Easy Activities: Fun With Lap Trays

So yesterday, I introduced the concept of F2E (fun to effort ratio), and I realized a few things:

1. I didn't really explain what constitutes effort in my post.
2. You all probably understood it anyway, so I don't even really have a good reason to explain it further. Regardless, I feel strangely compelled to, and I know that it will just stay on my mind until I do. I think that's how crazy works, so I understand that I am treading on dangerous ground here.
3. After making such a big deal out of F2E, I might have sounded somewhat lazy.
4. In order to properly explain this, I am going to sound somewhat more lazy. And then I won't. This will all make sense in a moment...

Alright -- for me, effort is a matter of how much preparation, physical exertion, mental acuity, and clean up, is required to do the activity. Of these things, physical exertion and clean up are my major concerns. And there it is. I just said, more or less, that I didn't want to move around from the couch very much and I don't want to have to clean. That doesn't paint me in a very good light.

saving face and finally getting to the point after the jump

And here's the part where I don't sound so bad: I am still recovering from a broken ankle.

It's coming along, but it's a slow process, so I still can't physically do a lot of the things that the kids and I are used to doing. Still gotta keep movement down to a minimum. Also, I can't drive until this thing heals. The kids and I pretty much get out of the house for three or four hours a week, usually all at once, so we all go kind of stir crazy during the week. Hence the importance of F2E. I'm hoping I don't sound too bad now.

Also, I should mention that I hate cleaning. I am not good at it. It is not uncommon for me to spend 45 minutes working hard on some cleaning task that Meghs can somehow do, twice as well, in around 10 minutes. I don't understand it at all. It's ridiculous. I guess that what I'm trying to say is that I have a hard enough time keeping the place liveably clean without intentionally adding any giant messes to the equation.

Anyway, this morning, the stir-insanity was starting to kick in for all of us. Luckily, the kids each have one of these awesome Lap Trays. I made it my mission to find fun things to do with the trays for the better part of the morning. Here is what I came up with before my mind starting firing blanks:

Lap Tray Drum Circle!
We gathered around and sang songs while we drummed out the
beat on the trays. I tried to get the kids to copy some of the beats
I was doing, but they weren't as interested in that part. Oh well,
you win some, you lose some...

Lap Tray Crawl Tunnel
These are really low to the ground, so this was tricky.
The kids loved it though.

Longer Lap Tray Crawl Tunnel
Like the regular one, but longer.

Lap Tray Car Ramp
I used a plastic place-mat for the ramp. I'm convinced that
there is something else around that would have been
better suited to ramp-dom.

Lap Tray Car Tunnel
Roll toy cars through both ends of the tunnel.
We spaced the trays out and changed their orientation
to each other to make it somewhat more interesting.

Lap Tray Barricade!
For this one, they hid behind their lap trays and I
started throwing (soft) toys they had left out at them.

We got through the rest of the morning without incident, so I'm calling this one a success.