Sensory for Infants and Toddlers

 Sensory for Infants and toddler is easy peasy with items you have around the house.  I found these little containers at the Dollar store - 12 for $1.00!  I gathered up some items around the house and in the pantry that will make different noises when shaken.

I simply filled the containers and hot glued shut for safety purposes.  Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers will make all kinds of music with these sensory shakers.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Craft Day Tuesdays - Necklace plus Art

 Does inspiration ever come to you at the weirdest times? It does me.  I went to Hobby Lobby on Saturday.  I was a woman on a mission.  I knew exactly what I needed.  I had a short window of time...then BAM!  Inspiration struck.  I saw these tiny wooden discs and I thought, "I know our next project!"

 We painted the discs pale blue.  It took very little paint to do 4, so a whole bottle of paint would probably paint 50+.  Then, we went off to play while they dried.

 Later, we drew the "scenery" with Sharpie markers.  Just fun things like sunshine, grass, rainbow, etc.  Easy, right?

We picked which button would go with each scene (Dress It Buttons - aren't they cute?).  I hot glued on the buttons.  I burn my fingers ev.ery.time.  Then, I hot glued the ribbon on the back for the necklace.

They turned out sooo cute.  I might make theses with my nieces and nephew, too.  They were a hit!

8 wooden discs - $1.99
Blue paint - $1.00
Ribbon - $1.00
We already had the Sharpies and the buttons

Are you inspired to make some adorable necklaces?  I think I want to wear the unicorn one!  :)

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Math Games Mondays - Horses & Hearts

I think every kid goes through a "Horse Phase", right?

In this household, we are no exception.  Horses have taken over our lives!  We have horse toys, barns, horse rug, horse sweaters, etc!

If your child is "into" something, go with it!  Create learning opportunities around their favorite thing - whether it be a movie, a show, an animal.  If they are interested in it, the learning will be even more exciting!

I found this adorable and rainbow clipart on etsy.  Simply purchase and print one sheet per child on sturdy cardstock (or you could laminate so it lasts longer.  I always laminated my game boards when I taught preschool.)  I purchased a Horse Toob from Safari Ltd at Joann or Michael's.  Now you're ready to play.

Simply roll the dice.  4?  Count out 4 horses.  Now cover 4 heart/squares - one horse per heart/square.  Continue taking turns till all the heart/squares are covered with horses.  This game teaches counting, number value, one-to-one correspondence, and taking turns.

You could adapt this game to fit your child's interests or your weekly preschool theme.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Math Games Mondays - Horses & Hearts by melanieshanks featuring horse home decor

60% OFF SALE Digital Clip Art Clip Art Hearts Spring Summer Clipart...
etsy.com

Planting a Toddler Garden

Roo had so much fun helping Big Sister make her Rainbow Forest that I decided to create something just for her to do and realized that it is a great fine muscle builder!  I had random fake flowers left over from a project, picked up the wooden fence recently in Target's Dollar Spot (it was $3), and used a coupon at Joann to get the Crayola Model Magic for under $3.

First, let the child squish and smoosh the model magic into the "garden".  This was a lot of fun.  Roo doesn't like much sensory stuff like playdough, because it leaves a film on her fingers.  But Model Magic does not feel like that at all and she loved it.

Then, just start poking the plants in.

Add more and more...

Yes, we did add some broccoli heads.  We had them left over from the weekend and were kind of soft.  But it does make a good connection...broccoli>garden>plants>earth.

Of course, I added some animals.

They are Jesse James Dress It Up buttons.

It actually makes a cute centerpiece, right?

Love her chunky little hands.

I think she had more fun "picking" from the garden!  What can I say?  She is a toddler.  Destroying things is in her dna.

As we are expecting yet another snow, it's fun to plant a garden and hope for Spring.  Hurry, Spring!  What's the saying...To Plant A Garden Is To Hope For The Future. 

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel