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Have some silly sensory fun with this sock bubble snakes activity that is simple for toddlers and preschoolers to explore outside together. Combining sensory, gross motor and fresh air is always a win.
Looking Back to Before The Activity Room for Kristi
There was Kristi living in the Milwaukee area. A wife and mom of two young boys, 1 1/2 and 4 years of age. Nanny to 6 more kids including 2 more young boys.
As you can imagine the energy levels were high in her home daily!
She had many chances for chaos to ensue at any given moment.
They didn’t have much in the way of structured activities at the time. The kids asked for playdough or painting from time to time but it wasn’t keeping them as entertained as it could be. And if they did try to do an activity it was hit or miss.
Then COVID-19 hit and things were getting a little extra crazy stuck at home.
Kristi stumbled on a Facebook ad for The Activity Room. There was a 1-week FREE challenge she could sign up for.
“When I first learned about The Activity Room I thought it was a really great idea.”
“And so I decided to give it a try. It was during the start of COVID. And so, you know, we were stuck at home. It was nice to have some different things to do. One of the reasons why I decided to join The Activity Room was to get some other activity ideas, because we were kind of all going a little stir crazy.”
The Kids Loved It
She took the first step of signing up and giving the free challenge week a try. It was simple and easy enough to pull off for Kristi. And the kids loved it!
“I liked that a lot of these activities are active, which is nice, because they like that, too. The first week had the pasta with the playdough and taking a potato and sticking in toothpicks and making it look like a hedgehog for threading. And, those were things that both my boys really got into, which was nice.”
After the free week Kristi was hooked and knew she wanted to keep this going. She signed up for the membership.
The membership was full of simple, fun and often learning activities just like the bubble snake activity Kristi shares below.
At first she was doing a few a week. But then there was an Accountability Series and she jumped on that because it was just the kind of push she needed to get the most out of her membership.
“I probably didn’t take full advantage of the membership. But, I have started to. I think the biggest thing was, it kind of seemed a little bit intimidating. You know, you see all these people doing all these great activities. And trying to get all three boys to do something just seemed like a lot. But then, they had the Accountability Series. And that really forced me to try. I thought, you know, I was gonna do this and try it. And I’m really glad I did. Because it really was the motivator I needed to get me into doing more stuff, and seeing how much they love it. And they ask for the activities now which is really great.”
Make sure to check out the Super Simple Silly Sock Bubble Snakes Activity at the end of this Member Spotlight. Kristi had a lot of fun with this one. Your kids will love it!
More Relaxed
“After having joined The Activity Room, as a mom, I think I’m a little more relaxed. I think I’m learning to be a little more patient and understanding.”
“Especially as with my youngest. There’s a lot of stuff he’s just not going to be interested in. And that’s fine. He’s perfectly capable of entertaining himself, and playing by himself. I’ll do activities with the other two or even four, depending on how many are home at the moment.”
Kristi tells us how she has found a sense of peace with her activities. She feels a sense of calm since joining ROOM. She shares how much she has found it helpful to have activities to help with transitional times.
“A lot of these activities are ones that need minimal help. That really helps when they can kind of sit down and do something for a few minutes. Then I can take care of things without it being quite so crazy.”
“I just think it adds a little more calm to the day. Things would be a lot less calm, the transitions especially would be less calm if I hadn’t joined. So being able to have activities planned so they come in the door. I’m like here, do this while I make snack or something like that. Instead of having them run around in circles screaming at each other.”
She feels comfortable to let her kids be who they are. To allow them to approach the activities as they want to. And if they don’t want to then she is fine with that too.
“I’m finding ways to include my youngest son in something and then I just let him do it his way. Which I think is the biggest thing. Because a lot of times he has an idea of what he wants to do with with supplies, which might not be what the activity is, but letting him take the lead and go for it. So, that’s been really nice.”
Be Prepared. And Be Prepared to Let Go.
Kristi shares some of her main tips for doing activities with multiple kids. Go ahead and use these tips with her bubble snake activity she shares with us below!
Have Things Prepared
Be prepared ahead of time if you can. The more you can be prepared the less stressed you will be coming into the activity. Plus you don’t have to deal with kids asking if it’s ready yet.
“My biggest tips for doing activities, especially with multiple kids is the more you can have stuff set up ahead of time the better.”
Be Prepared for Any Mess
Cover the area or take it to a space that is easy to clean if it may turn messy.
“I think the other thing is not being afraid to do messy activities.”
“Get an old tablecloth and throw it down and or do it outside or even in the bathtub. I mean, there’s so many options. I’ve seen people do messy play in a kiddie pool, even in the house, just to keep the kids kind of contained. But I feel like there’s so many options to help dealing with messy activities. That don’t necessarily mean you have to have the mess everywhere.”
