Dinosaur Eggs

Henry got a water table from his grandparents (shout out!) for his 3rd birthday.  I started looking for ideas to go along with the water table.  On Pinterest I found several posts about Dinosaur Eggs and I loved the idea.

I bought water balloons and little dinosaurs at Dollar Tree.

Unfortunately it was REALLY hard to get the dinosaurs into those tiny balloons and once in the tiny dino feet and tails kept puncturing holes in the balloons.

I was about to run to the store to get normal size balloons, but then found some better quality water balloons.  It was still REALLY hard to get the dinosaurs into the balloons, but once in, the better quality balloons didn't puncture.

So I put the dinos in and then filled them up with water at the sink.  Then put them straight in the freezer.

We used them about 19 hours later and they were perfectly frozen.

The balloons came off easily and it's so cool that you can see them, suspended in the ice.

We put them one at a time in the water table and used a turkey baster (also from Dollar Tree) to squirt warm water over the ice eggs.

Since it was about 90 degrees out and the water table water was warm, it took, probably under 10 minutes for them to get done.

It was fun watching them be revealed.  The best part was hearing Henry's excited exclamations.

 "They're hatching!"
"They want to be free!"
"They're almost out!"

Fun activity - I definitely recommend it!

Sensory Play

One of my favorite people is my niece Hadley.  When she visits, I like to plan a fun activity for her.  Not because she needs more to do - she gets to see her Grandma, Grandpa, two aunts, an uncle and a baby cousin and she has a room full of exciting toys when she visits, but it's who I am - a planner-of-activities and hopefully it creates fun memories and a bond between us.

One visit we took her to the zoo.

One visit she had a little swimming pool to play in.

One visit was a trip to the park.

One visit was a contact paper face..

One visit was playing with sock puppets that I made.

One visit was a trip to Target.

One visit was all about pipe cleaners (throwing them, making them into chains).

One visit she got really into playing with the dirt out of my flower pots and transporting it in her new dump truck.

We've hunted Easter eggs, played with sidewalk chalk, blown bubbles, went to the theater for a movie, trick-or-treated, sang Christmas carols. 

This time, my research into a fun activity led me to sensory bins.  (I know preschool teachers and moms have known about these forever, but they're new to me!)

Here's what they're all about:

Young children learn about their world by exploring and experimenting using their senses. By observing a young toddler exploring  their environment you will see this in action. They look at,  touch, smell, and taste just about anything they come in contact with- this is how they learn. When their senses are stimulated, messages are sent to their brain which builds neural pathways that are needed for future learning.

Sensory bins are a great way for children to learn using all 5 senses at once. Child development theorist Jean Piaget described the way children learn by calling them “little scientists“. Through sensory play and sensory bins children are using the scientific method and are also building pre-math skills, fine motor skills, language skills, imaginative play, and much, much more. Not only that but sensory bins are so visually appealing and fun!
Source: LovePlayandLearn.com

So this visit I had colorful cheerios and colorful measuring cups for Hadley to play with.  It was cool that all the senses were truly involved and it provided learning opportunities.  I counted the cheerios as I put them into measuring cups.  Then I put them into cups sorted by color.  Hadley mostly scooped and poured and licked and threw the cheerios - I thought it was great!

Creative Toddler Activities

Do you have a toddler in your life?  Your own kids, a niece or nephew, a grandchild, a sibling, kids you babysit or the child of a friend?  If so, you might be looking for some new activities to keep them entertained, challenged, happy and learning!

My niece Hadley came to visit last weekend and although she would be happy to spend all her time playing with toys and her grandparents, I wanted to plan some creative activities for her.  I searched the internet and tried some of the ideas out.

1.  Pipe Cleaners

The idea I found said to put pipe cleaners through a colander, but I just bought a small pack of colorful pipe cleaners and opened them and then set them on the floor.  That drew her in!  Hadley loved picking up bunches and throwing them in the air, like confetti!  I picked one up and made a circle (shape learning) and she loved that and started bringing me more to make into circles.  I tried asking her to bring me certain colors (color learning). 

2.  Play-Doh

I don't think explanation is needed - kids love play doh!  Hadley liked it best when it was rolled into a ball.

 

 3.  Contact Paper Face

This was my favorite idea.  You tape a big piece of contact paper to the wall, sticky side up.  Then you gather random things from your craft supplies and put them on a tray and then let the toddler stick things to it!  The only thing I bought for this was a pack of googly eyes.  I gathered some strips of paper, pieces of yarn, fabric remnants and buttons.  (I learned jingle bells don't stick.)  Hadley liked sticking the googly eyes on.  I also like that you can do a lot of variations with this idea.  You could give them a tray of colorful cereal and let them stick it on.  You could gather items that are part of a theme - leaves for fall or green items for St. Patrick's Day, you could draw a sheep and let them stick cotton balls on it.

What fun and creative toddler activities have you tried lately?