Sensory Bottles {Toddler Activities}

This has been our week of experimental toddler activities. So, to add to our pipe cleaner activity, finger painting, and play dough, we made some sensory bottles. I've seen several different versions of these on Pinterst, and have some pinned to my activities for kids pin board. There's no right or wrong way to make them. I just used four bottles from smoothie drinks Little Man likes and filled them with different objects. I used pom poms, glitter, beads, and bigger decorative jewels. I put them all in water except the small beads. I tried those in corn syrup to see if they'd move slowly. And they did....SUPER slow. It wasn't even fun to watch, so I ended up dumping it out, and just using water. Which he likes, cause he can hear them rattle when he shakes it. 

 He observed the bottles for a few min, and then quickly figured out he could stack them. After that he wasn't at all impressed with the contents, just stacking. 

 He could easily stack two, but was having so much trouble with the third. 

 So we spent a little time shaking the bottles, and watching the contents move around. 

 And then he discovered that rolling the bottles is pretty fun too! 

 And when I showed him the bottles were stackable this way...that was all he needed to see.

 The remainder of the time was spent stacking the bottles...and then knocking them down. Stack...repeat.  

 Stacking.....stacking.....and more stacking! 

We added the bottles to his play room shelf, and he pulls them down to play with throughout the day. I love fun, cheap, easy projects!

Play Dough {Toddler Activity}

We've been quite productive in the "toddler activity" department this week. This activity was super fun.  We made play dough. Little Man has never played with play dough, so it was a new experience for him. I was worried since he doesn't like his hands dirty, but I'm pretty confident he had a good time. I found this recipe for play dough through Pinterest. 

Supplies Needed:

1 cup flour

1 cup water

2 tsps cream of tartar

1/3 cup of salt

1 tbsp vegetable oil

food coloring

 Once I had the play dough made, I gave him a color at a time to play with. I rolled some into little balls, and he immediately started stacking them. He tried, multiple times, to taste it. I tried to stop him...but he succeeded, and was pretty repulsed. He didn't try again. 

 I put out some cookie cutters, but he wasn't very interested. He couldn't quite figure it out, so I just let him explore. 

 Then daddy came to join the fun. He used the cutters to cut out all kinds of shapes. 

 I think his favorite part was definitely playing with the little balls. 

 And the bigger ones. 

 And then he discovered, if you drop them, they bounce a little and make a loud thud. That was fun!

 Here, he's looking at his daddy for permission to throw that ball at me. It takes no time at all for him to figure out he can throw anything. 

 I was trying to teach him how to roll the play dough in a ball himself. I'm not sure he got it, but he had fun trying.  

 I gave him a few "tools" to use. A plastic fork & spoon, some pieces of straw, & cookie cutters. Don't ask why I picked any of those items...I just wanted him to have fun exploring. 

And I do believe it was a success. We saved our play dough, and we're looking forward to playing with it again. 

Thank You Pinterest {Finger Painting}

We attempted another Pinterest project. Click here to see the pin I pinned, although I've seen several versions on several websites. Anyway, I was feeling a little like a not-so-good mommy. I was questioning whether I do enough "toddler activities" with my little man. So I quickly went to my "Activities for Kids" board on Pinterest, Here, and started looking for activities I was brave enough to attempt. I'm not sure how this one got to the top of the list. Actually, I think it was mostly because there's wall space in his play room that needs to be filled. Anyhow, I gathered my supplies and we headed outside to get started. 

Supplies: 

canvas (I had several on hand)

tape

finger paint

brushes (cause my kid doesn't like getting dirty)

cups for paint

other sponges, paint brushes, etc.

Little Man does NOT like his hands dirty, so I knew from the beginning that this would not be fingerpainting. I gave him two sponge brushes, and a couple of other objects to paint with. 

He wasn't sure at first what to do, so I made the first mark. After that he was off. And any time he thought he needed more of a color, he'd point to the bottle to let me know what he wanted more of. 

He was very focused as he painted. All artists need to focus on their work.

I thought I'd just try sticking his hand in so he could "finger" paint. The reaction I got was what I expected. He was not happy!

He also realized how much paint was on his feet, and that made him not happy too. Good thing he couldn't see his face and tummy...or he just didn't notice. 

He walked over to his pool (which had blown across the yard cause we picked the windiest day of the year so far), and was very disappointed when he realized there was not water to rinse off in. 

Our supplies, I had some shaped sponges & the loofah to add different textures. He used everything except the loofah. He tried it once, and moved on.

We decided a swing break was needed. I was pretty impressed that he didn't have much more paint on him. I'm telling you, my kid is a neat freak and doesn't like to be dirty. 

And back to finishing his painting...

I love his stance. He wouldn't just sit.

And this is the *almost* final product. It was drying. For his first "finger" painting, I was proud. Yes...this canvas will be going on his play room wall.

So brave mommies to toddlers, have you started finger painting yet? If your child is as good as mine, they'll be really clean. He went straight to the tub to wash off what little paint he had on him. It really was fun!

Thank You Pinterest {Toddler Activity}

I had pinned this activity on Pinterest, but when I click on the link it tells me that the website is no longer available. So I couldn't credit/link this activity. However, I could tell by the picture what to do; I didn't need directions. 

 Friday & Saturday were rainy days. And Micah & I have been passing an annoying stomach bug back and forth. So by Saturday afternoon/evening, our little guy was getting restless. I remembered this pin. It worked! Only 2 materials needed: pipe cleaners & a colander. 

 It kept him entertained for quite a while. And the materials stayed on the game room floor, so he keeps going back to it. 

 It took him a little while to figure out how to get the pipe cleaners to stay in the colander. 

 I think he had more fun just playing with the pipe cleaners. It was a new experience for him. 

 He was very focused and intent while playing.

 And when sticking them through the holes got old, he just flipped the colander over and started putting them in the bowl side. He's a genius I tell ya. 

So, mommies of toddlers, if you need an activity to keep your little one entertained for a while, try it out. 

Any other quick, easy & cheap toddler approved activities that are sure to keep your kiddos entertained???