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Category Archives: child’s play

No Mess Sensory Walk

5 / 15 / 185 / 18 / 18

No Mess Sensory Walk | Mama Papa Bubba

A while back I saw this amazing video clip of several brothers doing a ‘sensory walk’ in their backyard.  It was different than other sensory walks I’d seen built right into kids’ outdoor play spaces – this one was done with bins filled with things like shaving foam, coloured water, flour, and water beads {you can see the clip here.}  Such a neat idea if you want a temporary sensory-filled walkway, isn’t it?  I filed the idea away in the back of brain after watching, but today after I’d felt like both kiddos had had plenty of sun {we totally skipped spring here in the Okanagan and moved straight into summer}, we gathered up some household items to make our own indoor no mess sensory walk.  

No Mess Sensory Walk{this post contains affiliate links}

Here’s what we used…  First up, our go-to, use-for-everything Ikea trays.  We love these and use them for everything from art to sensory play to picnics.  Next up, a yoga mat as our base {to keep the trays from sliding around} and no-slip placemats {that are usually used to keep the trays from slipping around – essentially this stuff cut into rectangles}  to help hold the sensory materials in place.  For the sensory materials, we went with things of different textures that wouldn’t leave any mess behind – sponges, scrubber pads, a cool damp towel, bubblewrap, and later on a couple of LEGO bases. {Of course you can use whatever you have around the house.}

No Mess Sensory Walk

I often think that pulling together materials and prepping an activity is half the fun, so as long as it’s not an invitation I’m setting out for the kids to discover, I try to include them in the process.  

No Mess Sensory Walk

Kids always have the best ideas anyways. 

No Mess Sensory Walk

With our yoga mat out, our trays lined up and topped with the no-slip placemats, we began to cover the surface of each tray with one of our sensory materials.

No Mess Sensory Walk

It took no time at all and then the kids were off!

No Mess Sensory Walk

{matching kindness shirts by My Cheeky Baby} 

No Mess Sensory Walk

Now while I set this sensory walk up with Sam in mind, I had a feeling Grae would join in and I’m so glad she did.  I just love that she still loves simple play and as a mama to a girl who’s well beyond her years in many ways, I’ll hang onto that as long as I can.

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Part way through their play we found another tray, so it got added to the sensory walk with a couple of big LEGO plates on it.  

{Now side note on these “LEGO” baseplates…  While I’m not normally one to buy a knock off version of something, this set of baseplates was on a mega sale and my kiddos never seem to have enough bases for their creations, so I decided to give them a shot.  Well.  They work perfectly.  And quite honestly, had I not known they weren’t actually the LEGO brand, I probably would have never guessed.  Well worth it if you’re trying to build up your collection in my opinion.} 

No Mess Sensory Walk

Now once it was set up, I basically just sat back and watched the kids play.  They passed through again and again, walking slowly, walking quickly, walking and pausing on each tray, jumping from tray to tray….

No Mess Sensory Walk

And then Sam moved to experimenting with crawling and Miss G moved to dancing and spinning down the walk. All wonderful ways to explore different textures and the sense of touch.  

Now while I’m not a physiotherapist or an OT, Sam and I do a lot of physio work together and I feel like this activity not only encouraged jumping with control in order to get from the centre of one tray to the centre of another, but also just encouraged him to move and step with control and intention {as putting weight on the edges of the trays would make them tip upwards}.  Fun sensory-rich play that helps him work on some of his physio goals?  YES PLEASE.

No Mess Sensory Walk Activity | Mama Papa Bubba

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Little Blue Truck Story Telling Basket

3 / 2 / 183 / 12 / 18

Little Blue Truck Story Telling Basket | Mama Papa Bubba

Oh, how Sam LOVES the Little Blue Truck books.  They get read again and again and again in our house, so to spice things up and encourage some imaginary play (one of our IDP goals for Sam at the moment), I decided to put together this simple Little Blue Truck story telling basket for him to explore.

{this post contains affiliate links}

Now while we have Little Blue Truck Leads the Way {CAN} (my personal fave being a city girl myself), Little Blue Truck’s Halloween {CAN}, Little Blue Truck’s Christmas {CAN}, and Little Blue Truck’s Springtime {CAN} (my least favourite and a bit of a disappointment to be honest), Sam seems to seek out the original Little Blue Truck {CAN} most often, so that’s what we went with for our story telling basket.

