Chill Out During LA’s Cold Weather and Flu Season with At-Home Activities for Kids

With a cold snap upon California (meaning temperatures below a frigid 55 degrees here in Los Angeles), and a flu season that threatens to be the worst ever, parents are seeking stay-at-home indoor diversions to keep their stir crazy kids busy.  Here are a few activities and ideas to beat the boredom and make the time fly.

Block and Tackle
Get interactive with kids without the electronics with Tabletop Building Blocks ($54.99) from http://www.funandfunction.com.  The 87-piece starter set contains 16 different shapes to build unique arches and shapes from Baroque, Roman and Gothic architecture to inspire young builders to create classic beauty inspired by history.  Ages 3 and up.

Tumble Time
Keep kids from bouncing off the walls with the Handstand Homework Mat ($149) from http://www.TumblTrak.com.  Using clips that secure this unique mat to a door, budding gymnasts can master handstands with ease.  On the floor the mat features a carpeted white strip for “beam” practice, and the mat reverses into a cartwheel mat with painted-on hand and feet guides.

Really Puzzling
Get your puzzle on, and get digi wit it. The latest 1,000-piece Augmented Reality Puzzles ($19.99) from http://www.ravensburger.com combine traditional 2D puzzle play with a free downloadable app that uses the camera function of an iPhone or iPad to animate the scene and create a 3D experience complete with audio sound effects.  Ages 10 and up.