Mark and Rheta Wallingford

I read your "Truck" essay that you gave a link to and something I picked
up from that was putting stuff on the table at night for them to play
with the next day (the pattern blocks which I hadn't seen). I thought
it was a great idea. I was curious as to the other types of things
you've put out. I started with our button jar, full of some really cool
buttons, next day was puzzles, then poker chips. I've got lots of
things to put out, lace up cards, etc. Just curious what other types of
items you've put out.

Rheta



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In a message dated 3/1/04 6:08:44 PM, wallingford@... writes:

<< Just curious what other types of
items you've put out.
>>

Magnets, castle blocks, some old Tinkertoys I got at a thrift store.
Tangrams and pattern cards.

Tops that have felt-tip-pen tips and they draw the pattern they spin.
(Come to think of that, we need some more of those; ours are dried out.)

Bowl of dice.

Any pretty game that hasn't been out for a while. Chinese checkers, though
games don't lend themselves to talking as well as construction or
pattern-things do, but they'll just play with the marbles and the board, too, making
patterns and finding triangles.

Geoboards, though again that might just lead mostly to talking about the
geoboards themselves. That's not a bad thing!

We do a fair amount of both kinds of side-by-side, but if your purpose is
just to be with your child, and relaxed, and have a chance to talk, go with
something that's non-verbal and takes a long, quiet time.

Sandra

Penn Acres

This isn't Sandra but these are some of the things I have put onto the kitchen table lately.
The girls tend to forget what books they bring home from the library; so sometimes it is something from the pile.
Lately they pick up "how -to -draw books so i might grab one of those-some new size/color/kind of paper. -pens-etc-tracing paper-pad of graph paper. carbon paper.
A pack of photos they havnt looked at for a long time.
puzzles-
a few recipe cards from the box -see if they want to make it-sometimes it reminds them to ask for a different one they want to help make.
some material scraps and some safety pins
I have some white t-shirts and once I get this cape finished for the skating show this weekend , I will put the jar of leftover 3d fabric paint tubes out with them-will make a few cardboard inserts for them-might wait till their friends are over for that if there is enough paint leftover for 4 t shirts.
the adding machine has been there lately-need another roll of paper
rulers-erasers-pens-scissors-paper-ballons are almost always there-we tend to just push stuff to the back of the table when we eat.
craft stuff-beads-string-more balloons-stuff from the thrift shop they havnt seen me get.-neat pics from magazines to look at-
Kara managed to squirrel away a basketball size ball of masking tape that dh pulled off the l-room after painting this week
they dont always bother with it-sometimes it strikes their fancy and is the flavor of the week
Thanks for the button jar reminder-they like it when they see it in the sewing room-will put it on the kitchen table for a while with some cord and big needles and some fabric scraps.
the girls are 8
Dh is finally well enough to get back at the l-room so they were helping him measure and snap chalk lines on the plywood floor while he explained how he was going to use it to lay the tile next week
Stephanie wrote the measurements on the floor for him.
fun
grace.



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In a message dated 3/1/04 10:46:55 PM, pennacres@... writes:

<< Thanks for the button jar reminder-they like it when they see it in the
sewing room-will put it on the kitchen table for a while with some cord and big
needles and some fabric scraps. >>

Maybe instead of needles and fabric scraps, which makes the buttons be only
what they were intended to be, consider an egg carton or several bowls so they
can sort them by various attributes or just count with them, or whatever. I
always liked to sort through by material when I was a kid. Shell buttons,
wood, cloth-covered. I have lots of metal buttons in my box, and several ceramic
(hippie-made buttons).

Putting a solid-color cloth down helps might keep the buttons from escaping,
and make them prettier, and make less noise (some people are irritated by lots
of "tink, tink" noises).



Sandra