Occupying kids during Easter hols

Glad

Orchid wrote:

glad - I can see that 2 younger ones wanting to trying the skating - the older boys may not though but I will suggest it. yikes - Sorry to hear about your son's new form of entertainment. He'll be back at school soon

orchid, the rollerblading I mean is in a warehouse/park with large ramps and jumps etc
it's for older kids 10 yrs and up, the friends that took mine are 14 & 16 yrs,


as for the breaking and entering I forgot I'd written that, son was asking how the motion sensors worked the burglar alarm, and i explained how they were positioned so that no-one could actually move through the house without setting it off, so he spent a couple of hours proving me wrong and showing how he could enter, get through the house and get back out with the cd player, and not set anything off, unfortunately I had said "I bet £50 you can't" :rolleyes:

davidcampbell

glad wrote:

as for the breaking and entering I forgot I'd written that, son was asking how the motion sensors worked the burglar alarm, and i explained how they were positioned so that no-one could actually move through the house without setting it off, so he spent a couple of hours proving me wrong and showing how he could enter, get through the house and get back out with the cd player, and not set anything off, unfortunately I had said "I bet £50 you can't" :rolleyes:

:rotfl:

well at least he amused himself for a few hours.

Savvy_Sue

glad wrote:

as for the breaking and entering I forgot I'd written that, son was asking how the motion sensors worked the burglar alarm, and i explained how they were positioned so that no-one could actually move through the house without setting it off, so he spent a couple of hours proving me wrong and showing how he could enter, get through the house and get back out with the cd player, and not set anything off, unfortunately I had said "I bet £50 you can't" :rolleyes:

:rotfl:He's been watching Oceans 11 and 12 too many times ...

But I'm so glad you explained that, I'd been wondering!

Str4berr3

i have a 4 year old daughter (comming 5) and a 2 year old son, unfortunatley i cant seem to enjoy the days out as i wants to do one thing and the other want to do another, i would really like to enjoy our outings but i just seem to find myself all stressed out, i do try to teach them about compromising but half of the time, my youngest one refuses. Even if it was just to the park.
I also have this problem where if i wanted to take them to see small theatre shows (puppets theatre things etc) they always seem to seperate the age due to diffrent show (e.; under 2's, over 3's.). iand i would'nt even dream of taking my 2 year old son to the cinema which i know my daughter would love, cos he'll run around the place during the veiwing! I fell guilty half of the time because my eldest is restricted to doing things she would like to do but can't because of our yougest son.
any ideas?

jellyhead

i don't know if she'd be brave enough to go on her own but our leisure centre does a 'kiddies corner' in holidays and at weekends, you pay around £3.50 to leave your kids for the morning, they get squash and a biscuit and you pick them up at 12.30 in time for lunch. ours is held in the party hall so they have bouncy castle, ball pit, climbing frame, space hoppers etc. to play on and they have an art corner where they paint etc. my son used to love it when he went with his cousins, it was for ages 3-6 but they have to be toilet trained. a friend of ours used to send her daughter there every week because she got bored at home and didn't know anyone local to play with. once your daughter is at school (is she in reception?) she'll be able to join in the council run playscheme if you have one at your school. ours is lots of games, etc. - properly organised games, it's just like an old fashioned birthday party :-)

if all else fails, they might play together in a wacky warehouse?

our cinema seems to have a more relaxed atmosphere for the sat morning kids showing, it's pretty much empty and lots of the younger kids run riot.

Savvy_Sue

Str4berr3 wrote:

i have a 4 year old daughter (comming 5) and a 2 year old son, unfortunatley i cant seem to enjoy the days out as i wants to do one thing and the other want to do another, i would really like to enjoy our outings but i just seem to find myself all stressed out, i do try to teach them about compromising but half of the time, my youngest one refuses. Even if it was just to the park.
I also have this problem where if i wanted to take them to see small theatre shows (puppets theatre things etc) they always seem to seperate the age due to diffrent show (e.; under 2's, over 3's.). iand i would'nt even dream of taking my 2 year old son to the cinema which i know my daughter would love, cos he'll run around the place during the veiwing! I fell guilty half of the time because my eldest is restricted to doing things she would like to do but can't because of our yougest son.
any ideas?

All I can do is sympathise ... Two is quite young to grasp the idea of compromise though ...

OK, I'll try and do more than sympathise. Do you have any friends, especially with children? Can you do a child swap? There are lots of ways this could work: someone has your daughter while you take your son out, with or without their child of similar age, then you return the favour. Then you find someone to have your son while you take daughter to cinema, maybe with a friend.

Also just because a puppet show is aimed at under 2s doesn't mean your daughter won't enjoy it.

When you feel your son can understand the notion of consequences, make sure he doesn't always get his own way if he is unpleasant during someone else's 'treat' / chosen activity. So if he DOES want to go to the park one day, but was very bolshy yesterday because he didn't want to go swimming, then sorry, but today we're not going to the park. Again, 2 is quite young to grasp this.

Could also be worth talking to your HV about this: she may say it is entirely normal at 2. Also if you haven't got many friends with children she may be able to suggest local groups which might give you that kind of support. I'd have gone doolally if I'd had to take all my lot everywhere together all the time!

catznine

I am working in a play scheme at the moment and some of the most popular activities include:-
Treasure Hunt (series of clues left around an area, prizes for those that solve it)

Collect largish stones on a walk, clean and then paint them to look like animals etc. (make good paper weights) much smaller stones can be made into pebble pets and put into a decorated (empty matchbox) lined with some shredded paper.

Model making with lots of cardboard packages (old easter egg cartons ideal)

making sugar mice (fondant icing moulded to mouse shape, choc buttons for ears, sweetie bootlaces for tails, small sweeties for eyes and noses)

Painting (just about anything in sight!) paper plates are ideal for this, can paint faces and make masks.

hope this helps

Spendless

Str4berr3 wrote:

i have a 4 year old daughter (comming 5) and a 2 year old son, unfortunatley i cant seem to enjoy the days out as i wants to do one thing and the other want to do another, i would really like to enjoy our outings but i just seem to find myself all stressed out, i do try to teach them about compromising but half of the time, my youngest one refuses. Even if it was just to the park.
I also have this problem where if i wanted to take them to see small theatre shows (puppets theatre things etc) they always seem to seperate the age due to diffrent show (e.; under 2's, over 3's.). iand i would'nt even dream of taking my 2 year old son to the cinema which i know my daughter would love, cos he'll run around the place during the veiwing! I fell guilty half of the time because my eldest is restricted to doing things she would like to do but can't because of our yougest son.
any ideas?

Hi your children are a similar age to mine. I have a son who's just turned 5 and a daughter who was 2 yesterday.

Here are some of the things i take both mine to

Parks

Swimming (eldest in swimming jacket), keeps near to me and youngest.

Ball pall/bouncy castle centre. They usually have a younger section you can put little one in.

My youngest wouldn't sit still at cinema either but i have a 14 year old neice who has started taking my son each school hols to see latest film (i drop them off and pick them up at the door).
Otherwise i'd arrange a babysitter for little one.

If i were to go shopping, youngest is fine, eldest hates it, so i put him in the creche.

We also have holiday play-schemes running in the town so son normally goes to one for one day of each school holidays (he is a live-wire who gets bored at home easily).

They both like to go to my in-laws who have a large garden. MIL normally puts out cars,bikes for them to ride around on and/or gives them buckets, spades and a section of garden to dig over.

Str4berr3

Thanx for all your advice, i will for any playschemes going frim my borough. :rotfl:

deemy2004

A burger king happy meal does the trick, i.e. with the free toy...