Waldorf Activities for Toddlers

[appalachiamama]

I checked the Toddlers forum, but I thought this might fit better here.   Do you have any ideas, blogs, or books that you can recommend for home-based activities for toddlers?  I read the Parenting Passageway regularly, along with Waldorf Mama and Soule Mama.  I don't seem to come up with any specific ideas there.  We do play dough, drawing with crayons, water play and free time, but it's a long winter ahead.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Scooping things!  Sounds simplistic, but at 18 months, DS could be busy for a solid hour with a bowl full of dried beans and a spoon!  Once they're old enough not to put everything in their mouth, scooping and stirring things are awesome activities!  Another fun one is a muffin tin and a big jar of buttons to sort---or anything similar.  One of DS's favorite things was to scoop wooden acorns with his TINY little ladle and pour them one at a time into something else.  Doesn't matter what.  He'd concentrate on that so hard it was funny but he got really good at it! 

You might not feel like doing it, but last winter, we had a HUGE snow and no boots, so I brought a big pot full of snow into the house.  I set out a few towels and we played with the snow -- which of course devolved into a little snowball fight between DS and myself. 

Oh!  Another one I only pull out when we've got serious cabin fever...cover the kitchen table in sheets and blankets and make a fort.  Totally worth the clean-up later!  DS used to spend a whole afternoon in his little fort!  If you have a large appliance box, you can do the same thing...cut a door and a window...it's amazing how long they'll hang out in their house!  That one works well past toddler-dom!  My brother and I played for days with a big fridge box when we were five-ish! 

Hope that helps!  Smart mama to line up a couple of "rainy day" activities!

[appalachiamama]

That's true!  She also likes to play with sewing notions while I sew. I made tents back in the fall, but had forgotten about them until you mentioned it.

[monkeyma]

Great ideas rollercoastermama! It sounds like you have a lot of fun in your house. I just need DS to stop putting everything in his mouth now... he's 15 months, so hopefully that's sooner than later. I'm at a loss for what to do most the time, since he eats everything.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by monkeyma 

Great ideas rollercoastermama! It sounds like you have a lot of fun in your house. I just need DS to stop putting everything in his mouth now... he's 15 months, so hopefully that's sooner than later. I'm at a loss for what to do most the time, since he eats everything.

 I have it a little easier...I only have to keep him occupied on the weekends.  If we were together all day every day, I'd be digging deeper for ideas!!

[JudiAU]

Heaven on Earth has a lot of great ideas for activities and general home life.

[appalachiamama]

Originally Posted by JudiAU 

Heaven on Earth has a lot of great ideas for activities and general home life.

Is that a blog or a book?

[copperfox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appalachiamama 

Originally Posted by JudiAU 

Heaven on Earth has a lot of great ideas for activities and general home life.

Is that a blog or a book?

Book:

http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Earth-Handbook-Parents-Children/dp/0880105666

 

[appalachiamama]

Thanks!  I'll have to look for it.