*Ugh* Those entire days at home can be soooo long. We live far away from anything too, also trying to save on gas by staying home more. I sent an email to a friend about the same a while back, and this was her reply (the rice idea was my favorite, though I keep forgetting to buy the rice...and the contact paper):
1. make some chocolate pudding Make some pink pigs out of construction paper. Tell him we are going to make the pigs messy. Let him finger paint the pigs with the pudding, he'll eat most of the pudding anyway so mess will be minimal.
2. They make these paints now that are self contained. You just squeeze the paint out. The container has brushes on the end and it serves as the paintbrush. The mess there is a minimal.
3.Water color paints are really not messy
4. Play dough...he's so ready for that. Make it yourself he'll love that even more. I have a great recipe for koolaid play dough which smells nice Pull out some spoons and plastic forks and let him have fun.
5. MY KIDS FAVORITE....get a storage bin, like 3-4 inches deep. Buy a cheap bag of white rice. Give him some cups, spoons, or some old beach toys. He'll make a mess, but rice vacuums like a dream. It's sort of like sand play but much easier to clean up.
6.Get a clear piece of contact paper, with masking or painters tape hang a large piece sticky side facing. Go through magazines cutting out some fun things he likes, get other things that will stick, I don't know cotton balls, feathers, and let Ian stick them on. Then when he's done place another piece on top you and you have a place mat he made.
7. pasta makes fun art if you want him to try his hand at some glue
8.I just bought my kids some dancing scarves and ribbons on a ring to dance and play with, I am worried they'll be couch potatoes until spring.
Hope there's something useful for you in there. We have a little beach tent that is small enough to set up in the play room, and sometimes I put that up for something different...a big box or chairs and blankets would have the same effect. Balloons are fun to kick around too...we did that today. Coffee cans and chop sticks...
Ian is 2 now, and we wonder if he has ADHD but are trying not to assume anything. He used to like the ring stacker we had that played music, the toys made by LeapFrog, and ANYTHING with buttons that did anything! Had and still has an obsession with the DVD player...where's the pulling-hair-out smiley when you need it?!