We're all in on a summer holiday
No more working for a week or two
Fun and laughter on our summer holiday
No more worries for me or you
For a week or two. Like Cliff said , we are in for a week or two and it's beautifully hot here today .. but we are in lock down and stuck at home ( as we should be )! So unlike the song... the beach is out , the park is out, playdates are out and a swim somewhere definitely out, going out is well out! We are on some strange staycation. But never fear there are ways to keep your wee ones chilled out ( literally ) around your house. I have had to revert to my nanny days to whip up ways to keep a 20 month old cool and busy and at the same time with what I have at home.
Outside treats, iced lollies / frozen yogurt / frozen smoothies are a wonderful way to inject some fun in to food. I bought up large on fruit in my weekly shop, ( not bulk, I just got a lot of different things ) and pureed them into weird and wonderful mixes. Then poured into an ice lolly mould that I got from the pound store. It's designed for little hands so it doesn't hold too much and the handles are thick for little sticky fingers to grab easily. If you cant order some or find any locally, children's yogurt pots are ideal for this, wash them out and fill them up with fresh and fruity filling, pop a bamboo or plastic weaning spoon in them and freeze.
Or just put the spoon directly in to the yogurt pot with the lid still on ( make a hole in top ) this serves as a semi drip catcher when eating later and freeze. Another great one that for some reason goes really creamy when frozen is a banana. Leave in peel, cut in half, stick an ice-cream stick if available or previously stated trusty spoon down the middle and freeze. When needed or wanted, peel to reveal fruity goodness that doesn't drip !! You can use a metal spoon if nothing else available ... but they get really cold for wee fingers.
For really wee ones frozen yogurt drops are a great pick me up for baby. Tin foil or plastic wrap or baking paper over a mental baking tray, spoon little drops evenly spaced and freeze. They just pull off and consumed , they look like large buttons. Try popping whole pieces of fruit or mashed up pieces in cubes to make ice so they drinks look interesting and they get their five a day in an easy way.
Trusty picnic, if you have a space to get out , take everything outside ! Grab a rug and an umbrella, sun tent that has UVA protection and decamp getting fresh air and vitamin D at the same time. This can be for lunch , snack , playtime, you name it. Move outside and forget your confined to quarters normally.
Get wet, bucket , saucepan , water table, anything and everything that can hold liquid can be used.
The joy of splashing and or just dipping your hands into cool water can do and will do , keep a wee one busy and entertained for hours. Bring the bath toys outside , give them a colander so water strains through. Ive taken to wetting my wee one sun hat so its damp and keeps her cool when she is tearing around outside. Of course if the heat rises, hoses, paddling pools, sprinklers are wonderful. Bust out the sunsuits or wetsuits that go neck to knee and keep them warm when wet, they can have hours of soggy fun in the sun. Supermarkets have them in stock right now for the summer rush , so utilise the service I say.
Some great activities to stay cool and keep them busy. Make some slime, there are many kid friendly taste safe recipes online. It keeps well in the fridge so it will always be cooling to touch , there is nothing quite like squishing it through your fingers on a hot day. Paint the fence/wall , dust off the old brushes, fill buckets with water and get them painting. Never ending fun, they can outline themselves or you can with the hose on sprinkler mode. They can watch the wall , wooden fence, go darker and then dry off, challe them to see if they keep it wet against the sunshine !
For older ones, finger painting. Cello-tape down some paper to a table outside or if you have a roll , roll it out, weight it down and paint their hands and feet. Have them walk up and down decorating it. This doubles as gift wrapping for birthdays and Christmas !
Being locked in and stuck inside away from the water or open spaces and friends and family can be made fun and fruitful ( pun intended ) with a wee bit of either forward planning or making do with household and fridge items to keep kids cool. Its like Dorothy said in Wizard of Oz, ''I will look no further than my own back yard''. And ''there is no place like home!'' Have some fun in the sun, while it lasts !