Fun Activities for Kids Stuck Inside: Foam Dough!

The announcement of a snow day used to be awesome! I could look forward to an extra day of sleeping in and getting caught up on my shows and reading or lesson planning.
Now that it means my two girls are home too? Not so much excitement. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and enjoy spending time with them. But a whole day of being stuck inside? With both of them? Oh, man-not the funnest for me!
By lots of trial and error (so much error...) I have found the best way for all of us to avoid going stir crazy is for me to have plans already made (because I am a teacher and there is no escape for planning!) for inclement weather days.

So, I thought I would start a post series for activities that I try out and their success (or failure, let's be real here!).

I have spent some time searching the internet for fun and easy activities for my littles. If you are interested, I have a great Pinterest board of activities that are good for the 5 and under crowd.
I also have a couple of books about activities, but my favorite (and the one I use most often) is
150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids which you can find on Amazon (fyi-not an affiliate link!).

Some tips for planning:

I have a storage box (actually 2!) full of craft materials that only come out on bad weather days. They are full of pipe cleaners, puff balls, googly eyes, paints and craft paper.
I buy the basic materials (dry pasta, salt, flour, baking soda, shaving cream, etc) in bulk when they are on sale.
I keep/hoard other materials that may come in handy (toilet paper rolls, plastic jars, etc)

All of these activities are little-to-no-cost, mostly made with things you already have on hand, and can be whipped up really fast. I usually plan two or three per day, and try to keep it to materials that can be used for several different activities.

For the first snow day, I picked out the Foam Dough! This stuff was a big hit! Super easy-just mix together equal parts shaving cream and cornstarch (1 cup :1 cup). I used washable liquid paints to color it, but you can also use liquid food coloring. I just wanted to ensure that any spills are washable!

We were able to make little snowmen, but mostly just mushed it around. This dough is not great for molding materials (we tried it with some play-dough parts, but it was not successful!) but has a really wonderful feel to it. It feels like what I would imagine playing in a giant pile of chocolate mousse (yum!) would feel like. She mostly just covered her animals in it and stomped them through it.

It starts out very fluffy, more like the shaving cream, but as you play with it, the stiffer it becomes. I imagine that is because the cornstarch is becoming more mixed in. Towards the end of play, it was easier to get through the play-dough extruder.

A big added bonus? This stuff is super easy to clean up! Since it is just shaving cream and cornstarch, it wiped up easily with a wet rag, washed off hands and was easy to brush off of our clothes!

All in all, fun was had, time was killed (around an hour and a half, from mixing to "I'm all done!") and mission was accomplished!

Don't forget to leave a message in the comments about your favorite indoor activity! I am always on the lookout for new ideas.....

Hey You,Teacher! Show Yourself Some Love in the New Year!

Happy New Year! Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. I started a new position at a new school and it has been super crazy! Of course, one of my resolutions for 2017 has been to get back into the swing of things with posts about what is going on in my classroom, new products that I am creating (and how to use them in your classroom!), plus delicious recipes (for all you teacher-chefs!) and fun little kid activities (for all you teacher-moms!).

This first post back, I want to talk about something going on in my classroom. Well, not my classroom specifically, more like school-wide. I want to talk about teacher self-care. In the past couple of years, there has been a definite push toward teachers practicing self-care. As teachers, we tend to think that we are carrying the weight of everything-lesson planning (and all the paperwork!), classroom management (and all the tricks and reward systems!), caring for students to the point of almost stepping into the role of parents, that we tend to forget ourselves. We tend to put our needs, and wants and loves and fears and hopes aside. And if you are a teacher-mom like me, add on parenting your little ones, and it is burn-out city!

I recall my first years teaching. My teaching partner/work wife and I would stay at school till 7 or 8 EACH night. Obviously, this was before kids! Also, we obviously became best-ies with the janitorial staff (seriously, they can do/get anything for you-we always had the cleanest classrooms!) We, along with most of the staff were new and young- we felt that we needed to put in the crazy amounts of time and effort to be successful. We came to school in the sun, in the rain, in the snow. I came in with colds, sore throats, who-knows-what, possibly the flu. She came in with colds, sore throats, and even worked through bronchitis. Did we forge an amazing bond? Yes! Was it healthy? Not so much.

It took me a couple more years of teaching and the arrival of my first baby to realize that I needed to prioritize myself. That working super-long hours didn’t make me a better teacher. That coming in when I was under the weather did not make me a better teacher.

What made me a better teacher was realizing that I needed to care for myself. That struggling to come to school when sick, instead of staying home and getting better was a recipe for disaster. Illnesses would linger. More than likely I gave it to others (sorry)!

Now, when I feel a true illness coming on, I take the time to rest. When I have reached my breaking point, and there are no days off near, I take a personal day.  I have made it a priority to take time to myself each weekend, even just a few hours while the girls nap, or go to the park with dad, to recharge.

This is my 7th year teaching. I am only sorry it took until my third year teaching to figure out the need to take care of myself, and implement it in my 4th year. So, I encourage you; check out your sick days and personal days. Then really pay attention to yourself! Prioritize yourself! No amount of long hours, or trudging through an illness will make you a better teacher. Reflect on what will make you whole and well.

Being your healthiest and able to focus on your teaching will make you a better teacher.

Please, add on one more resolution to your (long, long) list for 2017- take care of yourself!