momofkhm Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Dh told a co-worker that my dd would watch his kids tonight. This was weeks ago. But his kids will be at my house. When dh brought it up, it was so far away and I didn't ask about what ages the kids are and didn't think about it much. Well now it's tonight! a 3 yo and a 6 yo. A 15 yo watching them at my house. My very not child proofed house. With my 15 yo who has a friend coming over for dinner. No, no this was in the plan when dh told his co-worker that dd would watch his kids. DH knew friend of dd's would be here. Not only is my house not child proof any longer, we have no toys. Well, I have one box of little people. One box. And these kids will be here for "well their event will last a couple of hours. He should be back to pick them up by 10." The parents will follow my dh home, so they will get here about 5:30/6 and then not go home until 10? And I have one box of toys? It would be fine if these kids lived close and we could be here for dinner and then I could drive everyone home and dd could watch them there. But no, they live 1/2 hour or more away. We live on the way to the event. Yes, I am panicking. One small box of toys. Not a child proofed house. Several hours. So tell me about 3 yos please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 (edited) Our house was (is) never really child proof, I just watched the kids and made sure they didn't open cupboards, touch outlets, etc. Get out a bunch of blankets and round up the chairs so they can make a fort and have pillows so they can hang out in the fort. Do you have crayons or can get a quick box? Print up a bunch of coloring pages. Large plastic bowls and spoons are fun to playing cooking with. Grab a few stuffed animals for "hide the animals" - like hide and seek but you hide the animals around for the kids to find (or anything can be hidden). Is the 3yo a little girl? Get a soft brush and a scrunchie and let her play beauty salon with your dd. Just a few ideas... Edited November 6, 2012 by MissKNG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 get out pots and pans and let them "cook" or even bake some cookies with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 We watched a 1yo a few weeks ago - eek! I entirely forgot the busyness! We put down some butcher paper and let him color. Then he followed dd around. For hours! Do something fun and a little messy that he doesn't normally get to do. Play-do, rice bucket, water and measuring cups- things like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plath Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Art projects are great fun. You can quickly make up a batch of play dough. Or just simple crayons and paper. Toys aren't that necessary. Kids will even play with a box of rocks LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 My 3 year old and 6 yr old like: Coloring/Painting if you have any kind of art supplies and you watch them closely that could work. They both like any kind of arts and crafts. Playing with water of any kind (even just playing in the sink with soap bubbles or pouring water in and out of containers) Building a fort out of blankets and pillows Any kind of pretend play if an older person is willing to be part of it - they both love hide and seek. Puzzles Games- if you still have old board games around that might be an idea...my 3 year old loves Candyland Having someone read to them You could also ask the parents if they can pack a small bag with a few toys. Just be honest. “We’re looking forward to having __ and __ here but we realized we don’t have many toys for their age. Can you send a couple of their favorite things to do?" You could also in a pinch have them watch a video for part of the time. If you have Netflix or Amazon Prime there are many many free kid shows. You could check with the parents first but if someone else was willing to babysit my kids for 5-6 hours I’d be absolutely fine with some video/TV time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jane Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 My 3 year old and 6 yr old like: Coloring/Painting if you have any kind of art supplies and you watch them closely that could work. They both like any kind of arts and crafts. Playing with water of any kind (even just playing in the sink with soap bubbles or pouring water in and out of containers) Building a fort out of blankets and pillows Any kind of pretend play if an older person is willing to be part of it - they both love hide and seek. Puzzles Games- if you still have old board games around that might be an idea...my 3 year old loves Candyland Having someone read to them You could also ask the parents if they can pack a small bag with a few toys. Just be honest. “We’re looking forward to having __ and __ here but we realized we don’t have many toys for their age. Can you send a couple of their favorite things to do?" You could also in a pinch have them watch a video for part of the time. If you have Netflix or Amazon Prime there are many many free kid shows. You could check with the parents first but if someone else was willing to babysit my kids for 5-6 hours I’d be absolutely fine with some video/TV time. