In the vein of letting everyone know that I don’t feel the need to DIY everything, I thought I’d share a recent purchase I made for Dakota. A water table:

I’ve been outside a lot the last few days trying to finish up the chicken coop, and we’ll probably be outside a lot this year in general. It’s tough trying to keep Dakota occupied and in the shade while wrestling with power tools and lumber and screws an such. And I still had a gift card from xmas burning a hole in my pocket. I crossed my fingers that Dakota would like this thing, and oh boy she sure does!

In fact she was quite annoyed at me when I took her inside when it got a bit windy and cold yesterday evening. This morning she was at it again pretty much as soon as we went outside.

I showed her how to put the balls in the top so that they roll down the spiral. And once she mastered it herself… endless entertainment.

Now if you come anywhere near her while she’s playing with it she’ll offer you a ball to drop into the top.

The table is just high enough that I can fit my watering can underneath the drain and fill it to water my garden. Win win.

Unfortunately, this has made her all the more determined to play with the toilet water while she’s inside. Needless to say we’re being pretty vigilant about keeping the  bathroom doors closed. 😛

P.S. in case you do want to DIY a water table, here are some plans.