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The Lame Valentine Sensory Bin

February 20, 2016 by Mama Carmody Leave a Comment

The Lame Valentine Sensory Bin





I wanted to share with you, what I thought, was a lame Valentine sensory bin. Once again, I am reminded that I really shouldn’t prejudge an activity.

The Lame Valentine Bin
The Lame Valentine Bin

In case you haven’t heard, sensory bins are all the rage, right now. They offer a lot of benefits. Depending on what you put into your bin, your child could be using all four senses.

I was quite happy with my first sensory bin. It was a musical bin. You can read more about it in my post, “Generally Having Fun with Music”. But this bin, this lame Valentine bin….I was not at all happy with.

The Problem

One of the main reasons I was unhappy with the bin was because it really didn’t have many items in it. You can see through the bottom of the bin in several places because there really wasn’t much in there.

The Lame Valentine Sensory Bin
The Lame Valentine Sensory Bin

Many people add colored rice or beans to their sensory bins and I considered it but I was using this in my preschool class during our Valentine’s celebration. I had a lot of activities planned and I knew the kids would be a little wild, so I didn’t want to add sweeping up rice that would get scattered around the room.

Most of the items were purchased at our local Dollar Tree. There were small, smooth, hard, plastic hearts.

The Lame Valentine Bin: Plastic Hearts
The Lame Valentine Bin: Plastic Hearts

A few rubber erasers and some heart-shaped bracelets.

The Lame Valentine Bin: Erasers and Bracelets
The Lame Valentine Bin: Erasers and Bracelets

I added some foam hearts. A few had sparkly glitter on them and some were plain. There were also some little heart-shaped containers.

The Lame Valentine Bin
The Lame Valentine Bin

Once I realized how few things were in the bin, I almost ditched the idea of using it. But I was afraid that I wouldn’t have enough activities to keep the kids occupied for the day so I took it along.

One essential item I suggest you use with any sensory bin is a vinyl tablecloth to place under it. If you are using the bin at home, for just a few children, a 60” by 84” cloth will be enough. I have found that, for my class of thirteen preschoolers, a 60” by 120” works better. The tablecloth helps with any “spillage” that might happen. It makes cleanup easier.

The Realization

I decided to use the bin as a backup/last resort activity, since I was afraid it wasn’t good enough to keep the children interested. The class had been sitting at tables playing with the playdough I had made for them. One of the children got tired of the playdough so I decided to get the bin out since the rest of the class was still enjoying the activity at the tables. As soon as the bin came out, several more children decided they were done with their playdough and before I knew it, the whole class was at the bin. I was mentally preparing myself for the squabbling and fighting that was about to take place, over the few items in the bin. But much to my surprise and relief, the children really enjoyed the bin. They sat for a good 15 minutes playing contently with the items and with each other.

The Lame Valentine Bin: A Success
The Lame Valentine Bin: A Success

My Conclusion

So what did I learn from my lame Valentine’s bin? I learned that the bin doesn’t have to be over-stuffed with items for the children to enjoy it. It didn’t have to have the small pieces of rice or beans. The children still had fun with the bin and they were able to experience many different textures. So if you don’t have a bunch of items for your bin or you don’t want to have the mess of rice and small beans, your child can still enjoy a simple sensory bin.

What type of successes or failures have you had with sensory bins?

Filed Under: Holidays, Sensory Bins Tagged With: hearts, holiday, holidays, sensory bin, Valentine's, Valentine's Day

Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes

May 7, 2013 by Mama Carmody 14 Comments

Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes

Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes

 

Are you ready for some fun with hearts? Although you see a lot of them around Valentine’s Day, anytime of year is a good time to have fun with hearts. Below you will find books and craft ideas to allow your child to enjoy learning with them.

Seal Made from hearts.
Seal Made from Hearts


Content:

Toys
Craft:
Fun With Hearts
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts

Toys

You might have a shape puzzle with a heart on it or maybe some heart-shaped beads to string. Do you have a shape sorter with a heart? When I taught preschool I used the Lauri Toys Shape and Color Sorter in my classroom. It has a heart shape and the children loved playing with it. Maybe you have a special stuffed animal you received for Valentine’s Day that has a heart on it. Please share with me what type of heart shaped toys you have by leaving me a comment.

