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Babysitter in a Box

I want to help are words that make getting dinner ready much more difficult. Create your own kitchen caboodle to make kids feel like they're contributing and, more important, to give them everything they need to create their own self-contained mess.

By Jenny Rosenstrach

E-mail us your favorite trick for keeping your kids occupied, and look for your submission in a future issue of Cookie.

Kid-friendly Kitchen: A room designed with the whole family in mind

Gear Index: Road tests and product picks

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the tools

Catchall

The box should be large enough to feel like a treasure-filled toy chest but small enough to stash in a cupboard. Plastic means easy to clean and indestructible. Deep plastic sweater box, $8, Organize.com.

Oilcloth

Pick up a poster-size piece at a fabric store. It's a perfect drop cloth that can be wiped down easily. Star-patterned oilcloth, $30 a yard, Cath Kidston.

Mixing Bowls

You'll need a big one to be the cauldron, plus a bunch of small, deep ones. Mixing bowl, $24 (comes in a set of three), Architec, Kitchen Store on Tenth.

Pourers

Include containers that have self-regulating spouts (squeeze bottles, oil dispensers, funnels). The rookie mistake is including a measuring cup—any liquid in there will be spilled in one flick of a toddler's wrist. Squeeze bottle, $1, Bridge Kitchenware. Two-ounce funnel, $1, Broadway Panhandler.

Canisters

Think variety: sifters, small-hole spice jars, and plastic canisters to hold dry goods. The name of the game is minimal parental involvement, so easy-open containers are key. Handled keeper (comes with a spoon), $8, and polycarbonate rectangles, from $3.50 each, The Container Store.

Miscellaneous

Include spoons, rolling pins, timers, and colanders. FYI: Placing muffin papers in a tin takes a kid about the same time it takes you to mince an onion. Measuring spoons, $1.50, SightConnection. Kids' rolling pin (comes with a mat), $27, Williams-Sonoma. Mini colander, $8, Zak! Designs, La Prima Shops.

The Basics

Everything should be interestingly textured and capable of sitting on a shelf for a month without spoiling: cornmeal, grits, sugar in the raw, old Easter-egg tablets, aromatic spices (like oregano and cinnamon), cake decorations, beans, lentils, and baking soda—which, mixed with vinegar, will make a tremendously satisfying fizz.

The Extras

If you want to up the fun factor (read: mess factor), supplement the kit with raw pizza dough, honey in a squeeze bottle, or food coloring. (But remember to remove them before stashing the kit.)