The Best Toys Sometimes Aren't Even Toys...

I'm back! It's been a crazy, busy summer, and I've missed making time to write... But here I am!

Last week, while the munchkin crew and I were visiting my parents, they were having a ball watching my dad change out a tire that had a hole too big to repair.  We had recently been camping, and the campground had a climbing structure made out of semi tires bolted together. They thought it was the coolest toy ever. So, of course, they asked if we could bring this tire home. After getting the ok, we loaded it up, and they are having a blast with it. They roll it across the yard, flip it, step on it, sit in it... It has become one of their favorite toys, and they are looking forward to getting a few more when we can look through the other old tires at the farm.

This prompted me to start thinking again about all the things that provide awesome learning and play opportunities, but aren't actually toys. So, I thought I'd share a list of my favorite non-toy toys. :)

As I mentioned, old (clean-ish) tires are great toys. They can prompt some interesting, imiganitive dramatic play, large muscle work, team work opportunities, and problem solving skills. They can be pushed, stacked, climbed on, rolled... The possibilities are only limited by a child's imagination.

Another fabulous non-toy is a set of measuring cups and/or spoons (or two or three), and something to scoop with them. They require fine motor work to manipulate, and encourage math and science exploration.

Scraps of fabric are a favorite of my children. Any time I am sewing they are right there, asking for just about any scrap of fabric I snip off. Some are tiny, some are long, but all are fair game. They use them for baby doll play, for stuffed animal props, as jewelry... The scraps are included in just about any play they do. I am toying with the idea if making a sensory bin with just fabric scraps in it, and see what they do. :) Should be interesting.

Boxes. You know how they say babies are more interested in the boxes their toys come in, than they are the toys themselves? They're right. And it's true for more than babies. My 7 and 5 year olds love adding empty boxes to their play any time they find one. They become doll beds and garages with equal enthusiasm.

Dry beans, dry rice, dry pasta, shredded paper, poms or cotton balls, gel/water beads, aquarium rocks, and any other similar material not mentioned are great for sensory play. Learning through sensory play is a powerful motivator for young children. It engages them on multiple levels, no matter what you choose to fil your sensory bin with.

Empty spice containers and cereal/pasta/rice/etc. boxes are great additions to kitchen or cooking dramatic play. They lend a touch of realism to a child's play, and allow them to mimic you- their greatest teacher.

There are so many more things that children can use to enrich their play, things you might not even think of as toys, but that will give your child hours of fun and so many opportunities for learning. When it's safe, allow your child to check out the treasures of non-toy toys- and see the difference it makes in their play.

Happy play time!

Building a Sensory Garden

Last year, when we went on vacation, we went to the MN Children's Museum.  I would totally recommend it as one of the most awesome places to take your children.  Or borrow someone else's children and take them.  It is so cool and so much fun to watch kiddos explore and learn in all the exhibits that they have set up there...  And it is a lot of fun to check out as an adult too, I won't lie.  I think I have almost as much fun as my munchkins do.  :)

One of the things that I really noticed the last time we were there was that they had planted a sensory garden in their rooftop exhibit.  I loved that it combined gardening, the outdoors, and a total sensory experience for children.  As they had planted herbs, the plants had strong, individual odors, different shapes and colors, different textures, and were safe to allow children to taste.

Little Man exploring the sensory garden at MN Children's Museum

So, this summer I stole borrowed the idea of a "Summer Bucket List" from a fellow mom/child care teacher/ blogger, and we came up with a great list of fun things to do this summer.  Since I love the idea of a sensory garden, we added that. 

To set it up, I picked up a huge clay pot from Menards about a week ago.  I also picked up a couple smaller ones for something else, and used one of those to make a small sensory garden for my nephew to take home.  It was great fun that he got to join us!

