Oatmeal Play for Toddlers!

There are two requirements for the following activity.... patience & a vacuum cleaner!!!

I was cleaning out my cupboards today and came across a canister of oatmeal that I had no idea was in there! I looked at the date and, well, lets just say that it was expired! :0) I have no idea how long it was in there, so I was about to throw it out when I stopped. (I hate to just throw things out, so I was determined to come up with something to do with it!) I thought, the girls would have fun with this, but do I want to bother?

Well, I decided to let them make the mess! When they woke up from their naps I had trays of oatmeal on the table for them. I knew it would appeal to Mia, my two-year-old-digger, but I wanted to make it look special for Bailee too, so I sprinkled sparkly beads in to appeal to my three-year-old-princess. It worked! They couldn't wait to get their hands in it!

I had two rules..... "don't put it in your mouth," and "keep it in the tray!" They broke both rules, but had tooooooons of fun!

It started with the oatmeal mixed with sparkly beads and measuring spoons. Then after about 10 minutes I added a bowl to the play. Then about 20 minutes later I let them sprinkle REAL cinnamon into their oatmeal to make it smell good! Bailee was so excited because she was "cooking" foods and couldn't believe that I would let her use my real spices! (What fun to watch them explore and use their imaginations!) Since they were "cooking" so much we chose some pretend kitchen toys and foods to add to the fun.

It is amazing how differently the two girls played with the same materials...

Bailee was very intent on making things and doing pretend play with the oatmeal. She was very focused on using the spoons and bowl to "cook" and "mix up foods." She even planted a garden. The beads were her seeds and the oatmeal was her dirt. At one point she was burying her "treasure" (the shiny beads) and then she would dig to find them!

Mia on the other hand didn't use her utensils very much, but preferred using her hands! She wanted to feel the mess all over her! She moved piles of oatmeal from one end of the tray to the other, filled her bowl and dumped it out many times, and just simply was happy to "dig in the dirt!" She insisted that it was dirt, not oatmeal! :0)

Either way, they were very content and focused on their play. I thought this would last for 20 minutes, but instead I peeled them away from the table crying 2 HOURS later!!!!!! What a great find... expired oatmeal made for a VERY peaceful yet messy afternoon! :0)