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Honestly, I think the three year old may be easier to entertain than the six year old. Do you still have picture books on a shelf somewhere? I watched a 3 and 5.5 yo on Saturday. The biggest hits were searching for the hiding cat and baking banana bread muffins. My only worry would be how late they will be there. I know my LO would be a mess by 10pm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cottonmama Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Look up some kids songs and fingerplays online. Do you have any children's books? Or a Kindle? Or even just go online and find some folk or fairy tales to read. Look around at mainlesson.com -- there are plenty there. And The Real Mother Goose is available for free at Project Gutenberg. Queue up a ballet on Youtube -- my son and daughter both love watching the Nutcracker, at any time of year. Swan Lake is also popular with them. Or pull out a Rated G movie that doesn't have any scary parts. Honestly, when we had a teenage babysitter, I didn't expect anything more than movie-watching. Get out some blankets and chairs and make a fort. Get out an old deck of cards and play Go Fish. Play hide and seek, with an adult hiding with the 3yo if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 You might also want to collect some blankets and pillows and let the little one make a nest/tent on the floor. 10pm is so late for 3yo, he or she will probably be sleepy. Even the 6yr old should be tired before 10. With a tent or some kind of fort made up that is fun and cool, you may have better luck getting both kids to fall asleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Check out a big stack of books at the library. All kids I know love reading library books (or having them read to them). Baking with them and building a fort are great ideas. Do you have any friends who would lend you some Legos or a train set? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 They are easily bribed with chocolate :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 By 3yo the lack of babyproofing is probably not THAT big of an issue, as long as the child is supervised. Also, my kids LOVE new places so they'd be easy to occupy for a few hours in a "new" house. I don't know about 6yos, but for a 3yo.. Ideas: Pouring anything. Rice, sugar, water, whatever kind of mess you're comfortable with, lol. Playing in the sink can easily amuse my 4yo for an hour or more. Give her dishes to wash and a rag and she's good. Especially if you let her have a little dishsoap (but DON"T give her the whole bottle). My DD would also love "giving a bath" to the little people or any other small waterproof items you may have. I second making playdough. Hours of fun. Do you have/can you get any small scissors? My DD can cut up stuff (political ads are rather handy for this) all.day.long. Junk mail, fabric scraps, bits of yarn...anything works here. Any picture books? My kids will sit for at least 1/2 hour for books. If you have an eReader there are some free kids ebooks out there. Paper and pencils/markers/crayons are a huge hit here. If I don't have crayons handy regular pencils seem to be just fine. Do you have any old clean socks? Let the kids decorate them (markers, glue, paperscraps, buttons, whatever you have handy) into sock puppets and have a sock puppet show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I agree with the recommendations for art projects (little watercolor strips are less messy than regular paints) and kitchen stuff. I'd be more worried about the kids being up so late. The little tent is a great idea, though I would expect a difficult time falling asleep in a strange environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 They are busy, busy, busy... My friend left her 3yold dd in my care for a morning and I was able to get nothing done and it left me exhausted. She was sweet and a lot of fun, but oh what busy little thing she was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Oh and can you get some kids music? Mine love to dance. There are kids stations online or downloadable... Mine also like to dance to classical if you have something upbeat. Or anything really, as long as it's not inappropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 By 3yo the lack of babyproofing is probably not THAT big of an issue, as long as the child is supervised. Also, my kids LOVE new places so they'd be easy to occupy for a few hours in a "new" house. I don't know about 6yos, but for a 3yo.. :iagree: If you have anything really fragile down low, put it on a high shelf, but otherwise this is the age at which most kids aren't about to swallow anything tiny, have enough balance to not slam their heads into the corners of your tables, and have enough self-control to listen to a rule about not touching something... at least for long enough for you to get over there and redirect them. If someone is watching, it'll be fine. Entertaining small kids isn't that hard. It'll come back to you or your 15 yo will figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 My 3 year old and 6 yr old like: Coloring/Painting if you have any kind of art supplies and you watch them closely that could work. They both like any kind of arts and crafts. Playing with water of any kind (even just playing in the sink with soap bubbles or pouring water in and out of containers) Building a fort out of blankets and pillows Any kind of pretend play if an older person is willing to be part of it - they both love hide and seek. Puzzles Games- if you still have