The kids and I took turns digging up some black dirt from a small hill that I have in my back yard and filled those pots up.  I should mention that I set the pots in the kids' Radio Flyer wagon, as I didn't want to be hauling full pots of dirt across the yard.  Did I mention that one of them was huge?  Even with some plastic bottles filling up about half the space in the bottom of the large pot (for extra drainage, and to lessen the weight in the pot in the event that I do have to move it more than a few inches), it was still pretty heavy.

On Saturday morning, my munchkin crew and I hit up the farmer's market for several varieties of herbs- basil, lemon mint, rosemary, and opal basil in two varieties.  Kinda basil heavy, but they all look and smell different, which was the point.  :)  And really, you can put what ever plants you want in these...  Though I would recommend plants that are child safe, as one sense that children love to explore is taste.  :)  After we had the pots filled, we took turns making holes in the dirt, and setting our 'baby plants' into their new homes.  The kiddos all had fun patting the dirt around the root balls.

After we had our plants in, we talked about how to touch the plants gently, how we could smell them and notice the differences, and that we could pick off little pieces of leaves to taste.  

None of the kids were overly impressed with the tastes of any of the plants available, but they sure had a lot of fun making these!

I love gardens for children, and am looking forward to seeing these give my loves some interest and learning through the summer.

Techno Babies

After we got home from school and work and day care today, my older kids asked for their InnoTabs to play with.  After about 20 minutes, they were finished and moved on to Lego's and Barbecue Party.  I'm always glad to see them using their own imagination to entertain themselves (and each other, since my baby doll was helping the super baby play Barbecue Party).  I have seen so many children who don't know how to entertain themselves without a battery operated toy/computer/tablet/television, and it breaks my heart to know that they have become so dependent on something that really isn't giving them the benefits that are advertised.

Some years ago, when the little man was still a baby, I saw an ad for an infant video game system in one of the magazines I subscribed to at the time.  The Husband was all about the video games at the time and thought we should get one for little man.  His side:  It teaches shapes, colors, and numbers. My side:  It teaches him how to push a button.  Our finances didn't allow for us to do more than discuss it, but it really demonstrated the different ends of the technology spectrum to me.

I grew up in a household that had one TV for the longest time.  We finally got a little one in the kitchen, but it was mainly used when we would "sneak" downstairs on Saturday mornings for cartoons.  (The kitchen was further from the parent's bedroom, the light and sound didn't reach in there... Home free, right?)  My brothers got game systems, but not until they were working and able to purchase them for themselves.  And, you know, that was okay.  We played with dolls and blocks and our imaginations.  We had the run of the woods behind the house, and we built the most amazing villages out there where we could bring the dogs and ponies that were around for us to enjoy.  We rode our bikes in the yard and on the driveway.  We read books, and drew, and had a great time together.  At the time, every now and again, we would be bummed that we didn't have what 'everyone' else had.  But looking back on it, maybe we had it better.

Fast forward about 15 years, and here I am with my own little ones.  Reading and hearing about all the research about how too much screen time is not good for little ones.  Being frustrated at all the advertisements that touted the newest product to teach your infant to read or speak or learn best from using that product.  When did it become a business to replace that precious time with parents?  To teach your child to read from watching TV instead of snuggling up with books?  To teach your child shapes and colors on the screen instead of busting out the paper and crayons?

Having all this thrown at me made me want to do it differently.  To not take what felt, to me, like the easy way out.  So, here I am, with a cabinet full of books to rival the library available at the center where I work, with another cabinet full of art and sensory supplies, to SPEND TIME with my children, learning with and from them.  And, you know what?  That 20 minutes, a couple times a week with the InnoTab, plus the 2-3 times they watch a show or movie is just enough screen time for us.  We have so much more time to create and hang out playing games, and the husband and I get to feel the pride in their learning.

This isn't to say that any amount of screen time is terrible for children.  We are just looking to encourage depending on it less, and looking for alternatives to spending so much time glued to the screen.

