Smells like snack time! Yes, we’re still talking about our 5 senses around here, and now we’re exploring our sense of smell. I put together this little smelling guessing game for the boys using some of their favorite foods and some paper cups. Super simple! (Just the way I like our tot school activities!!) I… Continue reading Guess That Scent! Sensory Play
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! We got our cards mailed out to C & H’s grandparents yesterday. Hope they arrive in time!! This year I was being really stingy about spending money on Valentines toys or craft supplies. So I bought two bags of conversation hearts for $1 each, and I set out… Continue reading 6 Ways to Play with Conversation Hearts
I had to really give myself a pep-talk before doing this activity with my kids because I was having a sensory aversion moment imagining the mess that could ensue from this brilliant, crazy idea! As I was brainstorming tactile sensory play, trying to think of new ways I could get the boys exploring different textures,… Continue reading Textured Finger Paint
I loooove Valentine’s Day! I pink-puffy-heart Valentine’s Day! And I love the excuse to put together pink and red and sparkly crafts and activities for Calvin and Henry! With V-day two weeks away, James pulled out our box of Valentine odds and ends leftover from our activities last year, and I went through pics of those activities to… Continue reading Toddler Play for Valentine’s Day
The forecast around here shows a “Wintry Mix” headed our way starting tonight! Snow, sleet, and freezing drizzle into the weekend. If we were talking about blended iced coffee drinks, all those words might sound appealing… but around here people kind of panic and batten down the hatches at the first mention of impending ice.… Continue reading Snow Day Tot Play
We’re doing touch/tactile activities as part of a 5 senses theme, and I wanted to come up with an activity that would really get Calvin relying on his sense of touch. I set out to do this activity where I put the pieces to a puzzle into a sensory bin and have him dig them… Continue reading Blind Puzzle Hunt: Blindfold + Sensory Bin + Puzzle
The deal with what I call “sensory play” is that it’s intended to be particularly stimulating to the senses in some way. Sensory play has been found to help with kids’ brain development, motor skills, spatial intelligence, and even picky eating. Here’s a PBS article about sensory play and here’s an article about sensory processing and… Continue reading “Sensory Play” with Henry
Our 5 Senses-themed tot play got an improptu kick-off last week with some much needed warm sensory play the day the heater was broken. So I guess we are doing touch/feel first! Here’s another touchy/feely tot play activity we did with some play dough. First I had Calvin do some letter-shape practice by tearing off little… Continue reading Touchy Textured Play Dough
Or: That time the heater broke during a cold snap. That’s right. The heater in our rental house stopped working yesterday as the temperature outside was quickly dropping for a particularly cold night. Bad timing. The repair guy came over in the evening, but couldn’t get into the crawl space under the house to check… Continue reading Warm Sensory Play for a Cold Day
Surprisingly Special 