Rice Box and Vacuum Time

Toddler ages: 22 months, 22 months, 3.5 years

Materials you'll need:
-10 to 20 pounds of rice
-dish pan or other large plastic bin
-various cooking and serving utensils
-a vacuum

My mother saw this activity on the television and suggested I try it for this blog. She's a smart mom. The 3 three and under had an AWESOME time, and so did some teenage boys who joined them later!

First, we got out the following utensils, but anything you have in your kitchen would work just as well...



We also got out various sizes of cups...



Next, we filled a dishpan with about 25 pounds of rice, then let the kids go at it...



It was really fun to see what ideas they came up with.

First, Twin A poured rice from a small cup into a large cup...



...and enjoyed hiding his spoon in the rice, then putting his hands up in the air to signify that it was lost...,



...the 3-year-old boy made a "shake" for me...,



...and Twin B enjoyed watching the rice fall out of the melon baller...



The fun lasted for quite some time, even after the 13-year-old boys entered...



I think they might have had as much or more fun than the 3 three and under...



The fun only ended when the teenage boys started riding the Plasma cars, and the 3 three and under couldn't abide that...



Clean-up time was just as successful, as the 3-year-old boy spent about 15 minutes vacuuming up the rice...



He did a great job, and I had to follow after him with the vacuum for only a short time. Yes, this activity was messy, but as I read in a parenting book one time, "If you didn't want noise or messes, you should have raised tropical fish." Believe me, I think of this often.

Thanks for listening!