Keeping Lily busy in the winter months

It's not easy to keep the kids entertained during the rainy season. I do go for walks with them in the rain, thanks to the waterproof cover we have for the stroller, but it's definitely not the same as when it's dry out and I can let Lily roam all over the park.

Some days we don't go outside at all, and that's when my imagination has come in really handy. Lily has seen me making the formula for Lukasz and her... well, since she was 9 month old. Lately she's wanted to help pour the barley grains. Now, I just give her 3/4 of a cup of barley on a cookie tray, an assortment of cups, spoons, etc. from the kitchen drawer and let her have at it. She'll sit there happily for half an hour or more, sifting, pouring.... spilling. It goes without saying that I have to do a bit of vacuuming after she's done. But the fun she has is well worth the mess.

Another creation was to save up and tape together paper towel and toilet paper rolls into a long tube. We have some little fuzz balls that came with some craft supplies I have, and Lily enjoys pouring the balls down the tube, gathering them up at the other end and repeating. Or, she'll put them in one of her toy pots and stir it into soup. It's the simplest things that encourage imagination the most.