Tag: sensory play

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Holiday How To Sensory Play

Fun and Easy St Patrick’s Day Sensory Activity Your Kids Will Love

St Patrick's Day Sensory Activity

My kids love sensory play, and this St Patrick’s Day Sensory activity was no exception. Not only is it fun to make, but my kids have already spent hours playing in it. It’s easy to clean up, too, since you can just sweep it up if it gets on the floor.

***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***

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St Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin

I didn’t feel like pulling the sensory table in, so we opted for a sensory bin this time. It was perfect because the kids could use it at the table and, when they finished, put the lid on it and put it away.

The best part about sensory play is that it doesn’t have to cost a ton of money. You can use things you already have around the house, or you could go to Dollar Tree and snag a few holiday items.

What You Need

How to Put it Together

Step 1: Dye the rice

If you don’t know how to dye rice for a sensory activity, check out my blog post Dyed Rice Layers of the Eart Project, where I explain how to do it. It’s so easy!

You will have to adjust the amount of rice you use, and you can dye as much as you want in the same bag since you will only be doing one color.

Step 2: Let the Rice Dry

This step is mentioned in the post I linked to above, but I just want to make sure you don’t miss it! Since I did such a large amount of rice for this St Patrick’s Day sensory activity, I spread out parchment paper on my dining room table.

Then, I spread the rice out in a thin layer and let it dry. It only takes a couple of hours to dry, and then you can put it away.

Step 3: Put the Rice in a Container

I used a small storage box with a lid so we could put it away easily.

Step 4: Add in Other Items

I let my kids open the black pots, filler, and gold coins and put them in the container of rice. Then, I stepped back and let them have some fun!

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St Patrick’s Day Sensory Activity

This St Patrick’s Day sensory activity is so much fun. The kids can play with it up until the holiday, and it keeps them occupied for so long.

Do your kids enjoy sensory play? Tell me about their favorite activities in the comments! I’d love to hear about them.

Categories
Big Kid Big kid fun Family Activities Free Activities How To Outside Fun Sensory Play Teenager Toddler and Preschool Age Learning

Can You Grow a Pine Tree From a Pine Cone? A Lesson In Sustainability For Kids

can you grow a pine tree from a pine cone, sustainability for kids, teaching kids about the environment, earth day, love our earth

I saw this picture being shared on Facebook and Pinterest where a pinecone was planted into soil. The photo showed that the pine cone was about half-buried in soil, with the top half sticking out. There were sprouts coming from the top of the pinecone, indicating that it’s possible to grow a pine tree from a pine cone.

This left me wondering… is it possible? Can you really grow a pine tree from a pine cone?

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The Research About Growing a Pine Tree From a Pine Cone

I tried to find information about this, and couldn’t find a conclusive answer. Just when I thought I had, someone else had a different point to make.

I couldn’t find any accounts of someone successfully going a pine tree from a pine cone. Plus, many people did explain that it is pretty much impossible.

Some people thought it would work, though, and I just have to test the image that was floating around.

With that being said, I found literally no confirmed answer. I couldn’t even find a source for the image that was floating around social media. **Updated to add that the social media image can be found here**

The Information We Did Find

Before we tried this for ourselves, I assigned our teenager the task of learning a couple of things about pine trees. She had to share the information with the younger siblings before we went around the yard hunting for pine cones.

One of the things she shared was that there are male and female pine cones. Am I the only adult who didn’t know this?!

With that fun fact, we took all of the pine cones we collected and played a game. We made teams and worked together to sort the pine cones into two pines; male and female. We also learned that the female pine cones are the ones that carry the seeds.

Finally, we learned that trees produce oxygen and that oxygen is what we breathe.

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Growing Pine Trees From Pine Cones

So, since I couldn’t find the actual answer online, we decided to figure it out for ourselves.

Materials

  • Empty 2-liter soda bottle
  • X-acto knife (or you can use a pocket knife)
  • Soil
  • Pinecone

This is the exact knife I used. I use it for pretty much everything, to be honest. LOL.

Yes, that’s an affiliate link, which means I’ll make a small commission at no additional cost to you. I truly do use this x-acto knife and stand behind it, however.

Instructions

1. Cut the soda bottle so that you only have the bottom portion left. Say, 1/4 of the bottle.

2. Add soil to the soda bottle bottom.

3. Create a hole in the soil that is big enough to fit 1/2 of the pinecone.

4. Fill dirt back in around the pinecone. Only the top half should be showing.

5. Water everyday and monitor the progress.

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Did it work?!

