Sensory Play Ideas for Summer!

 

With each new season comes unique opportunities for sensory play.  At the start of each season I kind of have a mental bucket list of all the fun sensory things I want to expose the kids to (remember my fall sensory post?) Obviously, because of the warm temperatures summer offers, my bucket list can get pretty long! 

Sensory play is so important because it helps kids learn about their environment and their own bodies. There is all kinds of neurological development going on when they interact with different textures or move their bodies in new ways.  We also know that sensory play can ultimately induce more relaxation and improved attention because their little bodies (in most cases) are getting their needs met. If you are looking for some more details on sensory play and development, check out Sensory Basics here.

Most of you probably already know some simple sensory play ideas for summer between sandboxes, swimming pools, and playgrounds (all of which give loads of sensory input). But, don't stop there. Think nature hikes, finger painting, or body painting in bathing suits, you can literally hose them down!

Rachel from Babysitting gets even more creative with these next three suggestions in her guest post here today.  I love all these ideas and they are definitely now on my summer bucket list (I guess I should actually write the list down), I can't wait for the kids to try them out!

Let us know what your favorite sensory play idea is for summer so we can keep those bucket lists growing!  Without further adieu, I will hand it over to Rachel...

When summer time rolls around it is a great opportunity to get your kids outdoors and into the sunshine. Sensory play does not have to be limited to indoor activities either. Here are a few ideas for great sensory play outdoors in the warmth of summer.

Ice dig 

1. Help your child explore their inner archaeologist! Get a large plastic bin and fill it with water. You can dye the water if you would like but I find it a bit messy. Drop in a few small plastic figurines like dinosaurs, farm animals or even army men. Let it freeze completely and then dump the large ice cube outside. Hand the kids spoons or other kid-friendly digging tools and let them go to work uncovering the hidden treasures. For the widest spread of toys to dig up try to add toys as the ice freezes so the entire block has something to uncover. Kids love to watch the ice melt under the hot sun and it is a great way to keep them cool. Keeping it Beautiful did an ice dig, check it out here.

   
   

   
   

   

   
   

   Giant Sensory Bag

   
   
2. I ran across this clever idea this winter and I can’t wait to try it out with my kids! We all remember Slip and Slides from our childhood, but this creative idea combines that with sensory bags. All you need is a plastic tarp and duct tape. You can create any size bag you want, but a 10 by 10 square is usually about right. Simply tape the edges of the tarp together well, leaving a small hole to fill the bag with water. You can also add soft toys, balls, leaves, foam cutouts and anything soft without sharp corners. Fill the bag with water and seal the opening with tape. Make sure the bag is filled and sitting on a flat surface so the water distributes evenly. It is also best to get the bag full before letting the kids play on it to avoid rips and tears. You can double the tarp to create a thick and long-lasting bag. Spray with water for a slippery effect or just let the kids play cool and dry on water! You can check one out at Momma's Fun World.

   
   

   

   
   

   Water park

   
   

   3. If you have a little talent with a drill then you can make your kids their very own water park. Plastic piping and water hoses are all you need for this sensory activity. After all, what kid doesn't like to play in the sprinkler? Make a ‘car wash’ with an arch of plastic piping with holes drilled in it. Kids can drive their Big Wheels through for a cool shower. Punch holes in a two liter soda bottle and attach the hose for a homemade random sprinkler. Make your own Slip and Slide with wet tarp or turn the slide you already have into a water slide. Use kiddie pools as splash zones to avoid mud puddles. There are tons of ways to turn your backyard into a water park! If you want the specifics check out 2 Little Superheros.
   

   
   

These are just a few of the fun ideas you can do with your kids to stay cool this summer with sensory activities. From digging to splashing water, these are great sensory tools in your arsenal. Have fun, apply the sunscreen and get wet!

Rachel is an ex-babysitting pro as well as a professional writer and blogger. She is a graduate from Iowa State University and currently writes for www.babysitting.net. She welcomes questions/comments which can be sent to rachelthomas.author @ gmail.com.

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Nature Sensory - Why we don't do it

We are blessed to currently reside coastland, which for us means we are surrounded by water on around 3 sides. We have lakes, rivers, mountains, bush and a significant amount of beaches to choose from.

Sensory Play and Natural Learning
For us this means sensory play at the beach with sand, shells, sticks, rocks, leaves.

It means landform lessons while driving around town, or 'going for a drive' or 'walking the dog'.

It means geography when checking out our local map - for fun.

It means exploring nature, while walking through a bush track.

It means searching and finding unknown animals in rock pools by the beach, or seeing a pod of dolphins jumping from the water, or the resident seal cruising by the jetty.

