Prepping for winter and shielding with young children

[Lockdownseperation]

We have a 4 year old due to start school in September and a nearly 1 year old. DH is on the shielding list and while this is soon to be paused I suspect there is a good chance it maybe reinstated over winter. I’m a SAHM and DH can easily work from no problem.

What may I need? I’m wishing I had bought the Julia Donaldson songbird phonic book from the book people before they closed. We have what seems to be a huge amount of toys, including educational toys eg tactile letters, rainbow pebbles, all the orchard toys and lots of card, pens, pencils and paint.

Forgot to add the children have allergies and I’m still breast feeding so I also can’t have the food they baby is allergic too. DH doesn’t eat meat.

Have you had a look through the other threads in the Prepping topic? What sorts of things do you mean by 'what do I need?' were you looking for advice on food prepping or entertaining small children while shielding?

I’ve looked at the other threads so I’m sorted with food thanks. It’s more for things specific to winter which I may not have thought off like wellies.

Ah, I see. I think an all in one waterproof suit or even the dungarees style trousers which go under a raincoat would be handy - depending where you live and how outdoorsy your kids are.

I also noticed a lot of people commenting during lockdown that they really struggled to buy certain sizes of kids clothes, in store or online. So it may be wise to think ahead in terms of children's age/season and make sure you have new clothes ready for when they grow out of stuff.

I've been looking for ideas to keep my DC physically active indoors. We've all got waterproofs, wellies & gloves to get outside but indoors is a bit of a challenge.

I've just bought a hula hoop that they can use in the lounge, skipping rope can just about be used in the kitchen & today I've ordered a balance board. I'm considering gym mats & a folding balance beam.

Thinking of getting a basketball hoop for outside & maybe a swing.

My DC are older (11,10 & 8) so some might not be suitable for you.

Jigsaw puzzles, craft sets, paint, paper, playdoh/fimo/plastacine etc are still popular here.

Make sure you have OODLES of paper. More than is at all reasonable! My DD seems to go through unreal amounts some days. She also 4 and we have been doing letters and she will cover sheets in 'm' or 's' or whatever letrer(s) are in favour that day. Also spare ink for the printer. Even if it's just printing colouring pictures for her to colour for Christmas cards. Stickers for the same reason. 2 for £1 at £land pretty good value.
My DD is big imaginative play at the moment so we bought/asked for things for her bd to support that which will help entertain in the winter. So doctors kit and a magnifying glass were a big hit. Also I have a cupboard above my wardrobe that I pop bits and bobs in as I see them. So books and puzzles or games which can either be whipped out as a magic 'look what I found' on a bad day or become the next Christmas/birthday presents. Sticker/activity books could be kept for a few years not be wasted, especially since you have a 1yo.
I would also highly recommend cycling toys around. So we put away toys/puzzles in a cupboard that's not part of everyday use and then swap the around every so often. DD actually does the decision now not me, it means that she can have something 'fresh' from the cupboard that she hasn't played with for a few weeks and put away things she bored with but she not getting new things all the time.
I think the book people I think have been replaced with a company who's name has completely skipped my mind but was all over my facebook after book people finished selling exactly the same stuff so check around for songbird books at good price. Tip my friend with slightly older dc gave me was don't let them have those books until they ready to read them as they simple enough that they can learn the story by memory rather than actually read the words.
Finally check the school website to see if they show which phonic program they use, then you can get materials to support that program if you wish so it's in line with how school are teaching.

And with clothes make sure you have at least 2 pairs for gloves/mittons for each child so you can be drying one pair while the other is being worn because this the umpteenth time you went outside for 5 min today.
Definitely second puddle suit for 1yo, I would get next size up, they elasticated cuffs so not such a big issue for falling down but a pain if they suddenly grow out of a size.

there is a prepping for winter thread that might be of use to you.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/preppers/3897434-Winter-2020?msgid=96698981

resources for reception aged child: paper/sugar paper/tissue paper/shiny paper/old wrapping paper

stickers/stensils/ glue sticks/pva/paste spatulas.

crayons/chalk/thick chalks/pencil crayons/stubby thick crayons.

(chalks and stubby crayons are good for developing pencil grip)

number lines (make your own)

we have an indoor sand tray on a builders tray.

handwriting can be practised in shaving foam, sand in an old baking tray, cornflour and water miix.

finger strength can be built up with play dough and plasticine.

For working on reading, I've done quite a few of the activities from this site phonicsfamilycom.wordpress.com/role-play/ . I've found quite a few of the role play ones work very well with my almost 1 year and reception age child, as it's big stuff that's baby safe e.g. in setting up a 'clothes shop'. Depending on what the interests of your child are, you might want to get a few things in, like masking tape to label things with or a tray to set up small world stuff in.