Ok, so since we know that this method for growing a tree isn’t for sure going to work, just bear with me. I’ll update on the progress (if there is any) right away.

In the meantime, however, do this project with us!! Help your kids plant their pinecone so you can see for yourself if it is possible to grow a pine tree from a pine cone.

We’re all looking for ways to teach kids from home, so why not mix in a fun science lesson?

What do you think will happen? Is it possible to grow a pine tree from a pine cone?

I had the kids all draw pictures of what they think will happen. Nevaeh was the only one who thought we would have to remove the seeds from the pinecone to grow a tree. The others thought the tree would grow from the pinecone.

Lets be honest, I think Nevaeh is right. Tell me what you think.

Will a tree begin to grow out of the planted pinecone? Tell me the reason behind your answer! I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks!

Need another project idea?

Check out this paper mache diamondback rattlesnake! Using paper mache is so easy, and the post has a recipe to make it with ingredients you already have on hand!

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Categories
Big Kid Big kid fun Family Activities Holiday How To Infant/Toddler Learning Sensory Play Toddler and Preschool Age Fun Toddler and Preschool Age Learning

DIY Easy Christmas Sensory Bottle

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Sensory bottle (also known as discovery bottles, calm down bottles, quiet time bottles, and many other names) are a must-have in our house. We make one for almost every holiday, and we pack them away with that holidays ornaments so that we’re sure to have them when the holiday rolls around the following year. Somehow, we have never made a Christmas sensory bottle, however.

I believe that we have at some point… but it must not have been worthy of saving or even taking pictures of. This year, though, our easy Christmas discovery bottle is perfect. So perfect, in fact, that I HAVE to share it with you!

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Materials Needed for a Christmas Sensory Bottle

  • An empty, clear bottle
  • Lukewarm water
  • 2 Containers of glitter glue, any color (I used silver and gold that I bought HERE)
  • Christmas glitter (I found mine in the dollar spot at Target or you can buy some HERE)
  • Hot glue and a hot glue gun, or just super glue

This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.

Directions to Make a Cute Christmas Sensory Bottle

  1. Peel any paper from the bottle
  2. Fill the bottle just over 1/2 way up with lukewarm water
  3. Add the 2 bottles of glitter glue, put the lid on, and shake it up.
  4. Open the bottle and add the glitter. Add as much of it as you want!
  5. Fill the bottle the rest of the way up, leaving enough space for the water to still move.
  6. Put hot glue around the ridges where the lid goes in order to keep it closed so your kiddos don’t accidentally open it.
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Final Thoughts On Easy Christmas Sensory Bottle

Christmas activities don’t have to cost a ton of money, and if you’re doing Christmas on a budget or just want an easy Christmas activity for kids, a Christmas sensory bottle is the perfect way to go.

What are your favorite holiday activities to do with your kids? Tell me about them in the comments!

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Categories
Big Kid Big kid fun Family Activities Holiday How To Sensory Play Toddler and Preschool Age Fun

Easy Fall Sensory Bin With Dyed Rice

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The fall fun has begun, and that means we’re doing ALL of the fall activities at our house. When Peyton created his Layers of the Earth 3D Project, I was inspired to dye rice in all fall-inspired colors and create an easy fall sensory bin.

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How to Make an Easy Fall Sensory Bin by Dying Rice

What you need:

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Directions:

  1. Put 1 cup of rice in each Ziploc bag.
  2. Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar into each bag of rice.
  3. Add a differet color of food coloring to each bag.
  4. Zip the bag and mix the rice with the food coloring.
  5. Once the rice is completely coated and dyed to the color you want, dump it onto dry papertowel and let it dry for about 1 hour
  6. Once all of the dyed rice is dry, mix the 4 colors together in a bowl or sensory table.
  7. Add small Halloween toys or fall colored leaves for more fun.

Halloween Dyed Rice Sensory Bin

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Using the same ingredients and similar steps, you can make an easy hallowed sensory bin for your kiddos, too! Instead of separating the rice in 1 cup increments into 4 separate bags, you will put two cups of rice into two separate bags (4 cups of rice total, still).

Once the rice is distributed, you will put 2 teaspoons of vinegar into each of the 2 bags, and then put orange food coloring into one bag and black food coloring into the other bag.

