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! 

Coloring

Did you know that using crayons, markers, chalk, and other writing instruments helps a child learn how to write? Making marks is the earliest form of writing development so I try to let the Bug have a chance sometimes though it is tough because everything goes in his mouth...

We experiment with different papers/mediums especially with markers since there is no need for you to apply pressure in order to make a mark. 

The Bug doesn't always leave the paper (or aluminum foil) taped down but that's all part of the process. (Oh yeah, until your child can coordinate holding the paper with one hand while drawing with the other (around age 3) it helps to tape it down!!!)

Note the marker all over his face. They're washable but I don't like that he wants to suck the ink out so markers don't get used a lot...

Crayon cakes are one of my very favorite writing instruments. They are cool shapes and take more pressure then the average crayon making them great for all ages! Once the Bug is old enough for us to have a stash of broken crayons, I'll post a tutorial on crayon cakes but until then you'll just have to check mine out!

These are much easier to lay out for "choices" then round crayons. I did buy some triangular crayons during the back to school craze but I'm not sure where they are...

Chalk! Sorry the pictures are blurry, I forgot I needed to take some until he was finishing...

Drawing with chalk on a chalkboard is a great time filler! Add a paintbrush and cup of water to "erase" their art and toddlers will sit still for longer. Actually the Bug might to- wait no, he'd want to drink the water...

The place where I taught didn't allow pencils (colored or other) in the rooms for kids under 3 so while I am willing to try, there's not any reason to start now!

As your child grows, drawing/writing should be encouraged. Try not to draw too much for them (it can in some cases make children feel that they can't do something) but encourage them to trace letters. We used a cool program called Handwriting Without Tears that used a "wet, dry, try" method. An adult writes the letter on a chalkboard. The child then uses a small sponge (think pincer grip here) to "wet" trace the letter. They then use a small piece of paper towel to "dry" trace the letter and lastly use a piece of chalk to "try" writing the letter themselves! 

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!

Exploring Magnets!

It can be really hard to get anything done with a mobile kiddo who can also be a little clingy at times so I'm constantly looking for things to keep him engaged in the kitchen while I make breakfast, clean the kitchen up, and such.

Playing with Tupperware was great for a while but now the lower oven that slides open is WAY more fun... So I've given him new bowls and spoons every morning and end up almost killing myself tripping over them since he uses them to scoot across the floor...

Enter the magnet board! I thought I'd try this out small scale with just a few magnets before I go crazy. So I grabbed two magnets we had that were large enough not to be choking hazards and set them up. The Bug crawled right over and grabbed them!

He heard the camera click... Such a ham!

He couldn't quite figure out how to get them to stick but in his defense, the board isn't super sticky...

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!

Pulling Up

The Bug started pulling up around 7 months and went crazy with it a few weeks later. Hubby is extremely creative but in a technical way so upon seeing another families PVC pull up bar, he went downstairs to his shop and created one for the Bug. It got a revamp lowering the bar a bit and adding the ramp (in hindsight we probably did not need to do both but now the Bug's shorter friends can take a turn!)

He crawls up the ramp...

And is too lazy to actually stand...

The next morning (love that milk drunk look...)

And he's got it (Note his feet back on the mat NOT on the ramp)

The reason I wanted the ramp (besides the obvious crawl up factor) was to launch cars off of. The Bug has been obsessed and of course I have no pictures because it all happens too fast but I line cars up at the top of his ramp and we push them down and he cackles with glee...

Considering it's made from leftovers, it isn't half bad! (I'm sorry I cannot give you technical dimensions of anything... It is an H shape on the bottom with the ramp coming down one side. Then the sides that hold the bar come up in the center and there's a bar across at the 12 inch mark...)

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!