Recyclable Kitchen

Does your kid like to pretend to cook? Do you have a little master chef in the making? Well the good news is, if you want to make a fun pretend kitchen for your child, you don't have to brake the bank to do so. In fact, you don't even have to spend a dime! All you need to do is raid your recycle bin. Empty bottles, old cereal boxes, empty spice containers, you name it! If you really want to be generous, you can also add some canned goods (not from the recycling though! Please don't give your child empty tin cans since they can have very sharp edges!) and unopened bags of dried beans. Before you know it, your child will have a well stocked pantry of play food that can help feed their imagination!

Ideas of what you can use:

-recycled plastic bottles--thoroughly washed out. If you have a younger child, use a hot glue gun to secure the lid onto the bottle so it does not become a choking hazard. Before gluing the lid on, you can also add some colored water for fun to create "drinks" they can serve. But again, make sure to glue on the lid so it doesn't become a big mess.

-empty cereal boxes--tape the top shut.

-empty oatmeal containers

-unopened canned goods

-unopened bags of dried beans--these are really fun because of the sound they make plus the added weight they have from being full bags. Both the sound and feel create a bonus sensory element to the kitchen play. Moving around a heavy bag full of beans can also be muscle building for little ones.

-empty spice containers--I didn't actually wash these out so that they still held the sent of the spices. My son had a blast sniffing all the empty spice containers! It helped to enhance his pretend cooking experience, teaching him that part of the joy of cooking is exploring new smells.

-bowls, large spoons, rubber spatulas, etc.--Any old cooking utensils you can add to the cause only helps to round out the kitchen fun. I had recently cleaned out my tupperware drawer and gave all the mismatched lids and containers to my son for his kitchen. It worked perfectly.

Find a special place to set up your child's kitchen and let the cooking begin!