activity cupboard

I needed something to help the long winter days pass by a little faster.  I am not a huge fan of the cold, so naturally I am not a big fan of January and February.  We try to do fun activities every day - playdates, kangaroo zoo, mall, library, or something like that, but we still spend a lot of time indoors because the playground is covered with snow and going on a walk in freezing cold weather isn't all that appealing.  So we gathered a bunch of stuff and created an activity cupboard with everything to keep a 2-year-old entertained.  So when Aiden needs a break from playing with his toys or reading books, we can go to our little cupboard and pick something to do.  And it gives him creative and fun things to do instead of just watching the tube or wasting the day away.

Here's are some of his favorites in the cupboard...

 - Candyland (his favorite)

 - lots of Play-dough

 - file folder games (I love making new ones all the time. They help us survive sacrament meeting too.)

- His "'I spy" bag

 - a lot of coloring books, crayons, markers, colored pencils

 - a "Learning Letters" book

 - an awesome quiet book - thanks to my mom

 - Chutes and Ladders

 - Husker du and a couple other matching games

 - paint and paint brushes

 - kids cds.  Aiden loves dancing around.

 - foam cutouts to make cars and airplanes and things

 - the dvds Meet the Letters/Shapes/Colors/Numbers (thanks to those dvds, Aiden is such a smart little guy)

 - a homemade car caddy

- a Mickey Mouse sticker and activity book

- and some other random art supplies and paper

And as he gets older and can do more art projects and play more games, we'll just add to our cupboard.  But for now, this cupboard is just what we need. We are still anxious for Spring, but this is keeping us sane and letting us survive our "indoor" time this winter.