Yarn Hide and Seek

I found this idea here (I love Pinterest). I threw some loose yarn into the bin and dumped small toy animals on top. The idea was that they would search for the animals amongst the yarn and free the toys. But since when did the idea ever equal the reality? Instead they just grabbed the yarn, pulled it out of the bin and shook the animals free (most of them anyway). Then they just played with the animals and yarn separately. Eventually I took the yarn away because Abby was just entangling herself in it. Abby was relentlessly putting the animals in her mouth. Alyssa ended up putting all the toys in a bin, dumping it ("Woah") and then repeating.

Quick Thoughts:

• I'll try the yarn again. Still a good exposure I think, even if for just a minute. 
• They had a good time playing with the animals "their" way. They don't need to do it my way. 
• Alyssa didn't like to have to work to get her toys free. She would whine and bring it over to me hoping that I would free it for her. I tried to just help her, I don't want her to rely on me whenever things seem difficult. 

Magnet Animal Boards

The girls love animals, so I made some animal magnets. I printed and cut out pictures of animals I found online, laminated them and stuck an adhesive magnet on the back. I bought the trays at the dollar store. Super easy, although it takes a few minutes to do all the cutting and laminating.

Quick thoughts:

• They didn't really get that the magnets stuck to the tray. Partially I think because the magnets were a little weak (disappointingly...). Also, the trays were laying on the floor or on their laps. They were no stable enough propped up. Teaching magnets might be more affective if I can stick the tray to something. But they loved being able to put the trays in their laps. 
• Originally, I had hot glued felt onto the tray. Green with a blue sky for the land animals and dark blue with a blue sky for the sea animals. But the magnets would not stick through the felt so I ripped it off (hot glue pulls off metal very easily). After they were done I tried gluing colored paper down instead. We will see how it works next time. I wish that I had made the horizon horizontally since that is how they hold the tray/play with the tray. But, I made it vertical. If I have to rip off and start again I will do it horizontally. 

Saddle Up!

Grandpa was in town yesterday! So to celebrate we partied at the HoustonRodeo for our weekly adventure!

Quick Thoughts:

• It was a little late. But the girls were so good. 
• We missed the petting zoo. Next time, I would definitely want to do this.
• I love rodeos. I am already excited about next year!

Cornstarch Goop

I love the feeling of cornstarch. So I was very excited to set up a goop playtime. Since the girls have carpet in their bathroom (grr...why?), we did it in the master bath. Good thing too since after I put them in the tub with their bins, they were NOT happy. So, I got in with them. I don't think we would have all fit in their bathtub.

I have no idea what my ratio of water to cornstarch was. I just added water or cornstarch slowly till it was how I like it. I've heard 60% cornstarch to 40% water, but can't validate that. I would recommend that you thoroughly mix together and let settle for a minute before adding more of either. Sometimes it seems really runny or thick but just hasn't mixed well yet. I added food coloring periodically while we were playing so they could do the mixing.

They were not very excited about it at first. I think they were also a little cold, despite setting a heater in the bathroom. After I got in with them they calmed down a little. Abby was more interested in the toys mixed into the goop. They would stick when she tried to pull them out, and then she would put them in her mouth. (This goop is totally non-toxic). I was finally able to engaged Alyssa by drizzling the goop over her hands. She was first upset that her hands were now dirty, but then she began to play along. I hid the toys for a few minutes to encourage them to play with the goop. They seemed to like it.

When we were all done I turned on a warm bath which they were also pretty happy about. They played with the water spout and were glad to be warm I think.

Quick thoughts:

• I love the idea of doing this in the tub. It makes clean up so much easier. Thanks Growing A Jeweled Rose for the idea. When it gets warmer this could be done outside, too. 
• Next time have the bins mixed and ready to go before getting swimsuits on. (Abby's is a little big...oh well).
• I like the controlled diaper-free - yet not bathtime - time. Supposedly have diaper free time encourages them to think about when they go the bathroom - or at least make sure they feel it when they go. Which supposedly makes it easier to potty train them. So anytime they can be diaper free and I can be relatively mess free, I'm trying to let them run free. 
• Try to heat up the bathroom more next time. It was still cold. Move heater closer to the tub to "preheat" (then move it well out of the way so you keep it dry).
• Only use one bin to begin with. It concentrates the goop so it is easier to play with, plus the space is too small. We can share. 
• They weren't as excited about it as I was, but it was new and cold. I think they will warm up to it. I love goop! I think they will, too. Just keep exposing them to it. 

