Homemade Kid's Play Kitchen

My 3 year-old loves to cook for us. Of course it's just make belief but he is learning a lot and I also get to see what he's picked up from us. I often cook with him around and I get him to help me either by peeling a carrot or stirring the eggs for an omelet. This way he feels useful, he learns new things and hopefully will get to appreciate the food.

Until recently he didn't have a play kitchen at  home, he just had fruits and vegetables he received at Christmas, the Ikea ones are really well made and some dishes made out of plastic food containers, his own invention. Once, he decided his oven was under the couch, another time he had an imaginary sink by the bar. I like his creativity and imagination so I was in no hurry to buy him a kitchen but he played with one at our friend's houses and in the play areas at restaurants.

The second reason I wasn't in a hurry to buy him a kid's kitchen is that those things are expensive! Most are branded and they sell them for a bucket of money which I don't think is fair. On top of it, many are just plastic and not very pretty in my eyes. Wood kitchens are even more expensive, even second hand ones. Again, Ikea have a nice one but do you do when the kid outgrows it? Ok, probably not happening soon.

I liked the idea of making the kitchen myself so I turned to the internet and found ideas for cardboard kitchens. You can buy the cardboard boxes with the cut outs and drawings from these guys KiddoBox Toys, thanks Miruna for the tip.

But still, the idea to make it for him with him was still there. So I started gathering boxes in the garage until the light came up in my head that my husband had this nightstand/cupboard he had bought for his dorm room which was now gathering dust with only a sweater in it. The end result is below:

I scoured the cheap shops to find the bowl for the sink and the metal gas stove protection I used as a...gas stove, not that difficult to find. I wanted to put some sort of fake faucet but decided against it because he is using the screws and buttons from the wood workbench as buttons for the stove and faucet for the sink. I don't ask questions. it's like it is. The fruits and other produce stay in the cupboard and his mixer and laundry machine on the lower shelf. And voila! You might be asking why the wood tools there? I just needed a place to put them and this seemed perfect, out of the reach of a crawling little brother.

The young chef cut the double sided tape himself as I instructed him and we put everything the way he wanted it. I could've bought the cardboard kitchen, or the one from Ikea which has the added advantage of storage space but the excitement in the kid's face as he was sticking the sink bowl to his dad's old nightstand...priceless.

Tonight we had salmon soup with hot peppers, coconut and yogurt, all together. Yummy! :)