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

Pinkalicious Sensory Salt

I adapted the idea for this activity from on this recipe from The Imagination Tree. I've had it in the back of my mind for a while and then one morning Bean climbed up on to the dining table whilst I was clearing up from breakfast and began pouring out the table salt and drawing patterns in it...so I took the opportunity to redirect her with this!

Ingredients:

Table salt
Neon pink powder pigment (found on eBay)

All you do is fill a shallow container with salt then mix in a tablespoon or so of pigment...Et voila!

I set up the invitation outside because it was a sunny day, but this could also be an indoor activity with a dust sheet underneath for easy clean up.

Bean got straight to work pouring...

...and drawing in the salt...

...Then she decided to add some water from the nearby water table...

....of course the clothes got ditched after a while and she used the wet salt mixture to paint herself...

...which required some guidance from mummy about not getting the salt in her eyes!

Bean spent a good 45 minutes in focused play and exploration, and with the bright colour and interesting texture of the dry/wet salt mixture I think this is a really interesting sensory material to make. Its also pretty versatile in terms of varying the colour, adding glitter or other texture materials, or incorporating scent using dried herbs or flowers. We'll definitely be trying it again!

Happy Playing!

B xx

Sand Pit Treasure Hunt

Bean is a big fan of 'Playschool', and I must say it's been a great source of inspiration for me as well! Recently we were watching an episode where they were digging for buried dinosaur bones in a sand pit and ever since then Bean has been singing the 'digging song' and pretending to find things in the sand at home. That gave me the idea for a treasure hunt!

So early one morning whilst Bean was sleepy and distracted, I quickly snuck in to the garden to set up this invitation:

 

I used loose purple glitter and little black stones to mark the spots to dig for buried treasure...and this is the treasure:

The only things I bought specifically for this activity were the colored gems, which I stumbled across at the dollar shop for $1.95 each - bargain!

Of course it wasn't long before Bean found the invitation...very excited!...

...and started digging...

...and finding...

This was so simple and cheap, and since then we've also done it using sea shells as treasure. So much fun for a curious little person...

Happy Playing :-)

B xx

Rainbow Ice Sensory Box

Here in Melbourne we've been enduring an autumn heat wave, so when I was suddenly struck by the idea for this activity I couldn't BELIEVE I hadn't thought of it sooner! But anywhoo...

The rainbow ice sensory box was a big hit with Bean - who is currently obsessed with all things icey cold.  We ended up doing it twice in two days with different colors of ice and it was both beautiful to play with and a nice way to keep cool :-)

This was our first box, made with just water and blue, green, and red food colouring:

In the second box I opted for colours that would mix together better when melted, as the water from the first box ended up kind of black and grimy looking. So this one has pink, red, and yellow:

As the first batch melted we used the ice to draw:

Then with the second batch Bean requested we use the hammer! "BANG BANG BANG!" :-)

With the first batch we also put it on the light panel to add another sensory dimension (photo credit goes to Jake here! - I'm not this good):

But I just loved the way the colours melted together in the second batch - it looked like liquid sunshine...

This was a perfect activity for a hot sticky day, extremely quick to set up, and very minimal on clean up (FYI: whilst food colouring temporarily stains hands and clothes it all comes out in the wash)...

...Happy Playing!

Bxx

Discovery Box - Threading Practise For Little Hands

Lately I've been getting into the concept of 'Discovery Boxes', which is something I first did for Bean when she was about 6 months old and recently I was re-inspired by a post I saw over at The Imagination Tree, a blog i've only just discovered that is FULL of amazing play ideas!

The basic notion of the Discovery Box is a box that you fill with a selection of household, craft or natural objects that can be used in open ended play. The idea is that you let the child explore the box and its items in whatever way they chose, interfering as little as possible and allowing them to discover things for themselves, only offering suggestions or help if they struggle or run out of ideas. These boxes can be a great activity for a rainy day, or to occupy a busy baby or toddler for some time whilst you get something done.

This weeks box was something to extend Bean's current fascination with putting things 'In and Out' and 'Through'. Its perfect for practicing hand eye co-odination skills, without being too difficult for little hands to achieve success and satisfaction.

Here are the contents:

• Colander
• Large funnel
• Grater
• Strainer
• Plastic cup with holes cut in sides
• Plastic cup with foam stuck over top and holes cut in foam
• Cardboard squares with holes cut out
• Straws
• Lollipop sticks
• Pipe cleaners

When Bean woke up from her nap she toddled over to the box, which i had laid on the floor in the dining room. First she asked me to hold some of the cardboard squares whilst she threaded the pipe cleaners...

 
 Then she proceeded to try it herself with straws...

Then she got out the cup covered in foam...

And pretended to drink from the cup using the pipe cleaner as a straw (totally un-prompted)...

Then the colander took her interest, she liked to listen to the sound the pipe cleaners made as they went through the holes...

With the funnel she liked to see the straws disappear through the bottom and then look underneath to see where they'd gone...

She enjoyed putting the lollipop sticks through the cup with the holes in the sides...

I left the box out over the next few days and it was revisited several times. I noticed that it was a good way for Bean to self-regulate when she got over-excited or a bit manic towards the end of the day, doing a focused quiet activity like this really seems to help calm and center her...and it's so easy (and inexpensive) to do!

More discovery boxes to come soon....

B xx

Wordless Wednesday - Exploring In The City

It's amazing how many things there are to see and explore in one excursion to the city...

 

B xx