More playing in the kitchen

I am always looking for new and exciting ways to entertain Henry while we are in the kitchen. As I've written about before, there are many common kitchen items that can easily be re-purposed to provide fun learning experiences for your little one.

Here are a few of Henry's latest favorites:

1. Did you receive a large tin of popcorn for Christmas? It seems like these canisters reappear every year at the holidays. If you still have your tin on hand, Henry has found that it makes an excellent drum.

Henry bangs on the popcorn drum.

After you eat the popcorn or set it out for the birds, the tin also does double-duty as a storage container for your child's other kitchen toys.

Henry uses a wooden mallet as a drumstick.

Thank you to Henry's Great Aunt Barbara for this multipurpose Christmas gift (I bet she thought she was just giving us popcorn)! Henry had so much fun with this that his Grandma decided he needed a real drum for his birthday.

2. Henry's Great Aunt MaryAnn sent us a set of metal condiment cups when she was cleaning out after a move. Henry loves nesting and stacking them. They also make a satisfying ring when he clangs them together.

Henry unstacks the condiment cups

3. I was inspired by The Imagination Tree to create discovery bottles using empty plastic water and juice bottles. I put together a liquid rainbow set using clear plastic bottles of varying sizes. Into each bottle, I poured 1/2 to 1 cup of water, four drops of food coloring and two drops of liquid dish soap. As Henry shakes a bottle, the soap bubbles and foams inside. He enjoys watching the different colors slosh around when he rolls them around the kitchen.

Shaking up a bottle of colored water.

Even the cat was curious about this activity.

Before we toss other bottles in the recycling bin, I plan to give them a second life by incorporating other types of sensory materials for Henry. I'm also looking forward to seeing what he thinks of these smelling bottles from Carrots Are Orange.

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