Lil Sprouts in the Park

Sensory Gardens

Lil sprouts in the park was so much fun! Thanks to all who made it out for our first event. It will definitely be just one of many more to come. The lil sprouts came ready to learn and have fun. They learned a little about vegetables and where they grow. Then they painted a tomato (which we all know is actually a fruit), and two varieties of carrots an orange one and a purple one. The lil sprouts thought it was pretty neat to see a purple carrot. They used their magnifying glasses to get a closer look. They pointed out the stems and examined the carrots very closely. While their vegetables were drying each lil sprout made their very own sensory garden they counted out their scoops of rainbow rice and added a gardening tool, a seed pack shaker and their painted veggies. Sensory bins are a great way for children to explore new concepts through play.

 The art of Carrots

Our lil sprouts took their painting skills to new heights with a little finger painting. You should have seen the giggles and smiles as their messy little hands played in the paint.

Counting

Our lil sprouts practiced their math skills with some adorable little bunnies. Each lil sprout counted out 20 cottonballs for their bunny. They counted as they placed each one onto their bunny. This is a great sensory activity to help reinforce counting skills at home. For quick practice take the bunny out and have your lil sprout count them over and over, touching each one as they go making that relation with one to one correspondence a skill they will definitely need as they begin school. We also had our lil sprouts fill up a  carrot for their counting practice with jelly beans (10) reviewing their counting skills and even introducing subtraction as they start to crave those sweet little jelly beans.....I'm pretty sure my lil sprout would like to start with 10 - 10 = 0....yum!!!!!

A Scientific Snack

We ended our activity day with a fun dessert. The kids made a dirt cup, complete with worms, grass and of course a carrot patch.
They stirred in their mud layer ( pudding) and then added a few wiggly worms, next they added some top soil ( crumbled chocolate cake) and then added a few sprouts of grass ( edible Easter grass), last they added some mini carrots to their cup for an irresistibly fun scientific snack.

Lil Sprouts

Our lil sprouts had a lot of fun and even learned a few basic skills along the way.
As it was time to say goodbye and our little sprouts hopped away, they each got a treat to take home. A tiny little pot with a few little seeds. Just for their lil hands to take care of and watch as it grows.
Hopefully we planted a seed of creativity and curiosity in our lil sprouts.
  We hope that you will join us at the
next Lil Sprouts event!

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Spring Sensory Fun

Spring Sensory Fun

A great way to enjoy the beauty and colors of spring is through a sensory box.

What's that you ask....let me give you a brief description.

A sensory box is a contained area where kids can explore and play through utilizing their 5 senses. Helping them to understand the world around them, and how it works.

Sensory boxes are inexpensive and fun to create, taking very little time to assemble.

The main contents of the box can be any multitude of things from colored rice, beans, pasta, sand etc. Any tactile material that kids can explore with their hands.

Adding color to rice or beans or even sand is simple it requires just a couple of things. Get a large plastic bowl and fill it with the rice ( or whatever) you would like to dye. Add a little bit of hand sanitizer...you heard me hand sanitizer, the alcohol helps the dye to adhere to the rice and allows it to evaporate without the rice feeling sticky. I prefer to use a hand sanitizer with a  bit of a fragrance so my rice smells nice. Then add food coloring. Play around with color combinations and amounts, let your kids help with this it is a great "teachable moment" for color blending.

After the rice is stirred well and the color is blended to your liking pour out onto wax paper and let dry. I like to put mine on a cookie sheet and let it dry outside so the drying time is faster. Depending on how thick your pile is you might need to spread it thinner as your rice dries.

The hard part is over, now comes the fun...whatever you theme is start collecting. You kids can help with this as well. Find small toys and objects you have around the house to add to your sensory bin. Make sure they relate to your theme. A few suggestions for themes: letters, counting, shapes, colors, transportation, things that grow, things that roll, textures, animals, Spring...the list goes on and on.

The one I created is a a Rainbow Garden sensory tub.

I used rainbow colored rice and then some soft fabric and plastic fruits and veggies

  The ones we have are from IKEA

To foster creative exploration add shovels, scoops, rakes, cups, spoons, sifters etc.

 
Sensory bins can provide a wealth of knowledge for your young learners, however you are still the most valuable educational tool they have. Model by asking your children questions. Can you find a green fruit for me? Which of these are vegetables? How many red round objects are there? Which one is the smallest? Largest? These thinking questions will help to foster their own curiosity and help your little one relate what they are playing with to practical real world application.

Take a good mental note this is the last time you rice will ever be that clean :) But that's ok you want it messy, mixed and explored...because you know your little ones will be learning. I love for my little ones to play outside on the sidewalk or deck with their sensory tubs. You can also use them inside on a rainy day, an old plastic shower curtain underneath helps with easy cleanup when you are done and everything can be put right back into the box.

Kids love to explore the world using their senses. They love to feel objects and explore interesting textures. Touching objects and manipulating them allows children to  and understand the world around them. Using sensory  bins is a great way to help kids develop their senses and understand their world. Sensory bins are like a guessing game that your children will play for hours.  They love the mystery of not knowing what is inside and exploring.

Each time you change out your sensory bin make sure you save your items. I like to keep mine in small plastic boxes so I can reintroduce them at a later date. The rice saves wonderfully in a Ziploc bag.   

For your little ones this is a great opportunity to explore and discover. Their curious minds love to get their hands on things. Use extra caution and make sure you explore with your children who are under the age of two and like to put things in their mouths. While the rice won't hurt them if swallowed larger items like beans or uncooked pasta could pose a choking hazard. So please explore with your younger children.

Here are some great literature tie ins to your Rainbow Garden Sensory Tub

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

 The Tiny Seed By Eric Carle

What kind of sensory tubs are you going to create with your little ones. We would love to hear from you. send us a picture of your latest sensory bin creation to simplysprout@gmail.com

            

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