to actually interact with DS and help him develop.
I once worked at a parenting magazine. I interviewed a child-development researcher who said this:
"It's very important to provide your child with enough intellectual stimulation and varied experiences in terms of sight and sound to help their brain develop. Fortunately, it's actually very easy to do this. There's really only one rule to follow: Don't lock him in a closet."
Swear to God, that's what he said: "Don't lock in him a closet."
I really like my daughters day care. Want to guess what the most popular toy at the daycare is? Rocks. Piles of small rocks. Yeah there are books and toys and dress up and Lego and drawing and crafts and painting and stories but when I pick her up outside she and her friends are almost always playing with piles of rocks. They become popcorn by dumping them into a milk crate, birthday cakes with twigs as candles, castle, money, dinner, jewels, fossils etc.
I think the closet thing is pretty darn accurate. If kids have something they can sort and move they can play almost anything.