Itsy Bitsy Butterfly

I asked Ava to sing to me the other day. We were sitting on the mostly finished deck in our swing. Using the front facing camera on my iPhone I managed to capture quite the concert. First I got her version of the ABC song twice. Then I asked for the Itsy Bitsy Spider, then Row, Row, Row Your Boat, and finally Hush Little Baby. It was so adorable.

Here is a small audio clip from the concert. (Yea! I finally figured out how to post audio!) She decided to sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider as the Itsy Bitsy Butterfly instead as she explains at the end.

Outdoor Sensory Table Ideas?

We have both a sand table and a water table. The sand table is useful year round, but the water table is pretty much a hot weather only attraction. I would like to use it during the fall/winter as an outdoor sensory table on the deck.

I'm just not sure what to fill it with. We don't need two sand tables. It needs to be something dry so that they can play in it with winter coats/gloves on if that's necessary. It also needs to be able to withstand some humidity without getting icky given that I'd like to leave it outside. Also, it needs to be something that is either big enough to easily retrieve and put back in the bin or environmentally friendly so that when it falls off the deck into the grass it won't mess with the grass or lawnmower in the summer (so no rocks or gravel).

I've considered rice, feed corn, dried beans, uncooked pasta, etc., but I'm worried that they wouldn't stand up well outdoors. I've searched a bit online, and the only idea that looks even vaguely workable is those decorative glass gems. If I can find them bulk and reasonably priced, they would be fun to dig in and pour, and large enough to just pick the ones that fall out back off the deck and dump them back in. On the other hand, the ones that escape will simply be glass hanging out in the back yard and that doesn't seem wise. I also don't know if they'll get chipped if played with roughly and then be sharp and dangerous to little fingers.

Does anyone have thoughts about the glass gem idea or any other suggestions?

A Deck Takes Shape

So the deck is not finished yet. See the following photographic evidence.

Note strategically placed bin to prevent accidental 8 foot plummet.

Stepping into and out of the dining room is a bit interesting.

Getting to the stairs requires bravery and acrobatics.

The stair rails are currently non-existent.




And yet, huge finished sections are breathtakingly beautiful.

My husband is amazing.