No sand toys, no problem | Toddling Through the Silicon Valley | Cheryl Bac | Palo Alto Online |

Local Blogs

Toddling Through the Silicon Valley

By Cheryl Bac

E-mail Cheryl Bac

About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons incl...  (More)

View all posts from Cheryl Bac

No sand toys, no problem

Uploaded: Mar 20, 2019
I always try to bring a couple of basic sand toys for our kids to play with at the park. While sand toys are great fun, they can also be quite frustrating. Many kids don’t yet understand that the sand toys belong to a specific kid. Tantrums happen when everyone wants the same excavator or the kids are short one shovel. And, as a parent, it’s frustrating to end a play date hunting for your kids’ toys that have been carelessly discarded or have gone missing. I can see why many caregivers frequently “forget” their sand toys at home.

Recently I left our sand toys in the minivan. We weren’t planning to stay at the park very long, so the extra toys just weren’t worth the hassle.

Of course, our kids immediately ran to the sand area and wanted to dig. I quickly searched for some rocks and sticks and showed them how to use them as digging and building tools. Thankfully our kids were intrigued. Using simple rocks and sticks, they were able to make a huge hole, tunnel, and a pretend animal home.

And, the best part? No one was trying to steal anyone else’s toys. I didn’t have to worry about sand toys getting lost or taken. The park outing was surprisingly peaceful. Yes, a couple of kids thought it would be fun to wreck the creations, but our kids were able to stand up for themselves because they were just protecting their one creation rather than also keeping track of their toys.

Sand toys are wonderful. And most of the time we will bring them to the park and the beach. But, leaving them in the minivan and thinking outside the box was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.
Community.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

Posted by Marc, a resident of Midtown,
on Mar 20, 2019 at 8:29 pm

You mean people buy toys specifically to be used in a sand box? What happened to using tin cans, plastic food containers, and spoons? No cost and no one gets upset when other kids use them.

Next people will talk about buying their children clothes specifically made for kids. What happened to using old flour sacks and wrapping their feet in newspapers?

Just another example of todays children being spoiled by over indulgent parents.

:^)

/marc




Posted by Cheryl Bac, a Palo Alto Online blogger,
on Mar 21, 2019 at 6:09 pm

Cheryl Bac is a registered user.

Marc - Thanks for commenting. Sand toys do have their perks.


Follow this blogger.
Sign up to be notified of new posts by this blogger.

Email:

SUBMIT

Post a comment

Sorry, but further commenting on this topic has been closed.

Stay informed.

Get the day's top headlines from Palo Alto Online sent to your inbox in the Express newsletter.

Analysis/paralysis: The infamous ‘Palo Alto Process’ must go
By Diana Diamond | 1 comment | 1,593 views

The Time and Cost Savings of Avoiding a Long Commute
By Steve Levy | 5 comments | 1,267 views

Common Ground
By Sherry Listgarten | 2 comments | 1,234 views

Planting a Fall Garden?
By Laura Stec | 2 comments | 593 views

 

Sign-up now for 5K Run/Walk, 10k Run, Half Marathon

The 39th annual Moonlight Run and Walk is Friday evening, September 29. Join us under the light of the full Harvest Moon on a 5K walk, 5K run, 10K run or half marathon. Complete your race in person or virtually. Proceeds from the race go to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund, benefiting local nonprofits that serve families and children in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

REGISTER