Wintertime Boredom Buster for Toddlers

Having three 2 year old inside while it is negative wind chills outside and blustery can be challenging. Usually we would go somewhere like the zoo or a museum, but on days like today it is just safer and easier to stay home and play. So I am sure you are going to be seeing lots of posts about keeping this age group busy, no small feat since they are too small for a lot of open ended crafts. (They also tend to want to eat glue sticks I found out! Lol!)

Here is today's Wintertime Toddler Activity: Noodle Scoop and Pour

Age: 2 and up (not for kids who put things in their mouth)

Supplies:

• noodles, beans, buttons, anything that they can scoop and pour (I would not use rice, it is really hard to clean up!) I like using our colored noodles because they are easy to see and the kids know those are not food. The tutorial for them is here!
  
• bowls of all shapes and sizes
• ladles, soup spoons, spatulas, whisks
• measuring cups
• ** helpful** old sheet or cheap shower liner (really makes pick up easier) 
• Aprons and any other "cooking" accessories  
  

Objectives:

• Cause and effect
• Fine motor skills
• Concentration
• Hand & eye coordination

All I did was set the items in front of the girls and they did they rest... they scooped, poured, used their hands, tried to separate the noodles by color, and just generally had fun. 
They each had an apron on and pretended to make food for me. And when it came to clean up time it was a lot easier for them on the shower liner since the noodles didn't roll around as much. =) All in all, it kept them busy for about 45 mins! Long enough for me to clean up the kitchen and start lunch... love it!!