It seemed like such a simple idea when I read it on someone's blog (sorry, I can't remember where or I'd give you credit!). Simply place a big mixing bowl in the sink, add some water, and give the bored and pesky toddler some spices to mix in his soup. So, when my bored and pesky toddler wouldn't let me fix dinner tonight, I set up a cooking station for him, too. It worked! He was entertained for over a half hour! Actually, it worked too well. My spice cabinet is not all that well stocked and it didn't take him long to go through the old or unused spices. I can't spare my chili powder or cinnamon! LOL At the rate he'll go through the spices, even buying the cheapie 50c spices will cost more than I'm willing to spend. So here's where my ingenuity comes into play. Salt is cheap and comes in mass quantities. I refilled the empty spice bottles with salt. I had noticed Matthew's fondness for the red paprika so I added a couple drops of food coloring to the salt. Shake it up and the color disperses to the whole bottle. Now we have a rainbow of salt for him to use next time he "cooks." I'm hoping it will smell better than the celery seed, too!
It works for me!
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18 comments:
great idea!!!
That is such a cute idea. It is always great for the littles feel like they are helping.
Isn't it amazing the things that will occupy our little ones. I discovered this trick too when I was soaking a pot of beans overnight - my little boy loved stirring the beans and picking out the ones that floated to the top. We never finish a batch of 15-bean soup anyway so I let him have at it.
Nice idea! My two year old is constantly coming in to watch me cook dinner. One time I let him stack some ancient boxes of pudding that were hanging out in my pantry.
How fun! I love this!! My little guy loves playing in the sink, too!
Great idea. I will try this when my new toddler gets a little older.
Oh, that's ingenious! My 4-year-old would even love that.
Such a great idea! Perfect for my three year old mess maker, I mean, my three year old kitchen helper!
This post made me smile. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to try it with my little one though - she has a short attention span and makes a big mess. Plus, my husband is the cook in the house - I can just picture his reaction if I set her up at the sink while he's trying to cook. LOL!
Great idea! And I think it was owlhaven who mentioned this awhile back...
That is a great idea. When I was little my grandmother use to let me do that. It was so much fun.
I've done the measuring cups and beans and water before, but sprinkling spices in sounds like fun for a lot more years!
That sounds like a great idea! I'll keep it in mind!
I'm pretty sure I read about that on Owlhaven... in case you want to thank her!
Great idea! And when you don't want to deal with a wet mess... I give mine a bag of rice or some macaroni to play with at the table. You do have to sweep up after, though...
What a fun idea! Both my girls will love this. They are all about playing in the sink and stirring. This is a great way to combine the two. Thanks!
Great idea - I'd love to try it for my 2 year old! What is he standing on to allow him to reach the sink?
Cute idea! I'm going to link to this for future reference! Thanks!
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