It means fishing in lakes or rivers.

It means camping in the Great Outdoors.

It means bush hiking, or mountain climbing.


For us, Nature, means ACTUALLY being IN nature, and exploring it naturally.

For us, I don't feel it necessary to find twigs and glue it to paper, or pick up shells and glue them to paper, or sort the different types of leaves there is available.

Now, if we lived in suburbia, then yeah I would probably do the activities.

Into the Classroom
Through natural experiences such as camping, going to the beach, mountain climbing, bush walking discussions come into the learning room or simply at the dining table. Children want to know things so I do the best I can to explain and answer children's questions. Nature games enter imaginatory play in our home where discussions of waves and shells enter in naturally. Kids are learning and sharing experiences with one another.

Play Matters Movement
I think a part of the problem that professionals talk about in regards to children not knowing how to play or gaining sensory experiences is based on the digital age. Many children are indoors watching television, playing video games and other digital devices rather than playing freely outdoors like when say.. I was a child. I am hearing that there are entire 'movements' going on in major sittings encouraging parents to send their children outdoors. I say move to the country ;)

Unschooling
For us, this area of learning fits into the category of Natural Learning or Unschooling. We learn more by participating in this kind of play than we do sitting around the table completing workbooks for educational purposes.

Some of the things we learn are about the animals found in those areas, and we often find them. Relationship building within the family unit. Patience. Getting along with another. Tide and flow, weather, wind movement creating waves, rips and water flow. Land forms, geology. We experience the different textures and flow of water that crashes into our sand pits and wrecks them. We find shells and smooth rocks and sometimes beach balls that we play with.

We also run our Border Collie along the beach and swim with her. She loves swimming. And running.

It is fun, and it encourages a love for learning and life.

Health & Physical Exercise
With children running around and playing we all become refreshed and relaxed, that HAS to be good for the body, mind and spirit!! The running around is even enjoyed and so is the swimming. Children are getting stronger as they get older and more capable of swimming in the waves and recovering. Just wish we had a set of body boards to enjoy with us but time will tell hey!
We are taking care of our mental health also, by relaxing and being together.

When was the last time you took YOUR family to the beach? bush? mountain? camping? 

Does your family enjoy these kinds of activities in nature? 

I'd love to know

5 Things I am Thankful for:
1. The area in which we live and the opportunities that it brings - naturally
2. Having a vehicle that takes us offroad - comfortably
3. Having the hubby who takes his family out into nature
4. Crisp clean air
5. Time. Free Time. That is not bogged down with 'work book work'

This post is linked to:

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10 Awesome and Affordable Sensory Toys

It is the holiday season, which leaves many parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles on the hunt for toys a child will treasure.  It can be challenging, to say the least!  I have compiled a list of my top ten favorite sensory toys that any child could enjoy.  Of course, this list could be extra helpful for a child with Sensory Processing Disorder or Autism. 

I have some unusual toys that you surely won't come across in your local toy store and some unexpected every day items.  Plus, I've got every budget covered, from big ticket items and unique stocking stuffers priced between $3-80.  I have included a brief description of each toy and how it will give your child sensory feedback.  If you need a refresher on sensory processing or some of the terms I am using, click here for my sensory basics page. 

Vibrating Massager ($7.94)

 Vibration is one of the strongest forms of sensory input and it can be used to help improve attention/focus, if it is used briefly.  Think of playing a game where the vibrating "bug" quickly jumps onto different spots of the body for a few minutes when your child is having difficulty focusing.  At the same time, when you use vibration for a prolonged time, the input can become very calming, just like the vibrating back massagers adults like to lean on (by the way those can be great for kids too).  This would be a great toy to have in a time out area to help your child calm down.  

Mini Trampoline ($39.99)

If your child seeks out proprioceptive input (deep pressure) or needs help calming down, staying focused, or getting themselves organized, the trampoline is one of the best ways to meet those needs.  My kids have one of these and I drag it into many of the homes I go into because it gives great sensory feedback.  Sing rhythmic songs that your child can jump to like "1,2 Buckle My Shoe" or "The Ants Go Marching," especially if you are using it to improve attention.  Silly songs and jumping wildly are fun, but may get your kid more wound up in the short term. There are a ton of different varieties, some even have handles and legs that come off or fold for easy storage.

*Please watch your child and be close by to supervise appropriate use of the trampoline when it is in use.

