Bean there, done that

This evening after supper, I was out in the backyard reading while Philip played. He decided it would be fun throw dirt and rocks. I decided I needed to channel his throwing enthusiasm.

A few months ago, I had purchased a bag of mixed dried beans. I had thought it might be useful for a sorting activity. I brought this to the backyard and poured it into his empty swimming pool.

Philip loved it.

Laughing at the beans

After I chased off Roscoe, Philip climbed in and began throwing the beans. He then used his hands to push the beans around the pool. I think he liked the sound that the beans made scraping against the plastic pool. Roscoe, barred from joining Philip in the pool, contented himself with snacking on the beans that Philip had flung out into the yard.

As much as I wanted Philip to enjoy the tactile sensation of the beans, I also wanted him to work on his fine motor skills and his ability to follow directions. I would let Philip stir the beans and then command, “Pick up the beans and put them in the bag.” When he wasn’t too distracted playing, he would carefully pick up a black bean or pinto bean and put it in the bag.

Trying to pick up a split pea

We almost had all the beans in the bag when Philip reached in, grabbed a handful and threw them. At that point, I made sure that only the top of the bag was open as Philip returned lima beans and lentils into it. He struggled with the split peas, but we finally got most of the beans into the sack.