Coughs and Colds

With swine flu on the rise again and plenty of meaty coughs and permacolds about, lots of kids are off school at the moment. Us parents are obviously heeding the current advice (quite rightly) to keep our snotty, sore-throated angels at home rather than our usual practice of packing them and their germs off to school. So for anyone whose children are ill enough to wangle the day off but well enough to seemingly bounce around indoors getting bored, here are some ideas that might help.

Robot building keeps them busy for a while. Rummage in the recycling bin for newspapers, carboard boxes and egg cartons. You will also need copious supplies of sellotape. Get your invalid to design and manufacture their own robot costume. Start with a box for the head, cutting out holes for the eyes and a big slit for the mouth. Egg-carton buttons or twisted paper antennae are good add-ons. For the body, tape large sheets of paper directly on to their pyjamas. Cereal boxes make perfect robotic feet, otherwise bandage up ankles with paper strips. Finally, bind arms and legs tightly in newspaper so the robot has no choice but to move with stiff limbs. Make the most of their costume by putting on some electronic music and encouraging them to stagger around the dancefloor. If it's medicine time, try spooning it through the slit - a good distraction if it tastes revolting.

Before you tidy up, why not hold a Tallest Tower Competition. Work together to build different structures using only newspaper and tape. Try piling scrunched up-balls on top of each other, or making a giant, floppy cylinder that can be balanced on one end. A personal favourite is a tripod made out of firmly rolled tubes with another tube stuck on to the top for extra height. Determine the winning design, then throw everything back into the recycling.

And encourage an afternoon nap by snuggling them back into bed with a hot water bottle and a book. There's nothing like a few pages of a good read and a warm duvet to make your eyes droopy.