Starter Sensory Kit for First Birthdays!

Sorry to all of the Bug's friends who are going to receive this as a 1st birthday gift... Maybe we'll change it up a bit! We have a large group of friends and family who have had babies within a year of the Bug (8 not including the Bug) so I wanted to do something that fit into my ideals (I really don't like "character" toys...) and was simple/ inexpensive enough that we can do it for all of his friends! 

My supplies cost about $7 for 2 kits thanks to our local dollar store! I went with penne pasta because rice can be tough to handle if you haven't started sensory play.

We used the same recipe as we do with rice. I divided the pasta into 3 bags and decided that primary colors were the way to go!

The Bug actually did a fantastic job shaking and mixing the colors. He officially has the job for future  sensory dying activities!

He talked to the bags which was obviously why they turned out so spectacular!

Because the pasta was yellow, the colors weren't as crisp as they are with rice but they still turned out great!

We mixed the colors together once they had dried and added a set of measuring cups to a small sensory bin which I embellished with the birthday boys and girls names! It's nice for family that lives further away because they are going to be easy to ship and doesn't technically need to be wrapped more (though I likely will)

Update: We have now had 3 friends receive these sensory bins and everyone loves them! 

Fabric-Eggs

Hubby was laughing at the fact that I was amused by the play on words here... (Faberge?) but one of the Bug's favorite things are plastic eggs... so I threw them into his fabric sensory bin and he opened them to discover some other textures inside!

We like to "shake, shake" the eggs. It's his newest trick...

It was great motor skill work to pull the eggs open!

The fun and colorful bin- doesn't it make you want to play?

Oh and inside the eggs were feather and some other ribbons. I debated putting in other textures but nothing was choking hazard free and this is one of his favorite bins so I didn't want to risk it!

Dry Pasta Sensory Bin

The Bug is the type of kid who likes to be engaged in things. He's willing to explore and play independently with "setup" which is completely normal at this age- anything in a box or basket is way more interesting!

We used "garden" rotini and threw in some bow tie because it's what we had but any dry pasta will work! You can dye it using the recipe here if you wish!

We also included a bug Safari TOOB for something to search for.

New trick- This is his reaction if I clap and say yay!

And of course he tasted it...

Pull and Tug Box

So we have a lot of boxes (if you have a baby, you do too unless you cloth diaper!) so I'm always looking for ways to use them! This is what I call a pull and tug box.

I covered my box with fabric beforehand (I cover all of my diaper boxes). I gathered ribbons I had and a pair of adult scissors- I recommend doing this away from kids!

I poked holes in both sides of the box not necessarily keeping them even (if I had tried, they wouldn't be anyway!) then tied the ribbons with big enough knots that they couldn't be pulled all the way through the box.

This is one side finished. The other side looks similar but the ribbons aren't lined up!

You can somewhat see the criss crossing ribbons here.

The Bug had fun with it but I'm glad it wasn't expensive. He isn't into pulling things (Other than my hair and the cats' fur...) but this would be great for a child who pulls out all the wipes and such!

Water Play!

Water is one of the easiest sensory bins you can create! All you need is a container and some water! From there you can always add colors (food coloring is best for keeping things edible), small toys, cups or scoops, or for older children- more containers to move the water around!

Cleanup is a breeze- throw a towel on it!

The Bug is pulling up on EVERYTHING... We put our ocean animals TOOB in the water.

The main game with water is always to eat the animals. Octopi are his favorites (he has a tub toy octopus too...)

I encourage him to splash and we talk about what animals he is picking up. The advantage of the Safari TOOBs is they print the animal type on the animal so I can say Hammerhead Shark without question!

I also encouraged the Bug to make waves. He isn't quite old enough yet but talking is a major part of his language introduction so we try hard to have monologues (and occasionally babbling dialogues) with him about things!

He was SOAKED after this activity so be prepared. If you don't have animals or want a safe alternative add warmer water and colored ice cubes! It's a great motor skill practice trying to pick up the ice cubes and you can talk about how the ice is melting and what colors you see at the same time!

Outside with Oatmeal

The Bug just loves to dive into new sensory experiences- he loves to get messy! For this bin, I decided to take him outside and let him go to town.

Oatmeal (uncooked) and bugs- We have a few of the Safari TOOBS. They're not recommended for children this young but I am always watching the Bug closely and we have not had an issue. 

He reached right in to grab a bug because they're delicious!

I kept burying the bugs under the oatmeal so he had to dig but he didn't mind!

Yes, that is oatmeal on his chin...

Then we had fun throwing it up in the air! Oatmeal is great since animals can eat it (there is none left in the yard now...)

Action shot- this is why we went outside!

Peek-a-Boo!

What baby doesn't like peek-a-boo? And what toddler doesn't love looking at pictures of themselves? Enter the peek-a-boo sensory bin! You can use just about any material though water wouldn't work quite the same way.

