play time idea

We live in a very cold climate and I would have a hard time figuring out what I could do for playtime during the winter with a child who can't move. Really there is only so much TV that I want him to watch and only so many video games as well. We have our toys, but they can get old too. I came up with a way to totally rig up our basement so that Evan can motor around in his stander and have plenty to entertain him. (We are big into exercise=play) I will do a highlight of the whole basement when we manage to get it organized. In the meantime I wanted to share my idea of "the rice box".

Evan really enjoys the sand box that we have outside. In many ways it is really good exercise for him. We like to "cook" together and he has to muscle the sand around in his different size cups. I had the idea of making an indoor sand box and I do have to say it has been a major hit around our house. I bought a cheap blow up pool and filled it with rice. I chose the blow up pool because I know if Evan falls over he isn't going to hurt himself. I chose rice because it was cheaper than beans and easier to clean up than sand.

It has been so much fun since we set it up. The only thing that I recommend is for owners of cats. Remember to cover it up when it isn't being used, so it doesn't look like a big beautiful kitty litter box :-)