What to do with sick kids

So what do you do with more than one sick child? Here are a few things I've done so far:

• Run to the pharmacy/Wal-Mart and stock up on ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and Kleenix.
• Clean out the humidifiers and start running them all night and part of the day.
• Splurge and buy a (cheap) surprise game for the children--I'll pull it out when all else fails to entertain.
• Check the pantry and freezer to make sure there is enough food to feed the family in case I'm too sick to go to the store.
• Make up a detailed chart to keep track of temperatures and medication. After several years of just writing this down on scraps of paper, I finally made an Excel chart to record data on each child. This way I know each child's temperature and when they've had medication.
  

Do you have things that work well for your family? I'm always happy to hear suggestions.

What to do with 280 straws

If you don't mind the mess, letting children play with straws can occupy them for hours on end. The only thing I don't like is if the straws then get used with liquids.
The children spent two days playing with these straws. We finally managed to clean them up after they were tired of that game.

Volcanoes

You can make your own volcanoes and explode them at home. To do this the boys took some old play-dough and shaped a volcano out of it. I had them put it on a plate or tray with sides. Then we put a little cup in the top center (the crater or vent). I filled the cup with a tablespoon or two of baking soda. Then I poured white vinegar into the cup. It fizzed and "exploded." We did this over and over, adding more baking soda as needed, until the plate or tray was filled with vinegar. You can also put the vinegar in first and then add the baking soda.
Some books have you built the volcano out of plaster of Paris. I just threw away the play-dough when we were done.

"Play-dough" candy

Here is a recipe for some food storage candy that Mom sent. She said it was originally from me, probably when I was in grade school.


Peanut Butter Kisses
Makes about 24 kisses

2 cups dry (powdered, non-instant) milk
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut
Mix dry milk, peanut butter, and honey in two-quart bowl. Roll dough into balls. Roll balls in coconut.

I gave the children the crumbly mess and let them mix it up and play with it. It was sort of like edible play dough. I let them roll their snakes and balls and figures in some sprinkles. The candy doesn't really taste that good, but it is edible.
Lucy even enjoyed playing with the stuff and eating bits of it.

Quiet Book

In an attempt to (1) practice sewing techniques and (2) keep children occupied during church meetings, I remade our quiet book. Here's the completed project.
The cover is an attempt at a crazy quilt pattern.Each page has a little saying on it, which you can't really read in these photos. This one says "I am a child of God.""Jesus created the plants" and "I can be a missionary and share the gospel.""I am thankful for my food" and "I love to read the scriptures.""Sunday is a time to remember Jesus" and "Jesus created the animals."
"Jesus made the insects" and "I am thankful for my clothes."
"The Book of Mormon teaches me about Jesus" and "I am happy when I share."
"I know Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus" and "I can be brave like the pioneers and follow the prophet."
The back cover. It was a fun learning project, though it took a long time.

Creative Play, or what to do when the kids are bored

Andrew received a gift for his birthday from a friend. It was an electronic drum set with pop music stuff. It lasted one day and then disappeared. What's funny is that he hasn't asked for it. I've avoided electronic stuff as much as possible, mainly to preserve a bit of my sanity, and instead have looked for toys that encourage creative play. Here are a few things that are inexpensive, but fun for the children.

One thing the boys enjoy is the roads we make with tape on the floor. I take a roll of wide masking tape, usually the blue painter's tape, and slap it down on the carpet in various road patterns. After the first few times, Andrew got the idea and created his own road system as shown below. He put in a helicopter landing pad, the road you drive around at the airport, and the sidewalk where Daddy waits.

The boys will drive their cars all over the roads. They use cardboard tubes to create tunnels and paper and tape to make buildings. I usually show them how to do something and then let them create their own things.

We leave the roads down for a few days and then I rip them up. You can vacuum over them, though.

I use any large pieces of paper, such as the one shown here that came as packing material, and tape them to the floor for drawing spaces. You can trace outlines of the children and let them color themselves.

The children also like tents, made with old sheets, a card table and chairs, and a few clothespins to hold things together. They really like eating snacks inside the tent; we just have to run the vacuum after everything is done.

And, finally, remember cardboard boxes. I almost never toss a cardboard box into recycling until it has been well used by the children. You can make trains, cars, carts, boats, wagons, and more with a box, a marker, and some tape.

One of the beauties of these activities is that late at night, after the kids are in bed, you can clean up the house and throw it all away. If it was something you, or they, really liked, you can take a picture first.

Do you have any favorite creative play ideas?