Weekend Ideas?
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| Fri, 03-10-2006 - 10:46am |
Ok, the spoiled californian needs ideas from you moms in colder climates. We are having a major yucky weekend coming up here and Mike is not at his best and I need some ideas. He is going to need a schedule this weekend with specific activities and lots of sensory time and it is due to rain all weekend. I am looking for some ideas that are inexpensive and good for ASD kids. Typically they would go outside here and even help with yard work, go for a walk, etc.
Oh, and social outings have been a bit of a disaster lately. So while something like a movie is fine because there will be no interaction really with peers, indoor McD's playland is a disaster in the making.
DH wants me to rent movies from blockbuster but that will just set him up to be off the walls by Sunday Afternoon. In a perfect world we would have our own private heated indoor pool.
Renee


Okay, so I'm representing the arctic hinterlands of upstate NY! ;-)
How do your kids respond to tactile activities like baking cookies? Sylvie loves to help make cookies, from measuring the ingredients to mixing and rolling the dough, making shapes with cookie cutters, and then using her fingers to sprinkle on sugars. Stimulates a lot of the senses (plus then they get to eat them, of course). If you don't want to go the sugar route, you can also make some homemade bread -- lots of kneading and pounding with fists.
Sometimes I'll set up "calisthenics stations" in the living room: a sign in each corner, one that says "JUMP," one that says "SPIN," etc. Then the kids each run to one corner and do that activity for 30 seconds (you can play music and the stop the music when it's time to switch corners). I always end with full-body stretches: have them stand like a giant X and reach their hands down to the opposite toes, twisting their torsos. Maybe this would get your kids too riled up, I don't know... but for us it's a good way to burn off some energy when we can't leave the house.
Just a couple of ideas from someone who's been housebound almost all winter with weather and various illnesses...
Jennifer
Here's some input from PA, where ironically it is sunny and close to 70F today!
Bowling - we go at off times when it's not crowded, like dinnertime, it's good heavy work for my sensory kid
Does your school have an indoor pool? Ours is open to public on weekends and some evenings when lessons aren't being held. You can swim for about 4 hours for a buck. We do that alot in the winter. They also open the gym at our middle school, and again, we try an pick a time when no one else is there so we can have a b-ball court to ourselves.
I was also going to suggest baking.
Dance party in the family room (or whereever)! We did this when my sister was here with her kids, everybody got to show their moves (including dh, which was really funny).
DH will sometimes do the calistenics (sp?) stuff with Ryan, situps, pushups, jumping jacks.. I do the stretching, running in place, toe touches, that kind of thing.
HTH
Kate
In Ohio, we are also sometimes inside on yucky days - if we allowed either boy to have a marathon computer game or movie weekend, by Sunday evening we'd all be going BONKERS! So, here are some of the alternatives:
Build a big fort - using furniture big blankets, pillows and even let them add "mood lighting" to encourage them to want to sit in or even eat snacks in the fort while possibly then reading a book, playing Sudoku, etc. - but nothing electronic!) The act of building (and we encourage having to drag and stack heavy items) is really good, and the quiet safe space leads to them being pretty good at sustained calm activity for a while. This can occupy lots of time. :-)
Sometimes we make a theme: building a "cabin," building a spacecapsule and flying to Jupiter, etc. for the fort.
Make bread - the kneeding is super good work, and the whole house will smell great! While you are waiting for it to rise, wash dishes by filling up buckets and doing it "old fashioned." (Carrying water - nice heavy work. Can you tell where our biggest issues lie?)
Make cucumber-lime-sugar ice pops. This is a fun way to get the kids to eat a veggie if you don't mind the sugar. We don't mind sugar - just additives and dyes. The kids seem to love using the blender to mix all the stuff up - but we have to peel and slice the cucumbers 1st(a good activity). Blend a cupfull of cucumber with a cup of water and sugar and lime juice (fresh lime adds really nice touch) to taste and pour into ice cube trays or popsicle holders and freeze. Do Saturday for Sunday treat. (Crunching is good proprioceptive input).
Paint a "shower wall portrait." We use water color paint and shaving cream and Colin makes pictures on the walls. We let him leave them - often he asks for Toilet paper or tissue which he gets wet and wads up into balls and then blows into the portrait. very Jackson Pollack - and very fun. Good nighttime activity for Colin. It calms him down.
Also for tub, make "boats" out of apple quarters, tooth picks, paper and then use a straw to blow on the sail to make them move.
Have "bumping" races sliding on cushions or blankets down steps if you have them.
Jump-rope contest if you have the space. (This one has saved several evenings for us recently with the 2 boys going at each other....it diffuses things nicely).
Make "squeezies" by pouring flour into balloons.
Build a car (or space capsule, or whatever gets their attention) from a cardboard box using only "found" materials. Color and decorate it vigorously!
Practice walking from point a to b with a heavy book on head. If other kids too, then race.
Good luck!
Jackie
Wow,
Some really fabulous ideas. I am going to make a list.
Baking is a great idea but I can't keep Mike's interest in that when I try. He will cook dinner with me on occasion if he has been banned from electronics and no one else is allowed to help, but he has no patience for baking and the other kids always come in wanting to help which ends up with him leaving.
We have been doing calistenics with him in the evening anyway. Actually more martial arts. he has his next belt test on Monday so that should help motivate him to work on that alot. That will help.
Had a couple things come up that will keep him moving and such this weekend. His new glasses are in so we can go pick those up. My food order is in. I will take him alone for the drive out there with his books then he can help me carry all the boxes into and out of the car. Emily's birthday is next week and she wants to go see "The Shaggy Dog" for her birthday trip as well as get a new guinea pig. I might go to the church Fish Fry tonight.
Aside from that I will do some of those games and such. Good ideas. Keep em coming.
Renee