Got any fun indoor activities for when it's just too blazin' hot to play outside?

[*********]

Seriously, I'm gonna lose it.

 

It's so hot and humid right now, that even SITTING outside is uncomfortable. So the boys are bouncin' off the walls here inside.

 

I don't really want to start school yet, seeing as the stepkids will be spending most of the rest of the month at our house starting in two days, and it's kinda hard to get Zee to do math while his big brother is building legos or whatever.

 

Any creative ideas? I've run out. We've done painting, play doh, movies, legos.

 

For example. Tomorrow. The forecast says the high temp is 92, and it will feel like 102. And it's humid here. So there's no way I'm playing outside with the kids. That's just too uncomfortable. And while we don't have central air, we do at least have a window unit in our living room and master bedroom, so we can be reasonably comfortable so long as I don't turn on the stove. :D

 

So what can I do all day with a 7 year old and a 4 year old boy? I guess I just have run out of imagination or something, LOL. I need some inspiration. I mean, how many times can I play Uno before my head explodes. :D But we're gonna be home, and since I freaked out yesterday and cleaned everything, there's not even really chores to do. So I need some ideas of things that the boys can do either by themselves, or with me.

 

What do you guys play with your kids when you're stuck in the house?

[lovemyboys]

movie matinees

no-bake recipes

suspenseful read-aloud

fun math drills to get ready for school

construction challenges with everyday objects

game day (board games, card games)

creative art challenge

[gingersmom]

Bowling (http://www.kidsbowlfree.com)

Ice skating

town pool

Library

[Jean in Newcastle]

Put the boys in their swimsuits and let them play in a lukewarm tub.

[Chris in VA]

Look up the Family Fun website for lots of ideas.

 

One we loved was the paper geodesic dome. You stack 4 sheets of large sized newspaper (you know, the kind that's two pages worth) and roll into a tube, starting from the corner and rolling diagonally. Tape or staple. Now make a lot more--the website tells you how many. You end up making triangles, then taping or stapling them together to make a dome--it takes about 30 minutes to make, and then you've got a very, very cool fort!:D

[ChristusG]

We been reading lots of books.

 

We've done quite a bit of painting. I just covered the table well, poured the tempera paints onto paper plates, and gave them lots of cardstock to paint on.

 

Sometimes I pick a neat book and think up activities to do that go along with that book. We've done The Big Green Pocketbook. I hid objects around the house (similar to what the girl collected in the book) and attached a clue (to the next one) to each item. I happened to have two small green bags that I had gotten at Michaels and let the girls go around collecting the items and putting it into their own green pocketbooks. We also did Corduroy. I made little folders out of manilla envelopes and put some Corduroy activites in there.....make your own bear out of cardstock/googly eyes/felt/etc.

 

Today I'm going to take huge pieces of paper, trace the girls, and then let them decorate themselves with all sorts of craft supplies.

 

Fill a bunch of rubbermaid containers with water, give them some cups, add some food coloring, throw in some toys, and stick them outside in the yard to play with the water...in the shade, of course.

 

Look online for simple science experiements....my kids love doing this.

 

Give a little more screen time. I usually let the kids choose 1 twenty minute show per day each (so they watch 40 minutes of TV per day). When it is hot, sometimes I let them agree on one more show to watch.

 

Turn up the music really loud, make some instruments out of things laying around the house, and have a dance/music party. Play freeze dance.

[ThelmaLou]

If you don't have some already, you must get these hop balls, especially for boys:

http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Bounce-Sport-Fun-Hopper/dp/B00004SU7V/ref=pd_sim_t_8

My guys burned off so much energy with these when they were little.

 

I'll confess, I'm not good at playing with my kids. Letting them help in the kitchen, playing some board games, reading aloud, and watching a movie together is about it for me.

 

What about a sprinkler outside? We bought a sprinkler ring for about $3 at Lowes.

 

On the rare occasion that my kids tell me they're bored or they ask for a suggestion for what to do, I assign chores. It's amazing that they ever ask me at all, because I always give the same answer.

 

Not to torture them, and everything should be done in moderation, but even if there aren't any chores to be done right now, I'd spend some time training them in tasks they haven't yet learned. It will pay dividends when the school year gets really busy and you need them to pitch in with work around the house.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Can you play in the sprinkler? Or just play with the hose? Even though we have a pool, my boys still like to just play in the sprinkler sometimes. I sit close enough so that my legs get splashed and it keeps me cool. Sometimes, they'll splash me all over and it feels great and dries quickly!

 

For indoor, we like to do "picnics" on the floor, make shaving cream designs on the table, thumb wrestling wars and do yoga, for some ideas.

 

This morning, we sat around making up imaginary recipes. That was fun.