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Craft

Fun with Hearts

This craft idea came from a book so before you do the craft either purchase or borrow from the library, My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall, and read it to your child. It is a very cute story and the animals in the story are made out of endearing shape. So for this craft provide your child with a bunch of hearts of different shapes and different colors. If your child is old enough to use scissors have them cut them out his/her self.

Materials Needed:

Craft ideas to make with hearts.
Material for Heart Craft

My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
Different color  and size hearts or a tub of foam hearts
Different colored construction paper, if your child can cut out their own hearts
Glue
Wiggly eyes

Directions:

1. First read the book to your child.

2. Using the book as inspiration have your child create animals with the hearts. They may want to copy some of the animals in the book or they may create their own animals. Just have fun.

Seal Made from Hearts
Seal Made from Hearts

I made a seal from hearts like the one in My Heart Is Like a Zoo.  What are you going to make?

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Foods for snack or meal time

I could not find any naturally occurring heart shaped foods but there were a lot of cute ideas on Pinterest of how to create heart shaped items but it would be fairly easy to trim a strawberry to look like one. You can use a heart shaped cookie cutter on fruits and vegetables as well as meats and cheeses.

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Story Time

The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond
Reading Level: Ages 3 – 8 yrs old
What would you do if it started raining hearts and it was close to Valentine’s Day? Pick up this cute little book to find out all the things that Cornelia Augusta did with the hearts she collected. You will enjoy finding out who her special friends are and the perfect Valentine she made for each of them.

My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
Reading Level: Ages 3 and up
This is such a cute rhyming book. Each of the animals in the zoo are made from hearts. They are quite creative. This book would not only be fun to read but also fun to try and make some of the animals that you find in it.

One Heart: A Valentine Counting Book by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Reading Level: Ages 3 and up
There are lots of hearts to look at and count as the little girl shares hearts wherever she goes. There was one special heart she put in her pocket at the very beginning of the book. I wonder who that is for? Pick up this cute little book and find out who the final Valentine is for.

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Related Posts

Shapes – Overview
Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes
Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes
Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes
Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes
Learning Should Be Fun
When Do Children Start Learning
The Lessons – Overview

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Filed Under: Learning Activities, Shapes Tagged With: educational activities, fun learning, heart, heart crafts, heart shapes, hearts, laugh, learn, learning, learning about hearts, learning concepts, learning fun, learning opportunities, learning shapes, lessons, love, love to laugh and learn, love to learn, making learning fun, Valentine crafts, Valentine's

Shapes – Overview

April 28, 2013 by Mama Carmody 15 Comments

Have fun learning about shapes.
Have fun learning about shapes.

When I taught preschool, I taught about shapes after my unit on colors. Now that I think back I emphasized colors before shapes with my own children at home too. Children seem to recognize colors before they do shapes so I just went along with their natural curiosities.

As I stated in my overview post on Colors, my children’s first introduction to shapes was not in a formal setting. It was done during everyday activities, like dressing or playing with their toys. Constantly talking to your children helps them to learn. I would say things like, “Look at those colorful stars on your socks”, or “Doesn’t this strawberry look like a heart.” It doesn’t matter if your child is a few days old or three years old, continually talk to them and explain to them what they are seeing. Their understanding of the world around them and their knowledge with grow faster than you can imagine.

Most of your child’s learning should come through play and conversation with you. Read books, do crafts, get down on the floor and play with your child and talk about the things you are playing with.

You will find book suggestions, craft ideas and even snack suggestions that have to do with shapes in the following posts. Use them all at once or break them up and use them over several days. Just have fun with your child and the learning will follow.

Related Posts

The Lessons – Overview
Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes
Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes
Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes
Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes
Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes
Learning Should Be Fun
Colors – Overview

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Filed Under: Articles, Learning Activities, Shapes Tagged With: circles, diamonds, educational activities, fun learning, hearts, laugh, learn, learning, learning about circles, learning about diamonds, learning about hearts, learning about ovals, learning about rectangles, learning about squares, learning about stars, learning about triangles, learning concepts, learning fun, learning opportunities, learning shapes, love, love to laugh, love to laugh and learn, love to learn, making learning fun, ovals, rectangles, squares, star, triangles

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