Boredom Buster Recipe

I love the summer time! Everything just seems brighter, happier, slower-paced, and more fun. This summer, however, I have been facing a new obstacle. Clayton is at a really fun age. He is full blown energy all of the time. The boy operates at a 10 constantly - he never stops moving unless he is asleep. I enjoy him so much, but he can be a bit overwhelming at times. Drew is at a great age, too. He needs his naps, and always wakes up so happy. He is such a doll baby when he is well rested. Therein lies the delima. Clayton wants to be on the go all of the time and Drew does much better when we are at home for most of the day. What's a Mama to do?

I have learned with Clayton that he does best when he has lots of structured activities. He tends to get himself into trouble when he has too much "free play" time. I have learned this the hard way. Let's just say that it involved an ink pen and his palms and soles of his feet being covered in markings....

So, I have been making an effort to make our times at home more fun. I've been polling my mom & Wade's mom (both are former preschool teachers), other moms, my friends, and doing research online. I've come up with quite a list of boredom busters. I thought that it would be fun to share the ideas on our blog so that other moms could use them, too.

On Friday, we made play dough. Clayton thought that it was great fun! He especially liked picking the color combinations and watching the play dough change colors as he played with it. Here is the recipe that my parents sent me when the one that I found online didn't work. This one is super easy and worked perfectly.

Play Dough

1 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar (DO NOT OMIT)
1 c. water
1 tbsp. cooking oil

Mix ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it forms into a ball, stirring constantly. Food coloring may be added. Knead slightly on waxed paper. Let cool.

It comes out white (of course).

We added food coloring in the middle and talked about primary and secondary colors. It was a good lesson for Clayton.

The finished products.

We also made a sock puppet last week. This was a boredom buster suggestion from Grammie.

When the puppet was complete, Clayton decided to put on a puppet show for me. He hid behind the table and talked in his best ventriloquist voice. This was our conversation.

Clayton: Hello, ma'am! What's your name?

Me: Hi there! My name is Sarah. What's your name?

Clayton: My name is Michael Jackson.

Y'all, I about fell out of my chair laughing. We are really careful with the content on TV when Clayton is awake. If the TV is on, it is almost always on PBS Kids or Noggin. So, I have no idea where he has even heard about Michael Jackson. I guess he's picked it up just from overhearing Wade & I. What a hoot that kid is!

Clayton & Michael Jackson

I hope that you are all having a great (boredom free) summer!