Time Out -- This Place is a Zoo!

Posted Wednesday, August 15, 2007, at 10:23 AM

With the temperature outside being so unbearable, my husband and I have had to get a little creative in coming up with indoor activities to keep our two boys busy and engaged in fun learning activities.

Finding creative things to do with your kids indoors can seem a little challenging at first, but I have recently found that it's not really as difficult as it may seem.

For example, we went to the Memphis Zoo a couple of weekends ago for my oldest son's fifth birthday and had intended on going back this weekend for a wet-and-wild party hosted by the zoo for it's members but changed those plans because it was scorching hot outside.

After breaking the news to the kids, I wondered how I could ever find something for us to do at home that would make it up to them or even come close. It was then I remembered a Peter-Pan kind of idea I had read about not long ago.

A child's imagination is an extraordinary thing you know!

Because this is so, we decided to create a pretend zoo for our boys by borrowing several animals from their stuffed and plastic animal collection. We placed the different animals all over the house in various rooms by category just like it is at the real zoo.

We housed different monkeys in one room and other animals like lions, tigers, and panthers in another. Our main bathroom was filled with everything from spiders to a sink full of fish found in the ocean. Even my bedroom was a part of our make-shift zoo, serving as a place for a pretend petting zoo featuring cows, chickens, horses, sheep, and pigs.

Holden had received two different 3-D viewfinder and binocular sets as gifts for his birthday from us and his aunt and uncle, so we gathered up all his 3-D image cards that related to animals and brought them along on our pretend expedition.

While touring the "Coronado Imaginary Zoo," we asked each other various questions about every animal we saw, covering all topics of interest including the animals' habitat, history, diet, origin, sounds, and more.

The kids loved it and I think we all learned or brushed up on a fact or two.

There are so many things like this that parents and kids can do together indoors when playing outside seems out of the question. I know I am glad that we made the best of what we had available to pull off such a unique indoor adventure even if it left me saying "This place is a zoo!" during the clean-up.

What are your thoughts on creative indoor activities for kids? Leave a comment and let us know what suggestions you can provide.

Comments
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Deanna - great idea!! We're starting to remember some of those things around our house again with our granddaughter, so I'll definitely keep this one in mind. Your kids are fortunate to have two such creative and interested parents.

-- Posted by Jan McElwrath on Tue, Aug 21, 2007, at 6:24 PM

you , charlie, and the boys are invited to my house on saturday sep. 1, 2007 from 4pm-8pm for a pool party. call me.

-- Posted by Rives Wildcat on Fri, Aug 17, 2007, at 1:45 PM

Cowpatty: Email me sometime and I will catch you up on the Coronado klan?! my email is deannacoronado@yahoo.com and Jake's is chazcoronado@yahoo.com. We'd love to hear from you! So how old is your son. Our oldest, Holden, starts pre-school this year. We're excited about that. Met his teacher today and all went well with that. Anyway, get in touch with me sometime. I wanted an address to send you guys some stuff from our family. Thanks a bunch again, Tommy!

Deanna

-- Posted by deannacoronado on Fri, Aug 17, 2007, at 10:17 AM

Well actually I didn't choose the name Cowpatty... Swinderella gave it to me back when I took him shooting with me when we were in high school. He was trying to make fun of me for practicing quick draw. Sadly my quick draw falls into the same category as painting… I have not done either since high school. As for music I still have all my guitars other than the one that Kazi had at his house when it burned a few days ago. We had a band when I was in College, and were playing down in Memphis, but since then I have not had much time to play. I brought one of my guitars over here and had hoped to get back in the routine of regular practice, but I'm so busy I rarely get time to pick it up. Also the humidity is so bad here the strings rust the first time you play. I heard there is a major heat wave at home… It's been a little cooler here recently. The highs have only been getting up to the low 120s. I have completely forgotten how to play most of the songs I knew, including The man that sold the world. Your right I didn't know I inspired you to listen to that song. Do you know if Chris still plays any? I have not seen any of those boys much in a long time. Between College and the Military I've been away quite a bit for the past 7 years.

Great Idea 5LM but I figure my son would talk his nana or someone else into buying him some of the coins and try to cash them in with us. He's a slick one.

SrA Thomas L Karnes

239th CBCS

Deployed

Middle East

-- Posted by Cowpatty on Fri, Aug 17, 2007, at 12:17 AM

great suggestion 5LittleMonkeys :) I like it!

Tommy: only you would choose a name like Cowpatty! lol. Too funny! I am glad you like the blog. It is a first for me, but I try to keep it interesting.

You're welcome for the article. FCC has been very good to me in the past as well. You really should not be thanking me though. I should thank you for your service to our country! :) THANK YOU!!!

Hey, do you still paint? I just remember how creative you were in school. Still play music? You were always so good at both. Thanks to you Nirvana's "The man who sold the world" is still one of my fave songs :) Bet you never knew that Cowpatty! haha.

-- Posted by deannacoronado on Thu, Aug 16, 2007, at 11:47 AM

Heres an idea for you, it might cause you more work but in the end the kids will learn a thing or two about helping out. Go to the store and buy some index cards and a bag of plastic coins. On each room of your house place an idex card with a colored square and the name of the color, have them help you do chores by putting things away in various areas and having a coin hidden there (perhaps the closet where they might put there shoes), when they put something away and find a coin they can buy a special treat from you, like cheap little toys in a box (a bag of 88 cent diansaurs at wal mart works great, one coin buys one toy or five coins gets them a happy meal or something, that part you can work out. You tell them where to put things by color and not by room of the house, you might say, "this goes in the blue room, put it right where it goes and you might find another coin", this keeps them from just throwing it in the room, plus helps them learn colors and how to follow directions.

-- Posted by 5LittleMonkeys on Thu, Aug 16, 2007, at 1:24 AM

Deanna, that was an awesome idea. I always enjoy your time out segment.

Also I would like to thank you for the story on Family Counseling Center, Inc.

I'm glad they were recognized for all the support they give me.

SrA Thomas L. Karnes

239th CBCS

Deployed

Middle East

-- Posted by Cowpatty on Wed, Aug 15, 2007, at 11:58 PM

Jo-Co-Worker and mwatson: Thanks! I am glad you liked the idea. I read about the activity in a parenting magazine issue a while back actually and thought it would work perfectly for our situation that weekend :) I try my best to mix things up around our house.

Oh, and about those plants :0 haha. I will pass the message along and try to remember myself to show them a little love. lol.

-- Posted by deannacoronado on Wed, Aug 15, 2007, at 6:25 PM

Deanna, I think that idea was magnificiant! I commend you for using your imagination and caring about your sons that much to go to all that work. You keep up the good work. That might be a good thing to put in the Democrat. "Good Tips" from the community!!! Ranging from yard to household to medical. Keep up the good work. OH and would you please ask someone to water those poor plants in the front window!!! LOL

-- Posted by mwatson on Wed, Aug 15, 2007, at 3:40 PM

I'm so glad that you take the time to help develope your children's imaginations. Not just sit them in front of a video or game everytime.

-- Posted by Jo-Co-Worker on Wed, Aug 15, 2007, at 1:01 PM

Time Out

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Life is hectic and that's especially so for a young woman trying to raise a family and balance a career. Daily Dunklin Democrat editor and blogger, Deanna Coronado will share some stories most of us can relate to one way or another. Join her discussion here.

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