An activity for sick kids

While home for two weeks with two girls (not both at once for both weeks - just for about ten out of the fourteen days) we watched a lot of t.v. Actually, the t.v. was on a lot (they learned about ancient Egypt and Queen Nefertiti one day - gotta love the History Channel); however, the girls spent a lot of time just lying on the couches zoning, napping, complaining about their stomach's having growing pains, etc. On the occasions when they were feeling well enough to venture off of the couches we made paper dolls.



I read on another blog (now, this was during the sick period so I have no idea which one - sorry) about doing them. We had paper and scissors on hand so I went to town. I made paper girls and tried to make a paper octopus at the request of my three-year-old but it came out more like a paper alien or insect - only six legs, not eight.

We borrowed a book from the library, before the sickness set in, titled May I Have a Cookie? In the story a young alligator and his mother are making cookies. Alfie, the young alligator, tries demanding a cookie once they are cooked and then tries to sneak cookies but his mother keeps asking him if he can think of a different way to get a cookie. He decides to go to his room and make his own cookies out of paper. The girls wanted to do this and since I had the paper out, and thought, how much of a mess can two sick girls make, and really, we were not going to make edible cookies together until they got better since I did not want to be sick as well - so the pretend cookies were made and were beautiful.

The issue was that I didn't hide the glue well enough. Once they were well they tried gluing many, many things together, for example - nesting dolls. How are they going to nest if they don't come apart? Then, after they notice they don't come apart or that the glue really didn't stick well they want to wash the dolls to clean up their mess.

Overall, the paper activity was a nice break for all of us during our latest bout of sickness. I highly recommend it - but if you choose to make paper cookies I suggest using glue sticks instead of liquid school glue, just in case it doesn't make it back in its cabinet.