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.
There is a song that the folks on Play School (Lily's favourite show) sing when they are building with boxes:
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.
I'm almost positive that the way I got her to laugh and smile in these shots was by saying "Ew! Mud! That's disgusting!" Quoting from a little cartoon about a raccoon named Timothy. His class is running an obstacle course and two characters stop at a mud pit and say that. I've never heard her laugh at anything on tv before, but that cracks her up every time. So now I use it when I'm brushing her teeth, too... so she opens her mouth wide. :)
She loves to play with these little fuzzballs we got in an art set. She plays with them almost everyday, pouring them from one cup or pot or bottle to another. I made her a tube slide for them that is taller than her (I made it out of paper towel and toilet paper rolls). It really is the simplest things that keep the kids the happiest.
Cheesy grin:
And a gorgeous one:
Lukasz is getting better at sitting up on his own (and a lot less tippy) every day. It's so amazing to see them sitting on the floor together quietly playing. They don't really play together yet, they each get interested in different toys and play in different ways. Lukasz is into reaching for and grabbing toys and then putting them in his mouth. He can happily sit for 1/2 an hour or more and grab and mouth different toys. Lily is pretty good at sharing, too. If she doesn't want him to have a certain toy of hers, I get her to offer him a different one. Then when he loses interest in the first one, she can have it back. I may have to change how I deal with this once they are bigger, but for now it keeps them both happy, and THAT'S what it's all about. :)
Afterwards, Grampa did some yard work and we played in the backyard, blowing the freshly cut grass and bouncing on Uncle Shane's trampoline.
