A New Toddler Posting Activity!

 I watched Idris playing with the bath plug chain in his treasure basket and dropping it in and out of a milk jug..... It gave me an idea and I fetched out the bead strings from my Christmas box and chopped them up into smaller lengths..... some about 10cm and some up to 30cm long. I then simply clamped an empty bottle between my knees, demonstrated once and he was off!

 He quickly worked out that using two hands with one very near to the end of the string was the best way to get them in. He was very steady handed, making very small adjustments to his hand position as he wavered over the neck of the bottle trying to thread them in. I used quite a narrow necked bottle but you could make it easier with a wider necked one, or even a jug as he had used originally!

 He discovered that the bottle made a great sound when shaken......

 But that you had to pull most of them out, they didn't just fall out!

 Then he threw them on the floor (doesn't he always?!) and danced on them for a bit - they made a great clacking sound as they hit the floor!

Then he went to the recycling box and helped himself to another bottle and tried again, all by himself! He took them in the bath that night too and spent ages draping them over his arms and shoulders, deep in concentration! Draping is something that he likes to do anyway, with socks or small pieces of cloth so it was interesting to see him trying his theories out on a new medium!

This would make a great discovery box with  a collection of different receptacles to put the chains in and a variety of different chains to explore - hardware shops and garden centres often stock rolls of different sizes of chains - tubes would be fun too, and funnels to explore which chains went through them and which didn't - I think I feel a new treasure basket coming on!!!!!

A Harvest Sensory Box

At last! A sensory box that Idris engaged with for a length of time WITHOUT resorting to immediatly throwing the contents out of the box! This box came about very rapidly this afternoon after I'd sat Idris on the counter top next to me whilst I kneaded play dough and he started putting the veg scraps for the guinea pigs in and out of a cup and poking them with a spoon. I put a few pots and pans from the kitchen box in an underbed storage box and added a bag of chunky pasta shells and a range of implements.

Idris played for about half an hour, completely absorbed, murmuring to himself quietly as he transferred the pasta from pot to pot using his hands, stirred them, and tipped them in and out. After a while he climbed in, and, being impressed with his sure footedness (is that a word?) he stepped in and out a few more times just to make sure he could do it without a wobble! Then sat down to tip, transfer, poke and shuffle some more!

Then he got fed up and resorted to his trajectory routine! So I added a bag of mixed beans and an egg box and a ladle and he was once again fascinated and absorbed! It was great to see him so involved in something like this i

Black and White Sensory Play for Babies

I set this up for Idris using what was in the recycling box and a packet of pudding rice that was in the cupboard (Tip - never use dried beans for babies and toddlers to play with as some are toxic if eaten!!). He was fascinated with it and sat in it happily for about half an hour.

He watched us pour the rice and put his fingers out to feel the rice fall and to try and catch some - he picked it up himself and dropped it. he wriggled his feet in it and made it swoosh around.

He watched Faith fill up a cup and then tried to do it for himself with some success.

He used his pincer grip to pick up some individual pieces, then he bashed the tray hard and watched them fly all over the place then laughed and laughed!

He tried a piece then spat it out again!

And then he discovered how to tip it OUT of the box all over the floor - and we have been sweeping them up ever since!!!

We have pulled this out on and off over the last couple of weeks and watched how Idris's play has developed with experience. He is now very proficient at filling the cups and tipping them. He has learned to throw so now throws handfuls of rice out of the box across the laminate and watches as they scatter away. We tried some new resources such as a ball to roll in them and a pastry brush but he isn't interested in those so we took them back out. His interest in it is waning now so time to change the set-up and see what he does next I think!!