Follow the remaining steps, waiting for the dyed rice to dry before mixing colors together.

Another Easy Halloween Sensory Idea

Instead of doing orange and black for the Halloween sensory bin, you could dye all of the rice purple and add fun things like googly eyes or witches cauldrons in the sensory bin.

You could really do this however you want. Just follow the steps and change up the colors as needed.

And if your kids are like my kids they will do this:

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I’m not sure if I should blame Liam or Josie for mixing the fall sensory bin with the Halloween sensory bin, and then they added purple and pink rice, too.. they both blamed one another. Still fun, though!

For more Halloween fun checkout these posts:

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Final Thoughts On Easy Fall Sensory Bin With Dyed Rice

I love fun and easy activities, so this easy fall sensory bin with dyed rice was perfect for us. It was incredibly easy to make, pretty inexpensive, and the food coloring goes a LONG way so we were able to make a ton of dyed rice in all different colors.

My kids loved this… my 11-year-old loved it just as much as my 2-year-old, so it’s definitely a hit with everyone. My favorite part is that it is easy to clean up. You can simply sweep it up and throw it away, with no sticking or staining.

What is your favorite easy sensory activity to do with your kids? Have you tried dyed rice before? Leave me a comment and tell me about it!

Categories
Big Kid Big kid fun Classroom crafts Family Activities Sensory Play

Dyed Rice Layers of the Earth 3D Project

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Peyton (our 11 year old) loves school projects where he gets to use his creativity. In 4th grade, he had to create a 3D animal and he chose a paper mache diamondback rattlesnake, which turned out SO cool. This time, he had to create a 3D model of the layers of the earth (6th-grade science) and he chose to use dyed rice in a mason jar.

How to Make the Layers of the Earth with Colored Rice

What you need:

  • 2 cups of white rice
  • 2.5 teaspoons of white vinegar
  • Food coloring (yellow, orange, red, green, brown)
  • 16 oz. mason jar
  • Ziploc bags (any size) – one bag per color
  • Paper towel — *You’ll be mad if you don’t check out this AMAZING deal I found on paper towel!!*
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This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.

How to Make it:

  1. Divide 2 cups of uncooked rice into 5 parts. The parts should be divided based on the sizes of each layer of the earth… some will be smaller than others.
  2. Add each of the 5 parts into individual Ziploc bags and add 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar to each.
  3. Then, begin adding the food coloring to each bag. The amount of food coloring you use will depend on how you want the colors to look.
  4. Dump each color out onto a dry paper towel, keeping all colors separate.
  5. Allow the dyed rice to dry for one hour.
  6. Pour the dyed rice into a 16 oz. mason jar, beginning with the innermost layer of the earth. In Peyton’s case, this was the inner core, which he made yellow and poured into the bottom of the jar.
  7. Pour each additional layer on top of that one, working from the inside layers to the outside layers. The outermost layers will be at the top of your jar.
  8. Put the lid on, and your layers of the earth project is complete!

Layers of the Earth Used in this Project

  • Yellow: bottom layer, inner core
  • Orange: 2nd from the bottom, outer core
  • Red: 3rd from the bottom, lower mantle
  • Green: 4th from the bottom, upper mantle
  • Brown: top layer, crust

Tips:

*Fill the mason jar ALL the way to the top with rice. This prevents the rice from moving around and mixing together. You’ll want to keep your colors separate, as those represent the layers of the earth.

*Distribute the rice to 5 bags before dying any. Determine which bag of rice will be making up which layer, and write it on the outside of the bag. This way, your largest layer (the upper mantel in Peyton’s case) has the most rice in the bag and it doesn’t get mixed up with a different layer.

*—->This<—- pack of food coloring is the exact one I bought for this project. It contains all the colors Peyton needed plus some additional colors, too.

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Other Ideas for Layers of the Earth 3D Project

His original idea was to use 5 different colors of glitter, which I thought would have looked super cool. He changed his mind and decided on the rice model instead, however.

Some other ideas include:

  • Styrofoam ball
  • Play-doh or clay
  • Colored sand
  • Glitter
  • Cake

Final Thoughts on Layers of the Earth 3D Project

I’m always so excited when Peyton is assigned a school project. He is SO creative and has so much fun with them.

What project would you create if you were to make a 3D model symbolizing the layers of the earth? Tell me about it in the comments!

