Button, Button, Who's Got The Button?

Yesterday my four year old got a special package for his birthday from his Aunt and Uncle. It was a pirate treasure chest filled with all kinds of golden treasures. Gold paint and glitter and beads, and coins, and buttons. He loved EVERYTHING, but the buttons have definately been the big hit. My eight year old came home from school, and was instantly drawn to the bag of shiny, mixed up buttons as well.
They sat at the dining room table for such a long time sorting, examining, trading and just touching all the buttons. They created stories around the buttons...Truman said he was setting up a button shop, and layed them out in a perfect display for me to purchase, and Max separated them into special piles to be used as "sprite money" (he's reading the Spiderwick Chronicles right now, which is filled with fairies, and goblins, and sprites.)
I have a small box of buttons we use for crafts, and I know they have always loved to play with them, but it just struck me again how such a simple object could become so enthralling. They were obsessed.
I also loved seeing how they explored the buttons uniquely. Same object, different interpretations.

So, the next time your looking for something to keep them REALLY, REALLY busy, that doesn't involve any remote controls or electronic sounds; dump out a bag of buttons and let the games begin.