It is the simple things in life, right? Take a handful of marbles and a nesting of plastic mixing bowls (there was no way I was giving up my nice glass mixing bowls for this), give them to your children and watch what they do.
Are they looking at you like you lost your marbles (sorry, I could not resist). If that is the case then walk over, grab one of the marbles and give it a spin along the inner edge of one of the bowls. Then if you are lucky like me, you can walk away and busy yourself with making dinner or taking a long peaceful bubble bath because that is pretty much how long your kids will entertain themselves. At least if they are like my kids. I don’t know, maybe mine are just way too easily amused.
Marbles and mixing bowls. Just don’t expect to get your mixing bowls back any time soon.
If you want to get fancy and watch their eyes glaze over, you can bust out with your knowledge of centrifugal force and centripetal force. I did simply awful in both my semesters of college Physics so my knowledge of said forces is limited and probably mostly wrong (especially considering I passed because I hired a tutor, a friend who was an engineer that tutored for tequila, and the class was graded on the curve) but at least I sound smart when talking to my kids about it.
Shoes On The Wrong Feet 
It amazes me admist all the fancy toys they have, that a simple bowl will keep them entertained for hours, and that is how it has always been.
It is good they have a mom who thinks outside the box.
Honestly, I am a little ashamed to say this, but the boys don’t really have any fancy electronic toys or gadgets. I figure since they are so happy with what they have and they use their imaginations more without instruction, we don’t buy them all that other stuff. Just this morning they were engrossed in playing with their “elevator” – a kid shopping cart looped with broken bead necklaces wrapped around a small basket that they raised and lowered and put “people” in. The people were wooden clothes pins and small plastic dinosaurs.
I miss those days- when a box and a spoon could occupy my kids. Now if it doesn’t have a screen I can’t get their attention. Even if they were studying physics they would probably find an app for it.
Apps and screens have their place and I think I should use those more than I do but I fear that it is a slippery slope. I am hanging onto the simple and none electronic as long as I can. 🙂
I am impressed that you took physics–I took advanced basketweaving and they put me back into remedial
One whole year, with accompanying labs, and it was awful. I did much better with chemistry and even calculus. For some reason I just can’t wrap my brain around physics. During tests if I was not sure how to proceed (which was more often than not) I would plug the numbers into all the equations that I thought would fit and try to rationalize if the answer I got made sense. Thank God for grading on a curve!
hey don’t try to play it down – you are one smart girl
Well, thank you. 🙂
Wow. You know what? You’re a genuis. I am so trying that tomorrow! 🙂
Ha. I will only tell you my secret ok? I read about the marble and bowl thing in one of my kids’ magazines. 🙂 Sadly it was not my idea so I shall not take the credit. I hope it works for you as well as it did for me.
Simple. Love it!
As do I! 🙂
How long does it take the marbles to come back out after they are swallowed? 🙂 my 9 year old would still find a way to accidentally swallow one..
Oh dear. That is a question I don’t have any experience with. Perhaps you can get him the large shooter marbles so they would be harder to accidentally swallow.
What fun! Put some saran wrap, foil, etc. at the bottom with some finger paints and make an art project!
That sounds like a great activity to remember and bust out when we can do it outside. Two boys + finger paints + spinning marbles in bowls on a table with carpet underneath = one nervous momma.