Straw work

Q has been very interested in working with straws lately. She keeps going to the pantry and pulling them out. I gave her a small jar full of straws to work with. She had fun dumping them out and then putting them back in the jar.

Today I expanded on this a little bit. In my junk bin I had an empty parm cheese shaker, and the holes were perfect for straws to fit into. She could even open and close the flap that covered the holes by herself.

I also found an empty syrup bottle. The straws fit all the way down inside this bottle, so she has to shake them out once they get in.

This simple, free activity teaches problem solving, fine motor skills, practical life skills, understanding of volume, and even colors!