Get Out of the House!
By Contributing Editor: Pamela Gifford

Let's face it.  After spending so much time with your toddler, your mind screams for something more constructive then playing Candyland and hide and seek.  You want out of the house.  You want to be able to do something that you'll enjoy on a mature level as well as something your toddler will find fun.  Read on for some ideas that you can do with your toddler that not only will keep him entertained but also help you keep your sanity.

Tour the Fire Station

If you live in a small town like I do, you probably don't have a lot of options to take your toddler out and keep him happy and entertained other then the park or on rainy days, the indoor play land at the nearest fast food restaurant.  A fun solution would be to call your local fire department and ask the fire chief if he or she would mind giving your toddler a tour of the fire house.

Toddlers are fascinated with people in uniform.  Toddlers are fascinated with big vehicles.  And you could learn something, too.  Taking a visit to the local fire station will teach your toddler about what fire fighters do and how they do it.  They might even let your little one press the horn on the fire truck!

Visit the Local Animal Shelter

Call your local animal shelter and ask if you and your child can volunteer to help out for an hour or two.  Bring a large bag of pet food as a thank you gift.  Not only will your child enjoy seeing the animals, but you can also teach your child that every animal is not okay to pet.  You can also teach your child that it is good to help others by volunteering your time. 

While many shelters will not allow children to help out directly with the animals, your toddler can help by sweeping, cleaning windows, or folding laundry.  Afterwards, one of the workers can take you and your child on a tour of the facility, at a safe distance from potentially harmful animals.  They also know first hand the animals that are no danger to your child and may let them play with animals as part of the volunteer work.

Tour the Local Television Station

You could visit the radio station but toddlers are visually inclined so taking them to a local television station will help feed on their visual inclination.  Seeing how a television station operates is not only fascinating for a child but can also be a learning experience for you, too.

Some television stations even give kids an opportunity to stand in front of a green screen to do a weather report.

Whichever activity you chose to do, always make sure you call ahead to not only ask if a tour would be okay but also to make an appointment to do so.