Nature Painting
Materials:
Large leaves
Small leaves
Flowers off the stem
Flowers on the stem
Flower petals
Different colors of paint
Large paper or cardboard
To-do:
Lay out plant materials all over paper and cardboard. You can either dip the plants in paint for your child or you can pour small amount of paint out and they can try to dip the materials themselves
Let your child sit right on top of the paper or cardboard. They can use the plant materials to paint
It is both a sensory and a plant based invitation!
Pom Poms are a sensory item that can be used in multiple ways! Here are some easy ways to incorporate them with household items you already have with minimal clean up!
- Pom pom drop! You’ll need toilet paper/paper towel roll, tape to fasten, and pom poms. Tape the roll(s) vertically ( one piece of tape in the middle) Show your baby how the pom pom can be put into the roll, watch it “disappear”,and then watch it drop to the ground! This is a fun activity that aids in fine motor development!
- Pom pom soup! Take a large tupperware container and fill with water– if you want to add food coloring, even better! Drop pom poms in and give baby measuring cups, spoons, and cups and let them go! For cleanup, put the wet pom poms in a pillowcase. Tie the pillowcase so the pom poms are completely enclosed. Wash and Dry on the gentle setting, then you’re good to go on the next activity! We love a reusable item!
- Pom Pom whisk! Take a whisk and insert pom poms throughout so that you have a pom pom dense whisk. Hand to baby and be mindful of the use of their pincer grasp. Simple and fun activity that uses the pom poms in a different way!
Pipe cleaners are so much fun and can be a really quick way to work on fine motor development! Cooking/being in the kitchen with your baby can be troublesome, so this is an activity to help occupy them in the kitchen. Simply weave the pipe cleaners in a colander and allow them to try and remove them!
Cloud Dough
Ms. Brittany’s Recipe:
1 ½ cups of flour
⅓ cup coconut oil
Any food coloring you’d like!
This edible sensory item is a great outdoor activity and your little one will love it! You can add their favorite toys to the cloud dough or even use kitchen utensils to pour and dump the dough. For easy clean up, I suggest putting the dough in a bin or storage container!
Frozen Vegetable Sensory Bin
We all often forget about all of the different food we have collected in our freezer! If you have some extra frozen veggies that you don’t plan on eating, let your baby play!
Materials:
Frozen veggies or any frozen food you feel comfortable with
Large bin or bowl
Bowls
Spoons
Shovels
Misc. kitchen and outside utensils/tools
Water (optional)
To-Do:
Fill a bin or bowl with frozen veggies or whatever you choose to use and add in the utensils or tools and some water. Your child can then play with the frozen food how they wish; they can fill the bowls, scoop things with the spoons, etc.
Mirrors
During our time in the Bird’s Nest, our babies loved to look at themselves in the mirrors that we had around the classroom. Mirrors are an excellent tool for body awareness because it allows them to see their body up close from a different perspective! In the nest, some would pick up the mirrors to look at themselves, some would only place their hands onto the mirror, and some would turn the mirrors to face their friends. I implore you to set up a few mirrors in your house at their eye level, whether it be a make-up vanity mirror, compact mirror, or a pot that they can see their reflection in and watch how intently they look at themselves and the objects in the mirrors view!
Abeona House Child Discovery Center 