You know that moment when you realize you've answered "in a minute" so many times that it's lost all meaning?
That's 4 pm for me.
The backpacks are in a pile by the door (not where they go, but at least they're off the bus).
Someone is hangry. Someone else is giving you a play-by-play of every single thing that happened at school today, in real time, with commentary, and all the while you're trying to remember if you took chicken out to defrost. (You didn't.)
We're back with another round of things that might actually help. Let's go.
The Activity: Paper Bag Puppets
Prep time: 3 minutes (finding the supplies)
Keeps them busy for: 20-45 minutes
Ages: 3-9
Mess level: Paper scraps on the floor. Glue stick residue on the table. Survivable.
This one is ancient for a reason, because it works.
Hand them a paper bag, some scrap paper or construction paper, markers, and a glue stick. Tell them to make a character. Any character. An animal, a person, a monster, themselves, their morah, whatever they want.
For my kids, I had to show them an example so they would understand what I mean. But once they got it, it actually kept them busy!
You need:
Brown paper lunch bags
Construction paper or scrap paper
Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
Glue stick
Scissors (watch with these. Many have had their hair cut 'by mistake'.)
Optional: googly eyes, yarn for hair, stickers, whatever craft odds and ends you've accumulated
The upgrade: When everyone's done making their puppets, they can put on a show.
This buys you an additional 15-20 minutes while they "rehearse" and then perform for you (or for each other, or for the couch cushions, dealer's choice).
Why this works: Open-ended creativity with no wrong answers.
Nobody can mess up a puppet.
And if you have multiple kids, they can make puppets together and then interact with each other, which means they're entertaining themselves instead of asking you for things.
The Dinner: Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables
The beauty of sheet pan dinners is that you throw everything on a pan, shove it in the oven, and walk away. The oven does the work. You do not. This is my personal favorite way of 'hacking' dinner.
Ingredients:
Chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks, or breasts cut into chunks, whatever you have)
Whatever vegetables need to be used up (potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, peppers, onions, mushrooms - all work)
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika (or any spice blend you like)
The method: Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut vegetables into roughly even pieces. Toss everything, chicken and veggies, with olive oil and spices on the sheet pan. Spread it out so nothing is piled on top of each other. Bake for 35-45 minutes until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
You might want to finish it off on broil to give the chicken a nice char and delicious flavor.
Time: 10 minutes hands-on, 40 minutes in the oven (a.k.a. 40 minutes of NOT COOKING)
Kid acceptance rate: Medium-high. They can pick around whatever vegetables offend them.
Cleanup: One pan. Honestly, line it with parchment paper, and you barely have to wash it. And please make sure to line your counters (I use THIS) so you don't have to scrape a tiny carrot peel off the countertop later.
