Christmas Sensory Bin ~ What's in the Bin?

Here is a fun Christmas bin for you and your tot to explore:

 

My two were SUPER excited to dive into this bin! Again, I kept things simple and it was well worth it. They loved it. I added candy canes (that we have no intention of eating) star ornaments, and they each had a few small plastic tubs, a scoop and a spoon. And shaving cream, of course!

 

If I would have had more shaving cream I would have added it. This was 2 and a half cans and didn't fill the tub much. But they didn't care and it would have probably required swim suits and a fire hose to clean up. :-)

 

We've played with shaving cream on many occasions, just never in this large of capacity. She was a bit ....umm... unexcited to get it her hands a first. She asked me for a napkin to wipe it off! But, it really didn't take more than a few minuets and she was all.in.

 

 

They stirred and stirred. They scooped. They dug. They played hide and seek with the stars trying to find the most. And they just played.

 

 

It surprised me she played much longer than Aaron. Very serious, focused, content play.

 

 

I hope you have a very, Merry CHRISTmas and can enjoy some messy sensory play this season!

 

 

 

What's in the Tub? is a monthly feature that focuses on a fun sensory tub ideas to go along with the monthly theme at Totally Tots. Click here to see the past sensory tub ideas.

Thanksgiving Sensory Tub ~ What's in the Tub?

Here are a few Thanksgiving themed ideas for you and your tot to explore: 

I kept this bin simple and my daughter LOVED it! (She's 37 months.) Much more than I expected. I threw in a bag of corn and seeds, (from the pet store - Goose and Duck blend) a few 25 cent gords and pumpkins from Walmart, a wooden Thanksgiving necklace, a package of plastic acorns and foam turkeys (all from Michaels). The cornucopia is like a funnel because there was hole in the end: perfect for toddler play! (Not pictured here: I also threw in a few of our Counting Bear cups for scooping a dumping as well.)

Granted, the seeds did not stay in the bin, but the amount of quiet AND focused time and attention she gave this bin made it was totally worth it! Scooping, dumping, pouring, counting and sorting are simple skills she mastered months ago that I'm so glad I thought to bring them back for this busy month of the year. 

This is a great example of how these bins don't need to be expensive, elaborate, complicated or time consuming to put together. (As always, with choking hazards and small pieces like this supervise your child's play 100% of the time)

What's in the Tub? is a monthly feature that focuses on a fun sensory tub ideas to go along with the monthly theme at Totally Tots. Click here to see the past sensory tub ideas.

Math Ideas for If You're a Monster and You Know It ~ Once Upon a Book

If You're A Monster And You Know It

by Rebecca Emberley & Ed Emberley

Book Summary: Children will stomp their paws, twitch their tails, snort and growl, and wiggle and wriggle along with this bright and bold picture book twist on "If You're Happy and You Know It."

 

For our math activity to go along with If You're A Monster And You Know It , we played Roll-a-Monster. Roll-a-Monster is one of those sneaky math games where the kids don't even realize they are practicing their counting skills because they're having so much fun.

Materials:

• Craft Felt
• Scissors
• Dice
• Roll-a-Monster Printable

Mommy Prep:
Using inexpensive felt from the craft store, I prepared the shapes for our monster before playing. You could also use craft foam, but I knew the monster body parts were going to be pulling double duty on our felt board, too. My son saw me preparing the monster body parts and couldn't wait to play! I made several eyes, arms, feet, nose, mouth, and tiny triangle teeth.

Here's a peek at some of the monster body parts I made, but feel free to some up with your own fun monster shapes.

Monster Eyes...

 

Monster Body...

 

Monster Arms

 

Monster Feet

 

Tip: For gluing the eye pieces together, I used Aleene's Tacky Glue.

 

How to play the Roll-a-Monster Game:

1. Roll the dice.
2. Count the dots.
3. Look at the chart to see what monster body part to add to your monster (Download the Roll-a-Monster Game Free Printable from my blog)
4. Place the correct body part on your monster.
5. Now, it is the other person's turn.
6. If you roll a number that you've already used the body part (like feet), roll again. If you roll a number the second time, and you still can't go, then your turn is over.

 

Next Thursday I'll be back with more If You're A Monster And You Know It extension activities. See you then!

 

Other Monster Books:

Go Away, Big Green Monster!
There Was An Old Monster!
Glad Monster, Sad Monster
Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug!
Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli
Tickle Monster

Monster Sensory Bin ~ What's in the Tub?

Here are a few Monster bin ideas for you and your tot to explore:

What's included:

Silly Monster Sticker Kit (that I laminated for easier re-use)

Noodle Roonie Monsters

Make Your Own Monster Doll (that we had previously put together)

Stiktis 

variety of monster stickers and a 3x5 card book

monster washcloth puppets

variety of craft items (straws, craft sticks, pipe cleaners, cloths pins)

 

 

 

It was fun to see how creative they were with creating silly monsters. (And then ACTING like silly monsters!) The stickers were a last minute addition, but my daughter loved them. Especially the little book just for her to use. The StiKits were my sons favorite. I loved that a simple damp sponge was like a glue stick for him to stick together his monsters.

 

What's in the Tub? is a monthly feature that focuses on a fun sensory tub ideas to go along with the monthly theme at Totally Tots. Click here to see the past sensory tub ideas.

Community Helpers Sensory Tub ~ What's in the Tub?

Here are a few Community Helper ideas for you and your tot to explore:

 

What's inside:

 

Mail Carrier dress up clothes and Melissa & Doug mailbox

Police man dress up cloths and police tools of the trade

Fireman hat and fireman tools of the trade

Doctor coat and doctor tools of the trade

Construction dress up clothes and construction tools of the trade

 

 

This month we went a little different route and added dress up clothes to the mix! Believe it or not these are our first official dress up clothes!! My 4 year old was a much bigger fan of trying things on than my 2 year old! She was all about the hats though!

 

 

After I let them explore the contents of the bin for awhile we started looking at each item and trying to decide which community helper would need that tool.

 

 

A few of the doctor items had them tricked but they were surprisingly good at identify all the tools! These are only 5 of the many, many community helpers in our community. I hope this gives you a good start to your sensory bin! Maybe you already own other items to add other Community Helpers to your bin?

 

What's in the Tub? is a monthly feature that focuses on a fun sensory tub ideas to go along with the monthly theme at Totally Tots. Click here to see the past sensory tub ideas.

Birthday Sensory Bin - What's in the Tub?

Have a birthday coming up in your home? Here are a few birthday sensory items for you and your tot to explore:

 

What's inside:

 

regular balloons and punching bag balloons

slap bracelets and bead necklaces

Melissa & Doug's Birthday Party cake

birthday variety noise-maker set

small trucks

large poppers

birthday noisemakers

candles

colorful pom-poms and curled ribbons

(All other items were found for a great price in Walmart's party and clearance sections.)

This bin was especially fun for my daughter. She'll be three this fall and is very much looking forward to her birthday! This was quite a loud pretend birthday party. --A warning should you choose to by that many noise-makers. ;-)

 

The punching bags were a hug hit and poppers are entertaining at any age! I wish I would have taken a video to share with you the very dramatic singing of Happy Birthday below!

I hope you enjoy your pretend birthday party! See you next month for another bin-o-fun!

What's in the Tub? is a monthly feature that focuses on fun sensory tub ideas to go along with the monthly theme at Totally Tots. Click here to see the past sensory tub ideas.