Sound Wall

We finally moved our Sound Wall, or Banging Wall, to the deck.  Last year, we had it down by the playset and we played with it every day.  This summer, not so much, mostly because we haven't been down there very much. Our backyard has two flights of stairs to get down to the level part, and that is very hard on me... I have two non-walkers, and gettting everyone out to the yard and in a safe place is a bit tricky. (Kinda reminds me of that brain teaser where you have to get the fox and the sheep across the river in a boat...) 
Here's what's on our banging wall so far:

a handmade triangle
a Target "dollar spot" windchime
a frying pan
 metal collander
a sauce pan
a metal decorative tray

We had some other items on our wall down in the yard, but they looked kind of out of place on this wall. A huge white cookpot, a metal rack for the stove, and some wooden windchimes didn't make the cut.


Anyhow, Kenna has sorely missed her banging wall, and Daddy moved it upstairs to our deck today. Yay!!  Since we are about to put our home on the market, I didn't want fifteen nail holes in the decking. Instead, Handy Husband hung a board from the deck rail, and we banged holes in that.  Somehow, we have a lot more room up here in the new setip- so now a trip to Goodwill is in order for more stuff to bang on!
I'm on the lookout for some old wrenches, a couple metal cooking spoons, and possibly a metal picture frame or something.  I can't wait to be inspired!

Upcycled Coffee Can

We are a family of coffee drinkers. We tried really hard to cut back while I was pregnant, but I have to say that I am not myself without one small cuppa a day. I generally stick to grunts and nods til the first couple sips of coffee make their way into my bloodstream. And everyone is generally glad about that- I am kind of a morning grump. That said, we buy the GIANT buckets of coffee that come in neat canisters with a handle and a big lid. I rinsed one out and gave it to Little Man, full of some wooden block shapes.

He was hesitant to stick his hand in at first- he's kinda nervous sometimes.

After observing some tempting shaking and plopping, he dived right in! He pulled a few pieces out, and spent quite a bit of time peering into the container. He still isn't keen on using his right hand for activities, but I placed a block in that hand a few times to encourage him. He didn't do much more with this activity, but we'll be working on it. I want him to spill, I want him to fill, and I want him to pick up the container. I've had two people this week tell me that he is showing huge improvement- I was glowing, let me tell you!

Meanwhile, Kenna has used her coffee container to store every tiny trinket she holds dear! Such a fun upcycle!