We're talking about kitchens this month, but kitchen timers can be used in and out of the kitchen. A timer is a great motivator for getting things done. It's also great if you've got a little chef or someone learning to tell time.
Design Sponge shared a plentiful roundup of timers a while back. It's pretty comprehensive!
We've blogged before about the Time Timer which is often used in Montessori-style classrooms.
We got our timer from Anthropologie a month or so ago for about 12 bucks and are quite happy with it. It's the same one as the yellow ones in the first picture above.
Do you use a timer?
Top pic via Flickr.
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Comments (9)
Yes! I use it for timing things in the kitchen and as a motivator for my 4 yr old.
That mushroom timer! What a treat that would be! My lil chefs would think it's the greatest.
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I have the yellow timer from Anthropologie as well, but I don't think it's very well made. It's nice and heavy (and magnetic), but the dial is pretty flaky.
We just bought the yellow timer in the top picture and love it. We keep it on the side of the fridge by the stove and use it to cook as well as to let our toddler know when his time out is over.
Yes! Potty training wasn't going very well so I just told my nearly 3 year old that he was done with diapers and going to wear underpants. We use a timer to know when it's potty time, while he's getting used to being diaperless.
I love the timer. Our daughter needs a warning about when things are about to happen. She just turned 3 years old and loves to set the timer. We generally use it in two ways. First, she doesn't do time outs well, so we put her toys in time out. If she is doing something that we don't like, she is warned that toy A is going to be taken away and put in time out. If she continues, we put the toy in time out and she helps set the timer. Second, we use it when we want to let her know it is almost time for something. She loves to play in the bath, so getting her out can be a fight. I tell her that she has 5 minutes and set the timer. That way, the timer is the "bad guy." So far so good.
I can vouch for the "Time Timer" in a big way. I use it at work with special ed kids, but have recently begun using it home with my 3 year old. Before bed time, we sometimes set the timer for 10 more minutes of play, and I kid you not, he comes to us to tell us when the "red part" is up. And this is not an easy kid. It is a good tool to cut down some of the power struggles.
I love timers. I use them for myself, for working on my dissertation, cleaning, etc. We have some cheapie magnetic digital timers that we got from Cost Plus World Market for <$5 each. I like these better than dial timers because they are more precise, which makes them better for cooking (for things like soft boiled eggs, I want seconds as well). The cheapness also means that we were able to buy a ton of them, which is terrific, b/c I have timers everywhere! We cook a lot, and we often need 2-3 timers for different things that are going on at the same time in the kitchen. The Time Timer looks great for kids, but is too bulky for just my use.
I have the same timer as your yellow one, and I would not recommend it. It's really cute, but my husband managed to break it after the first use.