How do you buy yourself 5-20 minutes?

[PancakeGoddess]

Crossposting toddlers/homeschooling, because I'm looking for a list to have ready for when a big kid needs undivided attention for a short bit. (AnnetteMarie's water painting idea got me thinking)

I know there is a sticky for toddler activities, and it's fabulous, but a lot of them are mama-toddler together activities. So, what do you do? Here are some I have listed already:

taking our paintbrushes out of their jar and putting them back in, over and over
water play on the floor, on a towel - or in the high chair
piling all the matchbox cars into the fisher price castle
markers and paper
playdough and tools

What do your babies like to do so much that you put it away for that important phone call, more involved chore, or time with older kids?

[dharmamama]

"Go upstairs and play in your bedroom for a few minutes." (Since they rarely play up there, it's kind-of new and interesting for them when they do)

Books on tape

CDs to dance to (usually Putumayo music)

MagnaDoodles

Water in the sink

"Go get dressed!"

Dusting

Dinosaurs on the dinosaur mat

The dog

Jumping off the coffee table

Dress-up box

Cutting scraps of paper

Gluing

Ice cubes

Little bottles of hand sanitizer

Puzzles (kept in a box out of the normal line of site)

"Pick a book and do storytime for each other!"

Namaste!

[simple living mama]

A no fail for me was to freeze a juice box. Put them on the warm sunny porch with a spoon and let them dig it out and eat it. It takes about 20 minutes.

Here is one that is fun. Cornstarch and warm water. Get it so the consistency is like soup. The cornstarch settles to the bottom and feels solid but when you try to grab it, it goops right through your fingers. (Warning, it's so fun that you may use up your 20 minutes playing with them.)

A bowl full of flour (outside activity) and some fun kitchen utensils. It makes a huge mess but oh so fun.

This one is for wee little ones. A fake purse. Buy a cheepo at the thrift and fill it up with purse like things. (This is great for long airplane rides) Things like sparkly or fun things like bells, a soft whistle, colorful sticky notes, pad and pens, junk jewelry, a feather, just a little bubble wrap, rubics cube and more.

When masking tape goes on sale buy some extra just for your child. Collect your toilet paper rolls and some small boxes and see what creations they come up with.

[PancakeGoddess]

LOOOOVE these.... we have a plane ride coming up.
freezing a juice box - so perfect for this poor baby with molars coming in.

[simple living mama]

Oh yeah, here's another. We used to have this fantastic water table but someone swiped it at a folk festival. The kids loved it. It wouldn't be hard to make one though. Basically you just get a plastic container and secure it on something low and throw in a bunch of water toys.

I would buy those $1 packs of small toys at the thrift. Ones they had never seen before and because it was something new, they would go nuts over it. It's important to have the table up about the child’s chest height if they are toddlers. It's hard to drown in something up that high.

[UUMom]

{{A no fail for me was to freeze a juice box. Put them on the warm sunny porch with a spoon and let them dig it out and eat it. It takes about 20 minutes}} :LOL This so tickled my funny bone. That's *real*, woman. I wanna meet you.

Here's my contribution-(but nothing can beat that)

Glue stick and colored tissue paper
Buckets of water and regualr house paint brushes to paint the back of the house.
Roll of tape and paper
hole punch
garlic press and playdough
Chair pulled up to sink of warm water (added bonus is kitchen floor near sink is clean with one wipe with a big bath towel).

[atypicalandrea]

The plastic cupboard. You know, the spot in the kitchen where you keep all the plastic containers so you can reuse them? Any kid I've known under 3 absolutely *loves* it.