Indoor Activities? - Watertown,MA

All I can say is bless you. You have my sympathy. We have the same situation and ages 5 kids under 7. Winter...is too hard.

Remember, you're a mom, not an on call, full time social director and playmate. They should be able to pay quite a bit on their own, and when you start getting the "I'm bored" mantra from them, invite them to join you in what you are doing, housework, laundry, cooking, gardening, whatever. Make sure your 5 year old gets to have friends over as well, so she's not always stuck playing with her little sister.
I liked getting together with other moms/kids too, it's important to have some adult company during the week.

We still go outside everyday for a little while....

I try to plan outings. We go to the zoo or forest preserves, etc. that have in-door and outdoor stuff. We go to the library one day, In-door playgrounds...outdoor playgrounds for short 30 minute durations.

Indoors, I have lots of crafting stuff they can just play with...my youngest will spend hours putting out play fires. My 5 year old likes to read.

I don't entertain my kids. They have toys and things, and if they need me, they have me, but they entertain themselves. If they need you to play, you might want to start teaching them how to play on their own. It's really important for kids to play by themselves, studies show how it helps them to develop better problem solving and critical thinking abilities.

In the winter I do make sure my kids get outside and play every day before it gets dark. Even if it is cold and snowy they dress warm. Most of our indoor activities are still outside our home. We spend a lot of time at the YMCA. At the Y they swim, play on the play structure, the bouncer, rock climbing and participate in sports. Our zoo has lots of indoor areas. We go bowling, indoor ice skating, roller skating, museums, movies and the library. At home they can clean up their rooms, help me cook/bake and play with Lego (aside from tv and video games). I always found the easiest way to entertain them at home was to invite another kid over.

Put on some music and dance
Play a card or board game with the 5 yo
Have a tea party
Play dress up, let them do mommy's hair
Sing songs, make your own music by using objects in your house
Let the 5yo have a play date, she can play with her friend while you entertain the 2yo
Build a tower, use building blocks let the 5yo build and the 2yo knock down
Color eggs - it's not just for Easter
Play charades
Bake cookies

Go on an outing...
Check out the libraries in your area, many have activities or story time
Go to a McDonald's or other restaurant with a playscape (you don't need to eat a meal, just a snack)
Go to a children's museum, you may be able to get a free pass at your library

Invite another mom or two over with her kids and while you have coffee/tea let the kids play together. You can look up preschool activities and so some of those. Paint a large box to make a house with a door and windows. Teach the 5 year old how to sew or knit. My son and I used to spend a lot of time building rolled newspaper forts (http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2012/06/play.html). Get large rolls or paper and outline their bodies and have them color themselves in (ok, the 2 year old can just finger paint and make a mess). Shaving cream painting. Paper mache. Make homemade playdoh. Make an obstacle course. Take turns with a friend where you watch her kids for a bit and she watches your kids in exchange. I would go outside every day no matter what the weather. We used to live in Alaska and we ALWAYS went outside. We would find ice to pick up, stomp in puddles, do scavenger hunts, stomp in the snow, sled, build a snow fort.

Do you have space to bring any outdoor stuff indoors?

Might sound crazy - but we put our outdoor plastic kids basketball hoop in the living room in the winter (it's one of those ones that adjusts from 3-6 feet tall). I've also been known to drag in the plastic Little Tykes climber with the slide.

Almost any outdoor kids game can also be used inside: throw rings around pegs, little golf sets. We get a soft bouncy ball for 4-square. Hopschotch drawn on a big piece of cloth. In their bedroom we also have a small kids nylon tent that they play in like a playhouse, and it has a tube coming off of it that they crawl through.

It would be better if we had a finished basement, but we don't so I have a really well baby-proofed living room - no coffee table, and few breakable knick-knacks. And my boys need to MOVE sometimes, so I set up play space where I can.

