After a fun snack time making and eating apple nachos, we had a big green apple leftover on the counter. I realized I could easily entertain Travis by turning this last apple not into a snack but into a building material. This activity is great for keeping kids busy, whether you’re nursing a younger sibling, cooking a family dinner, or prepping for a big holiday feast later this month!

Travis and I started with a firm base, and I showed him how he could attach two apple pieces together with a toothpick.

Pretty soon he was off and running with it, building up up up.

He loved seeing how horizontally-added toothpicks helped stabilize the structure – a little engineer at work!

Kids can make the design as simple or as complicated as they like. We finished ours with a triangle tower on top.

And soon it was home to a Duplo bunny.

How do you keep kids entertained while you’re busy in the kitchen? Please share in the comments!