Ideas for visiting a friend without toys

We are going to visit a single friend this weekend for the first time. He is a recent college graduate and has only been living in his own apartment for 2 months. He is very excited about our visit, but has shared the concern that he "has no toys."

So here are some ideas for visiting houses that do not routinely have children in them.

• Childproofing...
• Duct tape works wonders - it can cover outlets, and tape things shut
• Rubber bands (or a shoe string) will tie a media cabinet or kitchen cabinet closed
• I have no problem with asking a host or moving an item if I feal it is not safe for my children. The first items that come to mind are - scissors, keys, glass breakables and kitchen knives.
  
  
• Things to do when visiting....
  
• We went to a local thrift store and purchased a bag of toys - they are a stacking toy for toddlers kind of like Duplos, but not. Project 1, of course, was to wash and sanatize the toys. The will go with us on our visit, and be part of the housewarming gift. Then our friend will have something to do the next time we visit, and when other youngsters come over.
• Plastic containers can be great toys - they stack, dump, pour, lids need to be matched. Children can stir or pretend to bake a cake - and a quick trip through the dishwasher is all it takes to clean them up for regular food storage.
• Books - we went through our book collection to find about 6-8 books of which we have duplicate titles and topics...these to will stay at our friends house
• We are taking some Matchbox cars - these will come home with us - but they will provide hours of fun exploration
• We are taking a couple of favorite DVD's
• I have packed a shape sorter - this is from the toys the boys have not seen in a while closet.
• Hopefully the weather will permit play outside or visiting a nearby park.

I'm sure we will come up with a few more ideas on our trip - I'll let you know if there are some fun ones next week!

Bubbles

Who loves bubbles? Kids of all ages!!!!! Big kids, little kids, adults, infants - EVERYONE loves bubbles. Bubbles are all the rage at weddings these days. I still have "bubble juice" containers from our wedding, somewhere.

When I worked in child care the end of the day was one of the most challenging times. There were tings to clean up, children that needed attention and who were tired at the end of a long day. One of my favorite answers - bubbles. There is NO mess with bubbles. They can be put away quickly after the last child leaves, because at most centers you do not receive pay after your shift is over for clean up time. Bubbles don't hurt the carpet and kids love them.

Bubbles are fun for infants who enjoy watching them.
Bubbles are fun for toddlers who enjoy chasing after and catching them.
Bubbles are fun for preschoolers who run and jump to get them.
Bubbles are fun for schoolages who want to blow them!
Bubbles are fun for adults because they make everyone else happy!

I keep a container of bubble solution in my car all the time. It is a wonderful diversion when stuck in traffic. One wintery evening my son and I went to the store, while we were there a strange weather system moved through coating ALL of the roads with ice. Our trip home normally takes less than 10 minutes, on this day it took almost an hour! Bubbles were the last trick in my bag! The helped us when we were sitting in traffic to have something else to think about other than the fact we were not moving.

What are your favorite bubble time activities?