Photo Credit(sign): PhraseIt on Etsy
My garage is filled with totes- Thirty-One, plastic…. all kinds. This one Kelly almost threw away, but the RRR’er in me saved it from the dump and I found a purpose finally! (It was dirty…… oh my….)
I also found a bag of dirt we never used (it’s lawn dirt… maybe not the best choice if he was into eating dirt….) but a critter had chewed a hole in. It was just sitting on the side of the house– maybe for over a year… but who’s counting?! Also saved from a trip to the dump.
I grabbed some containers (of course from our weekly recycling pile), a few trucks and Ta-Da!! A dirty monster truck /construction vehicle sensory box on the fly. I’d seen ideas for this on Pinterest and I think my mom actually sent me the first one I looked at. I thought, “Oh that will be great for summer!” Instead, it was great for a Friday in February where it was record-breaking warm in Denver & if I kept him in any longer we were both going to be institutionalized. 😳
So, another Pin brought to life and not just saved on a cyberspa
ce board! Oh– and he sat for 40 MINUTES— the kid who bounces everywhere — 40 MINUTES!! Just playing in the dirt, moving the dirt, making the tunnels, burying the tunnels, adding rocks, burying the rocks….. all while Mom enjoyed some sun (an afternoon beer) and a Podcast (–> here’s what I was listening to if you are curious). We were able to share this activity with friends and play again each day since… Win!!
If you’d like to build one like mine, here are the tools I grabbed (none of this prepared or gathered in advance):
- Some sort of plastic bin your child can sit at.
- Dirt. Sand, rocks, mulch- they could all work. Some sort of dirt. (Can’t find any? Your neighbors will never missed a few shovels full from each garden 😉)
- Containers. Big enough for your choice trucks to go through. Egg crates.
- Can opener & box cutter. The canisters had lids on one side but in order to make a tunnel…. the other side had to be opened.
- Some trucks. We had a few outside and I grabbed a few more from inside. If your boy is like mine they are everywhere. Inside play will not be lacking.
- Optional: duct tape to protect sharp edges from the precision of me and my box cutter.
Enjoy some filthy fun time watching your child experience the thrill of dirt through containers, his fingers…. his hair, spread on his shirt…. dumped in the grass….
#AdoredChaos at its finest!
Adored Chaos 