Making the most out of Isolation on the 4th

We are in isolation for Mason's upcoming cath, so no get togethers or outings for us.  However, the meaning of the day is with us!

I've gotten creative (actually, I just use the ideas on the Play at Home Mom website) for fun activities for us to do.  I really want a Light Panel to use for activities, but the cost is outrageous.  So, I made my own!  I just put some white Christmas Lights inside of a $3 plastic bin from walmart.  Voila!

Homemade Light Panel

I also bought some water beads while at walmart.  They are $2 and are in the silk-flower section.  You let them soak in water and they grow to about 1/2inch each.  This takes about 2hrs.  They feel so neat and look awesome when put on the light panel!  They are non-toxic, however should NOT be eaten, so this is a must-supervise activity!

The water beads are in a tupperware with a little bit of water sitting on top of the light panel.

Carter loved feeling them!

Um, I kind of loved it, too!!!

I also discovered those old-school water-paint books.  The kind where the color is already on the page and you just use water to disperse the color.  Carter loves it!  I let him "paint" while he's waiting for dinner so that he can be in kitchen with me.  It is mess-free, too!

We also made some ice cube paints!  I just froze water in an ice cube tray with a few drops of food coloring in each cube.  Then, I gave Carter a few colored ice cubes, a white piece of paper, and a towel.  He had a blast and it was a fairly easy clean up!

I ended up taking his shirt off and just removing a few ice cubes from the tray ; )

This required a quick sponge-bath afterwards, but Carter was not permanently tie-dyed!

Mason has been present for all these fun activities, too!  We're lucky to have had daddy home for several days so we can each take one child and do lots of one on one time with each (plus lots of all-four-of-us time!).  Mason has started pushing up onto his knees and has even crawled a few inches that way!  I'm hoping we'll have a hands and knee crawler very soon!!!  

Happy July 4th to y'all!!!!