Prizes

Lissy has been staying with us for about 1 1/2 weeks.  Her smart mom left her with a bag of prizes to choose one each day (and was nice enough to include Brielle and Ethan).  Each morning after kids were dressed and ready for the day, Coco would get to go to the prize box and choose one for the day. A great way to start the day.

The first day was the putty.  The kids loved it enough that it has been played with almost every day since.  It is not as messy as playdoh (although you still need to watch to make sure it is not being overly stretched, or stuck into hair.) and it makes the 'farting' noises that the kids find hilarious.  Simple life pleasures.

These bubbles were magical.  They had superpowers that allowed them to not pop.  Honestly, we went inside and when we went back out to play after naps (maybe 6 hours later?) I spotted a couple on the ground.

The bath capsules are always fun.  This time however we watched them grow in cups rather than in the bathtub (due to Ethan's broken arm making bath time a bit of a challenge). That was a fun change.

slinkies, which have become bracelets, or swords...whatever.

I remember these from childhood.  So many great memories.  The 2-year-olds needed a lot of help, but were very excited about the final project.  Brielle really enjoyed it.

I've always loved the magical black paper.  I remember making our own in school sometime, when you had to color with black crayon forever.  Ethan is pondering what to draw next.

And, in case you need other ideas for great prizes, we also had:

light up rings

glow in the dark bracelets

temporary tattoos

snap hands

bendable wax sticks

Such a great idea and so much fun for everyone.  Lissy also had a count-down chain that she made with her Mom before coming.  She was able to take off one loop each night to keep track of how many days she had left.  Fun things to keep her happy while staying for (in her words) 'a LONG minute'.