Last spring, I broached the subject of cancelling our cable subscription with the husband.  As there was quite the list of DVR'd shows always available on the box, it wasn't the easiest sell.  But we gave it a shot, and switched to Netflix and Hulu.  It definitely cuts down on the TV watching the kids and I do, because I don't usually feel like waiting to fire up the TV and Wii to get to the shows.  (And I sure liked the cost difference- that extra $50 not going out for cable isn't bothering me a bit.)

So, what does one do instead of fixating on the screen?  Well, I'm so glad you asked!

Art-  Keep a bin of crayons, markers, pencils, pads of paper, stickers, ink pads and stamps, paints and brushes, scissors, and glue handy.  Haul it out and  create away.

Playdough- Sensory, only slightly messy, fun.  Need I say more?

Sensory bins- Beans, rice, sand, pasta, water, cloud dough (2 parts flour to 1 part oil), easter grass and small plastic toys, snow, ice, aquarium rocks, water beads, marbles... Go wild!  (Just make sure that your young ones are closely supervised... Guess that means you get to play too!)

Have a dance party- Put on some music and be silly.  Just think of all the endorphins you can give yourself!

READ!  Reading to your child is one of the absolute best ways to teach your child.  Reading stories gives you snuggle up time, it encourages conversations you may not have had otherwise, it brings up vocabulary that you wouldn't usually use.

Cook-  Involve your child in making your meals.  Have them pull up a chair or stool, and wash the fruits and veggies at the sink, or measure out the pasta into a bowl, or spread bread with butter or jam.  Encourage them to set out silverware and napkins, or choose the fruit that will be served.

Go outside.  This, by far, has to be one of my favorite alternatives to do with my children.  I was lucky enough to be able to spend so much of my childhood outside, and I need to make up for not having the kind of backyard that I wanted for them the first few years of the older two's lives.  We are gonna be spending every spare minute out there (as soon as it is warm enough), and make all the memories we can.

There is so much to do and experience!  Go do it!  It'll be the best daymaking experience your child can have....

Embrace Your Child's Creativity

I discovered how much I love to make a mess.  Don't get me wrong, I do like to have things organized so that I can find something the next time I need it, but I love play dough.  And sensory tables of beans or rice or pasta.  And paint!  I love to paint!  True, my paintings are much more impressionistic than realistic, but I sure do enjoy the process.  There sure is something to be said for not worrying about the mess in the moment, and enjoying creating something fun and new.

One of the best distractions I have found for these insanely cold days we have been having is to just haul out the art supplies and letting the kids go crazy with it.  They have so much fun, and turn out some really great stuff.  However, if you don't enjoy a mess quite as much as I do, this endeavor could become more than you bargained for.  Here are a few tips and tricks I've learned that let us make the most of  our messes without letting them get out of hand.

We love to build with Legos.  They have to be one of the best toys ever- unless they are hiding in a dark corner waiting to jump out at you in the dark when you have no shoes on.  Then they are the worst invention ever, and what were we thinking?!  :P  But, anyway... The husband... I mean, Santa found the kids play mats that are typically used for collectible card gaming that work wonders for Lego play.  They provide a defined space for each child, have a non-slip benefits (both between the table and mat, and the mat and Legos), and help keep the noise of poured out Legos from getting to an unbearable level.

Play Mat

For play dough, we have a vinyl table cloth with picnic table clips.  The table cloth is a must have for my table- it has a decorative groove about six inches from each edge, and I really don't want to have to dig play dough out of it.  The vinyl is easy to wash, and folds nicely for storage with the play dough supplies.

