Indoor/Outdoor Cafe

Lately you have been wanting to imitate everything that Mommy and Daddy do.  Since breakfasts are spent enjoying coffee (for Daddy) and tea (for Mommy) I thought you would like to get your hands dirty and explore both beverages in your own way. 

For this activity, I decided to try a little experiment.  I allowed you to play indoors with the cafe items one day and outdoors another day, to see if there were any differences in the way you explored these sensory trays.  I added dry coffee grounds from the coffee pot (with a few beans for texture) and dried up tea bags to the tray, while the rest of the items were the same for both play times. The biggest difference was that you were allowed water during the outdoor cafe adventure.  Here's a list of the other items that were included:

• a tea ball
• creamers
• assorted cups
• spoon/coffee scoop
• a plastic lemon
• a tea bag caddy
• sugar packets
•  a muffin cup (indoors)
• water (outdoors)
• a coffee thermos (outdoors)

Last week when you played with the items in the dining room, I noticed a lot of your attention was aimed at filling the tiny cups with the coffee ground and beans.  You would transfer them from one cup to another as well. Indoors you also liked pretending that you were sampling everything that you created.  

 


You had so much fun creating this mess indoors, I couldn't wait to take it outside with you this week!  You were pretty excited, too!  This time when you played with the cafe, you were definitely focused on pouring the water into the tray, into the cups, and into your lap.  The tea bags were a hit too.  You dunked them like Mama does and tried to rip one apart. Since there were a few more cups and lids this time, you experimented by fitting lids with cups and by stacking them inside one another.   

Both trays were a hit!  You loved getting dirty and mixing concoctions with and without the water!  We will definitely have to try this tray out again soon!

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