As we approach spring and realize we may have too much corn to burn, you’ll no doubt have the question, “Can we save corn until next fall to burn in our pellet stove?” It seems that winter isn’t quite over yet, so don’t be hasty in getting rid of your corn. We still have some chilly nights ahead of us. However, when the warm weather (finally) arrives, so does the humidity. You do not want to keep a bunch of corn until next fall. It will absorb moisture and not be good fuel for your stove (I know! We got some corn this winter with too high of moisture content, and it was a mess. You don’t want this, trust me.)

Make Your Own Sensory Table with Shelled Corn

So what can you do with shelled corn? Many preschools, ECFE (Early Childhood and Family Education) programs, and parents use shelled corn in sensory tables. While you may have a sensory table at home, you don’t have to go out and buy one. A dry, plastic baby pool that you have stored out in the garage will work great. Other items that will work great are plastic totes or plastic sleds (the kind with sides) pictured above.

Bring the pool or sled inside, and add a couple buckets of corn. Next,  add some measuring cups, bowls, spoons, small plastic toys, rubber ducks, etc.

Your kids will love this. My kids also like playing in the wood pellets.

Corn sweeps up easy from most floor surfaces, including low-pile carpet. The nice thing about using leftover fuel corn for sensory tables is that it’s already clean and should not be full of dust or other foreign debris.

Do you have an idea you’d like to share? I’d love to hear it.

About the Author: Beth Gasser of Confessions of a Mom wrote this article for American Energy Systems. Beth blogs about being a mom, parenting, saving money, frugal living, and more. Beth blogged about her corn stove buying experience, which you can read here. If you have specific questions of American Energy Systems, please leave a comment here.