Easter Egg Hunt Sensory Bin

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With this upcoming Easter being the first that Sam will actually get to participate in the festivities, I figured we’d better give him a chance to practice his egg hunting skills if he’s to stand a chance against his quick and experienced big sister. Well, that or we had 45 minutes to kill between arriving home from a day of errands and picking up Grae from school and the Easter stuff just happened to out begging to be played with. :) Either way, Sam has absolutely been loving our collection of little plastic Easter eggs and this Easter egg hunt sensory bin was a total hit.

Exploring Hook-and-Loop Fasteners

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When Miss G was born full-term the day after my due date, making sure she met milestones reasonably ‘on time’ wasn’t something that was even on my radar… We simply trusted that she’d develop new skills as she was supposed to and celebrated them when they came along. With Sam, our little preemie babe born 27 weeks into my pregnancy, it’s a different story… Thankfully he’s done remarkably well in his first year home from the NICU, but his development has been closely monitored every step of the way and I’m much more aware of what he’s supposed to be doing at each stage. So when our baby boy developed a fascination with the hook-and-loop fasteners on Sister’s well-loved school sneakers, the first thing that popped into my mind? ‘Ooooh – what awesome fine motor practice!’ Seriously, this is how my mama brain thinks now. {Also, did you know that when we use the term “velcro”, we’re actually using a brand name to describe hook-and-loop-fasteners?? Me neither, but the team over at VELCROⓇ Brand kindly let me know that it’s much like using the term “kleenex” to describe all tissues… You learn something every day I guess!}

Baby Play Dough

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If you know me well, you know that my love for play dough runs deep. I’ve loved it for ages… It was a total lifesaver while babysitting and nannying as a teenager and university student, it was a staple in my Kindergarten classrooms when teaching, and it’s always out and available in our house now that I’m a mama. Over the years, Miss G and I have created some pretty amazing recipes… Amazing sand dough, gorgeous starry galaxy dough, lemony dough made with real lemon zest, chai tea latte dough, super soft chocolate dough, celebration dough full of foil glitter, the most fragrant ever gingerbread dough, vanilla mint dough {one of my favourite ever scent combos}, pumpkin spice dough made with real pumpkin… The list could go on.

Water Bead Play for Babies

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I love, love, love water beads and because Sam absolutely loves anything big or small that is ‘ball’ shaped, I knew he’d love them too. The trouble is that we’re still very firmly planted in the put everything in the mouth stage. Old food bits on the floor, dry crunchy leaves, shoes, tissues, sand…it all goes straight into his cute little mouth. So we’re definitely not ready for a water bead sensory bin just yet. That being said, a water bead sensory bag – YES! Putting different activities and materials into a large zip-close bag and taping the top shut is my go-to move when it comes to fun for this little one of mine. It allows him to explore so many things that would normally either be unsafe or at the very least, extremely messy {not that there’s anything wrong with mess – getting messy is important too} and this little water bead play for babies set-up has been a total hit so far!

Discovery Baskets for Babies and Toddlers

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Miss G and I have been having such fun putting together fun little discovery baskets for our sweet Sam to discover and explore. He loves them because it means that he gets to put his curious little hands all over all kinds of things he may not often have the opportunity to explore, and I love them because they’re fun and super easy to pull together. Plus I get to watch him very carefully inspect each object independently, which in my mama opinion, is the cutest thing ever.

DIY Sensory Blocks for Baby

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Goodness… I’m pretty sure I put making these simple little sensory blocks on my to do list about 3 months ago. It’s ridiculous that it’s taken me this long to get to them given the fact that the entire project took about 10 minutes start to finish, but feel like that’s just my current state of life. Non-priority tasks aren’t happening as quickly as I’d like them to, but it is what it is. Either way, they’re made now, and I’m so happy with how they turned out! Sam loves them too, which is exactly what I’d hoped for. They’re sort of like a combination of a miniature sensory bottle {making them perfect for little hands} and these really fun little sensory blocks that I was highly considering buying online late one night {making them perfect for stacking and crashing}. They’re also part musical instrument, so multi-purpose indeed {hah – have I sold you on making a set for your bub yet??}

{Baby Play} Exploring Hot and Cold

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Oh goodness… Have this little guy and I ever been having fun lately! When Miss G was this same age, we were in a major state of transition {hello packing up an entire life overseas, moving home to Canada, staying with family for several months, and then resettling in a different city} and doing fun little activities probably wasn’t at the very top of my priority list. But this time around, things are different… We’re a year into being back in Canada {for the second time}, Miss G is now in school full days {*gasp*}, and I get to spend my days with our sweet little preemie babe who seems to be curious about almost everything.

Today’s fun? Exploring hot and cold – a very simple activity inspired by the curious little hands wanting to investigate my cup of morning coffee. ☺

Baby Sitting Practice Using Sensory Bags

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We did it! At 10 months actual age and 7 months corrected, our little preemie babe born at 27 weeks is sitting up independently! It took some time obviously, but my goodness – is being able to sit up ever a game changer! And not only for him and his play either… For me too- hello, being able to set your baby down on the ground for just a minute while you put on your shoes! Have I mentioned that I’m so proud of this little guy? The moment a ‘oh goodness, he’s so behind’ thought even considers creeping into my head, I remind myself that there was a time not very long ago that I wasn’t even sure we’d be leaving the hospital with our baby and gain some quick perspective. And so we celebrate each new milestone {whenever they happen} instead. ☺

Polka Dot Sensory Bag for Babies

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This afternoon, with Brad outside mowing the lawn and Miss G being his water / sweat rag girl {hah!!}, I thought Sam and I would try something fun while doing our daily tummy time play. Since our tummy time painting was a hit a few days ago, I figured we’d give a sensory bag a go this time around. My initial thought was to create a quick and easy bag that was clear gel or shampoo based, but we had neither on hand… so water it was!

Tummy Time Painting

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This little bub. Gosh, he melts my heart. At 8 months old {and 5 months corrected} now, we’re working hard on building his strength and motor skills and he’s already come so far! According to his physiotherapist, the number one thing we can do at this point to help his development along is tummy time. I’m absolutely not a professional, but according to her, it’s sort of ‘the gateway’ to many of the other skills he’ll be working on mastering in the upcoming months.