Cold-Rainy Day Activites

What do you do when it's rainy and cold outside and you have a toddler? You think of as many activities to do indoors (that you haven't recently done) before resorting to the TV. With this pregnancy I haven't been able to go more than two days of feeling "good" (let's be honest, most women are never good during pregnancy- we're always at some level of discomfort). So Babycake and I have been spending a LOT of time at home and inside. Today though, I feel only the slight sensation of discomfort. Too bad it's a crummy day outside. What can I do to entertain my 2.5 yr old?

We started our day with making snow flakes to decorate our kitchen with. With it being cold we would much rather have it snowing than raining. So to display our hope for snow we made a ton of snowflakes. Babycake was very excited to do this activity as I let her decorate the snowflakes with glitter glue- a new and exciting crafting material this year. She managed to keep her face and clothes clean while covering her hands and the table in glitter. There may have been more glitter on the table than the snowflakes... Oh well, baby steps.

Babycake placing pom
onto slide

Once snowflake crafting was over, it was still only 10 am. Now what? I mused for a moment  trying to recall activities we did last winter while cooped up in the house. I remembered a fun little activity that kept Babycake and her pals busy for hours. We call it the ball slide. All you need is some tape, scissors, empty wrapping paper tubes (we always seem to use up all our wrapping paper each Christmas and end up with empty tubes which are great for multiple forms of toddler entertainment), and small balls- we use pom balls.

Babycake at top of this year's ball slide
(it is along the bottom of the wall)

When making this fun activity, the first thing you want to do is cut the tubes (wrapping paper, paper towel, toilet paper, etc.) in half. This makes for more length to the slide as well as entertainment for the little ones to watch the ball go all the way down. You also want to make sure to lay the first tube into the second tube at the connecting points. Last year I quickly learned that balls will get stuck on the lips of tubes and become clogged if the second tube is laid "on top" of the first tube. Then you just tape the separate tubes together, tape the slide to the wall at multiple points, and let the balls roll.

Empty tissue box at bottom to catch pom balls

Last year Babycake was much smaller and I so the height and length of the ball slide was much smaller. This year however, we made the ball slide go the length of our stairway, ending with an empty tissue box to catch the balls at the bottom. 

Last year's ball slide

This was a great success! I'm not sure which will come down first, our Christmas tree, or this slide. If it's a huge success it may last until February!