Wednesday, June 06, 2007

WFMW: Water Fun at Grandma's House


Themed Works-For-Me Wednesday: The Mom-I'm-Bored Edition, brought to you by Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer. Make sure you head on over to check out other great Summer Activity tips!

Fortunately, my child can't say "mom, I'm bored" yet ... although, he can throw a mean temper tantrum and let out a few howls of discontent. And, I don't know about you, but I have a very high-energy twenty month old. His attention span is smaller than a gnats, and not in a bad way ... but in an "I'm a super-active-toddler-bent-on-exhausting-my-parents" way. And, that's okay when he's at home, because we can usually find enough stuff to keep him occupied and entertained.

But ... when he goes to grandma and grandpa's house, that's a totally different story, because they are not equipped with a gazillion toys, slides, baby pools, etc. So, one thing I found useful at capturing my child's attention for hours on end (and mind you, this is really just for toddlers) is a medium- to large-sized storage bin, a huge bowl, some tear-free bubble bath, and a handful of non-destructive kitchen stuff (ladles, plastic cups, Tupperware bowls, etc.)

I fill the storage bin with clear water, and I fill the huge bowl with bubble bath and water. He can literally spend hours playing with the water, scooping it, sloshing it, spilling it, blowing it, splashing it, sitting in it, and wrinkling up in it.

So, that's my tip for today ... when your child runs out of stuff to do at grandma and grandpa's, and they don't have a baby pool, grab a few bins and fill them up with water. It's cheap and fun. DON'T FORGET THE SUNSCREEN AND HAT!!!

As you can see by the pictures below, it TOTALLY works for me!

Oh yeah ... one more thing ... He also likes to play with the hose and spray nozzle, which works for me too, because he likes to water my plants for me. Every.single.evening!

Water Safety: Never, ever leave your child unattended while around any water ... never take your eyes off your child or turn your back on them, not even for one second, and don't depend on flotation devices as a substitute for supervision. One of the biggest dangers is water -- a child can drown in as little as three inches of water, and after 3-5 minutes of submersion, a child can face irreversible brain damage or death. Be sure that you are aware of all buckets, basins, tubs, bins, bowls, or other kinds of containers in your yard. They can hold water in them, and a child can easily topple into these items. Even a puddle can be a danger. Finally, learn CPR.

7 comments:

Susanne said...

How cute does Hunter look sitting in that bowl?!

This worked totally for my kids too! They loved it. I did it at home too when I didn't feel like hauling out the bigger pool.

Kelly said...

Thanks for reminding me of this fun, easy idea. I used water in a sensory table all the time when I was a preschool teacher but had completely forgotten about it for my own children. We will definitely be putting this idea to use this summer!

Blessings~

Beth/Mom2TwoVikings said...

As a former lifeguard of 15+ years, thank you for reminding everyone about water safety. I'm still absolutely stunned by what I see at pools, beaches, etc.

Not to be a downer but we use to tell parents: "put you thumb on your upper lip and your index finger on the tip of your nose. Then, look at the distance between the two...that is all the deeper the water need be for your child to drown."

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your comment at my aite! Yeah - we think alike :) What I didn't write in my post is that I also let the boys experiment with feeding themselves as well...total mess! The bubble bath would've come in handy :)

Anonymous said...

looks like great fun

PastormacsAnn said...

Great idea (and thanks for the safety reminder). I remember when my oldest was your son's age she loved to play with water in it's many forms - sometimes I'd just turn the water spigot on just a trickle and she'd play and play.

Overwhelmed! said...

Yes, this works for us too! Snuggle Bug will spend hours in a tub of water (indoors or out) if we let him. :)

I love the pictures of Hunter! Thanks for sharing!