Lava Lamp ($20.42)

Did I surprise you with this one?  Lava lamps can very relaxing to look at, as it gives visual input to our sensory system.  Kids can become mesmerized by these, which may not always be a good thing.  I would recommend using this for bedtime, as a nightlight, that the child can focus on to help them fall asleep.  Kids that have a hard time being still or calming down may also responds well to this.  Again, this would be great in a time-out or cool down area, just make sure it is out of reach from little hands.  These are just for looking.

Bath Foam Soap ($2.89)

Obviously, this works great in the tub. Squirt it on your kid and the wall of the tub. Let them go to town smearing and spreading it around.  In the bath, it washes off easily and with little clean up.  If you are brave enough, you can squirt this or shaving cream onto a cookie sheet and let them go at it.  Once they have it all spread out, it is a great way to work on shapes, letters, or spelling by having them use their index finger to draw in the foam.  I should mention that the coloring these foams use (I have tried a few different brands) seem to stain when they are used out of the bath, so be sure to have a few old towels around if you go this route.  Either way, lots of tactile feedback is coming your kids way.  If your child is tactile defensive, you may have to ease into this texture, it can be overwhelming for some kiddos.

Rody Inflatable Horse ($39.95)

This guy is so much fun! It holds a ridiculous amount of weight and is extremely durable.  It is similar to bouncing your kid on top of a large exercise ball (which is great, too), but with Rody your child can hop on and off easily by themselves to get loads of that proprioceptive input.

Kid O Bilibo ($24)

Is it a bowl? Is it a seat? It is a Bilibo! This fun European toy is designed to be indescribable.  The idea is to stimulate creativity and allow kids to use it in numerous and inventive ways. From a sensory standpoint, I love it for it's most obvious use- a seat, that a child can easily spin themselves around in.  Yes, this is great vestibular input!

Fabric Tunnel ($10-20)

These DIY doesn't get any easier and it folds up like a blanket for easy storage.  The tunnel needs held open so kids can crawl through or it can be used to wrap around a child.  Both ways, it gives great proprioceptive input.  I have a whole post on the sensory tunnel low down, check it out here!

Rocker ($9.99)

I love this find for only 10$!  This simple toy that rocks back and forth like a traditional rocking horse will provide lots of vestibular input.  Our kids are getting it for Christmas, I think they can both fit on it together, but it will have to wait till then for a trial run.  My 16 month old wouldn't get off it in the store.

Swivel Chair ($79.99)

The shade on this super cool kids chair pulls down and the whole thing spins!  All the spinning gives lots of vestibular feedback.  The shade that pulls down allows kids to retreat to a quiet space, which can be really important for kids that get overstimulated.  These chairs could work really well for a calm down space, too.  Stick the mini-vibrating massager I mentioned at the top and you have instant relaxation space!

Jump Rope ($9)

                                                 

A jump rope used in its traditional sense gives lots of proprioceptive feedback with all of that jumping.  However, I carry a knotted rope to therapy for tugging back and forth.  I like to sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with toddlers and preschoolers while I give them firm and steady tugs for proprioception.  Older kids would love to play tug of war, which would have the same effect.  

I personally have most of the toys listed here and use them with my own kids and in therapy.  They work really well in my experience.  Do you already have some of these? Please share your feedback, it would be helpful for us all to know how your kid has played with them!   

If you want to keep more sensory ideas coming follow me on facebook and Pinterest.  I regularly post and pin sensory resources and play ideas!

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22 Fall Sensory Play Ideas

Yeah! Today is the first day of October, we are now into the full swing of fall!  There are so many wonderful opportunities to explore new sensory experiences in this season of change.  

I have said many times before that sensory play is more than just a texture bin, although those are great, too.  Kids are able to take in sounds, smells, sights, and even movement as forms of sensory input.  Today, I have 22 wonderful fall sensory play ideas, many from around the blogosphere.  Plenty to keep you busy this month!  I will highlight some of the not-so-obvious sensory input your kiddos will be getting with these activities along the way.  Here's to a sensory-filled October!

If you are new here, get regular updates on my posts through email subscription (see the left sidebar) and follow me on facebook and twitter (click the icons on the top right)!

1. To start our list off, I am going to share the ultimate tactile experience - Pumpkin Guts!  The boys helped take the seeds and pulp out of a small pumpkin that we roasted. 

I do suggest that you proceed with this activity cautiously, if you have a child that is tactile defensive.  This is some intense input, if your child is reluctant, gently encourage and offer a utensil to use instead of their hands.  Hopefully, they will get more comfortable and dive right in as you proceed.

2. Give some proprioceptive (deep pressure) input with Pounding Golf Tees into Pumpkins, as demonstrated by I Can Teach Myself.  This is at the very top of my fall sensory bucket list, I love it.  Besides the sensory benefits, talk about great for fine motor skills!

