It's Playtime! : Sensory Activities

We don't set out to find ways to play with textures and do sensory activities. Usually, they find us in our own everyday play - whether you know it or not, your child is exposed to sensory type play every time he touches, eats, smells, or makes a mess with something!

This week alone, Henry squished together the sliminess of our flour mixture activity, felt the paint on his hands and the different textures of the ribbons when we made some ribbon art, as well as playing with playdough almost daily! There's opportunity for sensory play everywhere!

A few ways that you guys have been exposing your children to different textures in your everyday play: shaving cream, sensory tables, moon sand, water and ice, and even in the wind!

Bug Sensory Table [Mommy and Me Book Club]	Shaving Cream Sensory [Living at the Whitehead Zoo]	Molding Moon Sand [Child Central Station]	Water and Ice Play [Chadwick's Picture Place]	Exploring Wind [Play-Based Classroom]

High Five to these play friends!

[Go leave them a playful comment!]

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It's Playtime is a community for play loving bloggers to share ways to play, hosted by: 

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• Messy Kids
• The Imagination Tree
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-- Henry is 3 years old --

-- George is 7 months old --

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Art : Ribbon Painting

Ribbon Throw Painting, that is.

Henry, what three colors would you like to paint with?

Blue, Green and White.

I was shocked he named three colors. I didn't have to correct him to only choose three, or coerce him into saying another color. He simply just rattled off three colors.

Add some ribbon [or cords, or tinsel, whatever you got on hand] and dip into the paint.

I taped four scrapbook papers together in a large square on some cardboard outside.

Henry dipped the ribbons in paint and ran them across the paper.

Surprisingly, this didn't really interest Henry...

Until he stood up to refill his ribbon with more paint.

He began throwing the ribbons onto the papers! 

Seeing how they splatted onto the paper and what kind of design they left suddenly became interesting to Henry.

Then dragging the ribbon off to do it again, left yet another streak of paint.

Beautifully created art and a fun activity in one! 

Henry chose to display the blue paper in the frame. 

Why the blue paper? Because there's an H - for Henry!

Linking up at NurtureStore's Carnival : GetActive! Play

-- Henry is 3 years old --

-- George is 7 months old --

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Green Kid Crafts Giveaway : Winner!

I drew the winner for the three Green Kid Crafts giveaway this morning: #18!

MaryAnne said...18

My kids would love the wind chimes, airplane, and windsocks!

MAY 05, 2011 

I've contacted MaryAnne and the three crafts will be sent shortly!

Congratulations!

-- Henry is 3 years old --

-- George is 7 months old --

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Sensory Play : Flour Piping Activity

After seeing the sand piping bags at Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning, I knew it was a sensory activity that Henry would love to get messy doing. Minus the sand, we made our own flour piping bags. 

After our Free Play : Stirring and Mixing activity, I couldn't let Henry miss out on mixing together the flour and water.Henry measured and scooped flour into a large bowl and added some lots of water.

I poured some of the mixture into ziploc bags and added a bit of paint.

Sensory Play:
Henry squished the mixture together to mix the color in thoroughly.

I snipped a corner off the bag.

The mixture was very runny, and ran out of the bag immediately. 

Nevertheless, Henry squeezed it out and made large colored puddles.

When the red color was added to the blue, it didn't mix together to make purple.

Instead, it created swirls of colors.

Glitter was added as a finishing touch. [Lots of glitter, the shaker is now empty.]

Henry noticed as some of mixture ran off the paper : "a river!"

The glitter showed the flow of the river.

Henry created his own rivers of glitter all over the paper.

Of course, this ended in one very sloppy mess!

* linked up to some of these parties *

-- Henry is 3 years old --

-- George is 7 months old --

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Playdough Noodle Threading Activity

Playdough is still Henry's favorite go-to activity.  

In need of new ideas for activities, I posted a discussion on the we teach : bodies to move board to link up your favorite fine motor skills activity. Nicole [The Activity Mom] linked up her Spaghetti Noodle Lacing activity that caught my eye.

To start, I made a few playdough balls and lined them up in a row. 

Mentioning the pattern [yellow-green-yellow] as I went along. 

I asked along the way, 'What color of playdough comes next?'

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Photo Project 365 : [121-127]

Play Play Play!

and a Birthday Party!

[121 : Sunday, May 1] 

Henry doing a little vacuuming [and maybe some destructing].

With George right by his side.

[122 : Monday, May 2] 

Like Henry's way of storing his monster construction vehicles?

[123 : Tuesday, May 3] 

My new absolute favorite picture of George.

Love that smirk.

[124 : Wednesday, May 4] 

Look at the tongue sticking out.

Does it make you concentrate better?

[125 : Thursday, May 5] 

Digging through his treasure basket of just toys.

One of George's favorite things to do.

[126 : Friday, May 6] 

Friday was crazy hectic here and no pictures go taken. Boo.

[127.1 : Saturday, May 7] 

A cousin's [kind of, sort of] Monster birthday cake I made.

[127.2 : Saturday, May 7] 

George and the birthday boy hit it off and enjoyed each other at the party.

-- Henry is 3 years old --

-- George is 7 months old --

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