I have been a stay-at-home dad for almost two years now. It has been such a blessing to spend so much quality time with our two youngest boys (the oldest goes to school). Although I love my time with them, some days I am at my wit's end and need a break before I explode. Today was one of those days.
I was trying to clean out our pantry and organize it. The kids were wild, there were toys all over the house, and I had just begged the boys to please lower their voices for what felt like the hundredth time. I found some bags of dry beans at the bottom of the cabinet that we've had forever and never used, which sparked an idea to give the kids something to do. When I first started staying home with the kids, we made a rice and bean sensory bin that the kids LOVED, so it is something we have made several times since then.
I needed an activity for them that they could be engaged in while I finished cleaning up the kitchen and making their lunch, so I thought this would be a great idea. They even helped set it up and while they were setting it up I found more little bags of beans and other dry goods tucked away in the cabinets. Each time I found something to add, they would excitedly dump it into the plastic storage bin and stick their hands right in to mix it all up! They found a bag of almonds and asked if we could use them, so we added those too. We ended up with quite a colorful mixture!
What we added:
- Pinto Beans
- Garbanzo Beans
- Great Northern Beans
- Black Eyed Peas
- Lentils
- Green Split Peas
- Almonds
We ended up adding cars, people, and animals to our bin. Of course, we also had small bowls, cups, and spoons for digging, scooping, and pouring. We have found that this is such a great activity that they never seem to get tired of. They pretended to cook food, buried and found treasure, and made race tracks for the cars. I loved watching them work their motor skills and imaginations all at once! They were having so much fun with the beans that they didn't even want to stop for lunch.
Next time you need a quick, fun activity for your kiddos, try a dry sensory bin with some items from your cabinet like noodles, beans, rice, or nuts. Grab some spoons, bowls, and little toys, and let their imaginations run free! The possibilities with this are truly endless.
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