Today it is supposed to feel like 105° F outside. We are staying inside these days with the AC running and hoping for a bit of cool so we can peek out of doors once again. I wonder often how Virginia inhabitants survived the summers here in the south 100 years ago without AC. Maybe it wasn’t this warm and humid because global warming wasn’t yet a consideration. (Okay, that is a post for another time.)

So, we are re-inventing the ordinary and the mundane during these lazy, long summer days. Endeavoring to keep the TV silent, we are exploring new ways to play with “old toys.” Yesterday, (when it only felt like 96° F) the kids set to work making Stone Soup. The same mundane kitchen, a few ordinary beans, and a bit of water equaled hours of cooking. (And just a wee bit of cleaning up for me.)

As a mama who still needs to guide playtime, this is a fabulously easy way to keep these pre-schoolers busy. A handful of small pebbles and a mix of various dried beans were the base for an extraordinary stone soup. (No one around here sticks anything in their mouth besides food. If you know of a little some who likes to consume all things small, I’d suggest a recipe other than stone soup.) The mundane plus a little ordinary can be fascinating. Play can be simple. Play can be small. And play can be easy.