Easter Sensory Box

I'm finally getting round to posting this one after a very slow week - but just in time for Easter! We actually did this about a week ago and its still being played with now, although its layout has changed somewhat.

This sensory box was very quickly thrown together one day, as most of them are! Largely from items I already had in the cupboard and a few I'd bought a while back in anticipation of doing some kind of Easter themed play. The items included are:

• Furry Bunny Ears (Dollar Store)
• Paper Straw (Already had - available at craft stores)
• Plastic Eggs (Already had - available at dollar stores and Safeway)
• Easter Chicks (Dollar Store)
• Rainbow rice (Already had - home made)

And inside the eggs...

...Chicks!

Some big some small, and all different colours...

...Which Bean LOVED.

There was much excitement in opening each egg, discovering the chicks, and naming the colours...

...lining them up and counting how many...

...feeding them the rice and then pretending to be a chick and eating the rice as well :-)

Then the rice got poured into various containers I had put out with the invitation, and in the end when just the rice was left in the box she starting pouring and mixing in water as well.

Of course not forgetting the bunny ears - which inspired some pretend bunny play...

Priceless!

Happy playing and happy Easter to you all!

B xx

Discovery Box - Easter

I got the original idea for this discovery box here, and it's the first of a few Easter themed activities I have planned for this year :-)

If you aren't familiar with the discovery box concept read my first post about it here.

The items included in this box were:

• Plastic easter eggs - the kind that open up (Doller store or ebay less than $5)
• Easter bunny and chick cabochons (Found on ebay for $5)
• Coloured bells (Craft store $3)
• Big coloured beads (Craft store $3)
• Coloured plastic buttons (Doller store $2)
• Pony beads - which I added last minute so not pictured (Craft store $5)

Of course you can really add in any small items that you have at home that are the right size to fit inside the eggs and make a variety of sounds. Most of the things I used (except the Easter bunnies/chicks) were things I already had on hand from previous projects.

One of the great things about discovery boxes is they are so freakin' simple to do! Just find a suitable size box/basket/container, gather some items, and throw them inside. Done.

I set the invitation up in the lounge room after Bean went to sleep, so she would find it first thing in the morning...

First she went through all the eggs, methodically opening and closing each one (that's my girl!)...

...Then she rummaged through the loose items, most of which she was familiar with - except for the chicks and bunnies! Cue "Ooooo!'s and "Ahhhhh!'s...

...After trying out putting them inside the eggs she gathered them all together on the table and began telling a story...

...after breakfast she revisited the box. Everything got tipped out on the floor, and the business of filling, shaking, and emptying began...

...This is fantatsic for developing hand-eye co-ordination, fine motor skills, sound differentiation, rhythm, and fun!...

...I think this will be gracing our floor for a while!

Happy playing!

B xx