Philosophically, I fully endorse sandpits. I'm just not good with the practicalities of having sand traipsed through the house, tipped over heads, and caught in trouser turn ups. Here's an alternative I gave Thom to play with this morning - a mixture of dried dhal on a bamboo tray. The tray is a traditional one, usually used for drying grains, chillis etc. This activity only cost about 2 pounds - and even better than that, he enjoyed playing with it for about an hour, while Eve and Noah were out getting haircuts with Harv. Yeah, there was a fair bit of dhal on the floor but I reckon it only took about 5 minutes to sweep up, thereby making a profit of about 55 minutes! You know, that equation you do in your head with children's play and activities: (How long the activity engages the child) - (How long it takes you to set up and then clear up after said activity) = profit or loss of time for Mum. There are variations on the equation - for example if children can play completely independently it = more time than if needs to be supervised by someone. And if it cost a few pence rather than twenty quid that can be factored in too. Thus, a game devised by two children playing co-operatively (rather than arguing!!) involving a cardboard box and some pine cones is worth a fortune, and finger painting that smalls are bored by in less than ten minutes makes a disappointing loss. That's not to say we don't fingerpaint, obviously, just that I am occasionally frustrated when they're not very engaged by it. And that's not even thinking about the actities that they find for themselves....... emptying a drawer of clothes might take them twenty minutes, and only take you 5 minutes to put right, so you let them get on with it, whereas using a jar of honey to mop the kitchen floor...... well, the eqation's just not going to come out in your favour, eh......
I'm not the only one who thinks like this am I......?
Anyway, Yay! for the happy boy who was so engaged, he was doing his audible 'I am concentrating' breathing... and the dhal is now safely stashed for another day....
PS If you like this idea, I also sometimes hide little coins in it for him to find.
I think like that too...although not quite so mathematically - cos that would be alien to me lol. I just look at the activity and think.."nah, bugger that" cos it would take too long to set up and/or too long to clean up.
ReplyDeleteAnd I do love the sandpit..but yes I am constantly sweeping up sand.... sigh..and frequently shaking my bed clothes too. Why, why do little boys have to get all sandy and then jump on MY bed????
I like the dhal idea; our sandpit is banished to the end of the garden - as far away from the house as possible!
ReplyDeleteI actually let Anthony and Poppy paint this morning for the first time in ages! It went so well I might let them do gluing later...