Surviving the Cold with Children | London Family Photographer
If you are anything like me, you cannot wait for the cold weather to go away and to resume the daily trips to the park.
Thinking of the new and wonderful ways to entertain the girls has been a challenge, but these are our current favourites.
Nature Walks: The last thing we feel like doing in the cold, but sometimes it is necessary to just get a little bit of fresh air. Make it bearable by putting the kids in weather appropriate clothing. Indiana (18months) has a fleece all in one (Jojo Maman) below her waterproof all in one (Muddy Puddles), Dessi at 3 has waterproof salopettes and a jacket above her normal jacket.
They both have wellies with string tightenings. We got the muddy puddles clothes after a particularly fraught time at Mud Club and it has been a revelation to let them get outside, having fun and not get wet.
Drawing / Painting / Playdough: So obvious, but it is definitely worth mentioning. Make it more educational by chatting to the them, use descriptive words, I have taken to doing my own drawing of a letter and drawing objects beginning with that letter. I've also been using the opportunity to get Dessi to draw on smaller pieces of paper which I then stick to a card for her friend's birthday cards.
Cooking: Got to admit, baking is not my favourite activity - but Dessi loves nothing more than to bake with grandma in the kitchen. Between the activity and cleaning up, that is good for killing almost a whole afternoon.
Visiting Pets at Home: I'm not kidding, we go on scenic tours of the local Pets at Home in the same way you might visit the city farm. It is closer and it is indoors. Win!
Reduce the Toys: Seems counter productive, but after a recent clear up - I reduced the amount of toys the girls owned and now they are far more likely to take their toys out. They are also more likely to play with something if they see me playing with. Obviously it is nice to have the opportunity to get things done. But I have accepted I am not in that stage of life right now, and try and get down and play with the girls.
Trips: We live in London so there are many places to visit, but so far I am not that ambitious on my own. As they get older I'll be making more use of the Transport Museum, South Bank, British Museum etc, also closer to home we have Morden Park and Deen City Farm which is good for a few hours.
I remember meeting a lady getting on our train with some slightly older children, I asked if they were going anywhere nice - apparently the train was the journey. They love the train, so they were going to the next stop and back. Genius idea!
