thankful for whatever this is

the other day, i had my blonde curls in the tub.   i was trying to keep him there for a while because he was sick.   so after he got tired of the boats and cups, i put the shower hose in the soap dish for him.   it keeps the water running but i can turn it down really low so it's not wasting water either.     it drains out the bottom so it's like a little waterfall.   he kept putting things under it to fill and dump.   it all lead to this-

a straw stuck in the bottom hole of the soap dish, a few straws stuck together, and we had this crazy thing where the water comes out different places different times and fills other cups and is totally useless except it's fun.   now, i'm sure there are hydraulics applications and all kinds of sciencey things that he's learning at the same time.   what happens when i stick two little straws inside this bigger straw?     how far up can i bring this straw before the water doesn't come out any more?   how much faster does this cup fill than that one?

after we did this one for a while, we found some other things to play with -

i cut the end off of a soap bottle and then cut a hole in the back so it would fit over the faucet.   he liked being able to plug it up and then letting the water go with the nozzle.  

i just took the whole end off of a large water bottle for him to play with.   i took the stopper out so the water just flowed but he like sticking straws in the end.   i used a hole punch to make holes and tied it onto the rail so it would sit under the soap dish and flow from there into it.   he, of course, wanted it to go faster and helped it along. 

yes, yes, it's all very useful and educative.    mostly, it was just fun to play with my blonde curly boy.   isn't that what is really important.   i am always grateful for time well spent, doing nothing with the people that are my everything.