Such a simple concept, really: rice in a cake pan. Some scoopers, dumpers, pourers and your got yourself a party in a box for little hands. The texture of the rice; the sound it makes when it dribbles from spoon to cup; the bouncing it does when it hits the floor from the high chair. It's like a zen garden for toddlers - I even enjoy moving and shaping the rice-scape. There is something very relaxing and therapeutic in the action of dragging the rake back and forth, back and forth. So for a while, this occupied Layla's time.
I think I am going to start keeping pre-made "trays" with lids available for us with different things inside each one. I think I will call them Modules. A box of stuff with some different experiment or concept behind in mind. On rainy days, or for "Mommy needs a moment" times I can pull out a new activity for her to ponder for a while....
