Monday, August 20, 2012

Mommy Brainwave!

Warning: this post is not quilty or crafty or sewing related. I'll be back to my usual textile talk tomorrow.

One of my daily challenges is keeping Levi entertained while I get dinner ready. Most days, he's attached to my leg and whining to be picked up. When Kivi is home, he's able to entertain him but Kivi was working late tonight. My friend Sara blogs about being a Montessori mom and I remembered seeing photos of her son moving puff balls with tongs between containers and thought, I can put together a game like that for Levi!

Supplies: Dry chickpeas, a spoon, a cupcake tin, and mac & cheese boxes (cut in half so he can reach inside more easily). I demonstrated how to use a spoon to move the chickpeas from one cupcake hole to another. Levi thought the spoon was a waste of time. Using his hands was more efficient. Also, the boxes were way more fun to fill than the cupcake tin.





You guys, this activity kept him busy for over half an hour! He even pulled out additional containers from "his" tupperware drawer to try filling with chickpeas. He would have continued right on playing if I hadn't stopped him to eat dinner. Score one for Mama!

3 comments:

  1. Brilliant! I never thought of something like that when my kids (now adults) were young. It would have saved me some frustrated dinner making time!

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  2. Woot! You rock! It's amazing how long they'll focus with these simple toys!

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