It's hard to find ways to entertain your school-age child during summer break. They're used to almost constant stimulation at school, and to then be thrust in this laid-back environment with lots of downtime, it's easy to understand why they say, "Mo-om, I'm bored!"
In this case, H was bored and hungry. A tragic combination. So I gave her a snack with lots of potential for educational free play--marshmallows and pretzel sticks. I suggested she try sticking the pretzel sticks in the marshmallows to see what she could invent. Here's what she made:
"Pretzel roasting sticks!" she said, with pride.
Um. Well. That's great, but not quite as imaginative as I was hoping. I asked if I could have a turn and showed her my idea:
She said, "That's nice," and started eating her building supplies.
I got a little bummed. I was quite proud of my spontaneous summer educational activity, but she just wasn't into it.
After a few minutes, though, she held up this creation and said, "Look Mom, a satellite!"
"That's fantastic!" I said, excited that she was now grasping the concept.
She played around a while and then showed me her final creation:
Corn on the cob, complete with corn holders! I knew my imaginative girl was in there somewhere. :)
What can you build with marshmallows and pretzels? What other foods can be used for building?
