The Disappearing Act

When babies are small they start to learn about something called 'object permanence'. 

OBJECT PERMANENCE

Object permanence is the understanding that an object continues to exist despite it not being seen, heard, touched, smelled or sensed in anyway. 

Here is a great activity that you can do with babies from about 6 months old that will test and help to develop their understanding of object permanence. 

To make this you will need - 

* Clear large container 

* Paper 

* Sticky Tape

* Pompom (or any type of small object you can find)

Cut the paper to fit inside the wall of the container. Check it isn't see-through. Add some sticky tape to be sure the paper doesn't shift when your little one is playing. 

Drop in your object and tightly secure the lid. You may want to glue the lid closed, however, I encourage active supervision so I didn't worry. 

You may want to add a different object. That is completely fine. Experimenting with different objects is a great idea and keeps them interested and expands their thinking. 

You are now ready to begin 'The Disappearing Act'. 

Little Possum had a great time with her little magic trick. The first time the pompom disappeared she looked surprised and looked inside the container to see where it went. 

She had a great time making the pompom appear and disappear. 

APPEARS

DISAPPEARS!!!!! 

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I hope you have a great time making this activity and your little one enjoys this learning experience.

Please add your comments below. I love hearing from you. 

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Soapy Sludge

Many children over the age of about 2 or 3 years old would love this activity because playing with soapy sludge gives them a great sensory experience. I also love that it requires very few ingredients and it's easy to whip together. 

RECIPE

2 cups LUX Pure Soap Flakes

1-2 cup hot water (to dissolve the flakes)

Food colouring (if desired)

You may wish to make this in a bucket or bowl instead of a platter. 

METHOD

So basically add your Lux Soap flakes and hot water. I used my hand to help dissolve the soap flakes but you could also use an electric mixer. An electric mixer would create a sludge that would be incredibly frothy! 

You may wish to add some food colouring to the soapy sludge you've created. 

Here I have added yellow and red. This would provide an opportunity to discuss and talk about colour combinations. Also great for experimentation. 

I couldn't help myself. I added all the food colours I could and used the end of a cake tester to stir it through. It was interesting to watch how the mixture began swirling together.

Some children don't like the 'gooey' feeling of this activity and that's okay. You might start by providing them with some utensils and build up to them using their hands. 

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I hope you all enjoy this great sensory activity. 

Please feel free to comment below because I love hearing from you. 

Kate x

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2012 Highlights

As the year comes to a close I start to reflect on all the great activities and ideas that I've been able to post to you in 2012. It was tough to whittle it down to a select few. 

What has been a favourite for you? 

Colouring Rice

http://laughingkidslearn.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/colouring-rice.html

Milk Bottle

http://laughingkidslearn.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/milk-bottle-rackets.html

Cold Spaghetti

http://laughingkidslearn.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/cold-spaghetti.html

Contact Play

http://laughingkidslearn.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/contacted-leaves.html

Fruity Punch

http://laughingkidslearn.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/diy-party-planning.html

Salt Drawing

http://laughingkidslearn.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/salt-drawing-or-writing.html

Play Dough

http://laughingkidslearn.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/diy-play-dough-no-cook.html

Milky Magic

http://laughingkidslearn.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/milky-magic.html

Bird Seed Feeder

http://laughingkidslearn.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/bird-seed-feeder.html

Edible Paint

http://laughingkidslearn.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/edible-finger-paint.html

Sensory Board for Babies

http://laughingkidslearn.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/diy-sensory-board.html

Posting Play

http://laughingkidslearn.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/posting.html

I hope you all have a wonderful New Years and I look forward to sharing more ideas with you in 2013. 

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Sticky Fingers

Children need to experience a range of sensations and sticky surfaces are no exception. 

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Here is Possum ready to accept the large loop of sticky tape. 

It was fun watching her transfer the tape from one hand to the other. 

Just be sure they don't eat this one. 

Kate

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Salt Drawing or Writing

This is a really great activity that uses many things found around the house. 

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Simply find a large plate or tray and stick down some coloured paper with sticky tape. 

It's a good idea to stick it down quite well or else you'll find salt gets behind the sheets and raises the paper sheets, which is not helpful. 

Cover the paper with salt. Initially I used lots and lots of salt but I found that it was much harder to write or draw in because I was constantly 'shovelling' the salt out of the paths that I was creating. 

A fine layer of salt will be enough. 

You can use this as a maths activity and create problems for your children to solve. 

It can also be a spelling or word study activity. 

Provide your child with the ending of a word and see how many complete words they can make. 

The coloured paper underneath the salt makes drawing fun and interesting. 

Great alternative to paper. 

I hope you enjoy this activity. 

It has been inspired by 'The Imagination Tree'. 

Feel free to email me any pictures. 

kate_lloyd@hotmail.com

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Edible Finger Paint

I love being creative and I especially love when I can get my little Possum creative too. This type of paint is wonderful because it's non-toxic, unlike those that claim to be but still include weird numbers in the ingredients. 

So let's make our own EDIBLE FINGER PAINT!!!!!

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Making your own finger paint can be a great activity to do with children.

The basics you will need are - 

1/4 cup cornflour

4 tablespoons white sugar

food colouring

2 tbsp water (add more if required)

Method

In a pot mix together the sugar and the cornflour. Add a splash of water and mix over a medium heat. Depending on your mixture, add more water or cornflour until you have a smooth and rather stiff consistency. 

I separated my mixture into small containers and added 4 drops of food colouring to each. I probably suggest not to add any more drops because it may start to stain fingers. 

I added a few finger scoops of each onto a large page of paper. Possum was very interested to touch (and taste!) the finger paint. I modelled (or demonstrated) how the mixture could be spread across the page. 

This is such a great sensory activity for babies. 

Possum loved opening and closing her hand and feeling the texture between her fingers. Gorgeous!

And here is Possum's very first art piece!!! 

I'm such a proud mummy. 

N.B. This type of paint will not last forever as it is made from food items. It should last 5-10 days. I suggest if you wish to keep the artwork, take a photograph and have it blown up onto a canvas. How adorable!! :) 

I hope you and your little one enjoy this activity. 

Kate x

If you like this post then you'll like some of these ideas too!

Click here for simple baby play ideas.

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Please feel free to leave me a comment below. 

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