Pour ... Scoop .... Dump ... Repeat

Last week Sam and I needed a little time out of the house and headed to the Library for story hour. Pine cone bird feeders were the craft this time and while Sam and I made a bird feeder, Alex kept himself occupied by playing the the large bowl of bird seed provided by the librarian. He loved the feel of the seeds in his hands, and taking a small Dixie cup and pouring the seeds either through his hand back into the bowl, or dumping the seeds into a lunch sack or near by box of extra pine cones.

Tonight I was getting no where distracting/redirecting him so I could finish making dinner and decided to give the bird seed idea a try, this time using rice and a few "containers" from the kitchen. The rice kept Alex totally engaged for 45 minutes! And probably would have kept him engaged longer if the older children hadn't decided to come along and help him play. So from now on I think I'll keep a 1/2 cup of rice in a small bowl in the cupboard so on rough dinner making nights, Alex and I can both survive!