Car Track, and Other Things We Do

Today I let my kids do something that I don't think many other parents would allow. It was a nice day, after a few cold and rainy weeks. The ground in our small strip of a backyard was still muddy, but I gave the boys some trucks and cups and spoons to have some old fashioned fun playing in the dirt. It actually was a lot better than I thought it would be. The only mess I'm left with is two pairs of very muddy shoes. Other than that, things stayed pretty clean. So for all those of you thinking of doing something as crazy as this, it may not be as bad as you expect! We plan on fixing up the backyard, but maybe I should leave a patch of earth for future digging adventures... you never know! On second thought, I'll probably just buy a sandbox!

On a different note, we spent one afternoon driving cars around the living room with this fun activity. The kids helped me make a track with masking tape, and they came up with lots of different things to add, like tunnels, traffic lights, and a parking lot. Notice the cool ramp going on to the couch!

Underwater Sensory Bin

I like themed sensory bins, in theory, but it takes a lot of work to prepare them if you want them to really be good. I don't have that much time and foresight to plan a theme and have everything on hand for it, and besides, I don't really think the kids appreciate it. This time I happened to have some ocean things and I put them together to make this sensory bin. It kept them busy for about 10 minutes, till they started dumping out the water! I used plastic fish, watering cans, a toy boat, glass marbles, leaves, and a blue sponge (just because I felt like it needed something else to make it fun). Blue water made it so cool!

Rosh Hashana Cards

This is a little out of order but it can't hurt to show what we did for Rosh Hashana. Originally I planned on buying plain cards and sending them out, but I realized that I could make it into an activity. Stamping with apples is not a new idea - I think every preschooler has done it at least once in school for Rosh Hashana! - but we still had a lot of fun. It was nice to send people a personalized card, but most of all I was so happy to have a way to entertain the boys for a few hours!

Paint is a child's dream, and my nightmare. For some reason I am very hesitant to use paint. I once did finger painting, a while ago, and in less than 5 minutes it was one big mess of colored mushed together, all over the place. I tried so hard to be clean- I taped down a plastic tablecloth, covered their clothing, and just gave them a little of each color on plastic plates. But somehow they needed complete baths afterwards - there was paint covering their hands and arms, on their sleeves, in their hair... and the whole thing took 10 minutes! Maybe that's where my fear of paint came from.

Now the boys are a little older, and  it wasn't "finger painting", so this time was more of a success. They did mush the colors together at the end, but at least we got some nice card.

A few tips: The apples need to be sliced perfectly smooth, otherwise you won't get complete prints (ours weren't perfect). Also, I used a plastic knife instead of a popsicle stick, because I didn't have any. The apples were too big and slippery for my boys' little hands to grasp.

Really Messy Play

Cornstarch and water... Need I say more? Plain messy mush that we're allowed to stick our hands into! Squeeze it and it turns hard, let go and it gets runny again. Dries into dust so no worries about getting it off clothing or hands. This was by far their favorite activity ever, and the kids were asking me to do it again for days afterwards. It didn't last so long- they spilled it out after about 15 or 20 minutes, but I would definitely give it another try some other time.

We've "Bean" Busy

My boys are very sensory, as I think most kids are. When we're baking they love touching the flour, play dough is a real favorite, and they'd enjoy nothing more than playing in the dirt all day. They'll run to anything that they can stick their hands into and dig with, without thinking of the consequences or what Mommy will say! I try to give them opportunities to have sensory experiences. There are so many ways to do that. I remember a long time ago when Big Brother Jr. was a baby, and I poured a kilo of flour into a bowl and let them play with it. I had flour all over my house for days, but they had so much fun! It lasted for a long time- I just kept sweeping it up into a pile so they could dig into it again. These activities inevitably end up all over, despite my warnings and precautions to keep it in the bin/bowl/pan/box. There are endless themed sensory bins that you can create, encouraging imagination as well as addressing the sensory aspect.

Here we have a simple sensory bin made of black beans, popcorn kernels, and a few kidney beans for color. It's what I had in the house at that time, and since then we've enjoyed many afternoons with these beans. I give them different equipment to use- cups and spoons, pots and pans, trucks, or an assortment. I have to be constantly alert to make sure to sweep it up when it gets out of hand, otherwise I'll have a serious mess to deal with, instead of just a major mess. I have to admit, it is a challenge for me to remain calm while they play with the beans because they do end up scattered from one corner to the other. But I take them out every so often anyway, because the entertainment it provides for them is still worth it.