Oh, Blogosphere, aren't you tickled it is Wednesday because I get to share with you a Works-for-Me tip as opposed to sharing with you how I had to leave the mall today shortly after arriving with two crying children who could not seem to get along, despite the large amounts of raisins shoved in their direction or the promise of playing at the train store if everyone had good behavior. Love those Mommy moments. Still mourning the beautiful sky blue dress I had to abandon in Ann Taylor that was on sale for $19.99.
That is a story for another day....today, it is all about what works for me: Beans!
Over the weekend I had purchased two large bags of dried beans. Monday morning I pulled out two sturdy plastic containers (Thank You, Container Store!) and the beans. I made a container of beans for each child, laid out some measuring cups and spoons....and we all played happily for a long, long time that morning in the kitchen. We scooped, counted, measured, sorted, swept...there was a lot of sweeping...and had a great time.
Over the weekend I had purchased two large bags of dried beans. Monday morning I pulled out two sturdy plastic containers (Thank You, Container Store!) and the beans. I made a container of beans for each child, laid out some measuring cups and spoons....and we all played happily for a long, long time that morning in the kitchen. We scooped, counted, measured, sorted, swept...there was a lot of sweeping...and had a great time.
Here is the proof that dried beans are a fun toy:
As a side note, I should mention that although edible, beans are quite small and could cause little ones to choke. Both of my kids understand (and obey, thankfully) when to not put something in their mouth. That being said, I was playing with them (or unloading the dishwasher...the never-ending task) in the kitchen the entire time the beans were out. I thought a trip to the ER with a choking toddler would really put a damper on our day. Keep a close eye on kids when playing with such small items.
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To clear up any doubts...yes, we did teach Evelyn to say "Sing Song." It stemmed from Tobe thinking the pirate costumes pictured below resembled Sing Song costumes. 
Evelyn says it more like "Sh-ing Sh-ong" which is about the most precious thing ever. Thus we require her to repeat it several times a day. Despite her independent streak, she will usually repeat any word we ask her to say and remembers a lot of them. This provides hours of entertainment for our little family, especially now that the Olympics are over.
Evelyn says it more like "Sh-ing Sh-ong" which is about the most precious thing ever. Thus we require her to repeat it several times a day. Despite her independent streak, she will usually repeat any word we ask her to say and remembers a lot of them. This provides hours of entertainment for our little family, especially now that the Olympics are over. ***
Head on over to Shannon's place at Rocks in my Dryer to read more "Works for Me! Wednesday" tips
8 comments:
Isaac looks a little like Ralph Macchio in Karate Kid in his pirate outfit.
What a GREAT idea! I can't believe that never occured to me! It's simple, cheap, and I know my kiddo will love it.
(Not to mention, I'll actually be able to unload the dishwasher as well without little hands trying to "help" Not that it's bad to have help, but sometimes it just needs to be done NOW. Not in 4 hours :)
Thanks for the tip!
I bet my two year old would LOVE to pour the beans out and listen to the noise they make. We'll have to try this one some rainy/wintry day!
I've gotten thru many a dinner prep while the kiddos made a huge, fun-filled mess thanks to dried beans. Great Work-for-me-Weds idea!
Great idea! I bet different shaped pasta would be fun, too. Glue might be kind of messy, but it might be fun for them to glue them to construction paper.
Cute costumes!
This is a FAB idea! I can't believe I haven't done this myself. My 15 month old was in physical therapy for a while ...mainly for her left side not working right when trying to crawl, but also for her hands and feet being overly sensitive due to her being in the NICU for 2 months and all the IVs and pricks they had to give her in her hands and feet. Well, they used the beans as therapy to get her used to texture on her hands and feet. SHE LOVES IT! I need to do this at home, too! (wasn't required by the therapist so I never thought of it.)
Great blog!
~melody~
Beans! Who would've thought?
I am so going to try the bean idea. That could be a big hit at my house. Thanks for the idea.
I can not believe how much Evelyn can say at 15 months. She makes my 15-month-old son look mute.
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