A first-time visitor to our place recently asked if my daycare was closed for summer break, that's why I could have friends over. I was tickled.
Yes, the place is overrun with toys. There is a slide, a cardboard playhouse and colourful mats in the living room. And child-sized desk and chairs in the dining room. Peppa Pig and The Wiggles compete for space on our blu-ray shelf. Yup, it is a daycare alright.
And what does Lucas do? Well, he plays in the kitchen. He rearranges my cutlery drawer. He lines up cherry tomatoes on the kitchen counter. And gets frustrated with the garlics and onions. I am not kidding, see this video:
Putting on an innocent face.
He also picks crumbs out of pots and eats them:
*Dig, dig*
And.... the 'face' again.
This was what he was doing. Snapshots tell so little.
I tried allowing him some messy play, with varying success. Yesterday, I set up finger painting for him, seeing how he loves playing with lotions, creams and yoghurt.
His reaction was one of puzzlement. "Seriously, I can make a mess?"
He did attempt some one-handed stamping on the paper.
And... we are off! This was just before he decided to decorate our pristine white door.
It lasted all of 5 minutes. Time taken to set up: 10 minutes. Time taken to clean up: 20 minutes. Okay, so we will shelve this for awhile.
Another activity we tried was playing with water, outdoors. Couple of cups, containers, spoons, some pebbles, flowers and leaves. Moderately successful, although he preferred throwing the pebbles down the air vent. At least the mess is outside the house.
There was one activity he really enjoyed - flour and water. Yes, nightmare combination. But it kept him occupied for half an hour, yay!
Equipment: Dining table, measuring cup, water, water, water, spoon, roasting dish, various plastic containers, and some expired flour.
He was more interested in the water than the flour.
So happy, he even posed for the camera.
And now making his escape.
Unlike paint, flour easily washes away and does not stain. Not a bad activity if you want to try it. Just don't use unvarnished wood furniture - dry dough sticks like cement!
I love this shot, which is what he looks like most days - hair standing up, drool on his shirt, toy car in one hand and pants all twisted.