Little Blue Truck Story Telling Basket

We just used things we had on hand (hence our little GREEN truck and a missing goat), but I think we did okay!  If you’ve never seen these Holztiger wooden animals, they are my absolute favourite.  They’re pricey, but we collect a couple at a time (usually in Christmas stockings and Easter baskets) and the quality is outstanding.  Definitely a collection I’ll hold onto until my kids are grown.

Here’s what we included in our Little Blue Truck story telling basket {or tray}…

  • Little Blue Truck {CAN}
  • wool felt squares in colours that coordinate with the illustrations of the book {CAN}
  • a CAT dump truck
  • a pick up truck
  • a Holztiger cow
  • a Holztiger horse
  • a Holztiger hen
  • a Holztiger chick
  • a Holztiger sheep
  • a Holztiger frog
  • a Holztiger goose (meant to be our duck)
  • a Holztiger pig
  • and we would have included this Holztiger goat had we had him

{Canadian friends, you can find the Holztiger collection on amazon.ca here, but most are incredibly overpriced…  I recommend getting them from Dilly Dally, our very favourite Vancouver toy shop instead.}

Little Blue Truck Story Telling Basket

I set the basket and a tray out on the coffee table just before picking Miss G up from school so it was there for them to discover when we walked in the door.

Little Blue Truck Story Telling Basket

Now while I set put this story telling basket together with Sam in mind, I knew Miss G would be just as into it…  She dove right in, helped Sam use the felt squares to create the ground, and grabbed the book and began reading, while sam played with the vehicles and animals as she read.

Little Blue Truck Story Telling Basket

And boy was he ever into it!

Little Blue Truck Story Telling Basket

His play didn’t end once Grae was finished reading the book, either.  He kept vrooming the dump truck around, getting it stuck in the brown ‘mud’, and using the animals to {very enthusiastically} help him push it out.  Then the animals were getting stuck in the mud and the trucks were getting them out, and THEN the truck and the dump truck were having races around the farm!  This is the beauty of a story telling basket or tray – there’s no right or wrong way to play and the original story the collection of items is based on is just a jumping off point.

Little Blue Truck Story Telling Basket

Miss G actually got in on the fun and helped set up this fun little scene too, which I just left out as is.  The plan is to leave it out for a while so that the kids can come back to it and enjoy it as they please, and I’m guessing it’ll be revisited again and again.

In the meantime, I’ve got another really fun Little Blue Truck activity in mind that I know the kids will just love…  Can’t wait to share!

Little Blue Truck Story Telling Tray | Mama Papa Bubba

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Car and Truck Colour Sorting

2 / 22 / 182 / 26 / 18

Car and Truck Colour Sorting | Mama Papa Bubba

Oh my goodness…  This boy and his cars and trucks.  He’s nothing short of obsessed.  The other thing he’s been really into for months?  Colours.  Smack the two together and you’ve got a car and truck colour sorting activity that’s incredibly easy to pull off, but super engaging for little car and truck lovers like Sam.

Car and Truck Colour Sorting {this post contains affiliate links}

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • coloured construction paper {CAN}
  • sticky tape
  • small cars and trucks in various colours

Car and Truck Colour Sorting

Set up couldn’t be easier…  Basically choose a surface {we went with our coffee table, but a floor would be great too} and loosely tape sheets of construction paper in various colours down to it.  These will serve as your colour categories or ‘parking spots’ or ‘garages’ if your little one is as obsessed as mine is.

Car and Truck Colour Sorting

Now this activity was actually inspired by something I saw Sam doing in the playroom a few days earlier {he was colour matching his cars and our SPRI balance pods {CAN} while carefully placing the cars atop the pods} so I knew I probably wouldn’t have to give him much guidance…  I simply set out a little basket filled with his cars and asked if he wanted to park them in their spots and with that, he got started.  My favourite thing was watching him with this little aqua car…  He went back and forth between green and blue several times before deciding just to hang onto it – hah!

IMG 2455

After that it was smooth sailing though…  He’d often tell me the name of the car and then its colour as he was placing it in its spot.

Car and Truck Colour Sorting{aqua car makes a reappearance}

Car and Truck Colour Sorting

At the beginning, he’d announce the colour of the truck or car and then simply place it down on the coordinating piece of construction paper…

Car and Truck Colour Sorting

But before long he was ‘vrrooooooming’ his cars across the coffee table and slamming on the brakes when they’d reached the parking spot.

