While usually a welcome break from the weekly grind, weekends can also be hard. We thrive on structure and even though we all need a break come Friday, we also still need activities to keep us engaged so we aren’t completely off the rails come Monday. When the weather is nice, we’re outside as much as possible. Hiking, throwing the baseball around, visiting parks and playgrounds. Winter months are a little trickier, however. So we work to find other ways to structure our time – board games, cards, obstacle courses, tub time, sensory bins, and some messy fun.
We do a lot of science experiments in our house. Fletcher loves mixing baking soda and vinegar and watching it overflow out of a glass jar . He enjoys using food coloring to make different color combinations and really anything that encourages him to put on safety goggles and an apron so he “looks the part.” It never fails. That highly sought-after “reaction” never seizes to amaze him and I hope he never loses his sense of wonder.
We recently made Oobleck. It was a first for us and at the time I didn’t realize that this science experiment is derived from Dr. Seuss’s book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck. It turns out the timing is great since most elementary schools celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday this past week.
While our sensory-avoider wasn’t a fan of this gooey substance, our sensory-seeker was all in. Fletcher was enamored with how Oobleck transitions from a solid to a liquid and back to a solid again. He enjoyed playing with color combinations, dipping his hands as far into the bowl as he could, and pounding it onto the table all the while describing what he was feeling, seeing and hearing. Mixing all of the ingredients also incorporated a little heavy work (bonus!). It’s a sensory-seeker’s dream.
The great part about Oobleck is it isn’t fancy. The recipe calls for cornstarch, water and food coloring which are items many of us have on hand. If you search for Oobleck online, you’ll have lots of options to choose from and even some instructional videos. We used a recipe from the Scientific American.
I want to qualify this post by saying that sometimes finding fun and engaging weekend activities feels effortless, but often we’re so exhausted from the week that it feels like one more thing. Do we have screen time in our house? Yes. Sometimes that feels like the only way to center our guys for a moment, an opportunity for us to take a breath and regroup. And while there always seems to be that voice in the back of my head reminding me of all the reasons screen time is the devil, I have to counteract that by giving myself grace (easier said than done). We’re in the middle of a pandemic and at the tail end of winter. I don’t love screen time for our boys, but I also know that sometimes we have to do what keeps us sane. And I’m extending that same grace to all of you. XOXO
Happy weekend!