3. Of course you have to get into some home-made play dough, with lovely fall scents and colors. Try Apple Play Dough from Life at the Zoo...

4. Or Pumpkin Play Dough From a Mom Not a Pro

5. Go on a nature walk and try Collecting Chestnuts or buckeyes like the Happy Hooligans did.  You and the little ones will be taking in the powerful and unique scents, sights, and feel of fall.  Happy Hooligans uses some fun kitchen utensils that work on fine-motor skills, too!  

6. Put other finds from your walk in Autumn Discovery Bottles, a safe way for babies to explore the sensations of fall!

7. Make Eerie Sounds with this fun little noisemaker from Science Sparks

8. Have the kids help you make Pumpkin Spice, Orange Colored Rice from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, looks good enough to eat, well if it were cooked!  Besides the wonderful tactile feedback they get, the color and smell will be stimulating, as well.

9.  Gather fall leaves into piles and let the kids run and jump through them for loads of proprioceptive, vestibular, tactile input, AND fun!

10. Blindfold the kiddies and have them reach them into Guess Bags filled with fall finds, like The Pleasantest Thing did. Wonderful for developing tactile discrimination.  Love this one!





11. Use black beans and Halloween inspired toys to make a go to sensory bin like H is for Homeschooling. You will get a lot of use out of this bin throughout the month and more! 



12. Make "pumpkin cake" in A Jewled Rose's Pumpkin Scented Cloud Dough.







13. Get messy in Halloween Jelly from Nurturestore.

14. Explore Fall Seeds with tweezers, magnify glasses, and petri dishes from Teach Preschool.

15. Roast a pumpkin and use to mix in with pancakes, waffles, or oatmeal.  Canned pumpkin works fine though, too! Pumpkin is a unique flavor that kids often enjoy.




16. Set up Autumn Mini Discovery Boxes for your child to find and explore through.

17. Make Dry Leaf Confetti and use it to make some fun fall crafts, from Cute and Peculiar.

18. Bake and eat apple chips like the ones from Dream Kitchen.  Talk about how the texture and taste of the apple changes before and after cooking.

19. Create Acorn Paintings with recycled containers, it will be hard to avoid getting messy with this activity. Kids will get deep pressure from shaking the containers up to make their art!


20. Turn fall puddles into Monster Puddles and go splashing!

21. Pretend the kids are squirrels to assemble a Fall Sensory Bin that they dig through while playing outside, from The Pleasantest Thing.  








22. Make glow in the dark slime from A Jeweled Rose!






I have even more pinned at Pinterest, come follow along!

Have more ideas or links you would like to share? Please let me know in the comments!  What will be on your list this October?

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How to Teach Your Baby (or Toddler) to Drink from a Straw

Any parent with a baby or toddler knows that there are a multitude of sippy cups available to choose from.  It can be pretty overwhelming when you're standing in front of a selection of 30+ cups. To make it more confusing, parents have the choice between the traditional spout shaped sippy cup or a no spill straw cup.  My vote, as a therapist, is the straw cup.  In fact, this is one of the first recommondations I make to families I am working with to improve feeding skills and even give sensory input.  I know, you didn't know the straw had so much power! To say this simply, straw drinking requires the use of different muscles and a more sophisticated motor plan, meaning it is a little more challenging.  Using a spout shaped sippy cup is the same sucking motion a child uses to drink from a bottle, so it isn't progressing their skills much.  You may be saying, "So what?  What difference does it make?"  Well, those straw drinking muscles they are using are the same muscles  they need to manipulate food in their mouth better and say more speech sounds.  Sure, a kid will still eventually get these skills, but by introducing a straw you are laying a stronger foundation and they may master these skills sooner!  In addition, straw drinking gives a lot of sensory feedback, the force it requires to suck can be very calming and organizing. Sounds great, right?  By now you are ready to run to the store and stock up!  Before you hop in the car or click over to Amazon, there are a few things to consider first, like what kind of straw to use, what age you should introduce it, and how to actually teach a baby to drink from one (most of them need some help to get going).

Let's talk about age first.  Most babies are capable of being taught to drink from a straw at 9 months.  Typically toddlers will figure it out by age 2 on their own.  I was able to teach my older son at 8 months and my younger son taught himself at 5 months!  That was crazy, and I'm not trying to brag, he just kept watching his big brother do it and put it together on his own.  I was pretty amazed when he reached for it one day and just took a drink like it was old hat.  Although, that is pretty uncommon, potentially it is possible.  

