Rice Box

 I am always trying to find fun and inexpensive ways to keep Wyatt entertained throughout the day without spending a lot of money. This is one of his favorites so I thought I would share.

What you will need: a large plastic bin with a lid; a large bag of uncooked rice; tools for dumping, digging, scooping, etc.(We used a funnel, a plastic spoon, a pasta server, a wiffle ball, a measuring cup, and a whisk)
What to do: fill the plastic bin with your bag of rice, set tools inside and watch your toddler go to town. It is especially fun to hide objects in the rice for them to find.

 

Wyatt loves the feel of the rice in his hands. Here he is using a measuring cup to scoop some rice up and pour it back out.

 Here he is peeking through the hole in the funnel at the rice.

When I showed him how the funnel worked, he loved it! He was trying to catch all the rice as it fell.

He likes climbing in and out of the box. Here he is sitting in the box(I recommend a large bin if you think your child might like to do the same). The wiffle ball was really neat to watch, because the rice comes out of several holes at once.

Grabbing his whisk to stir the rice. Notice all the rice that made its way onto our floor. It is best to do this in an area where you can easily vacuum or sweep up the mess once done.

We also put the lid on the box and put some rice on top then played the "drum". The rice bounces and dances around every time you hit the lid. 

This activity is great to do for a couple of days then put it away for awhile. It would be perfect to make one for a group of friends and rotate it around. I would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions. Have fun!