Do you know what I have been loving once again? Our quiet bins.

I had honestly not been utilising them to their full potential for a few months with Sam. He has just turned 8 and I thought he was getting kind of big for them. He likes to read, draw, or look at his collector cards now for a quiet break.

However I had a quiet bin out for Ben and Sam jumped right in. I had forgotten one of the most beautiful things about these bins – they are completely open ended! This means that my little ones can use the bins to their interest and ability levels.

Ben was using the clothespins and popsicle sticks to create little paddocks for some farm animals and was lost in a world of his own. Sam started to build a tower using the supplies, but then changed his direction and started to create pictures.

He made a house and a sun, some grass and clouds. After he made a person I saw the wheels a-turning. He wanted the person to be able to go into the house and act out a little story he was creating.

But how to make those popsicle stick pictures stand up …

After (a lot) of trial and error he came up with the idea of using two clothespins positioned in this way:

It worked like a charm! I was more than impressed with my little builder! His story telling though … I must say it needs some work. Far too much violence and bathroom humour for this Mamas liking. Oh 8 year old boys!

It was such a good reminder for me how kids of any age can really get creative with these quiet bins. I am pulling quite a few out strategically this week and look forward to seeing the creations and imaginative ideas that come from these boys of mine. Kids really are amazing.

If you are looking for some quiet bin ideas, be sure to pop over to check out my eBook with a full year of educational quiet bins!

Thank you so much for reading friends. I hope you are having a fabulous day.