Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tail (FSPDT): Sensory Sink

Showing posts with label Sensory Sink. Show all posts

Volcano Science Sensory Sink

Second day of Sink Play series with Little Bin and Little Hands. Today is science theme sensory sink play. I have wanted to make volcanoes with the kids for sometime now. When brainstorming for what we would do for our science sink volcanoes came to mind. It would be fun and contain the mess! I could not wait to set up the Volcano Science Sensory Sink for the kids.

I had a great post written to introduce this new mini series Sensory Sink Play with Little Bins for Little Hands. I sat down to schedule it and it was gone!! Luckily I had all the photos still on my hard drive. Now I sit down to try and make it just as good.

My Nearest and Dearest teamed up for Sensory Sink Sundays in 2013. It was so much fun. When Sarah mentioned teaming up for a mini sink series I was all in! The link above shares a little on sensory sinks and gives links to past sensory sink play. For this new Sensory Sink Play series, Little Bins for Little Hands and FSPDT will bring you 3 fun days of inspiration for sink play. Today we kick off with Superhero Sensory Sink. Perfect theme for my superhero loving family.

We love sensory play and this holiday season we have been customizing many of our play activities with a Christmas theme. So for this week's 10 things Kids Love, I thought it would be fun to put them all in one spot. Here are over 10 fun Christmas Sensory Play Recipes for us. I have even added 2 of my favorites from around the web too. Now when we need to find a recipe for playtime fast we have a list to come to. Having them all in one post makes that so much easier for us to find what we might need for an afternoon sensory activity with the children. Hope this list can inspire, and be a resource for you too.

10+ Sensational Christmas Scented Sensory Play Recipes by FSPDT

This Spring I got a chance to team up with My Nearest and Dearest for Sensory Sink Sunday . It was a fun filled series offering ideas for sensory play in the sink. Sensory play is always a great learning experience for the kids. Read more at above link on sensory play. Sensory play is not only for learning, but for just having fun as well. With the weather cooling off here we can't get out to play in the Water Bins as much. A sensory sink was the perfect idea for us to explore again. Since Halloween is fast approaching what better than a Halloween themed sensory sink!

Halloween Sensory Sink- fun hands on play for kids

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While working on my Sensory Sink Sunday series with Ann from My Nearest and Dearest, I made a few "sensory sinks" for my toddler. Since it was not as easy for him to reach the sink as it was for his older brother he could not play as much. I wanted him to still be able to enjoy what big brother was doing. So I came up with a more toddler friendly sensory sink. This way both boys could play in the same way at the same time and little brother wouldn't be so troubled by not being able to reach all the way up in the sink. By using a bin I was able to bring the sink to him.

"Sensory Sink" for toddlers{mud and bugs}

What I used

chocolate pudding, bucket/bin, trucks, small container shovel and plastic bugs.

What I did

I added the pudding to the bottom of the bin. Then just added the toys, container, and shovel Last, I put it in the bottom of the tub. Now the fun could start.

Little brother couldn't wait to get in and play. I must say big brother wanted to play too. They both played, little brother with his bin in the tub and big brother in his mud and bug sink.

This was a great sensory experience for him. He got to explore all the senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. We had the water running in the tub going down the drain while he played. He added water to his bin on his own. You know toddlers, very independent. So adding his own water was a big deal.

He had a good messy time playing in his tot friendly sensory sink. As always we hope you and your kids can have some fun with this too.

Frog Pond {Sensory Sink}

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This is our last week on Sensory Sink Sunday. The theme this week is a sensory pond. Make sure to stop by My Nearest and Dearest to see what fun they got into. I always love seeing Ann's creativity with the sinks. I have really enjoyed working with her to bring you Sensory Sink Sunday. I hope you all have enjoyed this series as well.

We have been having a lot of fun playing in the sink the last few weeks. For this sink I kept it very simple. Both my toddler and preschooler got to play in this frog pond. They both had fun but not as much as past sinks. My oldest had a paper cut that I did not know about and after playing for a short while told me his hand was hurting:-( I would have given him plain water had I know this. He went on to do something else while littler brother splashed in the sink. Neither of them seemed very interested in this sink. However, they did still manage to have a little fun but they did not play as long as usual. They both had fun touching all the items out for them. They also played sink and float with what was out(we did this last week). I think last weeks sink was their favorite.