Car and Truck Colour Sorting

Doesn’t this look like a total blast?

Car and Truck Colour Sorting

I’m guessing Sam thinks so because we’ve already played it again TWICE!

Colour Sorting with Cars and Trucks | Mama Papa Bubba

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Potion Making for Kids

2 / 20 / 182 / 21 / 18

Potion Making for Kids | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Oh, potion making…  Miss G has done this for years and years {check this post out} and it’s still not old. During the spring and summer we do a nature version that includes all kinds of grasses and weeds and flower petals to make nature / fairy potions and it’s also become our go-to when Miss G is having a friend over {so far, they seem to love it!}

IMG_2402{this post contains affiliate links}

Now while I’ve been letting Miss G get herself set up for potion making for the last couple of months, we started going through ridiculous amounts of baking soda and vinegar and Brad was challenged with getting trays brimming full of magic potion overspill to the kitchen sink from our dining area every afternoon {clumsy old me didn’t possibly stand a chance, and if I’m being honest, it wasn’t going so well for him either – hah!}

Now I loooove BIG fizzy eruptions just as much as any 7 year old and letting kiddos lead the way when it comes to their play is my jam, but after several weeks of letting Grae really go for it, I decided it was time to reel things in just a little bit.  My goal was to cut way back on our supply usage, hopefully encourage more purposeful potion making, and  avoid the massive mess that was impossible to get to the sink without soaking the tile floor…  And so, I put out this little invitation to play one day after school and I have to say, it totally worked.

All it took was keeping the potion making supplies and the potion mixing bottles nice and small!  That’s it!

Here’s what I set out on our Ikea tray:

  • white vinegar and a pipette {CAN}
  • liquid food colouring {CAN}
  • glitter {I really want to give a biodegradable glitter like this one a try}
  • baking soda with a tiny spoon
  • shaving foam with a medicine syringe
  • several small craft jars {these would be amazing | CAN}

IMG_2410

Besides the tray with the significant lip around the edge, I always make sure to put out an old rag just in case too.  Science explorations can be messy sometimes!

IMG_2412
And then Miss G gets to it…

There’s absolutely no right way or order when it comes to potion making {though Miss G seems to have a little system of sorts} – it’s all about experimenting, observing, and having fun!

IMG_2413

G’s usual method?  A scoop of baking soda in the bottom, then a shot of shaving foam, a single drop of colouring, and a sprinkling of glitter.

IMG_2414

Then the best part…

IMG_2415

VINEGAR!

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How pretty is that?!

IMG_2418

And the fun doesn’t stop after the first fizzy eruption…  From there she adds to it, stirs it, shakes it, and adds more vinegar to create a second {and third and fourth…} fizzy eruption.  {It’s actually amazing how little baking soda and vinegar you need when using these small vile-like containers.}

IMG_2428

When she’s ready to move onto the next potion, she usually caps up the one she’s just finished and sets it aside.

IMG_2438

Then onto the next!

IMG_2442

By the time she’s done, we usually have an entire collection of potions…

Such simple, inexpensive fun.

Potion Making Station for Kids | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

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Slime Strings Using a Cooling Rack

2 / 15 / 182 / 18 / 18

Slime Strings With Slime a Cooling Rack | Mama Papa Bubba

Oh, how we love slime. Grae and I started making it when she was just over two years old and one of our favourite things has always been to create slime strings using slotted spoons, sand sifters, and colanders {check out Baby G’s slime strings during her first ever slime play session!}  It’s just so neat to watch the slime slowly sink down through the holes and emerge on the other side as perfect, thin cords.

{this post contains affiliate links}

Well today we took our slime strings to a whole new level by pairing our slime with a cooling rack and my gosh – was it ever cool.  Miss G was sitting up at the island playing with some of our freshly made Valentine’s fluffy slime and Sam and I had made a batch of banana muffins earlier in the day, so the cooling rack {CAN} was just sitting there on the counter, and that’s when I remembered previously seeing this slime paired with a wire kitchen shelf for cutting practice.

Slime Strings

Besides our fluffy slime and cooling rack {CAN}  I grabbed on of our favourite play trays (we have a stack of these and use them for all kinds of kids’ projects) and a couple of big mason jars.

