We are in the middle of the winter holidays and the kids are getting a bit jumpy some days. And with questions like “what are we doing today?” having the possibility to send shivers down any mom’s spine, our Ideas Jar has been a great help so far. Last year we went camping in the bush, so this year we decided to do the same – only it’s indoor camping in the playroom! And why not? Little ones have fairly short attention spans, so why drive for 2 days and set up camp in the middle of nowhere when you can do it right in your own home. The novelty will wear off in the same amount of time!
The tent is quite big and pretty much filled the entire room, but they loved the idea. Sleeping bags, mattresses and every pillow in their bedroom were quickly brought in to make it comfy.
And you can’t have a camp without a fire and marshmallows! A big treat that has since been requested daily.
If you don’t have a regular tent, then a teepee will work just as well. I made this teepee for the boys a couple of years ago, and it has been used in many different ways since then: as a reading nook, a play tent and an outdoor swinging tent! Originally I thought that securing it to the ceiling would be better, but I have since learned that anything hanging from the ceiling in my house is automatically classed as a swing. So that didn’t quite work out the way I had expected… But some bamboo secured with thick sash cord works just as well – and significantly reduces the risk of ceiling boards being ripped to pieces.
This teepee swing was a project that I did at the end of last winter. It does require good weather, so put it up when the sun comes out! There are of course loads of other things to do with the kids as well – have a look at these posts that we’ve put together over the years.
Why not play with Washi tape and make a mural?
Get crafty with some origami.
Make a race car circuit.
Have a tea party!
Make a winter herb garden.
Make rockets for your space cadets!
So now that you have all this inspiration for keeping busy, let the last part of the winter commence!
