Frankenstorm Survival Ideas

Do you find yourself in Frankenstorm's path?  Do you find yourself worrying less about the proper number of flashlights and the location of your battery-operated radio, and more about how to maintain sanity and good cheer with a house full of small, homebound children in the days to come?  No outdoor play, no school, no Metro trips, possibly no power...here are a few of the ideas I plan to pull out.

Play with small trucks and cars in a roasting pan of dried beans.

Write the alphabet on a sheet of paper and glue rice along the outline of the letters.

Cut up cereal boxes into tiny pieces.

Bust out the watercolors.

Write letters/ make cards for grandparents and friends.

Learn how to address an envelope and stamp it for mailing.

Find all the less-read books in the house and read them.

Play with soap bubbles in the sink.

Take a recreational bath with pool toys or a bucket of Legos.

Squirt some shaving cream on the wall of the tub for finger painting.

Take videos of the children and watch them on the playback screen.

Conduct foot races in the hallway.

Learn a new song to sing together.

Do jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, and stretches together.

Make a trail mix of sweet, salty, and crunchy foods you have around the house.

Go through wedding albums, baby books and old pictures.

Use new tools with play dough--dull knives, forks, child scissors, chop sticks, cookie cutters.

Build a hideout under the dining room table and invite the stuffed animals for a campout.

Carve pumpkins.

Stick pipe cleaners through a collander's holes.

String noodles on yarn or a pipe cleaner.

Sort buttons.

Blow up balloons and bat them around.

Make an obstacle course with chairs, stools, blankets, and tables.

And...

please add your ideas in the comments!