Pretty much anything else, I will allow directly on the table surface.  When we collage, I use a pan scraper to scrape the glue off the table and then wash like usual.  I got one from Pampered Chef a while ago when I ordered something, and it works great for my table.  I don't even know if it gets used for what it was intended any more...  Oh, well... I will definitely hit them up for more when this one dies.  :)

from: Pampered Chef

Between a vinegar and dish soap mix, baking soda, hand sanitizer, and the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, pretty much everything else just washes off.  Be aware, I never put all of these on the table at the same time.   I start with the dish soap mix, and if that doesn't work, rinse and then try the baking soda.  No go? Rinse and repeat with the hand sanitizer.  And so on.  Definitely be careful of mixing chemicals.  :)

Last tip:  For organization, I love bins/tubs, vinyl or plastic zippered pencil pouches, and gallon size zipper bags.  They are easy to label, and you can choose which will work best due to what you need to store and where it will be kept.  We use bins for Legos and some of the play dough accessories (and a lot of the other small toys), and bags for the sensory table fillers and some of the play dough accessories that don't sit down in the tubs that we have as well.  The pencil pouches are great for crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc., and then I stand them up in a tub that is just longer than the pouches are.  Makes for much easier finding the must-have medium of the moment.  Figure out what works for you and go with it.

Have fun making messes with your little ones!  Creativity is one of the best boredom busters, and having the supplies on hand will cut down on all the "There's nothing to do!"s you will hear.  And, again, seeing you enjoying the materials with them will increase the fun that your child has exploring what you have provided for them.  The opportunities are endless, for both of you.

Well, the play dough is calling....

Go on... Get your hands dirty!

Being cooped up inside like we've been this winter due to the extreme cold is no fun for anyone.  Especially for little kiddos who are used to (and need to be) more active.  Kids tend to bottle up their energy if they aren't able to let it out, and for the sake of your house, you sometimes just can't let them run and jump all over the place.

But there is hope!  You can engage their senses in other ways, and sensory play is just the thing to do it.  Engaging your child's senses in meaningful play ideas can turn a stressful day of constant warnings to slow down and stop jumping onto the baby from the couch into a calm(er) day of learning.

Pinterest has TONS of great ideas for sensory play, and many of them are affordable and have multiple benefits for your child.  I keep a sensory table avaliable for my children at home, at all times.  It is nothing elaborate- just an under the bed storage bin that I picked up at Target and we set on a child height table (or the floor sometimes).

Some sensory items that I keep in our table at home for the kids are:

--Wacky Mac plus cups and chenille stems (aka, pipe cleaners). I love this pasta as a sensory tool.  There are several different pasta shapes, and they come in different colors in one bag. The kiddos love to scoop and pour the noodles, there are several that allow for being strung onto the chenille stems, they are great for sorting by type or color... The possibilities are only limited by my children's imagination.

--Rainbow rice plus cups and measuring spoons.  There are many ways to turn plain white rice into rainbow rice.  The one I used was to put the rice (about 2-3 cups) into a large Ziploc bag, and added about 1T of rubbing alcohol and several drops of food coloring.  I mushed the bag around  to spread the color, then poured the rice onto cookie sheets overnight to dry.  It turns out pretty light unless you use a lot of color, but when they are mixed together, it makes a really cool effect.  The kids love to scoop and pour, and this is a great medium to use with measuring spoons and cups, to see how teaspoons go into table spoons, and quarter cups into a whole cup.

--Cloud dough plus cups and small sandbox molds.  To make cloud dough, you mix flour and baby oil. It has an 8:1 ratio, so mixing 8 cups of flour with 1 cup of oil gives you the perfect consistency dough to mold and experience, and it is easy to halve or quarter if you don't need quite so much.  (TinkerLab has a great blog article about Cloud Dough!)  We loved molding and squishing the dough!

Beans plus cups and egg cartons.  We have TONS of dried beans, and they are a great medium for sensory play.  They are (usually) just big enough to be picked up with a pincer grip, which is super important for pre-writing skills, and are also great for sorting and counting.  We save egg cartons to put in with the beans, and write numbers in the bottom of the cups for counting.

I also love sensory bags and bottles for those times that a mess and/or small items in little hands are not appropriate.  Ate the Center, I have several empty plastic bottles that I have re-used to create visual sensory experiences for the infants in my care.  Baby oil plus ribbon and sequins in one.  Blue hair gel and enough water to make air bubbles in it when you shake it.  Aquarium rocks and water.  Fine sand and seashells plus water (the beach!).  We also have a couple taped-shut, gallon size Ziploc bags with hair gel and glitter that the babes can squish and mash (with supervision, of course!).  We have also pulled the seeds out of a pumpkin and put them in a bag with a little water for the babies to chase around with their fingers.