Categories
Big Kid Big kid fun Parenting Sensory Play Summer Toddler and Preschool Age Fun Toddler and Preschool Age Learning

Easy Sensory Play With Sharks

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Do you want to know my favorite thing about summer? It’s how easy it is to throw together a fun, last minute summer activity. Chances are if there’s water involved, then the kids are having a blast. This is why easy sensory play ideas are so awesome.

Every single day when we go outside, we are filling the water table up and grabbing the dinosaurs to play. When they get bored with the dinos (which takes a while but does happen), they start splashing each other and fighting. Since I love their easy outside sensory play so much and didn’t want it to be spoiled, I had to get creative and come up with some fun and easy sensory table ideas. One of our favorite easy sensory table ideas is the shark sensory play.

Lots of times, my 2-year-old uses sharks with dinosaurs, which is pretty exciting for him. I love watching him use the two together and make the dinosaurs and sharks interact. He really gets to use his imagination.

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***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***

Our Water Table

Our water table (I also refer to it as a sensory table, so please forgive me if I switch back and forth) has two sides; one is intended for sand and the other for water. I have to replace the sand about once a week, and if they run out too soon they just get water. I’m a mean mom, I know, but they really don’t mind.

I love our sensory table because of the two separate sides and a lid to keep sand clean and dry. Another perk is that it fits my 3 littles without a problem and they have plenty of space to play. It also comes with some dinosaurs, a cup with a handle, and a cup with holes in the bottom. Oh, and it comes with a shovel and a rake, too.

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Click here for the link

Now I know this is a dinosaur table, but there are so many fun sensory ideas out there that we sometimes have to just ignore the dino effects. 😉 It works out great, and I’m so happy this is the one we chose.

It’s lightweight and easy to clean, which is always a plus for me because I hate when their toys start getting yucky and are a hassle to clean. My toddlers help me with the cleaning, if that says anything.

Other Material For Easy Sensory Play With Sharks

Using sharks in the water table is so easy, as you can simply hand over some sharks and let them get to it, or you can make it a little more exciting by using color changing tablets to make blue water for the sharks to swim around in. I like to use the Crayola bath fizzies, which makes the water fizzy at first but eventually just changes the color of the water.

crayola bath fizzies, bath color changing, water color changing

This time, however, I used blue bath paint. It’s actually soap but it’s all I had at the moment, so we went with it. My littles LOVED it. Plus, their toys got a little scrub down, too. 😉

We went to dollar tree to buy sharks for the kids, but Liam chose a whale instead. See what I mean when I say easy sensory idea? It’s no big deal if your kid wants to change it up a bit, just go with it. Whales, Sharks, whatever little man wants. 😉

Putting It All Together – Sharks in the Sensory Table

So, once I have all of my material ready, I put it all together. I filled the sensory table with water and then let the kids add the stuff to change the color of the water. They really enjoy that part, so I always let them do it.

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  • Easy and fun sensory activity, sharks in the sensory table, sensory ideas, easy sensory
  • Easy and fun sensory activity, sharks in the sensory table, sensory ideas, easy sensory

That’s it! Give your kids the sharks (and whale in my case), and let them play with their sharks in the sensory table. Sometimes I sit with them and we talk about sharks (shark facts, stories, etc.). Other times I just read a book nearby and let them play together. I’m telling you, easy sensory play can be a blast.

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What easy sensory activities do your kids love? I’d love to get some more ideas!

Categories
Holiday How To Sensory Play Summer

How to Make an Easy 4th of July Sensory Bottle

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Sensory bottles are one of my favorite ways to make a holiday more exciting, and this 4th of July sensory bottle was a hit with my kids. This sensory activity keeps the kids busy as they make the sensory bottle and watch the glitter and small objects swirl together and settle back into the bottom.

Making a sensory bottle is easier than it sounds, and you don’t need many materials. You can also substitute the materials I recommend for something else you have on hand already.

*this post contains affiliate links*

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Benefits of Sensory Bottles for Kids

Research shows that sensory activities benefit children in many ways. It promotes their mental health, encouraging emotional regulation, relaxation, and tension relief. Sensory activities stimulate interest, promoting curiosity and encouraging a child to learn and explore.

Sensory bottles help build sensory skills by stimulating the senses. The differing colors, objects, sounds, and materials help. Additionally, when the child touches the bottle to turn, twist, shake, or squeeze, it furthers the sensory experience.

