For about a week, I saved up every plastic bottle we finished in our kitchen (think: juices, peanut butter jars, mini spice jars) and set them aside. Today, I simply presented Veronika with the collection!

I had all the jars and lids apart, with the challenge for her to find the right lid for each jar.

Beyond that, though, she was interested in playing with them in ways I hadn’t anticipated. First, she showed her understanding that these containers used to contain food, because she tried to “drink” from them; the orange juice might have still smelled like juice!

Then she loved piling them back into a bag and toting them around the apartment.

After a while, she did get more into the puzzle of jars and lids, testing out various combinations.

She looked so proud when she could twist them on and off again.

For extra fun, we took the collection up to bath time!

Not only did she continue the challenge of lining up bottles and lids here, but the bottles were perfect for squirting and pouring.

You can even take the same collection outside for water play on a warm day!