Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Activities for the Child with Allergies, Stuck Indoors

A few weeks ago, Cort had a crazy allergic reaction, after spending the morning outside.  He got hives all over his face - mounds of hives.  And he was itching and crying and Benadryl wasn't working.  Then I noticed the whites of his eyes were swelling.  Like all bubbled out swelling.  So I called the pediatrician and they advised me to bring him straight in.  Because his eyes were so severe (they said it was schleral edema) and his face was so swollen, we were advised not to take Cort outside unless we pretreated him with Benadryl, at least until after we'd had a chance to have an assessment with a pediatric allergy specialist. This appointment isn't until mid-June, so in the meantime we need more indoor activities.

I happened to tweet about this, and JDaniel4sMom (whose son has tremendous allergies as well) suggested we do a fun swap for the boys.  Each boy would get a box in the mail of special indoor activities.

We had a splendid time planning out activities for JDaniel4.  Here's what we sent him:

1.  Activity kit:  Which Came First - the Chicken or the Egg?  This kit includes wide, colorful straws and a bunch of various feathers gathered from our chickens.  In addition, we sent some chocolate Easter eggs and a plastic Easter egg full of candy.  JDaniel4s task is to try blowing feathers or eggs with the straws to see which is faster.  He might also like to race his mom.  Hopefully I didn't seriously gross out JDaniel4smom by sending them chicken feathers!
2.  Activity Kit: Bring the Birds to You.  This is a recycling craft to make a birdfeeder using a paper towel roll, tongue depressors, bird seed and peanut butter.  Then JDaniel4 can hang it outside his bedroom window and enjoy watching the birds.
3.  Activity Kit: Pig in Mud.  We snagged this activity kit idea from our library story hour.  Make a box of chocolate pudding, and you can finger paint "mud" on your piggie.  Then just wipe off when done.

Online Printables - JDaniel4 likes construction so we looked for some printables in that area.
4.  Handy Manny make your own puppet show kit
5.  Bob the Builder Draw a House Plan kit 

6.  Groom N' Grow Fun Dough Pet Salon.  
We knew JDaniel4 loves the idea of a dog, and we figured a Playdoh version wouldn't be so hard to care for! 

7.  A glowstick.  For campouts in his room.
8.  A sticker book and various transportation stickers.
9.  A funny face set.  These are designed for use with pumpkins, but we've found that you can use them with apples, squash, and eggplant too! 

8.  And finally, bringing the sandbox indoors for JDaniel4 with a mini Zen garden. 

We sure hope that JDaniel4 enjoys his activities.  Please go check out what they sent to Cort:
Reviews and Giveaways

21 comments:

Unknown said...

We are in allergy bound heaven. We made the pudding for the pig yesterday!

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

This is a horrible year for allergies.. mine have never been this bad. I feel for you boys... ugh!!!...

Anonymous said...

Cool stuff...

Sonya @ Under the Desert Sky said...

Looks like fun! I need to keep some of those ideas in mind; Liv and I have some yucky allergies.

Samantha said...

Poor kiddo! How awful!
Sending good thoughts and I hope the allergist has a spot open up before mid June.

Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking said...

Wow these all look so awesome! I am so sorry that he is having this challenge and pray that you get a good report in June!

Chatty Crone said...

That is a great idea and looks like a lot of fun.

Funny those allergies showed up so fast and for the first time all of a sudden.

Hope the doctor has some good answers and help for him.

Anonymous said...

What a poor kid--he's lucky you're thinking of him with such fun gifts for indoor activity.

Katie said...

Oh I am so sorry for Cort and his allergies. But isn't social media cool that you can exchange activities and stay connected? Love what you sent.

Shell said...

Such creative ideas!

Tipper said...

Great ideas for kids when they're housebound-or just anytime too!

TexWisGirl said...

oh my goodness! i'm so sorry for little cort! i hope you (and daniel's mom) can keep both your allergy-trapped kids entertained!

Irish Italian Blessings said...

Poor guy! I'm so glad you found some fun indoor stuff to share. Did you by chance make an activity kit for an adult with severe allergies? I literally step outside and start sneezing, dripping, and am miserable. It's NO fun.

Valerie Boersma said...

My allergies have been really bad this year-and I just heard yesterday that allergy season is the worst it's been in years.

The activity swap is a great idea! I hope Cort will have lots of fun while he's confined to the indoors:)

BTW-This week's prompt has me stumped-I don't think cherry pie will be able to come to the rescue either!

Misty said...

These are fantastic!
you are SO creative!

Angela said...

OMG Lisa! That would have freaked me out to see his eyes like that! I'm so glad that he is doing better now! That is just incredible and I didn't know something like that could happen. My son has welps on him that I can't figure out what it is. Could be allergy related. At first I thought poison ivy or even a mild case of the chicken pox because you can still get a mild form even if you've been vaccinated. It all went away except for his 2 fingers. They aren't red though. He says it itches. I might have to make a trip to the doctor for him.

Those are some neat activities to do indoors for sure! I'm sure he will love them!

Have a Great Day!
Angela

Michelle said...

Sorry to hear about Cort. My daughter struggles with allergies/asthma and it can be a lot of "no fun". However, you seem like a really creative mom! Nice to see he has a friend to exchange activities with.

Leontien said...

ohh that is soo great! Not the fact that he had such bad allergies but that you did the swapping thing! I love it! and yes i'm going over and check it out!


Thanks
Leontien

Nancy said...

I've been dealing with a sinus headache since yesterday, so I feel for your little guy.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Some find relief by eating home grown honey that's been hived within five miles from home. It's said the pollen, turned into honey, helps build up immunities to allergies.

Myya said...

What a fantastic idea! I love it when you hear or better yet get crafts from other moms. We all have differeent ideas floating around in our head, what a great thing to share them!