Slime Strings

Then Miss G propped the cooling rack up on top of the jars with the tray below, took a chunk of slime and stretched it out into a fairly thin layer, and placed in on top of the cooling rack.

Slime Strings

It looked really neat right from the get-go, but check out this progression:

Slime Strings

Slime Strings

IMG 2548

Slime Strings

Slime Strings

Isn’t that cool?!

Slime Strings

And what’s even cooler?  The little curls and twists and the slime strings form when the hit the tray.

Slime Strings

Slime Strings

Just check that out.  Aren’t they neat? These were Miss G’s favourite part and she said they remind her of curly hair – hah!

IMG 2568

If you’ve got some slime and a cooling rack on hand, I highly recommend you try this…  My guess is that your kiddos will be adding slime to the top of the rack again and again {just like mine} because it’s SO neat!

Slime Strings with Slime and a Cooling Rack | Mama Papa Bubba

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Car Ramp Sensory Bin

2 / 6 / 182 / 6 / 18

Car Ramp Sensory Bin | Mama Papa Bubba

Oh, how this little boy of ours loves cars, trucks, tractors, and all things that go.  Help him set up some sort of ramp and he’ll send vehicle after vehicle after vehicle down that hill. It’s his jam.

One day a little while back while Grae, Sam, and I were down in the playroom, this idea sort of randomly sprung to mind.  Brad had tucked a bunch of empty wrapping rolls in our play closet earlier in the week and Sam was enjoying his trucks but was frustrated that the ramp he’d set up wouldn’t stay in place.  While I briefly thought about trying to help him tape his giant ramp in place, I remembered our stash of paper rolls just waiting to be used for something fun, and that’s when this little car ramp sensory bin was created!

IMG 2161

Now thinking back, I’m pretty sure that this idea was inspired by The Imagination Tree’s awesome cardboard tube racing activity…  I remember seeing her beautifully painted tracks and colourful images a long time ago… I probably just didn’t realize what a little car enthusiast I’d have on my hands one day in the future!

Car Ramp Sensory Bin

Our ramps certainly aren’t as pretty as hers and maybe one day we’ll paint an entire set of paper roll roadways {how fun would that be?}, but these certainly did the job and setting everything up was incredibly quick and easy.

Car Ramp Sensory Bin

Because this little set up was completely impromptu, I didn’t take photos of the set up process like I usually do, but I think it’s pretty self explanatory.

Car Ramp Sensory Bin{this post contains affiliate links}

All you need is a pair of scissors, some cardboard tubes, painter’s tape {CAN}, and a big, shallow bin {CAN}.  {Any big, shallow bin will do, but this huge under the bed bin is one of my absolute favourites for any kind of sensory or small world activity.}

Car Ramp Sensory Bin

All you have to do is cut the tubes in half lengthwise, trim them down to whichever size you like, and then use painter’s tape to secure one end to the edge of the bin and the other to the base of the bin.

Car Ramp Sensory Bin

Add a bunch of little vehicles and it’s time to play!

Car Ramp Sensory Bin

The beauty of having your ramps contained in a big bin?  The cars zip down quickly, but stay within reach!  A bin of this size also means that there’s more than enough room for several kiddos to play at once, and Miss G actually did play alongside Sam for quite a while.

Car Ramp Sensory Bin

While we’ve tucked our bin away for now, I’ve saved the paper tube ramps to use again next time and I’m certain it won’t be long before Sam requests this activity again.

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Tinker Play Dough

1 / 14 / 181 / 17 / 18

Tinker Play Dough | Mama Papa Bubba

Welp, Miss G went back to school yesterday and we’re officially missing her already.  {Not to mention the slow mornings, pajama days, and general lack of a schedule we had over the break.}  I told myself that I’d sign Sam and I up for some fun things come January, but honestly, I just haven’t done it yet…  Besides the fact that Vernon isn’t overflowing with options and our school drop-off / midday nap / school pick-up routine really only allows for a class or program between the hours of 9 and 11 am, I know that any play-based program with shared toys will most likely mean sickness after sickness for Sam because a) cold and flu season and b) preemie immune systems suck.  And he’s still recovering from his post-Christmas sickness!  So for now, we’re sticking with our snowy walks, coffee shop visits here and there, and a whole lot of play at home. 

