Tell me something your year 4 DS will be up to today

[parrotonmyshoulder]

Last day to fill at home, indoors, before going to granny’s for a week. I MUST work today (at home). iPad has finally given up the ghost and I don’t want him to spend the whole day watching power rangers.
I can’t dedicate much time to supervising/ playing today.
I know all about ‘let him be bored’. I have done many weeks of that - he still hasn’t found much to entertain himself.
Any top tips, fun challenges I can set him?

My y4 child spent nearly all day on electronics yesterday!!!

But.....can he make some bread/pastry/pizza dough?
Go through the recycling to make a model.
Male his own set of pokemon cards/football trading cards/ top trump poo cards (any reference to poo entertains my son!)
Sit him in front of an educational documentary (horrible histories, top gear, any James May documentary....)
Stick him in the bath with tons of bubbles and give him some food colouring and straws to mess with.....

I’ve seen a documentary series on Netflix about the history of video games I think mine might like (he’s obsessed with “retro” video games but I limit actual playing time!)

Tinkling around on the keyboard to try to learn songs

Taking stuff apart in his bedroom

Drawing - comics or designing planes and vehicles

Lego/Knex/Meccano stuff

Weirdly both DC still love me getting the playdough out!

Hama beads

Reading comics

Walking round the house trying to find me so he can drape himself over me and tell me a story about a computer game, or something he read in a comic, or something about a meme he saw on YouTube. Actually this is about 90% of the day. And then he’ll ask for food.

Michaelbaubles - I believe you have stolen my child. Or perhaps they are six dinner Sid, with the constant desire for food.

He’s a bit ‘young’ and doesn’t manage video games very well independently. There is a switch and a PlayStation available!

Bath with water balloons is fun but requires some supervision - maybe my tea break.

Horrible histories makes me feel the screen time is well spent. I might insist on some drawing following you tube tutorials.

All baking is complete - I don’t want anymore tempting food around!

There is a sister...she feels she has spent enough time entertaining him and I need them to be getting on well for the Granny trip so don’t want to push it.

The screeching of Minecraft youtube videos has begun. It's disgustingly wet and windy here, so it looks like it will be an all day marathon.

In our defence, we are newly back from holiday so they have done some more wholesome active things in the last week, apart from the day we were rained into the caravan with horizontal rain and the tablets came out and they were watching trashy cartoon channels

Mine is currently playing Minecraft and I suspect he’ll be doing that most of the day. I’m having a break from work as back to back meetings from 12ish.

Can he organise his own clothes and packing, which toys and books to take with him, to go to Granny’s?

Does he like Lego? There’s a Lego calendar with lots of tasks that you can google image

I was mean and insisted on screens off at 9 (I’m saving the screen time for this afternoon so I can go and have a lie down!) - so far DS and DD (6) have played Gin Rummy together, then the Family edition of Cards Against Humanity with me. Then I went out to the shop and while I was gone they sorted all the Hama beads into separate colours (5 months of lockdown is really kicking in now, huh). Now he’s reading a library book I got him (Charlie Changes into a Chicken). I actually count this as an A+ very productive/educational morning!

My y4 ds has gone to a football camp today, hooray! I must admit that he usually defaults to some sort of screen though.

He likes a drawing challenge when he's in the mood - I set the theme (e.g a beach scene, a haunted castle, etc) and he has to do a drawing or painting of it.

Get him to have a toy / bedroom sort out? I can persuade mind to do this with the promise that he can have a toy stall at the end of the drive and keep the proceeds! Maybe a bit wet for that one today...

Thanks everyone. He and his sister agreed on the same TV programmes for a bit, painted a picture for granny’s wall and he has found his clothes for tomorrow. Made their own lunch and I’ve got some work done.