beans

As part of Little B's therapy/"sensory diet" for his Sensory Processing Disorder, we have a “Bean Bin” full of various dry beans and pasta. A year ago, he needed this more than now, and would spend literally hours at a time submersed in this tactile wonderland. The calm that would come over him during those hours amazed and delighted me (and him as well, no doubt). A sandbox will provide somewhat the same for him (for some kids, sand is a major issue, and beans/pasta is an alternative), but the bean bin is a lot better for indoors.

These days, we keep it handy (there is so not a good place to store a massive storage bin conveniently without it being an eyesore, but oh well!) for days when he’s seeking extra tactile input (touching everything at the store, can’t keep his hands off other people, and so on). That and both kids just think it’s just fun. Once it’s opened, it gets used a lot for a while before getting covered up again for a few weeks. This week has been a big bean bin week at our house.





But today, I discovered a new way to soak said beans (and one noodle): the washing machine. This is a mere sampling of what my machine looked like; some even fell out of clothing while I moved them to the dryer.




Speaking of the dryer, I wonder if it will cook them?