All kids are different and not all activities we plan as parents go over with the kids. Some activities we present fail and if we present them again at another time may be a hit. I think this happens at evryones house and wanted you to know it happens here too. We are just an everyday family. I hope that your kids can have fun with this idea and hope in the future my kids can enjoy it more.

What I used

jello pack, rocks, sticks, plastic frogs, other small toys, foam sheets cutout to make lilly pads, glitter, and small containers. (I forgot I had made ice boats for them. We will have to play with them another day)

What we did

I sat all the items out on the counter. I let them fill the sink with water and add the jello mix and glitter. The lime smell was wonderful. They soon started grabbing sticks and rocks and adding them to the water. The sticks became their mixers. The frogs hopped on the lily pads. They kept adding glitter... Even though this wasn't their favorite sink this day, they did have some fun exploring in their frog pond sink.

We hope you can find a sensory sink that your kids love. This link will take you to a homepage for the Sensory Sink Sunday series It will tell you what a sensory sink is and what your kids can learn from them. It will also give you a list with each sink from the series. We will continue to explore with sensory sinks and we hope you might try one too.

A pin board just for Sensory Sink so you can see both mine and My Nearest and Dearest Sinks each week.

Please do come and visit us again. We would love to have you back.

Check us out on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Google+,

and our G+ community, All Things Kids.

We linked up at:

Easter Sensory Sink

Since the boys have been having so much fun playing in the sink, I took some of the items from our Easter Sensory Bin and let them play with them in the sink. Using what you already have is always a plus to me. We also made a sensory bag out of these items too. However, I did not share a post on that. It is an idea for you to use though.

You can probably set this Easter sensory Sink up with things you already have in the house.

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This week on Sensory Sink Sunday we are exploring a sink and float activity in the sink. This is a great way to get the kids to explore and learn while playing in the sink. Make sure to stop by My Nearest and Dearest to see what fun they got into this week with their sink and float sink.

My kids love to play in the sink and they love to explore objects and learn new things about them. This sink allows them to do both. I sat out several objects for them on the counter next to the sink. I then let them make guesses about what they thought was going to happen to the object before we put it in the sink. They got really excited to see what would happen to the objects.

Sink or Float Sensory Sink { learning activity for the kids}

What I used:

toys( I gathered balls, plastic rings, cars, and plastic men)

water beads

fake flowers

rocks

a few food items( nuts, raisins, jelly beans, and fruit snacks)

What we did:

I started by asking the kids what they thought we were doing today in the sink. I was surprised to hear big brother say "see what will sink or float". He was so excited to have guessed the right answer but even more excited to start exploring in the sink with the items set out. For this sensory sink both little brother and big brother participated. Ages 2yr and 4yr. I made sure I had at least 2 of every object. This way each kid got to drop one of the same item in the sink. We started by filling the sink with water. We made a guess before they dropped the objects in. They would get so excited to drop the toys.... and laugh as they sank or floated. Big brother would help take the items out of the sink and he made groups of what sank and what floated. They really enjoyed eating a few extra jelly beans I had brought into the bathroom. This sink gives them a sensory experience with touch, taste, and sight. Water is always a great sensory play activity. The kids, after learning about sinking and floating, got to play in the sink. They only played a short while before we went outside to enjoy the lovely weather we had this day. We took our sink and float experiment outside. I filled a bucket with water and the kids started gathering all sorts of toys.... and checked to see what would happen to them. We love this simple activity and it is always so much fun no matter where we do it.

Both of the kids just loved playing in the sink.

What would you use to see if it sinks or floats? Hope you and your kids can have fun with this too.

A pin board just for Sensory Sink so you can see both mine and My Nearest and Dearest Sinks each week.

Please do come and visit us again. We would love to have you back.

Check us out on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Google+,

and our G+ community, All Things Kids.

we linked up

Treasure Hunt {Sensory Sink}

Arrr matey, do you have a treasure lover in your house? Well we do here. My kids have these fake golden coins I got them at a craft store a few years ago and they love playing with them. It started out they just carried them around in their pirate bags. They now use them as money in their play store and buy things. We have gone on an indoor treasure hunt with them and recently played with them in our St. Patrick's Day sensory sink. These coins were a great investment. You can sometimes find them at dollar stores and even at the craft stores. I don't remember paying much for them.

