So, my activity for this week is Sensory Tubs. It is starting to get a bit warmer outside and this suggestion will give you and your kiddies hours of fun and teaches them about lots of different textures, temperatures, and smells, and gets their dramatic juices flowing. So, a sensory table or tub can be really simple or you can go out and buy one of the nice tables, but I don't suggest that because they are expensive and aren't as portable (Lakeshorelearning.com on fave links is a great place if you want to buy). I like to use a big plastic tupperware or just your popcorn bowl from your kitchen. Anything will work, but the best ones are pretty shallow and rectangular shaped. You can seriously put anything in there and just let the kids go crazy. If you are really going to let them go crazy, I suggest doing it outside. If you can't do it outside because of weather, I suggest buying a big peice of clear vinyl from a fabric store and lying it down on the kitchen floor and letting them go at it (you can re-use the vinyl over and over again and it's great for stress free play-doh). If it is good weather, just strip the kids down or put them in their "play clothes" because it can get messy. I also suggest keeping containers of all of the things you might put in the tub and re-using them over and over so you don't waste. Anyway, now for some suggestions for things to put in your tub: Rice, sand, macaroni noodles, shaving cream, warm water with ice cubes in it (you can do fun colored ice cubes with a little food coloring), oatmeal (really fun to hide things in and pretend they are archaeologists or something. You can also hide numbers or letters in the oatmeal and practice ABC and 123 recognition), potting soil, dirt and let them make mud (they are going to do it anyway, you might as well give them permission). Those are some that I have done that I know are really fun. I found some more ideas at this web address: http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/toddlers/centers/sensory_table.htm. You can go to Perpetualpreschool.com on my fave link list and get tons of other ideas. I love that site! A variation on the sensory tub is getting a cookie sheet and putting enough salt to cover the bottom and let your child do salt writing with their fingers. This is a great one to let them do at the kitchen table while you are cooking dinner. You can also do chocolate pudding writing and let them lick their fingers. Your kids will have so much fun with you.....and without you. It is a great way to get some yard work done, or even just lie down on a blanket and read a book. It will keep them occupied for a long time. Many of the suggestions are totally clean, but every so often, it wouldn't hurt to just let them get messy and then just do baths right after. Let me know if you try any of these out, I would love to know what your kids think!
6 comments:
Wow- this is a great idea! Whitney creates her own by redistributing everything from one drawer, cupboard, pile, or stack to another. I never thought of making her something like this. Cool.
Okay- I am so excited about this because it is so easy! I was trying to clean the kitchen today and so I quickly threw down a big blanket on the floor, dumped a package of rice in a pyrex pan and added a bunch of magnets and let her make a mess! She thought it was pretty cool- although I quickly learned she's too young for uncooked rice because she wanted to eat it! Later we took a tupperware, filled it with water and odd bathroom stuff and let her go to town outside. That she REALLY loved! Thanks for this idea!
Hey Dana, is attachment parenting similar to love and logic parenting?
Marie, attachment parenting is a much broader idea, but Love and Logic definitely fits into it. Attachment parenting (you probably know this) is the whole idea of natural childbirth, nursing your baby to ensure bonding, keeping them close at night and during the day, not letting them cry themselves to sleep, but answering their cries immediately instead. Love and Logic definitely fits into the discipline part of attachment parenting; no spanking/hitting, no yelling, try not to show your anger and use your child's mess ups as teaching opportunities. Although, Love and Logic stands on it's own as a parenting style, you don't have to do all of the other things to still be a Love and Logic parent.
Holly, I am so glad you tried it. Let me know if you come up with any other good things to put in them.
So I am going to comment more on the fruit and veggies...instead of just giving my kids crackers and what not to snack on during the day, I have been taking all kinds of fruits and veggies and cut them up into bite size pieces and put them in little bowls and leaving them on the table all day long. You can definitely tell which ones they like the most, but still, all of the fruits and veggies have been tried. You will have to ask mom to look in one of the PEOPLE magazines she took with her, it has a recipe in it from Gwenyth Paltrow for carrot and sweet potato french fries...it sounded pretty yummy. Oh, did you and Bubba ever get the newspaper clippings we found in his old dresser?
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