Have I mentioned that my kids are SUPER into Finding Dory, lately? Don’t get me wrong, it is a GREAT movie, but I don’t know how kids can want to watch the same movie over and over and over and over again! We took a trip to Pensacola Beach last summer (oh the days when we could take trips!) and we collected a whole bucket of seashells. Unlike most smart parents who chose not to lug them home for a ten hour drive home, we brought ours home and they have resided in a clear plastic bag in our garage ever since. Well, up until a few weeks ago when the kids rediscovered the the seashells again and insisted on playing with them.
They originally wanted to bring them inside. Why do kids insist on bringing outside things inside?? Rocks, dirt and STICKS! Sticks is my favorite. My son was like, “But mommy, my sticks are outside, and it’s going to rain!! What is going to happen to my sticks?!” How did the sticks possibly survive this long without him? Anyway, I said they could play with the seashells as long as they kept them outside. My two-year old kept calling them “purple shells.” None of them are purple, but I went with it. She kept singing, “Purple shells, purple shells, where are you?” It wasn’t until we watched Finding Dory for the 1,376th time that I realized she was saying PAPA SHELLS like the ones Dory’s parents lined up to help Dory find her way back home.
If you too have a random storage of beach seashells somewhere, bring them out and use them! I encouraged them to group them by size, texture or type to work on detail and grouping skills. Of course, we also made a trail of them. They got to play with their papa shells and I got to teach them. Win-win!
Playing with seashells will have to do for now until we can take family vacations again!
Love, Learn & Librarian 