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!

Cookie Cutter Stamps

I'm always looking for ways to let the Bug explore art without sucking all of the ink out of markers... Let's just say it isn't always easy and it is rarely clean. I'm all for the mess and I'm fine letting him suck the ink out of the markers but not every mom is so we tried cookie cutter stamping!

The first time we tried it was around the 4th of July so naturally we used red and blue paint and star cookie cutters. The Bug actually enjoyed it but didn't quite get the concept (at 5 and a half months) of stamping. We tried again at 7 months and used fall colors with an apple and leaf cutter!

Note- stamping inside the sensory bin isn't the best idea- he basically ate, dropped, and slid the cookie cutters around.

Oh and stamped his belly and legs...

But he did have fun and explored the apple and leaf cookie cutters!

And then he stamped a bit!!

Because I'm silly and love messes, I just tossed him into the tub after a 5 second attempt to wipe him off!

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!

Edible Water Beads

I've wanted to check out water beads for a while but couldn't find a type I felt safe trying with the Bug until these!

The Bug dove right in! 

It was cold from being in the fridge over night but the texture was fantastic!

And this is why they need to be edible!

They weren't quite what I expected but we didn't use the Basil seeds recommended by Fun At Home With Kids because I was too impatient to wait so we got Chia seeds at the grocery store. Asia has tons of great ideas and variations for sensory activities and imaginary sensory activities for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers! 

Exploring Wind

The Bug was extremely interested in his fan while I was changing his diaper (and ceiling fans are a huge hit) so I rolled with it!

I brought it down to the family room and plugged it and turned around to find my supplies when suddenly, the fan turned on!

The Bug was very proud that he turned on the fan himself!

I grabbed a sensory box with feathers and thin fabric that would blow...

It was a hit! The Bug spent a good 30 minutes eating feathers in front of the fan!

I showed him how to hold the feathers up so the fan would blow them...

He really liked it!

It was such a simple activity that didn't make a huge mess, taught the Bug about science, and entertained him so much!

Cardboard Creations- Tunnels

So the Bug outgrew his infant carseat. I'm having severely mixed emotions about the whole thing but it came with a giant carseat box...

The Bug also started crawling and it has been developing from the army crawl to weird yoga poses and we've reached a mostly belly off the ground style of movement. This means going out places is tough because he constantly wants to practice these moves and while I am all about exposing him to germs, letting him crawl around on the floor at Walmart isn't really in my comfort zone...

I racked my brain for things we could do to give him a chance to crawl around in different ways and suddenly I have a giant cardboard box- can we say tunnel???

For now, it's just a basic box tunnel as we work on getting the Bug to actually crawl through it on his own- for now there is a lot of coaxing or me trying to crawl through and back up...

Once he gets going, its hard to stop him!

To give him a bit more enticing without hurting my back, we tried out a texture crawl! I had 6 options but only 3 fit in the box so we'll have more to try another time!

The Bug just started eating Kix (let's be honest, Puffs are super expensive compared to Kix and Cheerios so we do a combo to cut down on cost- he does well since he chews food with his gums anyway!) but he's obsessed so the first texture was a bag of Kix- not only is it bumpy but as he crawls on them, they crunch!

Next came aluminum foil. The Bug likes the sound it made though it wasn't quite as cool as actually holding it. The sun was hitting it at a good angle too!

He kept turning around to go back to his trucks... My son is OBSESSED with wheels lately!

Back to scratch at the aluminum foil!

OOO he discovered the tape...

Last was a sheet of thick bubble wrap. I have gotten it in a few packages and always save it since I haven't seen it for sale anywhere. Much safer because it's cushy but doesn't pop so it's completely different from traditional bubble wrap!