If you've been here since the beginning, then you'll remember the "diggers and dumpers" sensory box I made for my son as a Christmas present. It was a big hit and he still enjoys it but I've been feeling like it's time to change it up. So a few weeks ago I exchanged the pinto beans for black beans (to imitate soil) and put together this vegetable garden sensory box. I found a lot of my supplies at Target. (The gloves, trowel, and watering can were in the dollar section. The yellow tub was … [Read more...]
Every Baby Should Have a Treasure Basket – Here’s How to Make One
photo via The Imagination Tree Remember the sensory box? Well, say hello to his little brother, the treasure basket - a super simple sensory box for babies. The concept is easy - just fill a container with objects of varying texture, weight, shape, etc. and let baby go at it.According to Anna, an early education and art specialist from The Imagination Tree, treasure baskets benefit babies age 6-18 months by: encouraging them to use their senses to discover, explore, … [Read more...]
Easter’s Over, Now What?
I know it's been Easter-central here for about a month now. I'm just about ready to put it to rest and move on to lots of new and interesting stuff for May, I promise. But before I do, I've got one more post I know we could all use. Because aren't we all incessantly tripping over plastic Easter eggs, haphazardly strewn about the house, right about now? And if you're anything like me, you probably cringe a little at the thought of chucking all that plastic into a landfill somewhere … [Read more...]
Anatomy of a “Creative Play Easter Basket”
I hinted about this post last week, so here it is - C's "Creative Play Easter Basket". I had 3 goals for this basket: No candy allowed Absolutely every part of the basket has to be usable for play Inexpensive to make (and by that I mean CHEAP!) Thanks to a lot of clever bloggers and the dollar section at Target, I was able to meet all three of my goals. I'm really happy with how it turned out and I think C will be thrilled. Click through and I'll share all my resources so … [Read more...]
Free Printable: Easter Memory Game
When I rolled out the Easter toy I made for S's basket, I also mentioned I had a few more projects up my sleeve. So today I'm sharing a memory game I made for C's basket. To make these patterned bunnies, I used Photoshop and a few of the awesome (and free!) patterns over at Sprik Space. If you haven't been there yet, be sure to stop by and check out the whole series. There are 13 different patterns in 25 colorways, which is enough for all kinds of cool projects. To make your own set … [Read more...]
Having Fun with Science and Nature
Trying out simple experiments at home is a great way to introduce science to young children and I've got a classic nature-based experiment to share with you today. Wondering where that pic above is leading? You're gonna have to head over to momtastic to find out. And speaking of nature, have you picked up your e-copy of Action Pack, volume 2 Seeds and Beads over at Whip Up yet? The folks over there were kind enough to send me a copy and let me tell you, it … [Read more...]
Tutorial: Shaving Cream Valentine
It's almost February and that's got me thinking about, what else, Valentine's Day. I love that C is finally old enough to get into holidays so I wanted to make something special for him to give to his pals. Since chocolate candy isn't really appropriate for a bunch of 2 year olds (at least not in my world), I came up with this instead. Process based art and play has been big around our house lately (as evidenced by Monday's post) so these shaving cream Valentines were kind of a … [Read more...]
Entertain Your Kids (and Get Stuff Done) with a Sensory Box
If you've ever stepped foot inside a preschool classroom, you're probably familiar with the mysterious attention-holding sensory box. Its ability to keep a young child's attention is so life changing that you need to have one in your own home - trust me! Not only will it keep them occupied for unheard of amounts of time, it also comes with all these developmental benefits. A sensory box is simply a container (preferably with a lid for storage) filled with tactile materials for kids to … [Read more...]
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