It's Slinky!

A few days ago Collin noticed that one of the quarter machines at Safeway is now carrying miniature plastic slinkies. He's talked about it a great deal since then, and wanted to know if he could get one today when he and I went out running errands. He is now the proud owner of an original metal slinky, and he brought one home for Willow as well. (We didn't go to the store with the right quarter machines, but we did stop over in the toy aisle and found the big metal slinkies.) He's been playing with it incessantly since, as has Willow. The toy kitchen under the breakfast bar is now a space station, and so far the slinkies have been through space adventures, intrigues, and much danger. Collin's is already bent up and absolutely beyond repair, and he doesn't seem to care. Mike bent it back the best he could, and Collin announced it was perfect, and ran off to play with it some more.

You can't get much simpler - I mean, it's a metal coil. We don't have any stairs in our house, either, though I expect the kids will figure out ramps and steps using their blocks. It's a very welcome change from the constant pestering about wanting video games or kid laptops, though. And honestly, who can resist taking a slinky and shink-shinking it back and forth between your hands? Not I.

And with that, as my son is driving a little lego car into the room with his slinky in tow off the back of it, I'll wrap up this post. The slinky is asking me if I have any cups. It has a very monotone robot sort of voice, for those who are curious about such things.