sing-song games, and maybe access a quiet place if poorly child is well enough (perhaps later in the week), they can still run around a little, or get some fresh air.

[Reesie]

Check with your HV but staying inside for a week seems abit excessive Wait until they start scabbing over in a couple of days and she shouldn't be contageous any more.

Playdough is a good one.

Make some birthday cards for any oncoming birthdays.

Have you a beach nearby that you can make sandcastles?

Have a walk around some quite nature trails and collect leaves and flowers to press into a book.

I'm not very good at getting down on the floor with my dd and just 'playing' with stuff. I find making crafty stuff much easier.

[Wallace]

For the 3 year old "Bubble houses":

Half fill a mixing bowl (or similar) with water and washing up liquid. Gve dd a straw a get her to blow in the water. Such fun you will want to play too

[Wallace]

a little washing up liquid I mean...