I used contact paper (sold near the shelf liners at most stores) to adhere pictures to the bottom of one of the Bug's sensory bins. I did it on the outside so that the cornmeal we used wouldn't get stuck in the adhesive! Because the Bug isn't quite 8 months, I showed him the pictures before I hid them.

He dove right in as always picking up handfuls of the cornmeal.

 He swept the cornmeal around with his hands and thought it was HILARIOUS.

This is when I regret throwing him how to throw things...

When he got close, I started saying, "Who's that?" and "Peek-a-boo" which was a big hit!

When he found people he knew (the pictures were all of him with people he knows), he got excited.

Here's a view of the box- the pictures were just printed on our printer- they don't have to be high quality- just good enough to be able to tell who the person is. These were wallet size so I could fit 3 on the box.

Sensory Bottles

One of my very favorite things to do both as a teacher and now as a mom has been to use things around my house to create fun sensory experiences for the kids. The Bug does not disappoint- he is a sensory LOVER!

In an attempt to get the Bug's friends involved, we hosted a sensory party where moms all brought stuff from around their houses and we created toys for our munchkins. I already had a set of sensory bottles for the Bug but they got a reboot and became Rainbow Sensory Bottles!

The Bug dressed as Superman for our party. There were 6 kiddos ranging from 6 months to 20 months. It got a little crazy!

I, of course, don't have any good before pictures so instead you get an overview. Start with empty bottles- these are all the smaller bottles of water/soda since the Bug is still small enough that a 20 ounce soda bottle is pretty heavy. Each of them has a "base" ingredient- oats, beans, popcorn kernels, water, and rice are what I used and they work well. They all make slightly different sounds- pony beads also work well!

The stuff the other moms brought was a fantastic addition to the insane amount of stuff I always have around. We took turns creating sensory bottles (and ziplock bags- another day!) for the kids and playing with the crazy ones! I had tried to set up a few activities and of course had snacks and coffee.

So I went with the rainbow theme and reused the bottles I had started. I went through the things we had collected and pulled out things in each color- feathers, pom poms, ribbons, paper straws, pipe cleaners, glitter/sequins, foam stickers, foam letters, and so much more! Once I was done, I secured the lids with hot glue so that the Bug can't accidentally unscrew the lids!

There is an extra bottle on the left that is multiple colors! But this is how they looked after the party. Then I got to thinking about how the Bug can't experience any of the things inside the sensory bottles and the gears started turning... One of the other moms had glued a googly eye to the lid of her son's bottle- so I added textures for the Bug to feel on the outside as well! This was a first for me- it's definitely good to get together with other moms! We got so many other ideas!!!

Red has a foam A, Orange has felt, Yellow has ribbons, Green has googly eyes, Blue has paper straws, Purple has velcro! The Bug seems to really like the ribbons!

Just Another Day in the Sand!

I've noticed recently as we start to explore playgrounds nearby, a lack of sand boxes. It makes me sad to know how many kids aren't experiencing this basic sensory experience with their friends but I also realize how gross sandboxes can get!

We are starting to plan our outdoor play space for the Bug but at the present time we stick with bins that can be used wherever! Once we move outside, I plan to add cinnamon to the sand to help keep away bugs (but not the Bug!) and make sure it stays covered when we're not using it!

The Bug really enjoys sitting in the box so go for it! We found Play Sand at a home improvement store which I highly recommend! You can also order it online at places like Amazon!

We have several sensory toys to use in different sensory bins. You can see my recommendations for sensory starter bins here.

The Bug is a paci kid so when he goes a little crazy eating things, I tend to stick it in to help him explore other ways then by eating...

I've started talking to the Bug about measurements and colors. Yes- he is too young to fully grasp/understand these concepts but introducing them and having conversations is a starting point. 

Spaghetti Bin

So we're always looking for things to put into the Bug's sensory bin (currently a mid size under bed box or a small storage box) that won't hurt him. His pincer grip is still developing but he has perfected the sweeping grip and getting anything and everything into his mouth!

Being a quarter Italian, spaghetti became a logical choice- we had tons because it's possibly my least favorite pasta. Because the Bug isn't quite old enough to care, I decided dying it was unnecessary and threw him into the sensory bin with the spaghetti once it had cooled!

We have a special set of sensory table toys so I gave him some to explore with the spaghetti. The strainer is currently his favorite thing to hold!

He wasn't quite sure what to think but as he shook it off his hand... it ended up going everywhere!

Then his true best friend, the cat came over to see what was going on. They have a love/hate relationship where the Bug ALWAYS loves the cat and the cat either loves the attention or hates being attacked...

So of course, the Bug tried to share some spaghetti with the cat and the cat ate it...

After a LONG 20 minutes of focus, the Bug started to get bored and this is the result.

Clean up was easy and the Bug seriously enjoyed it for longer than he normally does! It was easy and the cleanup wasn't too bad (there was spaghetti stuck on the rug but once it dried, it was easy to pick up.) The Bug did need a rinse afterwards!