Ribbon wheel

Simple sensory fun - you just need a hula hoop (we used one left over from our DIY giant bubbles) and some ribbon.

I then left the kids to play with it how they wanted, occasionally lifting it up around them to change their sensory experience, or holding it up so D could crawl through it (he *loved* this and kept asking to do it!).

 

I used a variety of ribbon colours, widths and textures to make it more interesting but you could use one colour (eg pale blue if you wanted to have a winter-themed hoop) or another one I think would look really pretty would be a rainbow one - with multiple ribbons of each colour all grouped together. Well, that's my next project sorted!

 

   

Simple fun (and easy to store without taking much space) - all that appeals to me! :)
 

Super simple baby play

Sometimes I love the preparation and the planning but other times I want an activity that is different enough to instantly engage the kids but is so simple that it basically has no set-up needed.

Here are 2 things we've done recently. I originally did them for Iz but (as per usual!) D ended up playing with them long after Iz moved on... Lol.


Muffin Cake tray and sorting balls
 
Yep that's all you need. Iz took the balls out, put them back in and threw them around a bit. D colour sorted them (loved his "oooooh no THAT's not right!" when he put a blue one in the yellow line), worked out how to slot them in the gaps when the tin was upside down and had fun balancing the balls and then blowing them off. They even played nicely together :)

 

Pringles tube and straws/lolly sticks
 
Love this (any excuse to eat Pringles...). Get an empty Pringles can, wash it out carefully and cut a small hole in the lid (top tip - if you don't want the plastic to split as you cut it, cover it with sellotape first - thanks Mr MFDS!). Then collect an assortment of straws and coloured craft sticks and let your baby go posting-crazy. If your little one is older (and doesn't eat everything!) you could make it more challenging by using buttons or pieces of Lego etc. I love her proud little face!
 

D sneaking a quiet go on his own when Iz wasn't looking...

Both kids LOVED this way more than I imagined! Since I made it they have played with it every single day, usually on several different occasions. It's proved invaluable for distracting Iz when we're helping D with the potty and D played with it for 30 minutes straight the other day!! If I'd known how much they were going to like it I would've made it ages ago!

D said "I'm teaching Iz how to do it" - awww!

It also makes a nice shaker when full of straws/sticks!

You can even jazz it up a little by putting a light inside the tube (I used a battery operated tea light) - lends a whole new dimension (and fascination!) to the play :)
 

                                                                             ******
 
Have you done any simple play/no-prep activities with your kids recently?

"It's funny what a year can do"

A year. That sounds so long but this last year has whizzed by. In one sense I can't remember a time without Iz around but in another it seems like yesterday we were racing to the hospital to avoid a hefty cleaning bill for Mr MFDS's car...

Since Iz was born I have taken a photo every week and another every month. Benefit of hindsight having not done it with D and wished I had.

So here they are, Iz's first year. We've loved watching her grow :)

The start

Halfway there...

Nearly there...

BIRTHDAY GIRL!!

I love how these photos are a record of: her chubby phase (started in week 9), her always-sticking-tongue-out phase (on/off from 21 weeks but even more from 27 weeks!) and her won't-pose-demurely-by-the-blocks-anymore-without-a-distraction phase (from 31 weeks on - taking the photos was a *lot* trickier after that!)

I think my favourite pic is the 19 week one (dressed up all festive for her first Christmas). And the last one - I love how she whipped the cloth off from the blocks and looked so proud of herself!

******

Have you regularly recorded your baby's first year, or other firsts? How have you done it? You never know - I might need new ideas for baby number 3... ;)

10 "edible" (taste-safe) sensory bins

So having a baby who will eat everything means I'm always looking for taste-safe sensory play options at the moment, especially as her new-found mobility means she'll come over and gatecrash anything that's laid out :)

So here are 10 sensory bins (click on the headings for more details) - all taste-safe, although some more palatable than others! And obviously just because they are all edible does *not* mean that you should encourage your baby to sit and eat a whole sensory bin from any of these... it just means if a bit does go in their mouth you don't need to panic :)

******

Rice Krispie hide and seek

 


Travel angel delight

Jelly and flour

I never actually blogged about this one but both kids really enjoyed it - be warned though it was *much* more messy than I possibly imagined flour and jelly could be!!

Cloud dough

Coloured spaghetti

Yoghurt painting

Couscous sandpit

Rainbow rice

Slime:  recipe 1 and recipe 2

Oobleck

******

Have you done any other taste-safe activities with your little ones? I'd love to hear :)

Disclaimer: as with any activity involving your toddler/baby, use your own judgement and common sense. I always closely supervise any sensory play and always inspect items for wear/tear carefully before each playing session. Always make sure you are confident with the safety of whatever your child is playing with.

"Crystal Maze" box

Sometimes it's funny - I do an activity for Iz and completely underestimate how much D will like it. This is a prime example!

I've written about baby-specific sensory play before (for example the ribbon play for babies) and I do try to do activities that both her and D can enjoy, but invariably there's a lot more scope to do things with D so sometimes I feel bad that she gets left out... so it's nice to make something specially for her.

All you need is a shoebox and some string/wool.
Punch some holes in the box and thread the wool in what ever pattern you want.
Simple :)

Ooooo what's this?

Then add a few objects to the box and let your baby have fun trying to get them out!

Trying to get the duplo blocks

Balancing a giraffe on a string crossroads

She quickly worked out it was easier to get to things when the box was on it's side...

Yep it even got used as a giant shoe!

D quickly adopted the box as "Elsa's bed" and we all had to be quiet whilst Elsa slept... I'm never going to complain about D enforcing quiet time on everyone!! Lol

"Ssshhhhh Elsa's in the box!"

After they'd both played with it for a few days I decided to make it a bit more challenging and added another layer of wool below the first so there was now 2 layers of criss-crossed strings. This introduced a whole new layer of complexity and it was very cute watching Iz explore how much harder it was to reach the bottom now.

Showing her how it's done :)

Uh oh she's trying to get Elsa!!

Adept at getting past multiple string layers now

******

So there it is - a very simple sensory play idea that's enjoyed by both babies and toddlers. You could easily make it harder by having even more additional wool layers as each one will add to the complexity of the movements they need to do to reach the toys. It is great fine motor practice, logical thinking, task flexibility and problem solving (lots of executive function skills) - who knew a shoe box could be so educational?!





PS. If you're wondering about the name I chose for the box then you are obviously either too young to remember the Crystal Maze or aren't from the UK!