Toddlerapprovedtuesday

Sensory play #4 Force

~ Fridgesays ~ 18 Comments

*disclaimer: not sensory at all….sorry! Still lots to learn.

Last week I taught J about items being ‘the same and different’ and this week I wanted to do ‘push and pull’, mainly because a cart horse in one of his favourite books has been pulling loads and I wasn’t sure he understood?

I then remembered a science lesson (originally aimed at 12 year olds) about force that I adapted for this game.

 The picture really explains all…
You will need:

  • Balloons
  • 2 chairs (or trees)
  • Sting, wool or any other kind of ropey stuff
  • Straws
  • Tape (I used electric tape so that it was more visually obviously, you could use celotape or even plasters.

I basically blew up the balloons (which made j laugh…until one popped, which caused a break down) took a straw and cut it in half, taped the straw to the balloon (see below)

 ‘Ta-dar’ and we were ready to race the balloons by ‘pushing’ them along and then ‘pulling’ them back to the start.
There are many variations that you could do with this – dinning room chairs indoors if it’s raining, more than 2 balloons if you have more little monsters at home, or you could even add height to one end to create a little more gravity. Like I said, I kept them flat because I wanted J to specifically push and pull, plus he is only 2 years old and perhaps an older child may like more challenge…you could even get the monsters to create an obstacle course for the balloons.

The best thing about this was it look 2 seconds to create and was a clear visual aid to teach him. I also left it out for several days (until the balloons shrivelled up) for J to explore by himself.

Warning: popping balloons may send your toddler into hysterics, mine is scarred for life (haha)

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Sensory play #2 clean mud

~ Fridgesays ~ 2 Comments

When your mum is a teacher and your Nanny spent way too many years between reception and year 2, you can expect sensory play at the drop of a hat.

If I ever have to work late which means pick ups from Nursery become a hassle my parents step in and make everything look effortless. In the last few weeks of term this happened a couple of times.

On one of these occasions,  I went into my dinning room to find my mum grating a bar of soap (like you do) to make soap flakes for a play activity. This is especially good if like me you have a dirt loving child as it smells like a years worth of laundry. IMG_2520

What she did to make ‘clean mud’
Ingredients:

  • Bar of soap (grated)
  • Toilet roll ripped up
  • Add water to desirable consistency ( more than you think, but not much)

Then squidgy it all together. Simple! J could definitely have got involved in the ripping of the toilet paper and who doesn’t love to squidge? Sensory delights and for a few pennies an occupied toddler.

 As you can see from above Mum ‘garnished’ J’s clean mud with some little Dinosaurs and I really think this is an outside activity, unless you are wishing your walls to look like the ceiling of the school toilets (ahh remember thoses day of paper churned up and stuck to the ceiling).

If I’m honest this didn’t really thrill J, but when he has his Grandad Tom on tap to play with, sensory play doesn’t always cut the mustard, or in this case the soap suds.

Give it ago and let me know how clean mud works out for you? There are lots of recipes on Pinterest and some even add food colouring, I quite liked the white effect? It’s snow like. J played with this for about a week, I just placed a carrier bag over the top and left it in the shed, the bonus was the shed smells like heaven!

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