Lida's Chopsticks

 Learning to eat with "chopsticks"

We went to the Flower Market a few weeks ago to pick up bags of soil for our balcony crops!

Lining the outside of the market are vendors who specialize in Cricket paraphernalia. Loads of locals own crickets and there has been the odd time we have a taxi driver/guard at the bank with a cricket chirping on his dashboard/in his pocket.

Along with miniature bamboo cages (for crickets), teeny ceramic water bowls and a slew of other 'instruments' which are used for purposes unknown to us, they sell bamboo tweezers. They have a blunt, rather than sharp end. Great for practicing fine motor skills and useful in several Montessori-inspired activities. They cost the equivalent of  $0.50 a pair.

Chopsticks for Beginners

O immediately referred to them as "chopsticks" and started using them to pick up and eat her food. She experiments with types of food (liquids & solids), shapes and sizes to see how accurately she can aim, pinch and eat. They do sell plastic versions of Beginner Chopsticks all over Shanghai, but they sell for a tourist price and aren't half as eco-friendly!