Well, here is just one more way we played with them. A treasure themed sensory sink. This week on Sensory Sink Sunday the theme is treasure. (Info post for it HERE will explain a sensory sink as well.) Make sure to stop over and see what fun My Nearest and Dearest had with the treasure theme sensory sink this week.

What I used

small toys, small bottle, small bowls, shovel, blue jello, cake mix, and a sign(made with paper and markers). I almost forgot I hat his pirate hat in the bathroom in case he wanted to wear it. He couldn't play without it wanting to fall off so we left it on the counter.

What I did

I made 2 boxes of blue jello. Once the jello had set I filled half the sink with it. The other half of the sink I filled with yellow cake mix I had left over from our cake batter rice krispy treats we made. I hid some gold coins under the jello and "sand"(cake mix). I set out the toys we had around the sink and put the little message in a bottle, shovel, and treasure map in the sink. The toys I bought at toys r us awhile back and finally had a fun idea to get them out. The little bottle was an empty peppermint extract bottle I saved. I wrote a quick note on it so big brother would be surprised to find a message in his bottle. I taped our sign to the mirror. Last, I called big brother in to play in his treasure hunt sensory sink.

This was our messiest sink yet and I must say it was big brothers favorite so far. My son loves messy! He took his time exploring all the items set out for him. He opened and closed the treasure chest and opened the little bottle. This is great for working those little hand muscles. He was learning through all his senses except taste. I was surprised he never tried to eat any of it. I love watching him play in these sinks and more, I love the conversations we have while he is playing. He talked to me about all the items he had at his fingertips. He was eager for me to put my hands down in the gooey jello cake mix mixture and thought it was so funny that I kept trying to get away from him when he came at me with his hands. Since I had my camera and baby brother close by to start with, I did not want to be covered in goop. Once I put the camera in a safe place I did get my hands in his messy fun. Big brother had a good time hunting his coins out from the jello/cake mix. He had fun filling his treasure chest. He loved his message in the bottle. I wrote his name out on it. He was tickled that he knew what it said( he is now able to spell and read his name-need to work on writing it). His toy cannon shoots out cannon balls and he loved that! This was the first sink he played in for some time before finally adding water at my request to rinse my fingers off. I would suggest setting out a large bowl with just water in it to rinse hands off. I always put towels on the floor. He had just as much fun playing with the water mixed in as well.

Treasure Hunt {Sensory Sink} sensory activity for kids

This day ended up as a great way for us to spend time together and bond while playing in our sink. Daddy and little brother were out on their own adventure(running errands ) while we played. I think it worked out great to give me and big brother time to enjoy one another. Baby brother sat beside us happy in his stroller. After playing for about 30 minutes I was surprised all big brother wanted was for little brother to come home so he could play in the sink too. Soon little brother arrived to get messy too. Once they had their fun daddy took them to the tub to wash and I to clean up the sink. I scooped as much jello out of the sink that I could and trashed it. The rest I rinsed away. I rinsed all the toys. I did have to clean the sink with cleaner this time but it was quick. Lastly, I took and put the towels in the washer. All together, this took about 10 minutes to clean up. This was a successful activity at my house. Check back next Sunday to see what we get into this week.

To see past sensory sinks from us and my partner in Sensory Sink Sunday follow our Pinterest Board Sensory Sinks HERE. You will also get to see future sensory sinks as well.

Please do come and visit us again. We would love to have you back.

Check us out on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Google+,

and our G+ community, All Things Kids.

We linked up at:

Mud and Bugs {Sensory Sink}

What is a sensory sink and why create one you ask. My intro post to the series talks about that here. It's week 2 of Sensory Sink Sunday. This week the theme is mud and bugs in the sink. Both myself and my partner did our own take on this weeks theme. Be sure to check out how My Nearest and Dearest played in their sensory sink this week too.