They should still get a few hours outside every day.
My Mom had us out in all weather except for blizzards (if the visibility was really poor), lightning storms or if the wind chill was below 20F.
The rest of the time we had lacing cards, a big tin of large buttons and beads and empty wooden thread spools to thread or make figures with pipe cleaners.and we played with blocks.
In the winter our Nana had us stringing popcorn so we could hang it outside for the birds.

2 might be a little young, but my 4 year old loves playdough. You can even make it yourself as another activity.

Many of the museums have memberships which make it very cost-effective to visit with kids, who may get tired or cranky after a short time. Many museum memberships are good at multiple museums. Most public libraries also have day passes.

Ideas include the Boston Museum of Science, the Aquarium, the Children's Museum, the Providence Children's Museum. The Discovery Museum in Acton (there are 2 - the one you want is for younger kids and it has a different theme in every room of a converted house). There's one room with water/bubble play so take a change of clothes, including socks! It's very hands-on and interactive, with puppet play, legos, a train & station set-up, an old 50s-style kitchen, a ship/nautical room, and so on.

The Ecotarium in Worcester is a small environmental science museum with standing and visiting exhibits, a lot of hands-on activities, a small outdoor zoo and playground (for mild days), and a train ride for a small extra cost (warning - there's a tunnel and everyone screams like crazy to hear the echo. Lots of fun but not for the easily scared 2 year old!). There's also a small play area just for kids 5 and under. There are vending machines but also an area where you can eat your own bag lunch. We've also taken our own food to the Boston Museum of Science.

There's a natural history museum near Harvard University - small and manageable - lots of glass flowers, mineral collections (including fossils and meteorite pieces) and a large display of taxidermy (animals and birds). There's a transportation museum at Larz Anderson Park as well as lots of grounds for running around.

The "Make Way For Ducklings" statues are in the Boston Public Garden - read the book a few times first. You can also walk along Charles Street to follow part of the route the ducklings took toward the Charles River.

There are some indoor play spaces opening up including some trampoline zones but be careful - I've heard there are injuries sometimes!

It's a little early for your kids, but keep in mind that, in a few years, candlepin bowling is a great option, with smaller balls (no finger holes to deal with) and smaller pins that fall over easily. Sawyer's Bowling in Northboro is a small hidden gem with small alleys and a separate party room (BYO food, pizza, cake etc.).

Go to your public library's children's room, check out flyers and speak to the children's librarian about library activities (story time, visiting musical acts, etc.) as well as area resources.

First get out even when cold! It is good for everyone. Second, why on earth do you spend your day entertaining them. They should be able to play and entertain themselves. They can always help you. Even the two year old can put laundry in a basket. Cooking is something fun to do together. My 16 month old granddaughter knows how to entertain herself for blocks of time. After she plays then we do things like sing, dance, be silly or read etc.

My daughter did outdoor soccer in the fall so we put her in indoor soccer for winter we will see how it goes I say if you have a ymca or rec center go there and see how much a family pass would be and maybe go a couple times a week and get them in the pool and other activities

I assume it's not getting dark before 4 pm so you still have all day to take them out, and wear them out.
I agree too that it's not your job to entertain them. If they are used to this I think you need to encourage more independent play. And let your older ones have friends over a few times a week. Spending too much time with mom and little sister is probably tedious for her.

Bean bag toss (sew fabric w/beans inside)
Indoor bowling. If you don't have the kids set, use plastic jars & roll a ball.
Make a mini carnival. Bean bag toss, ring the 2-liter bottle, fish over the
sofa using string tied to a ruler for the pole & a clothespin for the hook.
Attach little prizes when they "fish" (tattoos, rings, stickers etc).
Play store
Leggos
Building blocks
Use Matchbox cars & drive around the town using anything for the streets
Have a party (use a tea set or tupperware), have cookies/crackers
Let the 5 yr old play by herself. Just direct her to a toy.
Play music & "dance"
Let them watch some tv for your sanity.
Puzzles
Throw a party (balloons, a few streamers)
Pretend cooking
Play dolls
Blow up balloons to bat around the house
Pretend you're on a vacation & traveling by train