“You can find a way to do messy activities, where it works for you, whether it’s outside or in the tub or whatever.”
Let Go And Let The Kids Lead
Most importantly, let go of your expectations of how this activity is meant to go.
“Letting them have some space to kind of figure it out themselves.”
“You have an idea of what the activity should be, and what it should look like. But being willing to let them have that space, to be creative and do it their way. And a lot of times, it takes weird turns! But you just never know where an activity is gonna go.”
“There’s times when they may paint these really pretty pictures. And you’re like, Okay, let’s be done. But they’re like, Oh, no, I need to add more paint. And it just becomes one big blob of brown. And you’re like, Okay, I just have to let them do their own thing. So I’m trying to not control it as much.”
Jump in with Both Feet!
For new members who may feel a little intimidated as Kristi did… Just jump in with both feet.
“I’m really glad that I found The Activity Room. And I’ve been really enjoying it. I definitely felt a bit intimidated at first. But just jumping in, I feel like we just kind of got to jump in with two feet. And that really makes all the difference in the world. When you start doing it, especially regularly, the more you’ll see that the kids really start to get into it and enjoy it.”
Let’s Meet Kristi
How many kids do you have and how old are they?
2 boys, ages 2 1/2 and 5, I also watch 6 kids during the week ages 1.5 to 12
Why do you love doing activities with your kids?
The joy it brings them and how having an activity ready while I make meals helps keep the kids from being so crazy, especially when I have 3 or more kids at a time
How long have you been in The Activity Room?
I did one of your challenges and the boys loved the activities so that week I decided to join
What is your favorite activity you’ve done in The Activity Room?
What’s your favorite thing to do with your kids when you get a few moments?
Read books
What’s your best tip for doing activities with your kids?
Be patient, don’t be afraid of the mess (bathtubs and outside are great options)and understand that even if they want to take what you have planned out and turn it into something new that is still an activity win
If you were to tell a friend about The Activity Room, what would you say to them?
A community
I had a less structured day
I feel supported, I have people to go to with child related questions and adding activities to the day help keep the some of the craziness and fighting at bay
Silly Sock Bubble Snake Activity:
This activity is a great warm weather activity.
By blowing through the bottles dipped in soap water you can make long soap bubble snakes.
For this Sock Bubble Snake Activity You’ll Need:
- A plastic bottle for each individual
- A sock – 1 per person (I used kid socks)
- A Rubber band – 1 per person
- Pieces of sock or sponge to use as filter near mouth of bottle(s).
- A plastic container
- Dish soap (I used 1TBS of Dawn)
- Water (I used about a cup)
How to Set Up Your Sock Bubble Snake Activity
To make your own sock bubble snake activity start by cutting off the bottom of a plastic bottle. I used a small individual size, but think a regular size would work better.
Next take a sock and cut it to fit over the cut off end.
I found a child size sock is perfect and did not need to be modified.
If you’re using a big sock for your bubble snakes then use the rubber band to hold it in place.
I placed some cut up sock in the opening of the bottle to act as a filter to keep some of the bubbles from getting in people’s mouths, but a piece of sponge might work better. I will try it out.
Next mix the water and dish soap in a container at least big enough to dip two bottles in at once.
I recommend taking your bubble snake activity outside.
Have Fun Making Bubble Snakes with Your Kids
Dip the sock end of the bottle in the soap and water solution.
And then blow through the mouth of the bottle and bubble snakes will appear.
The kids really seemed to enjoy this bubble snake activity!
It is definitely better for older kids who know how to blow bubbles, and who have developed stronger lung strength.
But the little kids enjoyed playing with the bubble snakes I made for them.
And the older kids felt grown up making bubble snakes for the younger ones too.
It lasted a long time probably a good 45 minutes for the 4 and 5 year olds.
That’s a huge activity win!
An Unexpected Bubble Snake Moment with a Toddler
The most unexpected thing, which really should not have been unexpected, was that my two year old inhaled a bubble snake and was done.
That is why I added the filter. It helped, but was not perfect.
The kids really liked the sock bubble snake activity. And my two year old played with the bubbles other people made long after inhaling his.
He just did not want to try to blow them again.
It was really fun to see the snakes and when the wind picked up it would send clouds of bubbles into the air.
It was also really fun to see how much my oldest enjoyed it.
Final Thoughts from Kristi
“When I first joined I occasionally did an activity and rarely posted about it, but loved seeing what other people did. The first accountability series changed that. I had people counting on me and realized how much I enjoyed it. Plus my son would ask every day what our activity was and that pushed to keep up with activities as well.“
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