Sensory play is not limited to hands-in bins; it can also be scarves, texture books, felt boards, play mats, textured balls, and other cloth items that provide a different or interesting texture for little fingers to explore. It can be music and movement- feeling and learning how they can move their bodies and experience music.  It can be tasting and learning about new foods (at an appropriate age)- ie. fruits and vegetables that may not be as common (avacado or starfruit, anyone?)   Exposing children to new flavors can help set them up for life-long, healthy eating habits.  Children put toys in their mouths- because they can get a better feel for it by touching and tasting it than they could by just touching it alone.  

The point is, exploring with their senses is one of the best ways for little learners to experience... Learning!  Children who are encouraged to explore and learn in a safe environment become more adept at learning than their counterparts who are not afforded the opportunity to check out their world.  Learning is a skill, and children need to practice.  They need to learn that they are getting all kinds of information when they explore with sensory play.  Because, truly, it is not really play.  What we see as play is really the child's work.  The exploration, the learning that comes from utilizing their senses, the learning that they can learn from using their senses- this is all an essential building block to the future learning that children will do.

Gardening

I found this picture on Facebook the other day, and decided it perfectly captures how I feel about gardening.  I love my gardens!  When we bought our house a couple years ago, there was one approximately 10' garden box out back, plus four flower beds.  I was in heaven!  Space to garden, and have flowers?  Nothing better.  

Now, I have three garden boxes, and still the four flower beds.  I love watching my kids in the garden.  They love to help pull weeds, and check on the plants, and pick the vegetables as they become ready.  And there is so much to be learned from 'playing' in the dirt.

I just ordered my seeds for this year (at least most of them, I might be picking up a few more), and I can't wait to get some seedlings started.  There is nothing like watching those little sprouts grow.  And it is such a great science project for the children, to plant seeds and watch them grow.  To be able to give them a part of growing the food we eat.  I remember when I was a kid, and we planted bean seeds in a plastic bag with a wet paper towel, so that we could watch the roots and sprout grow.  It was one of the coolest things ever, at the time.  And it's still pretty cool, to watch my children learn about it as well.

The other part of gardening with my children that I love is that they can engage their senses.  They can feel the coolness of the soil, the temperature and texture of the plants, the smoothness of a tomato or squash,  taste the produce fresh off the plant.  We took a day trip to a Children's Museum which had a sensory garden on the roof.  It was really fun for the kids to be able to touch and smell the plants. They used a lot of herbs there, but really any plant is going to give a great sensory experience. 

Edible gardens are another way to engage children in gardening and the world around them.  homegrown.org  has some great suggestions on plants to choose for an edible garden, along with the ways that they benefit children.  

 Gardens can be as simple as a couple pots or as elaborate as raised beds (which actually aren't too complicated), but are so great.  And if you just don't have the space at your home to dedicate to a garden, or if you live in a rental unit where a garden isn't allowed, check out community gardens in your area.  We did a community plot for a couple years before we were able to have our own garden at  home.  It was a great experience for myself and my children to see people working together on the gardens.  Even after we had our own beds at home, my children would ask when we were going back to the community garden. 

One other thing that I have begun looking into is Square Foot Gardening.  The basic premise of SFG is to take the sheer volume of space needed to grow a garden, and pare it down to just what is needed to grow the plants.  It takes out the aisles between the rows, and it veers away from the rows as well by planting more and shorter rows, closer together.  I would definitely recommend it as a go-to book for gardening.

Consider getting out there, and exploring the wonder of nature through gardening!  It is such a great way to spend time, and the rewards of fresh produce are too many to count!  (And watching your child pick the veggies that they get to eat for supper is awesome!)