As some recent articles here on Babble have attested, it can be tough to think of things to do with your young'uns when the weather outside is frightful. (And even when it's not) I, too, struggle to come up with new activities to keep our gals occupied, and am always looking for new ideas, so when I hit on this little gem of an activity this week, I thought: I must share.
What is it? In a word: clementines. You know -- those super-easy-to-peel, seedless little oranges that are in season now somewhere, that you can buy by the pound or by the crate.
Age range: 18 months - 3 years
Materials needed: At least one clementine orange per child
Prep time: None, unless you count buying the clementines.
Time it will keep your kids quietly, safely occupied: Up to 10 minutes per orange, depending on level of manual dexterity.
Developmental benefits: Enhances small motor skills, prevents scurvy
What to do: Sit your child(ren) down at the table and say, with great enthusiasm, "Hey guys! Guess what? We're gonna have some delicious ORANGES now!!" If your children are like mine, they'll smile and say "oranges!" (But it will sound more like "anchis.") BUT, instead of peeling the oranges and breaking up the sections for them per usual, give them each an entire, unpeeled orange! Say something along the lines of, "I bet you guys can peel these oranges all by yourselves!" and let them have at it. You may need to start the peeling process for them, but they should be able to take it from there. And oh, how proud they will be of themselves, and you of them.
WARNING: once the peeling process has begun, do not attempt to "help" your child, unless he or she specifically asks for it. Otherwise, s/he will scream like a banshee for you to put back on the piece you just peeled off, and you'll be forced to pull a Zu-Zu's petals maneuver (pretend to put the piece of peel back on, but actually stick it in your pocket and hope the kid doesn't notice), which will then lead to your child attempting to put all of the pieces of peel back onto the orange -- because if you can do it, why can't she, right? -- which will frustrate her immensely.
PLEASE NOTE ALSO: that while clementine orange pieces are generally easy for small children to separate and eat on their own, sometimes the fibrous inner skin and rinds can be a little yucky and cumbersome. If your child starts making hacking/gagging sounds and saying "Mommy, clean up!" and when you ask her where, exactly, she wants you to clean up, and she says "In my mouth!" simply humor her by wiping her tongue with a moistened washcloth. She'll be fine. And think the whole thing is pretty funny, actually. (And if there's a sibling, chances are she will want you to wipe her tongue with a washcloth, too, because it's obviously a hoot.)
The activity ends when your child(ren) have eaten their oranges and your floor is covered with small, aromatic bits of orange peel. But the fun continues: at bedtime, if you ask your child to describe what she did that day, she may very well grin and say "Peel-a big orange!"
Clementines: a transformative experience for the whole family, packed with vitamin C.
(PS: Sorry for the lack of accompanying pics. Alastair bought a new battery charger for our camera on eBay but failed to notice that the seller ships from HONG KONG. So God knows when it will get here.)