old board games around that might be an idea...my 3 year old loves Candyland Having someone read to them You could also ask the parents if they can pack a small bag with a few toys. Just be honest. “We’re looking forward to having __ and __ here but we realized we don’t have many toys for their age. Can you send a couple of their favorite things to do?" You could also in a pinch have them watch a video for part of the time. If you have Netflix or Amazon Prime there are many many free kid shows. You could check with the parents first but if someone else was willing to babysit my kids for 5-6 hours I’d be absolutely fine with some video/TV time. I agree. Especially if it's late and they're getting tired. Snuggle them up with some blankets and let them watch a video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 Thanks ladies! I knew I could count on you. I do have colored pencils and blank paper so that's a hit. We have books we can read out loud for them that I haven't given away yet - and the Curious George big book that we won't be getting rid of. Blankets and pillows we can do easily. AND I do still have a few Disney movies and Pixar as well. The kids have outgrown so many and got rid of them but there are a few still over in the corner. Phew! Now as long as they will eat chicken for dinner, we're all set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDad Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 ITA w/ all of the previously mentioned ideas. When the kids start getting tired, I would get them all comfy on a couch and then have some kind of passive activity going on... a movie or book on tape, something like that. Then hopefully they can drift off into dreamland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidbits of Learning Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Dh told a co-worker that my dd would watch his kids tonight. This was weeks ago. But his kids will be at my house. When dh brought it up, it was so far away and I didn't ask about what ages the kids are and didn't think about it much. Well now it's tonight! a 3 yo and a 6 yo. A 15 yo watching them at my house. My very not child proofed house. With my 15 yo who has a friend coming over for dinner. No, no this was in the plan when dh told his co-worker that dd would watch his kids. DH knew friend of dd's would be here. Not only is my house not child proof any longer, we have no toys. Well, I have one box of little people. One box. And these kids will be here for "well their event will last a couple of hours. He should be back to pick them up by 10." The parents will follow my dh home, so they will get here about 5:30/6 and then not go home until 10? And I have one box of toys? It would be fine if these kids lived close and we could be here for dinner and then I could drive everyone home and dd could watch them there. But no, they live 1/2 hour or more away. We live on the way to the event. Yes, I am panicking. One small box of toys. Not a child proofed house. Several hours. So tell me about 3 yos please. Do you have netflix? Leap Frog videos are on Netflix. Do you have a wii? Those ages could play wii for quite a bit. As for toys. The Little People would keep them busy. If you want to see if they will color go to the dollar store and pick up a few coloring books and crayons. Honestly, I would go to the redbox and pick up whatever new kid's movie is out and a wii game and just go from there. I would let them play with the Little People, wii (if you have one), and color for a bit. At 8 pm, it would be lights out with makeshift cots on the floor and the movie from redbox. That is just me though. I wouldn't try to kid proof a house for a 3 yr old. Unless I had cleaners within reach, then I would just grab them up and put them in my room or up high until they left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Couple more, based on what my not quite three year-old has done in the three hours since she got up: Anything magnetic and the side of your fridge Dress-up with big kids' clothes Cut lots of stuff w/ her scissors Drew on a dry erase board (and several nearby things :( ) LeapFrog on Netflix Turned a light/flashlight on and off for fifteen minutes Now she wants to build a wall and is looking for small objects to do it with. Looks like she found a piece out of our domino set. My older daughter liked Starfall.com on the computer by three, but younger one hasn't done that yet. She likes to play games on my phone, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 My 3yo loves to take tissues and shred them. I think she's nesting :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 As usual, my worry was for naught. And the 3 yo was 4. Silly Husband. They got here as I was finishing dinner. DH helped the 6 yob with homework. We sat down to eat. They little finished early and politely asked to be excused. (we let them) When dd finished, she went over and sat/read/played until everyone else was finished. At some point the Wii came on. Then suddenly, the 4 yog asked to be put to bed! The boy kept playing on the Wii. All was fine. I always forget I have cats and a laser pointer - good fun all ages! For some reason that works with all ages of kids right up to my 18 yo dd. Thanks for all the replies! It was very nice to be reassured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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