Mixing: Corn and Beans

After the girls loved the rice activity so much, we did another similar mixing bin. This time I used corn kernels and dried black beans in a shallow dish - a 9x13 casserole dish. I started with only the corn. Abby tried a few times to put it in her mouth, but every time she did I would stir her hands in the corn so she could feel it - not taste it. After a few minutes I added a small cup of beans. Abby really liked mixing them together and sending both flying all over the porch. Alyssa was a little more guarded. She didn't really play in the dish, but would play with a cup full at a time and was busy picking up kernels and beans. They both did a little stirring (and smacking) with the honey dipper. We lasted about 20 minutes then Abby would not stop putting them in her mouth. 

Quick thoughts:

• Compared to the rice, I liked the corn and beans better because the kernels were big enough for Alyssa to pick up individually - go fine motor skills!- and she really liked picking them up, too.
• I think this is helping Abby put less stuff in her mouth. She was pretty good for the first 20 minutes.
• I have seen a lot of other sensory bins that are full of lots of different shapes, toys, sizes. I think we are building up to that. These girls don't have much focus - less than singleton babies - they are always distracting each other! So we are adding a little. But I think I'll do an occasional "fully loaded" bin.
• I love how easy it is to set up and clean up! I think I might go sweep off the porch though. The rice was washed away by the rain, so I'll see if I still need to sweep after the forecasted storms...

Heavy Hide and Seek

Abby had her monthly occupational therapy appointment yesterday. One of the things we had discussed last visit was encouraging her "heavy play" to improve her proprioception. The concept of proprioception is basically awareness of one's self, the awareness of where your body is. By increasing the weight of her toys, we increase the resistance to her muscles and her awareness of her body. The therapist recommended about 2 lbs of weight for Abby's play.

One of the recommendations she gave me last month was to make a "heavy blanket": a blanket with rice sewn into it. It was quite easy to make (instructions at the end of the post). However, Abby refused to play with it. It was a little discouraging. I had made it with soft minky and a fringe I thought she would love.

I brought out the blanket and explained this to the therapist yesterday. She didn't seem surprised. She said Abby didn't like it because it was hard work. So the therapist gave me some ideas to incorporate the blanket into. The most successful was heavy hide and seek.

We placed some of her favorite toys on the table and covered them with the blanket. She would lift up the edge to see her toys and then pull the blanket off. It was just what we wanted her to do!  She got tired after a few rounds, but that is okay. She was getting an arm workout and definitely getting some good heavy play. Alyssa even joined in.

Quick thoughts:

• Very versatile, easy to adapt.
• They tire quickly - it is hard work. A few minutes a day is just great. 

Heavy Blanket Tutorial

Supplies:

• Fabric: I used minky. about 20" by about 60" (my bolt was 59" wide). My blanket was about 20" by 30". I folded my piece in half, but you could also start with 2 pieces 20" x 30".  
• Rice: about 4 cups, more or less depending on your goal weight.
• Trim (optional): about 20" or some ribbon for added interest.

Directions - sorry there are no pictures, if I make another one I'll update:

• Fold the fabric right sides together (forming 20" by 30" rectangle). Sew three sides together.  I sewed the two long sides and one short side. Turn right side out. 
• Sew divisions from the sewn short side to the open short side. I sewed three divisions each about 5 inches apart. This creates 4 long pouches for the rice. 
• Pour 1/4 cup rice into the middle divisions. (I left the 4 corner squares empty but that is optional. It just made my division easier and I thought Abby would like it better.)
• Sew across the blanket about 6 inches from the bottom, sealing the rice in. 
• Pour 1/4 cup rice into all divisions. Sew the rice in, 6 inches up from the last pouch. Repeat for a third and fourth row. 
• On the fifth row, place 1/4 cup in the middle spaces only. 
• Turn the open edges in and pin ribbon, trim, or other optional decorations. Sew the blanket shut. 
• Sew a 1/4 inch seam around the entire blanket. 

Mixing: Rice

The local weather has been pretty perfect and the girls love going outside, so I decided to take this mess maker outside. I put 2-3 cups of rice in a mixing bowl and threw in some whisks, measuring spoons, spatula, etc. How is that for simple.

I didn't get any pictures until after; I was too busy playing with them. With one hand, I was holding the bowl so they wouldn't dump it all out in one go. The other hand was demonstrating scooping and pouring with the measuring spoon and trying to keep Abby from stuffing her mouth full of uncooked rice. I was actually surprised that she wasn't putting it in her mouth more than she was trying to, but she was really enjoying grabbing and releasing handfuls of rice with both hands...and giggling, lots of giggling. Alyssa liked scooping the rice out and then shaking it out onto the patio. She never got too much at one time so by the time the bowl was empty, they were about finished anyway. They didn't really use the whisks at all, just held them or threw them.

In addition to the sensory play with their hands, they got to experience the texture of standing/sitting on the rice they had strewn about... and I didn't have to clean it up!

**added bonus: the rice attracted the stray cat to linger outside the window a little longer than usual. The girls love watching the cat, so they were very excited to see him so close for so long.

My quick thoughts:

• Could be done inside, too, but with more clean up. 
• There are lots of varieties that could be done: add different sizes, shapes, textures. (dried beans, noodles, popcorn kernels, small toys, blocks, etc. There are tons of "sensory bin" ideas out there. I think I'll mix it up a little each time. But I do like occasionally going simple and focusing on using the tools or one texture. Maybe start with rice then add a variety every few minutes. 
• I really loved how easy this was. No prep, no clean up, yet sensory and fun; my kind of activity. 

Box Slots

Who doesn't like playing in a cardboard box? Apparently, Alyssa. But, she loved playing with it. For this super easy activity, we took a big box, cut a slot in the side (about 4 inches by 1.5 inches), and found some of their toys that would easily fit through. Later, we found some that had a tighter fit.

Pretty much, this activity is an easier version of the shape sorting toys. Alyssa is starting to figure out her plastic shape sorter, but Abby is not even close. She is behind on her fine motor control and still eats everything. So this activity was perfect for both of them. We have some small letters  which fit through the hole if you rotate them, but are too wide to fit through when flat. It was simple enough that they could both figure it out, but they still had to think about it.

We had the slot on the top at first, so they could drop the toys into the box. Alyssa would peer down trying to see where it went. Abby liked to crawl inside the box, too. After a while we rotated the box so that the slot was on the side. Abby was in heaven! She sat in the box and peaked through, reached her hand through, passed me letters, and babbled away. She was so happy. We tried putting Alyssa in the box, but she screamed and screamed. Alyssa only wanted to play with the outside of the box. Despite being twins, these girls are complete opposites sometimes.

This was an awesome activity which could easily be adapted to the level of your kid by cutting larger or smaller holes or specifically shaped holes.

I've put the box away for a few days, but I am excited to play this again! 

Jumbo Crayons

This afternoon we went for a pretty basic activity: drawing with crayons.

I have a box of Crayola's Jumbo crayons - mostly so they don't break them and so Abby can't bite off chunks.    I also have a roll of builder's paper from Home Depot ($10).  I cut off a piece of paper about as big as their table and taped it down. Really simple set up. 

Alyssa was really excited about drawing but quickly became more excited about trying to hold all the crayons at the same time and walk around with them. Meanwhile, Abby loved the crayons. They must really taste good. But Abby still puts everything in her mouth. 

A couple thoughts on this basic activity:  

• Drawing or Playing?: Alyssa seemed more interested in drawing when I only gave her 1 or 2 crayons. Once I put down more crayons she became more interested in holding and moving them here and there.   I had to remind myself that playing with the crayons is okay, too. Let her explore.
• Eating the Crayons: I struggled with letting Abby eat the crayons. Crayola makes only non-toxic art materials, but it is still very tempting to keep pulling it out of her mouth. Also, I want to protect the crayons. Anyone else have this problem? I don't like the crayons getting all chewed up, the wrapper soaked in saliva and torn up, etc. Again I had to restrain myself and get over it! 
• Too Much Mom?: I sat at the table and drew with them - trying to show them how to use the crayons, but after a while Alyssa would just hand me crayons. It is fun to draw with them, but next time I would stand back from the table and just let them draw by themselves, at least for part of the time.
• Narration: I struggle with narrating for both of them at the same time. Sometimes I feel like it confusing jumping back and forth. I find it helps to use their names a lot.  "Alyssa, good job drawing with the green crayon. Abby is eating the purple crayon. Now Alyssa is handing me the blue crayon, thank you" I don't know how much they are understanding. But if I'm not jumping back and forth, I feel like I ignore one or the other, so I try to make it as natural as possible. However, I'm a quiet person, so it isn't natural for me at all! 

Overall, they aren't very good at drawing, but they are learning. I think it is important to be exposing them to the idea of coloring and letting them do their own exploration. They like it and get really excited about the crayons. So just because they don't make some pretty scribbles, getting out the crayons can still be a success. 

** and then they had a blast ripping the paper off the table...

Why this blog?

There are so many sites and blogs for baby/toddler activities out there. Plus there is Pinterest - which I love for finding activities. So, you may ask, why start another one? Perhaps selfishly the answer is because this is my story and I'm trying to consolidate what works (and doesn't work) for me and my family. I hope it may be helpful to someone else as well.