Five minute mum fiveminutemum.com/ is good for fresh ideas on how to use stuff you mostly already have to entertain kids without much effort on your part. She has lots of ideas around teaching them reading / maths as well, again you could check if you need to get stuff in for any of the ideas you think your kids would really like.

Do you have a shoe size measuring gauge, start rite sell them and with kids feet growing data we've found having one very handy over lockdown?

Books2door.com
It just came up on my fb!

I'm intending to see where we get to in the workbooks we've been using and then make a decision to buy the next ones up. I've already got some...

I've this time already prepped with regards food, soap, and some other items. I didn't the last time, but as a shielder, it's a double whammy when you can't get to the shops to find alternatives to what you seek.

For us I am focusing on making sure the garden will have plenty to occupy DC. I want to buy her a climbing frame nothing too fancy but something to climb on that's what she missed most when the playground were closed.

Then I will focus on wet weather clothes for us all and I will I knit us all a few pairs of wooly socks and hats.

We are home educators I'm trying to buy everything I may need well in advance. At 4y my DC really enjoyed the Jolly Phonics work books.

Loads of puzzles and games, some learning games from learning resources and Orchard toys are A great way for low pressure fun learning.

@Lockdownseperation

We have a 4 year old due to start school in September and a nearly 1 year old. DH is on the shielding list and while this is soon to be paused I suspect there is a good chance it maybe reinstated over winter. I’m a SAHM and DH can easily work from no problem.

What may I need? I’m wishing I had bought the Julia Donaldson songbird phonic book from the book people before they closed. We have what seems to be a huge amount of toys, including educational toys eg tactile letters, rainbow pebbles, all the orchard toys and lots of card, pens, pencils and paint.

Oh dear.how can anyone bear to live in such misery and fear. It's not fair on your children

We buy teams of printer paper when it's on offer. Got 5 reams for £10 in wilko the other day. Easier than the books you get and easier to bin at the end of the day .

Also I have just ordered a catalogue from some toy shops as something for the 3 year old to cut and stick. Dont forget glue!

Oo, toy catalogue for cutting and gluing a great idea! Much better than the newspaper and the included magazines I scrounged off mum for her homework a few weeks ago. She definitely needs more practice with scissors so that's a good idea!
£land prittsick glue is 5in a pack and super sticky!

@EnlightenedOwl that's a bit unnecessary.. it's a sensible thread.

The gov have already said a second peak is likely, so why wait to prep? Doing it over a longer period means less financial outlay in one go, more choice while products are available and most importantly less standing around in the cold with lots of other people in shops during a pandemic.

EnlightenedOwl posts on every CV19 thread they can, being condescending about people wearing masks, or feeling sad, or prepping because of the pandemic etc etc. It's best to just ignore... I think perhaps they're just a bit lonely and need the attention.

@EnlightenedOwl my children don’t know that DH is shielding or what it means. If you have any helpful suggestions of how we can get through this difficult time then I’m all ears.

Thank you to everyone else. I really appreciate all the ideas. I wish we had space in our garden for a climbing space but we don’t. We’ve been to playbparks on 4 out of 5 days so far this week. They have been very much missed.

@Lockdownseperation My DP bought DD a climbing frame & slide. Ridiculous as we have virtually no outside space! But we stuck it in our tiny dining room instead and she's loved playing on it - particularly sliding her blocks and toys down it. It's so hard when you've got kids, isn't it? You sound like you're doing a great job.

Boden had a great sale on recently and I bought DD a pair of salopettes for winter splashing. Really reasonably priced.

I'm also going to start making batches of chutney and a Christmas cake next month, lots of time then for them to settle.

You might not have the space or money, but covered outdoor space would be good. playhouse, shed, pergola type thing with corrugated plastic roof,..

I'm just going to say paper plates. I have gotten so much mileage out of a pack of paper plates for crafts. These have been one of the best things I bought for entertainment.
We have made counting/matching puzzles, masks, indoor frisbees, wheels for box cars, steering wheels, all sorts. Relatively mess free, cheap and very little storage space required.
Also glue sticks, wool, crepe paper. I cut up and store in snap lock bags and again it's not too messy, easy for them stick etc.

Also a fold out chalk mat. Doubles as a craft spot for floor crafts, doll Picnics and can be folded away.
I've just restocked because it looks like the second wave is picking up over here and have gone for activities that don't result in permanent damage/lots of setup and clean up and can be done with minimal guidance.

OP, I’ve been thinking about similar. My one suggestion to add to all the excellent ideas above is mechanical-type toys. Either a battery powered Duplo train set or a walking/barking dog. They’ll keep your older one’s interest while also mesmerising your younger one.