What keeps my toddler occupied for hours on end? Not a fancy electronic toy. Not a cardboard box. Not Veggie Tales. Well, yeah, Veggie Tales, too. But this post is about her recent fascination with a Bucket of Water. And tea cups. And coffee mugs. And spoons. And paint brushes. And a balcony.

She sits there so contentedly, fills up her cups and mugs and spoons, and dumps the water over the side of the balcony. And she diligently “paints” the boards with the paintbrush. And then they dry. So she “paints” them again.

It’s perfect! If we had a real house, with a real yard, she would get horribly muddy. If we lived on any other floor in this apartment complex, this would not work. The first floor is half underground, thus, no balcony. Also, if the first floor was above ground and had a patio, the neighbors might get upset at the water trickling, and sometimes pouring down on their heads as they recline in the summer sun. If we lived on the third floor, the second-story balcony dwellers would complain. And even better yet? The balcony door is right next to the computer! So she is completely adult-supervised… while said adult blogs her heart out to you about how cute it is to see a toddler so obsessed with a Bucket of Water.

It works for me!