Thursday, March 10, 2011

Tip for Entertaining Children

Last week, when we still had snow on the ground, my friend's little boy spent the day at my house.  He was getting a little bored just before my kids came home from school.  Luckily, I remembered an old trick my mom used to use during the long winters of my childhood.

Snow in the Sink

You'll need:
snow
a sink and/or bucket
assorted toys and utensils

To Enjoy It:
1. Go outside with a bucket. 
2.  Scoop clean snow into the bucket.
3.  Carry snow inside.
4. Dump it into the sink.  
5. Keep scooping and dumping until the sink is full.
6. Turn children loose in snow with assorted toys and utensils.
I can guarantee you hours of fun, especially if you put gloves on the children, and replace the snow with a bucketful or two as it melts.  (My sinkful lasted 4-5 hours, I topped it off twice.)
Not only did the little friend I was babysitting enjoy it, my own children and their friends had a blast playing with snow in the sink when they came home from school, that day.  Apparently, it's been a while since I brought snow indoors.
They were undeterred by the dirty dishes on the other side of the sink.
Even in the dead of winter, when your children have had all the sledding and snowballs they can handle, the novelty of playing inside the house with snow will keep them busy for quite a while.  Hours after I'd carried the snow in and dumped it in the sink, my three children could barely be torn away from the activity long enough to eat dinner.

The were sinking the Titanic, or something.  By then, the sink contained a large chunk of snow floating in water.  Otherwise known as an iceberg.

Three cheers for cheap entertainment!

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