Indoor "Sand" Box
Wednesday, August 22, 2012 - Posted by Maria Zannini - 7 comments


Here's another kid-friendly activity for little ones from resident expert Raelyn Barclay. Check out this amazing sand box! Kid-tested, mother-approved.

Indoor "Sand" Box
 
We initially set this up on the advice of my nephew's physical therapist. This is great for kiddos from age two (as long as they are beyond the putting everything in their mouth stage) to about ten.

• Repurpose an under-the-bed bin with a lid, I prefer one with wheels. 

• Fill with dry beans (It took about 25 pounds of beans to get a decent layer). We used pinto beans for the color and size but any will do. Any warehouse store will sell 25 pound bags of beans for just a few dollars.

• Toss in measuring cups, scoops, funnels (with a large enough hole for the beans), or whatever else tickles your fancy. We also hid items like squishy balls, play money, dinosaurs, etc. -- rotate every few months for continual surprises. Spread a sheet on the floor first for clean-up ease. When playtime is over, back under a bed it goes.

(There's some cost to setting this up but our box is still going strong 10 years later.)

***
 
Brilliant mothering, Raelyn and cost-effective too!

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7 comments:

    raelynbarclay said...

    Thanks for having me Maria :)

  1. ... on August 22, 2012 at 10:44 AM  
    2. Angela Brown said...

    See, this is where being crafty comes in handy. I seriously wouldn't have thought to do something like this. Thanks for sharing this great idea!

  2. ... on August 22, 2012 at 11:46 AM  
    3. raelynbarclay said...

    My nephew has a sensory disability so tactile play was highly important when he was little. There's definitely a factor of "necessity is the motherhood of invention" to a lot of the things we came up with to meet my nephew's needs.

    Thanks for stopping by Angela.

  3. ... on August 22, 2012 at 12:37 PM  
    4. Maria Zannini said...

    Raelyn: You can fill an ocean with all I DON'T know about kids. The idea of using beans is simply brilliant. --and clean too.

    Thanks for sharing your idea.

  4. ... on August 22, 2012 at 2:18 PM  
    5. LD Masterson said...

    That's a new one for me. I wish I still had someone in that age group.

  5. ... on August 22, 2012 at 5:56 PM  
    6. raelynbarclay said...

    We've been under a thunderstorm with a flash flood warning most of the day. Lots of singing and dancing in the rain :) I'm just now getting back online.

    Yeah, Maria, I wouldn't have thought about using beans either but they are perfect for this.

  6. ... on August 22, 2012 at 9:35 PM  
    7. raelynbarclay said...

    They don't stay in that age group for long, do they LD?

    Thanks for stopping by.

  7. ... on August 22, 2012 at 9:36 PM  
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