Saturday Spot: The Bread Bin…

As I start this post I realize that around our house we have a number of items that are not as they appear to be: We store bread in the microwave, it is big enough and we don’t really use it otherwise – we call it the bread bin. We store our plastic storage goodies and cups and empty water bottles in the fridge – it is miles too big for us and we have to keep something in it – we call it the cupboard. And yes we have a bread bin – we have never kept bread in it – we call it “The Box.”

Having said that, we do live in a house with se7en kids and I hate toys lying around the place. When you walk into our house I don’t want you to feel like you are walking into “The Toy Zone” and we have a rule all toys belong in “The Office” and this is the kids domain. We don’t have toys lying around the house otherwise, at all.

At about 4pm everyday my kids head back towards the kitchen as I prepare supper and they have played themselves out in the garden and I don’t always want se7en helpers but they want to be in sight of me. So under the kitchen sink we keep “The Box” and I keep rotating toys in there – toys that we don’t normally play with and toys that are normally out of commission. These are not part of The Se7en of the Best Toys… These toys have lots of pieces (my personal worst), so we keep them localized: play with them before supper and then pack before we eat… perfect – no lingering toys to trip over for days. That’s it the game is over and food is the great motivator.

So here are the se7en rotatable toys:

  1. Lincoln Logs: I love these, just the woody smell of them brings back my whole childhood.

          

     

  2. Matchbox cars: These don’t need any introduction! I sometimes put masking tape onthe table and then they have an instant parking lot or street system, when they are finished we just peel it away.





  3. Classic Fisher Price from my childhood: Who can resist these and all the stories that unfold with them.

  4. Puzzles: Puzzle boxes take up heaps of space and tend to look really hideous, really quickly. So we keep our collection in ziplock bags: each bag has the puzzle pieces and the cardboard picture from the box. And each puzzle piece is marked distinctively on the back – you only need a small child to tip all the pieces out at once, while your back is turned and you will perform this feat of organization without a blink.

  5. Blocks: Everyone plays with these on their own level – from parking lots to Gothic temples.



                 

     

  6. A Train Set: These are just fun for plotting and planning and racing.




  7. Little Collectable People: My kids love these little bits and pieces and hang onto them like genuine treasure.

    Happy Peaceful Playing – In A Box.

I popped this post onto The Works For Me Wednesday Site – go and have a look there for all sorts of tips on absolutely anything.

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