One important word of caution, straw drinking can cause babies or toddlers to swallow quickly if they are sucking fast, which may make them cough and choke on the liquid.  Swallowing is a very coordinated action that most of us take for granted, when something "goes down the wrong pipe", liquid may actually enter our lungs and we begin coughing to get it out.  It is okay if this happens occasionally, but if it happens often (and it could with babies) then you may need to lay off the straw for a little while or try putting thicker  liquids into the cup (milk, milkshakes, or even applesauce) until they get the hang of it. Otherwise, they could end up with pnemonia.  Also, make sure they are seated, it can get difficult for a toddler to manage walking and swallowing.  If your child is greater than 15 months and still coughing frequently while using a straw, mention it to their doc.

Alright, so let's get into the meat of this post... How to actually teach your child to drink from a straw.  First, of all try and stick a regular straw in their mouth, it is important that it is just a good old fashioned straw, because the no spill straw cups require you to suck really really hard.  A baby may try to suck and when they don't get anything instantly just give up.  Who knows, they may take to it right away, without any help from you.  More likely  they will just hold their mouth open or put their mouth on it but won't suck.   In this case I would try to:

1. Take the regular straw and stick it into a cup of water, so it is touching the bottom, and put your finger over the opening at the top.  Keep your finger over the opening at the top so you are holding the liquid in the straw as you pull the straw out of the water, as I am doing in the picture above.

2. With your baby sitting firmly in a chair, hold the straw up over their open mouth and release the liquid so it falls into their mouth, being careful not to allow too much water to go in at a time.

3. Repeat this a few times, if your baby seems interested.  If they aren't up for participating, then try again on a different day.  Hopefully your baby will start to close their mouth around the straw.  If they aren't then stroke the sides of their cheeks and demonstrate so they can imiate you!

4. Once they are closing their mouth around the straw, keep your finger over the other end of the straw so they have to suck to get the liquid out.  Keep putting more and more water into the straw so they are sucking more and more through the straw.

5. Now try putting the straw directly into the cup and letting them take a drink.  Some will have figured it out at this point and won't need any more help.  If they go back to holding their mouth open then start over and this time when they start to suck the water out of the straw flip the straw down into the open cup of water.  This is a little tricky, you have to be fast.  The idea is that you don't break the sucking action and hopefully they start to make the connection that when they suck they get a drink!  

It may take several "practice sessions" before your babe masters this skill.  If this approach isn't working, I do have one more trick!  You will need to get yourself a set of the Munchkin Take and Toss Straw Cup, they usually come in a four pack and are super cheap.  For some reason, when the lids are placed on these cups it creates a vacuum.  Put the straw in the cup, with the lid tightly on and put the straw up to your kid's mouth and squeeze the cup.  The water will actually shoot right into their mouth!  Do this gently, again, you don't want them to get too much.  Encourage the stroking on the face if they don't close their mouth and of course, demonstrate!  Therapy supply companies actually sell and market cups designed to help your child drink from a straw, if you are interested in those, click here.

Once they have mastered drinking from a regular straw, then it is probably a good idea to move to a no spill straw cup.  Besides your own sanity, they have to suck harder to get the liquid out, which will decrease choking and coughing.  As I mentioned earlier, there are a ton of cups to choose from.  I don't have any brand that I particularly love, and if they fall the right way, they all leak a little (so much for no-spill).  Also, they are a total  pain to disassemble and reassemble.  In my house we have one water cup a day and one milk cup a day  that I keep in the fridge between meals. I do this just to minimize how often I have put these things together.  I hope I'm not swaying you away from the straw though, they are worth it!

So when I am  choosing a cup  I look for three things:

1. Is it a skinny straw?  Some have really wide straws which give too much liquid and don't work the muscles as well.

2. Is  it  insulated?  I prefer these for milk, but buy plastic ones for water.  Although, it's your preference.

3. Can I flip the straw inside?  This  helps  minimize  germs  while  traveling.

I  have  tried  and  like Munchkin  and  Playtex  varieties  well enough, skinny  straws  are the most  important  feature.  Most of these  need  replaced  after 6-12 months  though because the  plastic  straws start to wear down and tear.

Keep in mind straw drinking requires a lot of muscle control and coordination.  If you are trying this with a child with low muscle tone, it will be much more challenging, and will probably take multiple attempts before they learn how to do it.  

I would love to hear how it goes with your little babe, let me know! I  have  several other posts  geared towards this  age group. If you are  interested, check out: Mega List of First Table Foods, Why You Should Let Your Baby Get Messy, and Grate It.

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