cpcable's Profile

Display Name:	cpcable
Member Since:	8/16/12

Latest Comments...

Charlie26,

I don't think it's a question of "better" in regards to which material should or shouldn't be used in a sensory tub. Different materials feel differently in our hands and provide different experiences and teach us different things. As to whether or not this is a "waste" of food, I don't think it is. These two articles about the use of food in early childhood education:
http://www.teachpreschool.org/discussion-on-food-use-in-the-early-childhood-classroom/
and
http://msooey.tumblr.com/post/18191787480/using-food-in-the-classroom
greatly influenced my thinking on this debate and make the point far more eloquently than I can here. All that being said, there is no reason that this rice can't be eaten after your child is done playing with it. We've been playing with ours for over a month and it's still clean enough that I would feel comfortable cooking it and eating it after rinsing it (which you need to do anyway with rice).

-Courtney

Make a Simple Rice Table A Life Sustained

8/16/12 11:16 AM

Lyonstill,

I want to thank you for leaving this very thoughtful comment with a perspective that I think is too often overlooked. I did (and do) struggle with the use of food for non-food purposes (craft, play, etc.) and gave the question a lot of thought before making this project.

At this stage of my son's development (he's now 18 mos.) he still puts things in his mouth and swallows them, even when I'm supervising him very closely. I wanted to give him something very small to play with so that he could develop his fine motor skills, but that would also be safe should he swallow some. For me, dried rice and dried lentils fit the bill. Pebbles will be a wonderful option for when he's older, but for now, I just don't think small ones are safe for this type of play.

-Courtney

Make a Simple Rice Table A Life Sustained

8/16/12 10:36 AM