By the time you read this the school holidays will be over and we will all be rolling back into the routine of school and pre-school activities. For our family this is a particularly poignant time as our oldest starts school and our youngest kindergarten – how time has flown! I’m so glad that we’ve been lucky enough to share so much time as a family during these precious pre-school years.
So although it may be a little late to be really useful, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how best to enjoy family time during these (sometimes unbearably long) winter days. Let’s be honest, must as we love Gisborne just as it is, it’s this time of year that the grass can sometimes seem greener, the walls can close in a little, and we can find ourselves wondering if there might just be more on offer elsewhere. But actually, I reckon there’s plenty of winter-time fun to be had Out East, so read on for my ideas for those days when you wake up with the rain hammering the roof and the wind howling through the windows and no idea of how to fill the space between breakfast and dinner time.
The mind may be willing, but the body just can’t make it out the door... sick kids, sick parents, not enough sleep, too much condensation on the insides of the windows... If you simply can’t be bothered getting organised to go out, embrace the day for what it is, and make the most of the home-body life.
Make playdough There was a period where I refused to make playdough – a few bad experiences (too sticky, too dry, too stuck in the carpet), but I rediscovered the joys of playdough a few months ago, along with a seemingly fool-proof recipe (see opposite). With a few implements available for rolling, cutting, chopping and serving, playdough can keep those little minds and hands busy for quite a while, and stored in an airtight container can by pulled out again and again... and again. And actually, those squished into the carpet bits do dry out and vacuum up reasonably easily...
Get cooking I have concluded that the secret for enjoying cooking with pre-schoolers is to allow plenty of time and have no need for the actual meal to be served any time soon. I have had loads of fun recently making soup with my 3 year-old and stew with my nearly-5 for dinner the following night, and nearly gone nutty with offers of help when trying to cook dinner that actually needed to be ready sometime soon. Chopping, stirring, grating, sifting, greasing pans, running Zhu-zhu pets over rising bread dough – these are all great ways to involve pre-schoolers in the kitchen.
Have a pyjama day Just call it quits from the word go, and announce that the whole day will be spent in pyjamas. Haul out the board games, the puzzles, the coffee and the books, and just enjoy being inside with nowhere better to be. By 2 pm you will probably feel disgusting, so that’s the time for the DVD player and a long shower.
So next time you wake up with the rain pounding the windows and it just seems too hard to breach the threshold to the great outdoors, embrace the inside! Watch this space next month for ideas for when you just have to get out of the house.
Playdough Recipe
• 2 ½ cups of white flour
• ½ cup salt
• 2 tablespoons cream tartar
• 2 cups boiling water
• food colouring
Directions:
Mix flour with salt and cream tartar in a large bowl. Add boiling water, oil and food colouring. Mix quickly then knead on a floured board until firm. Add extra flour if sticky. Store in an airtight container.
Tips from bitter experience:
Don’t be tempted to use cooking salt if you bought it by accident... It is too coarse and just doesn’t work.
Add plenty of food colouring directly into the water – the colour needs to be strong or the playdough will be an insipid colour and adding extra colour to the dough results in a rather unattractive slightly ‘80s motley effect.
Add about ¾ of the water initially and then add the last little bit slowly until you get the right texture – I usually find that I don’t need the whole 2 cups and it’s easier than adding flour at the end to make it less sticky.
love it!
ReplyDelete