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Bath Tub Art Studio

1 / 8 / 181 / 17 / 18

Bath Tub Art Studio | Mama Papa Bubba

Oh my goodness…  Sam had such a fantastic time in his little bath tub art studio this afternoon.  If you’ve ever wondered how to paint with your toddler without creating a total disaster, or if you’ve avoided toddler art projects all together because of the mess they make, this is for you!  Not only is the mess contained within the tub, but clean up is a total cinch and it’s never been easier to transition straight into bath time afterwards. Win!

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Tape Pull Fine Motor Activity

9 / 28 / 1710 / 11 / 17

Tape Pull Fine Motor Activity | Mama Papa Bubba

Fun fact?  When we were going back and forth between Canada and Kuwait regularly and spending our holidays travelling, one of my go-to occupy-Miss-G plane items was tape.  Washi tape usually, but I’d stash a roll of masking tape or painter’s tape in my bag in a pinch.  I know that seems weird, but honestly – there’s just so much fun to be had with a roll of tape!  You can rip off pieces and stick it on paper to create art, you can fashion crowns and bracelets and rings out of it, you can play tic-tac-toe on the meal tray using it, and if you’re quite little, you can simply stick it onto things and then pull it back up.  It’s fun, it’s no mess, and it’s fantastic for little ones’ fine motor skills!

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Party Trampoline

7 / 18 / 177 / 30 / 17

Party Trampoline | Mama Papa Bubba

Oh my goodness… It’s heeeeere! The first official day of summer vacation!!  If I’m being honest, I’ve been ready for this day since mid-May and I could not be more excited to kick off two full months with all four of us at home together.  Miss G’s been very anxiously awaiting this day too {well except for the bit about us most likely buying a home and moving cities}, so I figured we’d kick things off with a fun little surprise out on our new Springfree Trampoline {the kids’ absolute favourite spot these days} and turned it into a party trampoline!  

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LEGO Mandala Art

6 / 13 / 177 / 30 / 17

LEGO Mandala Art | Mama Papa Bubba

I don’t remember when or how it came up, but recently, Miss G and I were talking about mandalas…  Grae asked what makes a mandala a mandala, and since I’m by no means an expert, we popped online to do a little bit of research. What we learned is that artistically, mandalas are detailed circular designs that often contain repeating patterns and shapes.  We took a look at lots of gorgeous mandala images and read a little bit about what they symbolize too, which was really interesting.  So when I was thinking about fun and different ways we could use our LEGO collection for LEGO Week, I had mandalas on my mind – hence our LEGO mandala art. 

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DUPLO Wash Sensory Bin

6 / 12 / 176 / 13 / 17

DUPLO Wash Sensory Bin | Mama Papa Bubba

Oh, how we love LEGO and DUPLO in this house!  LEGO bricks and sets to add to our collection have pretty much been permanently stationed on Miss G’s wish list since she was 3 and now that Sam’s really taken a liking to DUPLO, I think we’ll have to work on expanding that collection too.  He loves making towers, pulling the bricks apart, and banging them together to make music at the moment, and today we added washing them with a DUPLO wash sensory bin to the list.  

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A SURPRISE for Grae & Sam!

4 / 27 / 174 / 27 / 17

We’ve been keeping a little secret from the kiddos for the past few weeks and I was SO excited to finally get to do the big reveal today.  Thankfully it was it was a gorgeous afternoon, so Sam and I walked to school to pick up Miss G, which allowed me to capture her reaction as we turned the corner onto our street and our front yard came into view.  I had no idea how she’d react {kids can be a little bit unpredictable when surprised, can’t they?}, but she was so, so thrilled when she finally realized what it was and that it was ours to keep.

Here’s how it went down…

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Easter Egg Hunt Sensory Bin

4 / 12 / 174 / 12 / 17

Easter Egg Hunt Sensory Bin | Mama Papa Bubba

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.  

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Tin Foil Boat Float

3 / 29 / 176 / 4 / 17

Tin Foil Boat Float | Mama Papa Bubba

While I don’t usually bring activities along on vacation with us, I knew a classic tin foil boat float would be an awesome way for Miss G and I to spend one of Sam’s nap times {not to mention that it’s a pretty perfect fit given the fact that we’re staying directly across from the water} and boy, was I ever right. 

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