Water Beads- Cheap!

You've probably seen water beads on blog or pinterest.  I've noticed them all over and have been wanting to try them, but not wanting to spend a lot of money. 

I recently found these Purple Water Pearls on amazon.com for only $2.90 with free shipping right to my door.  (They are also available in clear and blue.)   The package came with 6 little packets of water bead.  We've only use half of them so far.

My children (and myself) love the feel of squishing these beads and sliding our hands through them.  These water beads have been well worth the less than three dollars I spent on them!

Here the beads are at different stages of growth.  They start tiny and get to be larger than a marble!

Sink Your Fingers Into This...

Cornstarch and water make a super fun, simple goo.  It acts as a solid and as a liquid!  It's a bit messy, but easy to clean and doesn't stain (unless you add food coloring).  My kids were entertained and engaged for a good 45 minutes and keep asking to make this again and again. 

(For more info on the science behind this non-Newtonian fluid you can check out this website.)

Nature Sorting

Yea for sunshine!  Isaac (3.5 years) helped me find some things in nature to sort.  We ended up with sticks, lots of leaves, acorns, grass and rocks.

We had a great time talking about different ways to sort them.  Isaac did need some suggesting to see beyond sorting the items by type.  He was content putting the leaves in a pile, the acorns in a pile, etc.  But I wanted him to go a little deeper. 

Our first sorting method was things that grow on trees and things you find on the ground.  It was interesting to see how a 3 year old's mind works!  He really had to think about each item because we had found them all on the ground even though some of them started in a tree.

Our second method of sorting, which got cut short by a 3 year old's attention span, was sorting by color.  Isaac decided on a green group (grass and green leaves), a brown group (acorns, sticks and brown leaves), and a gray group (rocks.)  After sorting items into those groups he was off to the swing set.  :)

How are you and your little ones enjoying Autumn?

Sound Walk- My First Vlog!

Here's a go at my first vlog! Please pardon the lack of professional video recording skills! :)


Isaac loved this so much!  We went through the whole house, and then for a walk to the neighborhood park with sticks in hand.  Amy mostly just tagged along.

A sound walk is a great way to help your children practice listening skills.  You can also talk to your kids about the different sounds different materials make.  For example, how tapping on a metal object sounds different than tapping on plastic, wood, or upholstered things.

Button Color Sorting

We had so much fun sorting buttons this week! I laid out some squares of felt I'd cut for a button snake from all the colors of the rainbow. Then Isaac matched buttons to their corresponding colors.

Once he's done he loves to carry the buttons around in a Tupperware container. He has created other activities, such as naming the buttons, counting them, lining them up, and singing songs about them! We've got buttons on our mind!

We used buttons that Nana has collected over the years, but I would love to buy this Chenille Kraft Big Bag of Plastic Buttons from Amazon. Or use a 40% off coupon and find some buttons at Joann's or Michael's!

PS: I made some extra sets! You can now buy one in my etsy shop!

Sensory Tub for One Year Olds

My almost 3 year old loves his sensory tub full of beans (read- he loves to play with beans!) And we frequently pull them out when Amy (age 1) is taking her morning nap so that if he drops some no little one is around to gobble them up or choke on them. The only problem is that she is gradually moving to one nap a day and we no longer have large morning blocks of time with just Isaac and me.

So we needed a sensory tub that would be appropriate for a one year old. I just knew if I put her in front of the beans she would plop a handful in her mouth! Instead, I poured some Cheerios into a pan for her. She loved them! She was able to pour and touch (and yes, eat!) to her heart's desire.

We actually built a little wall out of kitchen chairs so that each child could have their own play/work space with their own materials. So far Amy hasn't learned how to scale the chairs, although she does enjoy standing next to them, watching what Isaac is up to.

Sink or Float?

This may be one of my son's all-time favorite activities! And while it is lots of fun outside during the summer, it is also a blast inside now!

I fill one bowl with water and give another to my son to fill with objects he find around the house.

We then cover the table with a towel and he places objects one at a time into the water. Sometimes I ask him to guess if an object will sink or float...he hasn't really figured out any means for guessing yet. And I'm fine with that. Someday he will understand all about density and buoyancy, but for now, it's all just fun and play!

Playing With Shaving Cream: the clean hands version

After I posted about playing with beans, several of you recommended trying shaving cream as a fun sensory activity. Knowing that my son doesn't enjoy getting his hands dirty (he has finally warmed up to playing in the sand after much exposure and encouragement!) I knew he would need a little help with the shaving cream.

I gave him a plastic fork and spoon, and a short straw to blow the shaving cream. He drew pictures and lines, and the letter I (the only letter he can write on his own). The first few times his fingers touched the shaving cream he wanted to wash his hands, but he always wanted to play again.

I think next time we may bring out the cookie cutters. What other clean hands ideas do you have? I'd love to hear them!

Note: If you let your child blow the shaving cream with a straw, please supervise so that the child does not accidentally suck shaving cream up the straw into their mouth!