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Tag Archives: sensory activities

Gardening Sensory Bin

5 / 19 / 18

Gardening Sensory Bin | Mama Papa Bubba Blog

Oh, how I love me a good sensory bin.  When Miss G was a toddler, we were sensory bin QUEENS.  Seriously though.  We probably had a minimum of two sensory bins going on any given day.  She loved them, I loved them, and they come with SO many benefits, so we just ran with it.  

Well, as soon Sam started digging in our freshly planted container garden, I knew exactly what we needed to put together for him – a gardening sensory bin!  A place where he’d be free to dig, fill, plant, and rake to his heart’s content.

Gardening Sensory Bin

So that’s exactly what we did.

Gardening Sensory Bin {this post contains affiliate links}

Here’s what it included:

– potting soil (the plainest, nothing added soil the store had)

– several small pots from the seedlings we’d purchased for our garden

– a kids’ gardening shovel

– some dried beans for seeds

– a mini gardening tool set

– plant tags from our seedlings

– faux tulips

We also used the double bin method that I often use with Sam (my boy who can destroy an entire room in approximately 30 seconds flat).  It’s not a perfect system, but it does help contain the sensory bin filler (in this case, soil) and the extra space can also be used to house materials you want nearby, but not necessarily right in the sensory bin itself.  This is our go-to small sensory bin and this is my beloved jumbo sensory bin.

Gardening Sensory Bin

As I usually do when introducing an open-ended activity, I sort of just sat back and observed from the get-go.

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Now he had spent the last few days helping Grae and I transplant seedlings into containers, but it was the sweetest thing to watch him carefully fill his pot with soil and then stick a flower in the centre.

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Before long, Miss G joined in.  I’m always more than happy to let her enjoy activities I’ve set up with Sam in mind, but I do sometimes like him to get a stab at it first – before seeing how his big sister would interact with the materials.

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Now I don’t know whose idea it was, but once Grae joined in it wasn’t very long before one of our pump pressure water sprayers came into play.  {Side note: I looove these for gardening with kids as I feel like they make it hard to over water or hurt the seedling with a flow that’s too strong.} 

Gardening Sensory Bin

Of course once the water came into play, a whole lot of drinking and showering came along with it – hah!

Just for fun, let’s take a look at the last time I did a gardening sensory bin for Miss G, shall we?  This was back in October of 2014 {so Grae was just over 4 years old} in the courtyard of our apartments in Kuwait.  I took the photos for the purpose of sharing them here on the site, but never got around to it {#storyofmylife}.  Her bin was similar, but included the CUTEST white picket fence and tiny wooden ladybugs.  Also, those lilacs?  Beautiful.  {Still sad that I had to leave so many fun things behind when we moved home.}

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Aw, my sweet baby girl!!

You can also see another gardening sensory bin we did when Miss G was just a year old here.  My gosh – the concentration and determination in that video just kills me!

 

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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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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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Baby Play Dough

1 / 29 / 172 / 1 / 17

Baby Play Dough | Mama Papa Bubba

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.

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Water Bead Play for Babies

1 / 15 / 171 / 23 / 17

Water Bead Play for Babies | Mama Papa Bubba

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!

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Season Sensory Bottles

1 / 8 / 171 / 16 / 17

Season Sensory Bottles | Mama Papa Bubba

With Grae and Sam being 5 years apart in age, you’d think that they’d be into completely different things, but I’m actually realizing that there are many projects and activities that we can do and tweak just slightly so that both munchkins enjoy them.  These season sensory bottles are so much fun and definitely one of those projects that both kiddos got something out of.  {Not to mention that they look super pretty sitting on a playroom shelf or window sill.} 

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DIY Sensory Blocks for Baby

11 / 13 / 161 / 6 / 17

Homemade Sensory Blocks for Baby | Mama Papa Bubba

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??}

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{Baby Play} Exploring Hot and Cold

9 / 23 / 161 / 3 / 17

Exploring Hot Cold | Mama Papa Bubba

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. ☺

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Baby Sitting Practice Using Sensory Bags

9 / 21 / 1610 / 2 / 16

Baby Sitting Practice Using Sensory Bags | Mama Papa Bubba

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. ☺

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Polka Dot Sensory Bag for Babies

7 / 17 / 168 / 29 / 16

Polka Dot Sensory Bag for Baby | Mama Papa Bubba

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!

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Frog Pond Sensory Play

4 / 7 / 164 / 20 / 16

Frog Pond Sensory Play | Mama Papa Bubba

This week Miss G and I have been enjoying an old favourite – some slimy frog pond sensory play!  It’s funny how some things just never seem to get old…  I love that about play – it sort of just evolves with the child as she grows and changes herself.  

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Autumn-Themed Writing Tray

10 / 1 / 1510 / 6 / 15

Autumn Themed Writing Tray | Mama Papa Bubba

Without a doubt, one of my most used resources in my Kindergarten and Grade One classes was the stack of coloured plastic plates filled with salt that I kept in my teacher’s cupboard.  They were the simplest thing ever – literally plastic plates in a bright colour {aqua and gold always seemed to be the favourites} filled with a very thin layer of salt I’d bought at the dollar store.  Despite their simplicity, we used them constantly…  When practicing letter and number formation, when learning to draw shapes, when learning about different types of lines used in art, and when doing literacy and math centres… The list could go on.  

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Fall Nature I Spy Bottle

9 / 17 / 159 / 17 / 15

Fall Nature I Spy Bottle | Mama Papa Bubba

Ahhh…. Autumn.  It’s something we haven’t experienced in the last couple of years, and though I certainly would mind being poolside soaking up Kuwait’s 40 degree heat currently, I’m loving seeing all of the beautiful fall colours pop up early around Vancouver this year.  Of course, Gracen {my little collector of sticks, rocks, and all things nature} is loving it too.  There are just so many fun things to be discovered outside right now!

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LEGO Minifigure Mini Bath Station

5 / 8 / 155 / 16 / 15

LEGO Minifigure Mini Bath Station | Mama Papa Bubba

Okay, so I’m fairly certain we’ve gone off the deep end with this LEGO minifigure mini bath station, but hey – Miss G loved it. In fact, she thought it was the cutest, silliest, most fun thing ever!  Win.

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Play Dough Chocolate Shop

2 / 18 / 153 / 5 / 15
Play Dough Chocolate Shop | Mama Papa Bubba{this post contains affiliate links}

Mmmm…. Chocolate.  Miss G and I made a batch of our super simple chocolate play dough {but added cream of tartar and glycerine since we had it on hand} for our recent Valentine’s tea, and took it out again this afternoon for some fun and easy play. Grae decided that she wanted to open a play dough chocolate shop, so that’s what we did. 

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