Spaghetti and Meatballs for 2!

Ahhhh! My FIRST post...the excitement is unreal from the other side of the screen!

Having two kids to entertain and keep busy at the same time can sometimes become overwhelming since their needs and interests vary so much, so if I can engage them both at the same time it is a definite score for momma.
Reading is a MUST in this house (the perks of having a former teacher as a mother I suppose...I'm sure they'll appreciate this one day) and something they both enjoy so I will attempt to make an activity out of every story. A rainy day reminded me of a book I used to read to my class, so off to our comfy couch we went to dive into Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. Sean enjoyed the tale of a town called Chewandswallow where townsfolk enjoy food falling from the sky as various weather, until one day it becomes so out of control they must devise a plan to save themselves from the haywire weather.

Then the fun began...we broke out the spaghetti (leftover plain cooked pasta from earlier in the week) and meatballs (craft pom poms)!

Livie was a bit timid in the beginning, she kept looking up at me as if to get my approval to play, but once she squished those lil toes in the pile of spaghetti it was on! Since the pasta was cooked and safe for baby I didn't mind her tasting it, but I had to watch her with the meatballs. I love sensory activities for babies and toddlers it's a great way to explore the senses.

While Livie tasted, squished, and pulled strands of pasta, Sean broke out his tweezers from a Dollar Tree bug collecting kit and began to pick out the meatballs (a great fine motor activity). I used this time to add my "educational" spin by prompting him to discuss color, count, sort, and finish patterns. We used the noodles to sort by size and talked about new words to describe them. Sean said they were, "sticky, white, and skinny!" A simple way to add words to their growing vocabulary is to just constantly talk (describe) what you are doing in daily activities.

As much as I loved the learning part, my greatest joy is always in the interaction of my babes.

Do you have any creative ways of using leftovers in your play?