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Counting and sorting beans

Johnny sorting beans

Believe it or not, the beans in this picture were kept in an upcycled small juice container as an improvised baby toy for the past four years. My kids never thought to open the container! We had some friends we don’t see very often over last month, and they were the ones who figured out that the top came off!

So, one of my most popular baby toys ever (seriously) was gone, but the beans found a new use occupying Johnny. He spent a good half hour sorting and counting beans. Then Emma came over and they both got silly and dumped everything out on the floor…

MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.

13 thoughts on “Counting and sorting beans”

  1. @Jen – I guess we keep on spilling the beans throughout our lives, on occasion…

    @Ticia – You have to remember that they only figured out the container would open with the help of their friends =)

  2. Elisa | blissfulE

    I love how you turned the loss of a popular toy into an absorbing activity for Johnny!
    .-= Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..Nikki’s first performance =-.

  3. Johnny looks very preoccupied indeed :) Too funny that other kids figured out how to open that container :)
    .-= Natalie´s last blog ..Science Sunday – Gravity =-.

  4. We’ve had adults accidentally “spill the beans” by offering info they thought was good news to our kids only to find out we were trying to keep it a secret! Like when one of our friends excitedly told our kids they were opening a McDonald’s in a nearby town in S. Africa. Joshua was ecstatic. I was not!

    At least Johnny is quite occupied by this new discovery!
    .-= Jen´s last blog ..From The Archives – Strawberry Shortcake =-.

  5. Great idea for sorting! My kids would love the sound and the tactile experience.
    .-= Jaimie´s last blog ..On the Road Again =-.

  6. Your Johnny is so smart! I am going to do this with Jack, but let’s count on them ending up being used as construction site materials:-)! Either way, he’ll have fun and it’s another super idea from you!
    .-= Susana´s last blog ..Homemade Crayons for Jack =-.

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