Watching My Son Grow: Into Everything!

Checking out his selection of snacks.

I have watched my son grow from a tentative baby into a gregarious toddler, and now he's into everything! Rather than hinder his natural curiosity, I am encouraging his exploration. He is learning all about the natural world, our human activities, and gaining all kinds of life skills and knowledge.

Our latest fun adventure is "helping" around the house. Rowan loves the vacuum, and calls it a "monster". (Hos grandparents are actually getting him a real vacuum, albeit a small lightweight one, for the holidays!) He wants to assist every time it is rolled out and is sad to see it leave and "sleep" in the closet. He also wants to help cook, which was a problem until recently!

"Helping" to make cookies.

I found a great blueprint online for a "helping tower". This is basically an adjustable step-stool with rails around it for safety. It gets my son up to counter height, so he can "help" me cook and bake. (Anyone with a cooking toddler knows that "help" is in quotation marks for a reason. If you want your toddler involved, give yourself an extra half hour, at least to finish any project, and prepare the room and the toddler for mess making. We usually strip the boy down to his diaper, pull his hair back in a ponytail,  and clear away anything fragile, like the coffee maker on the counter when he "helps".)

This helping tower is awesome!

I am lucky enough to have Rowan's grandfather, who is a whiz with wood and has his own workshop with every power tool imaginable. He spent a day making this tower from leftover poplar he had lying aorund. Once we brought it in the house, Rowan took to it immediately. He loves his "towuh" and tries to drag it across the kitchen floor to the counter every day now to participate.

When we were in the hardware store, I asked Rowan to pick a color for the tower from the paint samples, and he (finally!) picked an orange sherbet color. So that's what color the tower has become. Mama spent time in the basement painting it and when the new and improved tower was brought back up, Rowan exclaimed, "Tower! Paintin'!" I think that means he likes it.

One recent adventure was making daddy's birthday cheesecake. As Rowan licked the beaters clean, he kept murmuring, "Happy Biwfday!" Could he get any cuter, seriously? Tonight, Rowan got to help make Chicken Marsala, and tested the texture and taste of flour. I am so excited he gets to explore like this from a young age.

How do you let your kids "help"?

This post is part of the Monday blog hop at the Natural Parenting Group, a site which I am a member!