Spice Grinder

Sweet Pea is 45 months old.

From: I found this cute little cinnamon and sugar grinder at the grocery store and thought it would be a great practical life activity for Sweet Pea.

Material:

• Spice grinder.
• Thinly sliced apples.

Procedure:

• Show your tot how to hold the grinder upside down over the apples.
• Demonstrate holding the bottom portion steady while twisting the top portion to grind the cinnamon.
• Let your tot try.

Observations:

Sweet Pea really enjoys using this grinder.    Since I introduced it , she has been frequently requested sliced apples, and I am not going to complain about anything that gets her to request fruit for a snack.

Sweet Pea isn’t able to get too much out, but she works hard at it.   Twisting in the correct direction takes quite a bit of hand strength, so this would only be suitable for an older tot who has good fine motor control.

I love quick little activities like this.  It is a great example of something that an adult would take for granted, but most tots would find fascinating.

Notes from the Trenches: Cinnamon can be a bit caustic, so be careful about allowing your tot to handle cinnamon if he or she has sensitive skin.

I have learned that if the grinder gets wet, a moist cinnamon paste will gunk up the cheap plastic parts and you will need a toothpick to pick all the gooey cinnamon bits back out the mechanism before the grinder works again.  I wish I could tell you that I know this because I accidentally dropped the grinder in the sink, but I’ll just warn you that you should explain to your tot that he or she is not allowed to lick the top of the grinder under any circumstances.

Rating: 2 Stars * (Easy, Independent)