Sensory bottles stimulate fine and gross motor coordination. They also help a child focus as their eyes follow the movements. It encourages them to be present and set aside distractions.

How to Make a 4th of July Sensory Bottle

Materials:

  • A clear bottle (recyclable water bottle, tea bottle, or a glass jar – I used an empty vinegar bottle)
  • Water (from the tap is fine)
  • Glitter glue (I used the silver from this one, I probably should have used 2 of them)
  • 4th of July necklaces (or confetti)
  • Hot glue gun
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Directions:

  1. Empty and clean a clear bottle.
  2. Fill the bottle 3/4 of the way up with water. You will fill it more after you add the rest of the materials.
  3. Add 1- 2 bottles of glitter glue, depending on the look you are going for. I used 1, but I wish I would have used 2. My bottle is larger than a regular water bottle, however, because I used a vinegar bottle.
  4. Cut 4th of July beaded necklaces into small pieces and put them into the bottle of water and glitter, or use 4th of July confetti instead of the necklace pieces.
  5. Fill the bottle the rest of the way with water.
  6. Replace the lid, and hot glue it shut.
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Final Thoughts on 4th of July Sensory Bottle

Sensory bottles are easy, fun, and so much fun. This 4th of July sensory bottle was a great way to kick start our July 4th celebrations. What fun activities do you have planned for Independence Day?

For more sensory fun, click here. Or, you can read other 4th of July ideas in a separate post by clicking here.

Categories
Friday Favorites

Friday Pinterest Favorites

It’s Fri-yay!! Time to take a look at some of my favorite pins from this past week.

 

Flying School by Life As Mama – I know Peyton and Sylas would have fun with this one. Peyton loves making things from paper, including paper airplanes. He experiments with different ways of making them, trying to figure out how to make them go straighter, faster, or stay in the air longer. Sylas likes to do pretty much whatever Peyton is doing, and has been trying his hand at creating things from paper. He hasn’t succeeded yet, but he sure does like to try. This would be a fun trial and error activity as well as a fun aiming activity. Me or Peyton could help Sylas make a paper airplane that actually works and he could join in on the fun, too. It’s supposed to be rainy all weekend here again so this might just be perfect to try out.

I-Spy Bottle by Because I Said So – How fun is this? It could definitely help curb boredom this summer and I think it could be something to use for a calm-down time. I could make a couple different ones to target my different age groups (toddlers and a 10-year-old). They could also do these together which would be pretty awesome. There are so many possibilities of things you could put in an I-Spy bottle.

Cut and Paste Letters by Playful Learning in the Early Years – I actually kind of love this. I’m all about letters and learning how they can be different sizes, upper case or lower case, and something be written a little differently. I love that this activity allows kids to visually experience how letters can look different, and I feel like it will help with quicker recognition. My littles love to use their scissors to cut things out, too, and we have a stack of magazines just waiting to be cut up.

Threading Station by Busy Toddler – I LOVE quiet time activities. Sylas only sometimes naps and he can get quite noisy even when he’s “trying” to be quiet. Josie sometimes wakes up before the others (when Sylas actually naps), and she also has trouble using her whisper voice or choosing quieter toys. This is perfect and, knowing my littles, this will keep them busy for hours. I can’t wait to set something like this up.

 

What are some of your favorite pins lately?! I’d love to see some links in the comments!

Categories
Sensory Play Toddler and Preschool Age Fun

Sensory Imaginative Play

My kids love water, love sensory, and love frogs. I saw a post by Fun at Home With Kids that inspired me to create this little sensory box, imaginative play for my kids. I actually featured her post on my Friday Favorites post a few weeks ago, check it out!

On the original post, it looks like she used more of the little blue stones in the bottom, bigger lily pads, and more realistic frogs. The kids and I went to Dollar Tree to find the material for this activity and we did find the rocks but I only got one bag of them. We couldn’t find bigger sheets of foam, so we bought the small ones they had. The pack came with several sheets of all different colors so we have a bunch leftover, too! Then we bought the only frogs we found in the whole store, which are actually bath toys and completely perfect for water play!!

Every bit of this (except the small tote we put it in) came from Dollar Tree, but they even have small containers there that could work for this!

My littles HAD A BLAST. I had to keep a close eye on Liam because he kept putting the stones in his mouth, but other than that it was a breeze! We will definitely be doing this again.

Later on, we put all these items in the bathtub, too!