Playing with colored rice is one of the easiest play ideas. We've been playing with colored rice as a sensory base for a long time. But I realize some of you may not know how wonderful colored rice is to play with. It's easy to make and leads to lots of play time in sensory bins. Before I share how we played with it, I'll share how to color rice. Here's what you need: 1 tablespoon (about) of rubbing alcohol 1 bag of white rice food coloring (I used gel food coloring) Ziploc … [Read more...]
Ice Excavation Activity
My kids really like to play with ice. They especially love it when it's a hot day! Even though it's the middle of winter, they still like playing with ice. It keeps them busy for a long time and they get to discover new ideas. Today's play activity is an ice excavation. To prepare the activity, I filled a large bowl of water along with colorful craft items from around the house. I put in beads, confetti, water beads, pipe cleaners, ribbon robe, and more! Then I put it in the freezer … [Read more...]
Bubble Wrap Fun
Today's play activity is very easy and it's probably something you already have at your house...playing with bubble wrap! Before I start, please make sure your child is old enough to play with bubble wrap. If they are toddlers and still put things in their mouth, this would not be a good activity to try. I rolled out bubble wrap on the floor. I let my preschooler explore the bubble wrap and have him try different ways to pop it! He jumped, rolled, crawled, and ran on it. Then … [Read more...]
Fizzing Hearts Activity
This fizzing hearts activity is sure to bring a smile to your little one's face! My boys like any activity that involves something fizzy, and this was no exception. This fizzing hearts activity is a great activity for Valentine's Day or really any day of the year! Here's what you need for the activity: 1/2 cup of baking soda 2 tablespoons of water food coloring 1 bottle of vinegar To start, mix the 1/2 cup of baking soda with the 2 tablespoons of water. Next, drop in a … [Read more...]
Playing with Cornmeal
Today's play idea is very SIMPLE. Simple is great when you need something quick to keep your kids busy. All you need for this is cornmeal. You can also add water and toys to play with. To set it up, I laid a sheet on the ground. Then I placed cornmeal in a plastic bin and put a cup of water and cup of little animals next to the bin. Then I just let the kids play! I let them decide if they wanted to play with the dry cornmeal or add water. We added in some animals from our … [Read more...]
How to Make Your Own Snow
Did you know that you can make your own snow?! It's really a neat sensory activity!! If you live in place where you don't can't experience snow, here's your chance! Here's what you need: 1 can of shaving cream 2 boxes of baking soda large container To make the snow, mix baking soda with shaving cream. I just mixed with my hands until I got a good consistency. The neat thing about this, is that it actually feels a bit cold, like snow! It's soft, moldable, squishy, and … [Read more...]
Creating On Sticky Paper
Today's play activity is sort of like a craft. When I need my kids to play quietly, I pull out sticky paper to create on. For this activity, I place a piece of contact paper on the table, along with craft supplies, and let them create whatever they like! It's really simple, but it's a great quiet play idea and also a way to spark your child's creativity. Contact paper is like a giant sheet of tape. It's an adhesive and you can find it in the kitchen section at stores like Walmart. (People … [Read more...]
Balloon Rockets
Making balloon rockets is so much fun! It's a quick play activity, so it's great for a day where you need an easy play idea. Here's what you need: string balloon string tape something to tie string to To set up, tie string on one sturdy object to another object. We did this activity in our play room, so we tied the string to our play grocery store and the other end to the mini trampoline. Before I tied the string, I strung a straw through the string. Then I … [Read more...]
Small World Play in the Sink
This activity came to our rescue the other day. My kids really needed something to keep them occupied, so this small world play in the sink ended up being perfect. Here's how I set it up. I sprinkled a little jello powder (for smell) and a few drops of food coloring in the sink filled with water. Then I set ocean animals and shells around the sink. I also put in some foam sheets in the water for the plastic sea creatures to float on (since they would just sink in the … [Read more...]
Ivory Soap Bar Experiment
Here's an experiment that will really WOW your child! I've seen this activity around, but we had never tried it, so I figured it was time! Here's what you need: Ivory soap bar (needs to be Ivory!) microwave bowl or plate For this activity, place soap bar in the microwave on a microwavable container. Then just microwave for 2 minutes. I asked my kids to predict what would happen. They both thought it would melt. Oh and make sure you watch while you microwave! As … [Read more...]