Why We Save The Random Stuff

Aidan is always asking me for the boxes that carry packages to our house, pieces that protect fragile items that are shipped, cardboard tubes after the last paper towel is torn off, or empty egg cartons after the last egg is cracked.  What makes these random objects so darn irresistible to a child?  Is it their various shapes and sizes?  Their sturdy but manipulative parts?  The blank surfaces they want to draw on?  The endless possibilities they provide to the imagination?

They are more than just random objects to him.  I pull out a piece of styrofoam that looks useless to me.  Aidan sees a roof for a building, and a sweet ride across the floor on a surf board. 

Boxes become his canvases...

 Maps and blueprints for important buildings...

 Semi trucks...

 And rocket cars.

I've seen cardboard tube hoses for a firetruck...

Bridges...

 And secret passageways.

Even the little things are envisioned as something bigger with a little problem solving and some very sticky tape!

It's no longer a surprise to me when he asks for things I would toss.  It's no longer a question of why I wouldn't give them to him.  It's a question of what will they become next?  That's exactly why we save the random stuff.

What things do you save for your children to help them think outside the box?

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