My favourite version of these bottles was via spoonful.com on Pinterest.
Lately Reuben has been spending an increased amount of time in time out. I don’t know if it’s thanks to the excitement of the summer holidays, disruption of routine of if he is just testing boundaries – I suspect a bit of everything.
Anyway, we will have days where he doesn’t need to time out at all, and we will have days where he is in and out like a yo-yo. I always tell him he has to ‘calm down’ and ‘think about what he has done’ but sometimes he’s so wound up he can’t quite manage that. He will kick and scream in frustration, which I leave to peeter out over a few minutes.
I have to say those moments are awful and stressful for everyone.
A friend shared this a few days ago on Facebook and I LOVE the idea. You are following the same principle as a lava lamp, whereby it soothes and calms as you watch it. Here’s how to make one:
Take a bottle of water and mix in a bottle of glitter glue and another little bottle of glitter. Every time your child goes into time out you give them the bottle and tell them to calm down while they watch the glitter settle. It will only work if they sit calmly and they will be transfixed (in theory) but the settling glue.
I’m going to try this, I think it’s a wonderful idea. Please give it a go with me and let me know how it gets on!
Harriet x
