Construct-a-snack

I have been meaning to have the kidlets do a marshmallow construction project for quite some time now, but I never remembered to buy the marshmallows when I was at the grocery store.  We usually have some sort of marshmallows around for spontaneous Smore-making activitites, but there are rarely enough of them, nor are they of the correct size to really embark on a project like this.  The other day I was shopping and The Banana asked for marshmallows, and I remembered to buy them.  They’ve been sitting on the counter, nearly driving The Banana CRAZY with anticipation about what we were actually going to do with them for days.  I kept saying, “When YaYa gets back from horse camp . . . ”

YaYa is back from horse camp, and The Banana had marshmallows on the agenda.  I sent them outside to the shed to be sticky, and they worked away.  It was hot in the shed, and YaYa had to take a few breaks, but it didn’t phase The Banana and Mr. SP at all.  The Banana was very concerned with eating the marshmallows as soon as possible.  I told all three that they had to finish constructing, and that I had to take a picture of what they built before they could start eating.  The Banana quickly made a marshmallow train and “a collection of marshmallow roasting sticks.”  As soon as I snapped the picture, she started eating.

Mr. SP worked hard and long building his, “crummy church thing with a tower.”  After the picture, he ate two marshmallows and went back to his room to finish listening to his talking story.  He hates being interrupted from a talking story.  I’m pretty sure the only reason he came out of his room at all during the talking story (which he begrudgingly paused) was because marshmallows were involved.

Because she was hot and sticky, and needed a few breaks, YaYa took the longest to build an ellaborate structure.  She didn’t know what it was and decided that maybe she didn’t really want any marshmallows.  It was hot for marshmallows, and she really didn’t like them that much anyway (neither do I, for the record).  So I just took a picture of her structure.

I was surprised (and a bit delighted)  that even though I left the structures up all day and into the next morning, the marshmallows really didn’t get eaten.  The Banana had her fill after two handfuls and was done, and Mr. SP sort of forgot about the marshmallows while he finished his talking story.  He had a few the next day, but by then they were pretty stale.  I think it was too hot for even the ants to eat the marshmallows.  And that’s OK.  The fun was the constructing.