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It's always been my philosophy that we live in a world full of electrical outlets, tables with sharp corners, and non-padded areas - so I was going to teach my child to navigate the world he lives in safely. It's a personal choice, and one I will never regret. For me, it meant no baby proofing - no covering outlets, no putting away fragile or breakable items throughout the house, no hiding chemicals, etc. It's definitely not the "right" way for some....but it was for our family. This meant I spent a lot of time - during the crawling years - following his lead, exploring with him, talking to him about safety, allowing him to touch and pick up things in his environment, etc.
Things have not changed. I embrace opportunities to teach him about his world - and that includes things like kitchen appliances - which he LOVES!
Yesterday he got out the air popper and wanted to pop some popcorn - sensory style. We were out of kernels, it was raining ALL DAY, and quite frankly - my hormones were telling me I just didn't have the energy for it. I assured him that we would get some the next day - and I'm a Mommy of my word - it makes for a trusting relationship. :) So I set up this invitation today. I think he played with it for a total of 3 hours - with a trip to the playground in between. It may seem like a pointless activity to some, but there are so many opportunities for learning during ALL play.....and in the meantime he felt happy, confident, competent, and trustworthy.
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| The invitation |
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| He added a measuring cup and bowls |
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| He decided he needed to use the blender. Yum. LOL |
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| CLEAN UP |
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| ALL CLEAN |
And then we made homemade ice cream.
- AK (MESE, MECD)
I'm a firm believer that our kids need to experience life. You're doing a great job and I LOVE reading your posts.... You've inspired many invitations for my twins :) Here's a little video from Neil DeGrasse Tyson that talks about letting kids "break stuff". I think you might enjoy it, too.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up, Mama!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaVBDPAy-SI
OH, and a question for you... I'm looking to make two sensory tables - a small one for our living room and the mother of all tables for outside. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteHave you seen our Pinterest page?? There is a button here on the blog. We have a board called PAHM inspired sensory tables. Lots of ideas there. We built ours. :)
DeleteYou are amazing! I love reading your posts and cannot wait until my son (3mos) is old enough to explore all these things. What a wonderful example, I'm so glad I found your blog! I am also a teacher (hopefully to be a SAHM) and wish every child had these opportunities. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ladies
ReplyDeleteYou know I don't really "babyproof" a whole lot either. There are some things I do but for the most part we just teach our kids. Some of them are more cautious and don't dare test the boundaries but I also have a little fearless one who I do have to watch a little more closely and so I adjust to that. Love the air popper! We had one as kids and I LOVED watching my dad make homemade popcorn!!!
ReplyDeleteLove this. There has been minimal baby-proofing in our home also. Slightly rethinking that since my 12 month old pushed his chair over the the couch, climbed up on it, then up onto the arm of the couch, onto the windowsill and tried to open the window!!
ReplyDeleteMy first (now 2.5) is the most curious little boy I've ever known but he's quiet, a watcher. His little brother has the same curiosity but he is busy and fast. I'm so glad I have your blog to keep me on my toes and provide me with new ideas. It makes life as a stay-at-home-mum so much more fulfilling :)
Great idea! Does your popper require oil? Also, is there a chance for steam burns? I have one of those poppers that has a bowl on top that when the popcorn is done you have to flip over and lift the cooker off the bowl...I get steam burned every time. Would you recommend me trying to use mine or using your kind of popper?
ReplyDeleteNo oil, no steam. Its an air popper.
DeleteThat is an awesome idea! I love getting my little ones into different activities. They are very excited by making things. I'll have to break out the popcorn popper! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteOh, this post was what I needed today! I laughed aloud when I saw him with the vacuum hose as big as his head! What an awesome activity! Great inspiration for letting go and making things fun!
ReplyDeleteMe too @ the vacuum, that was awesome.
DeleteThe sweetest child I ever seen! I'm glad I found your blog!
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Best wishes, @Tile Adhesive
I didn't baby proof (much) either! All I did was stick in a few outlet covers, put a couple of door knob covers on the doors when she was reaching for them, and that was it! She's 3 years old and still fine! :)
ReplyDeleteWow ! really amazing your post.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hitshop.pk/Kitchen-Appliances