Jell-O Gelatin Pan for Play-Dough?

     This afternoon, my oldest kept telling me how bored she and her younger sister were. So I decided to take my daughters into the kitchen to make some of our favorite homemade play-dough.
     They had fun a lot of fun helping me, but they had even more fun looking for "tools" to use to play with the dough. They dug through my cupboards, looking for things that they could use. They had found some of their small plastic forks, some cookies cutters, cups, etc. but my oldest daughter found my ole' Halloween plastic gelatin Jell-O pan. This pan turned out to be the best, and most popular thing for my girls to play with. I thought they'd want to play with the cookie cutters, but I was wrong.

     I had a lot of fun watching my daughters playing with their play-dough and this pan. My kids wanted to shove the dough inside the openings of the pan, but had a hard time pulling the dough out with their tiny hands. So I decided that it would probably be best to turn the pan over to do some "stamping". It worked wonderfully, and was a lot easier for my girls to manage the dough that way. I could tell that they really liked pressing their dough onto the pan, then peeling it off to see their creation on the back. Somehow, they thought it was the best thing in the world.

      I am so glad that we did this, because we were all entertained for over an hour with this activity. I think we'd still be sitting there, if it wasn't for having to clean up to get ready for dinner.

Playing Outside

     I am so glad that the weather has been so nice, lately. My kids and I have spent a lot of time outside, especially since we live so close to several parks. My daughters love going outside, and getting some much needed fresh air.

    
    Brooklee and Saydee enjoy finding different things around the park to add to their "collection". My girls collect rocks, pine cones, sticks and just about anything else that nature has to offer them. It is always fun to see what they will find.

     I have a few good reasons as to why I encourage my kids to find these things:

1) My kids like finding nature's gifts to us, like I had mentioned above.

2) It gives me a chance to teach my kids about the things that they have found.

3) It helps release some of their built up energy, by "getting their wiggles out".

     I would like to encourage parents and educators to take their kids out on a nature hunt, and talk about the things that have been found. Thanks for stopping, and seeing what my family and I have been up to.

Sensory Activity: Dried Beans

     While teaching preschool, I always enjoyed using dirt, sand, hay, dried peas, water, rocks, flour, sugar, etc. The one thing that I liked the most was the dried beans! These beans make the coolest sounds, especially when the kids would play with them inside that old metal sensory table.
     On a long and cold day, it's always great to pull out a few bowls, some spoons and extra dried beans. I did that with my daughters, the other day. I let them pour, stir and scoop to their hearts' content.

    I would like to warn everyone that while these beans are fun to play with, they are also a choking hazard. It is always best to have adult supervision! 

     At any rate, my daughters had a blast trying to make me some "bean soup". They stirred, "crunched", and poured. It was just about the cutest thing ever!

     Back when I first started college, I always wondered why sensory activities were so important. A few childhood development and education classes later, I knew why.

1) Sensory activities help with a child's physical development. Their large muscles are put to work as they scoop, pour, dig, and even sift their way into their activity.
2) Believe it or not, sensory activities help children with their social skills. When children come to a problem, they have to work together to negotiate and problem solve. (i.e. sharing tools. In my daughters' case: share bowls, utensils, and the dried beans)
3) Sensory activities like this can be scientific for a young child. (i.e. bury small toys in the beans, and let the kids find them. I have done this before while teaching my preschoolers about dinosaurs. I used doggy treats that were shaped like bones).

     I could go on and on about the benefits of sensory play, but I won't. Instead, I will encourage you to take your children into the kitchen with you. Find something fun for them to play with. Trust me, you and your kids will enjoy playing and spending this time together.