What to Play On My Big 'Ole Concrete Slab?

[Second Home]

I have seen corn kernels used in a sand table . My kids love it , too big to get into hair and you don't get dirty from it but they still get the fun of pouring it out and running their hands into it. You can get 50 # bags of deer corn for under $10 at tractor supply .

Also sign up for local on line yard sale sites on facebook. I have gotten lots of good condition used kids toys , some were even free . I have even seen clothes for free if you want to have extras on hand just in case.

[permanentvacation]

I never thought of deer corn. We have a local animal feed supply store. I just might check that out.

[BabyMonkeys]

I have seen corn kernels used in a sand table . My kids love it , too big to get into hair and you don't get dirty from it but they still get the fun of pouring it out and running their hands into it. You can get 50 # bags of deer corn for under $10 at tractor supply .

I detest sand. I live in Florida and I haven't been to the beach in 5 years. I bought a 50 pound bag of dry rice at Costco that I use as a sandbox, but they are getting rice in their diapers, and it isn't fun trying to remove the rice from the diaper of an uncircumcised toddler. I was thinking about trying corn, but it is crazy expensive to buy that much. I hadn't thought of deer corn! Cool idea

[Second Home]

At my local tractor supply I saw deer corn for $8 . And that was a 50 pound bag .

[Annalee]

I use birdseed inside and outside.

[Unregistered]

How about disposable shower caps when they are playing with sand. Keeps the sand out!

[Thriftylady]

How about disposable shower caps when they are playing with sand. Keeps the sand out!

This is what I was going to suggest. They are cheap at the dollar store, and could be used over and over, just write names on them. You can get plasic ones but they may be hot, perhaps you could find some fabric ones. Or just use bandannas or do rags!

[Silly Songs]

Don't forget bubbles !

[MunchkinWrangler]

Don't forget bubbles !

Yes!!! You could get a bubble machine, they're relatively cheap, and get bubble wands and trays in all shapes and sizes. Hours of fun!

[permanentvacation]

Of course, bubbles are a given! Kids LOVE bubbles! I used to have a bubble machine. But now that you have me thinking about it, I have no idea what happened to it. I guess I got rid of it when I moved or something.

[Unregistered]

OH! I didn't know Morning Glories were toxic! Thanks!

One thing I noticed when we had field corn given to us it was very dusty. I know field corn is grown with LOTS of chemicals and I was a bit worried about what kind of nasty sprays were on that stuff. I eventually threw it out. Just a thought.

There is speculation the stuff they are spraying on corn (glyphosphate sp?) is causing lots of problems. It blows apart insects stomachs. I'm afraid to let kids inhale that stuff.

But that's just me

[NightOwl]

Get some outdoor rugs!! They work great! When the weather is nice you can leave them outside. When is wet, you can bring them inside at night so they don't have to dry before the Daycare kids can play on them

This! Or the square mats that hook together. That'll save their little knees.

[NightOwl]

How about disposable shower caps when they are playing with sand. Keeps the sand out!

Excellent idea!

[NightOwl]

I don't want to start anything about race, but the reason there's an issue with getting sand/dirt in their hair is because I have mainly little black girls with braided hair. It's hard to get the sand/dirt out of their hair. Some of my kids have (I don't know exactly what it's called) hair extensions whether they are technically track or weave, I don't know, but I know that in order to truly get the sand out of the extensions, you have to literally take the extensions out. Overall, whether it's their natural hair or extensions, it's a lot of mess to go through to get the sand/dirt out of their hair, so I do my best not to have sand/dirt play.

With that said, I do have a sand/water table that I do put sand in occasionally, but then I stand watch to make sure they don't get sand in their hair. Since it's so hard to get sand out of most of my daycare kids' hair, I only do sand play a couple of times per year.

That's what I was gonna say. I believe African Americans wash/re-braid about once per week and it's very time consuming. Sand is a huge problem for them. I'm loving the shower cap idea!

[NightOwl]

Man, y'all have some fantastic ideas here! Makes me want a concrete slab. My whole backyard is grass and trees though. I love the shower cap for sand play idea, painting a track for the ride on toys, and the outdoor rugs.

Someone may have mentioned it already, but what about "painting" with water? Small buckets of water, paint brushes, and let the kids paint the concrete and the side of the house or the fence, if it's wood. The water shows up darker so they can see their work and then dries away.

It's hard to keep it natural when there's no grass, so I also love the idea of long rectangular planters with grass growing and making a little fairy village or using it to play dinosaurs. When it gets to long, just trim it with scissors.