I like to revisit this post from time to time for ideas for what to do with the boys. This is a great list of 100 things you can purchase at the dollar store and how to use them. There are several ideas per item, and links to all of them. I confess, reading this post makes this woman seem like super mom. Who has time to do all these messy activities with their kids? But fight the urge to compare yourself with other moms and just use the list as a great jumping off point for your family. Not everything would work for us (she has two girls, so the princess stuff wouldn't really be hit in our house) but it's great to see how inexpensive creative play can be. And most of these activities are sensory play, so they are great for kids with special needs. I got some pipe cleaners at our Dollar Tree and let Charlie try to thread them through the kitchen strainer. It was a great "busy" activity for him and it was cheap and easy for me. I'm hoping to do more of the messy/painting activities this summer with the boys when it's nice outside and they can clean up in the pool :)
Click the picture above for the entire post, but here are a few of my favorites: (keep in mind, these are just a few that I copied from the original post, so the links to other sites won't open. You need to click on the picture at the top of this post to go to the original site for more information and great ideas!)
Food coloring- we use it almost everyday. We use it for sensory baths, arts and crafts, in play dough,
and during sensory play, just to name a few. You will find it in a four pack including the primary colors.
Jello- we use Jello for sensory play often. It has such a fun texture. We used it to make glowing jello
and a jello ocean small world. Use the powder form of jello along with a brush and water for some
a simple sensory paint.
Shaving cream- Here is a list of 20 ways to play with shaving cream. Shaving cream sliding fun is our
personal favorite. In the classroom- put some on the children's desks and let them practice
tracing their letters in the shaving cream. It acts as a cleaning agent, wipes right off, and is tons of fun.
We also had lots of fun with our bubble wrap sensory slide
Band-aids- peeling the backs off of band-aids is great for hand-eye coordination ,and fine motor skills.
They are just like stickers- toddlers love band-aids. Give them a box when you need to occupy them
for a bit. They are also great for pretend play ,and even crafts.
Storage containers- all the storage containers used to create our child guided play space were
purchased at The Dollar Tree. Teachers and parents can never have enough storage containers!
Measuring cups- great for mixing, pouring, using for pretend cooking and at bath
Masking tape- every toddler loves tape. Give them a roll to play with, and they will have a blast. It can
also be used for endless projects, of course.
Foam sheets- these can be used in all sorts of ways. Besides all the general crafting, they magically stick
to the bath walls when wet. Bath pumpkin art and a Boo bath are two fun ways we have used them.
Painters drop cloths- great to lay down before messy play. They can also be used to make
Fake snow- this stuff is so cool. It is right next to the gel balls in the toy aisle. Not familiar with fake
snow? Click here to learn more. It was also used in this sensory bin from Carrots are Orange
No comments:
Post a Comment