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Valentines Sensory Love Tub

27 Jan

I love Valentines Day because you get the chance to not only think about those you love so dear in your life but you also have a chance to tell them and reflect on that love. A lovely “holiday”. Like most of my tubs, this one is super easy and quick. Most of the items listed below I grabbed at Target. Michael’s, Amazon and many crafts stores are sure to have ample Valentine Day supplies.

For this tub, we have:

  • pink, red and purple colored rice as the base
  • pink and red bouncy balls

 

  • a super cool red mini mailbox
  • heart shaped (plastic) “slinkies”
  • heart shaped containers for scooping

 

  • Valentine themed cupcake wrappers for scooping
  • my favorite, “table scatter” of X’s and O’s
  • I included a few (the wee ones figure it out fast & can’t resist) traditional Valentine sentiment candy “be mine”, “oh my” , etc

 

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We all had a blast with this tub. Love the colors, the feel and the sentiment. All round goodness.

 
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Posted in Activities, Celebrations, Emotions, Family Wellness, Homeschool, Montessori, Preschool, Relationships, Seasonal, Sensory, Sensory Tub, Toddler

 

Magnetic Book Cover Puzzle

26 Jan

I immediately fell in love with this wonderful activity when I read about it on a post. Written by the extraordinarily talented Allie of No Time for Flashcards, I could not resist giving it a go.

Allie explains the process very well in her post. The only differences we implemented into our project was the book we used (Mr. Seahorse by Eric Carle), using Mod Podge to seal and strengthen the puzzle and using a thin piece of card board as a base instead of only the magnetic sheet. The cardboard worked well but next time I am going to try it without the cardboard. The pieces bent in certain areas and made it a bit more difficult to put together on the cookie sheet.

I am really looking forward to doing this activity with additional book covers. We have several piling up in our cabinet ready for action!

Thanks for visiting!
Marnie

 
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Posted in Activities, Art, Fine Motor Skills, Preschool, Toddler

 

Kids Birthday Party Ideas

25 Jan

A few shots from my son’s birthday party. He turned one. So basically the party was for his older brother (2.5) and his buddies. I took a lot of short cuts by outsourcing to a local grocery store for catering and to a local bakery for cupcakes. Loads of fun. I was indeed exhausted at the end of the night (4-7pm party window) but also elated at the excitement and mess. I laughed as I picked up post party. The things that ended up every which way astounded me. Kids are truly amazing to watch in action. I set up a bunch of “activity stations” for the kids to explore and, wow, did they explore in ways I never imagined they would…Here are a few things we did…

Playdough Table

Lemon & Blueberry Playdough

InstaSnow Winter Tub

Water Bead Tub

Colored Pasta and Lacing Tub

Dinosaurs Invading the Island of Sodor Train Table

Light Table

Customized Party Favor Bags from Whimsy Sweet on Etsy

We also had a designated “quiet area” with pillows, books and puzzles. Of course even that room turned a little wild.  I also scattered baskets of cars, legos and sensory discovery bottles and texture boards throughout a few rooms for the children to discover.

We had a blast! You live and you learn when throwing a party. Most importantly, you just gotta let go. For example, the insta-snow and the water beads quickly became one as kids scooped and combined the tubs. It was fascinating to watch. Another point, for my toddler’s next birthday (3), we’re moving out of the house where there is more space for people to move and explore.  Finally, if you are so fortunate to have the luxury of a house cleaner, wait until after the party to have the crew come over to clean (and you should have some help, you deserve it). I almost made the mistake of having them come before the party. That would have been a huge waste as our home turned into a (good kind of) disaster minutes after the first guests arrived….just a little tip.

Thanks for reading…

Marnie

 
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Posted in Activities, Celebrations, Kindergarten, Preschool, Relationships, Sensory, Sensory Tub, Toddler

 

The Sensitive Period for Movement – Yoga

24 Jan

I love how the “sensitive period” for movement within the Montessori philosophy is birth – 4 years old. Such a long time to work on these life skills. That period is divided up, basically in half, where the first 2 + years are spent developing fine and gross motor skills and the second 2 + years is spent refining or coordinating those skills.

In our home, we’ve entered the latter part of the sensitive period with our toddler. He is intrigued when I run off to yoga with this silly mat and come back rejuvenated and refreshed, ready to conquer the world. I do believe that he picks up on this revived and positive energy.

A few weeks ago, he asked about the class. So, I began to show him some yoga poses. Then he began to make up his own. A wonderful moment with my little spirit.

Downward Facing Butterfly

Waterfall Pose

Frog Pose

Eagle Pose

Llama Pose

Cobra Looking Up at the Sky Pose

Poser: My Life in 23 Yoga Poses is a wonderful book that I highly recommend to you. In addition, I wrote a post that includes many great resources in the world of kids yoga. I also recently came across a book called The Kids Yoga Book of Feelings by Mary Humphrey. The book is simple and powerful no matter if you are new to yoga or have been practicing for years. The recommended age is 8 and up but I used it with my 2.5 year old this morning.

Thank you for visiting.
Marnie

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Posted in Activities, Emotions, Fine Motor Skills, Gross Motor Skills, Homeschool, Kindergarten, Montessori, Movement, Physical, Preschool, Toddler

 
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