Before I get started writing about our 5 senses activities, I want to take a sec to clarify what I mean when I say “Tot School.” The name “Tot School” was coined by homeschool mom and blogger, Carisa, from the website 1+1+1=1. Here’s Carisa’s quick definition of Tot School: “Tot School isn’t really school at all,… Continue reading Exploring our 5 Senses
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
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
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 