Parents, Get a Library Stool in the Kitchen
For many, this rolling rubber apparatus conjures up the image of your local public library. You may find that they are scattered around the aisles (although they have a way to disappear when you need it most). They have a wider shelf to hold your books while you step up to grab an unattainable headline, and it snaps into place with surprising satisfaction so you don’t fall over your armful of paperback books.
Of course, it’s great that the library has it. But where does this stool really fit? A parent with small children is in the kitchen.
I wish I could say that it was my idea – and even more, I wish I had this idea when my son was little. But it was actually educator Ethan Schoonover who gave me this brilliance:
Why are they cool
- They roll, which means you need to carry one less thing in order to move. Just push it back in place (great for getting rid of frustration!). Or better yet, have your child push it into position.
- When you (or your children) step on it, it snaps into place. These things are surprisingly tough. You will find yourself kicking long after the kids are older.
- Wraparound bumpers! I can still hear the noise my son’s wooden stool will make when he pressed it against my kitchen cabinets to wash his hands. Your wardrobes and furniture will not suffer the same fate.
- Your child will find endless uses for this little shelf.
Apparently, at least according to the responses to Scunover’s tweet, this is what a lot of grandmothers used in their kitchens in their day. It’s time to please grandma and bring them back into our lives for the next generation.