Afternoon Projects

In an effort to cut down on TV time after preschool, I've been turning to Pinterest (a site I sorta love-hate) for apartment-friendly activities for my busy four-year-old.  I even browsed through them with Cal on my lap so he could pick out all the things he wanted to do.  (I had to veto a couple -- shaving a balloon, seriously?) Here is a sampling of our favorites. 

Salt bin. I actually came up with this on my own, but I'm embarrassed to say how long it took me to do so. We've been playing with salt in Cal's concrete truck for ages now, which inevitably leads to me sweeping up salt all over the floor. Now, with the bin, there's no mess (well, less mess), and it keeps him entertained for quite a while.

Masking tape roads. I gave him the roll and set him free in the apartment. He had little routes going all over the floor, up over the couches, up the stairs into the bedrooms--it was awesome. He even went over it with a marker, making a dividing line.

 Baking Soda and Vinegar.  He was fascinated by this! We did a lot of little things to make this interesting. First, I let him squeeze drops of food coloring by himself, which he always begs to do.  Second, he had a bunch of colors to "paint" with.  Third, I let him use a tiny medicine syringe to squirt the vinegar--something about the new tool kept him completely interested.

 Rainbow Beans. This project was fun because not only do you end up with a cool sensory tub to play with, but the kids get to help with the process (which is long and keeps them entertained for a long time).

 Cup Stacking. Who knew a 50-pack of red solo cups could keep a child busy for so long?

Legos.  No explanation needed! (I woke up to this on my nightstand a few days ago.)

 Silky Play-dough.  One part conditioner, 2 parts corn starch. It made a very soft & pliable dough that the kids kneaded and rolled like bread dough.

 Coke and Mentos. It's funny, some things seem so old to you that you forget about them. A friend brought this one over to try, and the kids LOVED it. Cal was so surprised and delighted when it exploded!

Homemade Ziplock Bag Ice Cream. Cal loved this one (as is evidenced by the fact that he couldn't look up for a picture for two seconds)!

Phew! And it's only May....I better keep up the search for more crafts, or as Cal says, "Science Projects!"