We love mud and bugs at my house. I loved mud and bugs growing up and now I still get to enjoy them as a mom. I have been having so much fun creating these sensory sinks for my boys. I love to see their faces when they come in to see what mommy has been up to. It has worked out so far for me to set these up on a day daddy is home. He can entertain them while I get everything ready. I don't know about your kids but my kids get so excited when they know I am working on a sensory play activity for them I can't set them up with out the kids right under me when daddy is not home. Daddy home or not we still play. (This usually takes me about 10 minutes without them- with them under me it may take 20 minutes,lol)

What I used to create our sensory sink

Since I have a pre planned theme I usually have what I am going to use ready and just have to take it to the bathroom and set it out. I gathered toys we already had at home. Trucks, shovel, small containers, watering can, and plastic bugs. I then made a batch of sensory dirt. I also added chocolate pudding to one container for the taste element to sensory play. I also made a paper sign to stick on the mirror. I have a secret which is that these signs come in handy for me to hide behind when taking pictures. Go ahead laugh but if you are a blogger I bet you have done something like this before too,lol.

What to do after set up

Now the fun for the kids begins. I let my kids know that their sensory sink is ready. And they rush to come and take a look. For this theme I tried something a little different for my toddler. I hope to share that with you in another post at some point. So both of my kids got to play and have fun but I am only sharing with you what my preschooler did this day.

Big brother could not wait to get his hands in the dirt. The smell and texture were awesome. I wanted to play in it but big brother was having all the fun this day. I loved watching him as he made his way to all the items at his finger tips.

After playing in the sensory dirt a while he was eager to add water to it. Now the second stage of the fun began, MUD!

He was thrilled to start adding water to the sink. One of his favorite parts. Big brother played in his sensory sink for almost an hour while little brother played in his sensory activity. Little brother always gets a few minutes in the sink too. I do set out towels on the floor under the sink to catch any spills. Clean up is easy as I just rinse toys and sink. Then take wet towels if water spills and wash them. They had lots of fun exploring their senses and learning through them for little effort on my part. That is one reason I love sensory sinks.

As always we hope you can have some fun with this idea too. How would you set up a sensory sink with a mud and bug theme?

Please do come and visit us again. We would love to have you back.

Check us out on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Google+,

and our G+ community, All Things Kids.

HERE IS A PIN BOARD FOR SENSORY SINKS ( follow along to see past and future sensory sinks from me and Ann from My Nearest and Dearest)

We linked up at:

Chicken Noodle Soup {sensory sink}

Ann for My Nearest and Dearest and I have been brainstorming for several weeks to put together Sensory Sink Sunday. Today I am thrilled to finally be able to share with you what we came up with for week one. This weeks theme is cooking and baking in the sink. I took the cooking sensory sink while My Nearest and Dearest has taken the baking sensory sink. Make sure to stop over to see what fun they had with their baking sensory sink. I had so much fun putting this together for my son and he had even more fun playing in it. I love watching him play and learn all at the same time.

What I used:

play dishes, pans & pots, spoons, kitchen spices, chicken cube, pretend food, real dry noodles, a funnel, 2 yellow foam circles ( as a stove top to cook on) and apron. I made a quick sign with paper and markers.

Here is our Chicken Noodle Soup Sensory Sink Play:

What I did: I always like to gather all the items I will need for a project before getting the kids. It doesn't always work out that way. This day daddy was home so it was great. I got everything together before the kids came to see the sensory sink. I placed all my items around the sink. I taped the foam stove tops down to the side of the sink as a cooking area.

Now it was time for my son 4yr to come in and have a fun sensory sink experience. He was over joyed with all the items he saw. He could not wait to start adding water to the pots and sink. He added spices and noodles to his pan. He was having so much fun cooking.

Working on his motor skills by pouring the water back and forth in the bowls. Learning a life lesson on how to cook. Exploring all his senses except taste. Even though it was safe to take a little taste he never did. He sure wanted mommy to taste his chicken noodle soup he made but I laughed as he did and politely said no thanks. Little brother 2yr was still outside with daddy but he did get to come in and play in the sink too. He thought it was just as much fun as big brother. They got to be master chefs together. They cooked daddy up some chicken noodle soup. I love when we play as a family. The kids did get some water on the floor when little brother came in but I had a few beach towels on the floor to help soak up the spills and splashes. Clean up was easy. Just wipe up water and rinse out dishes. I left the dishes over night to dry and put them up the next day.

We had a lot of fun with our first sensory sink in this series. I hope you enjoyed it too. Do check back next Sunday to see what we serve you up next.