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“Cooking” with Flour

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Many parents I know resist flour play, saying it’s either too messy or too much of a hassle. But I love this sensory material for babies. First, it’s edible, so no worries if little fingers make it up to little mouths. Second, as long as you cover your surface, clean-up is a breeze. Set down an old shower curtain or plastic table cloth for this one, and you’ll be able to contain the mess.

I stripped Veronika down to just a onesie (go all the way to the diaper for even easier clean-up!), and gave her a few measuring spoons and cups. She was having fun already, and wondering about this interesting bag.

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I sprinkled a little pile of flour in front of her. In went the hands right away!

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There are so many ways to play with flour and your baby. Demonstrate how to make squiggles in it.

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Use the spoons and cups to scoop and pour.

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Sprinkle a little light dusting of flour over toes and hands for a tickly sensation.

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And just get good and messy!

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She loved wiggling her legs through the flour until her thighs were completely coated!

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Basically she just had a blast, which gave me time to get a few other things done in the kitchen.

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When we were done, I just plopped her right in the bath!

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Proportional Pie

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Much like the magnetic hearts that Travis and I crafted today, this project is a fun way to teach kids about symmetry… With the added bonus that it’s edible!

Unlike linear symmetry, this project shows circular symmetry. You can point out to your child things in nature that show symmetry in a circle like this, including starfish and spider webs.

For the ready-to-eat equivalent, bake a pre-made pie shell according to package directions and let cool. (Note: A convenient vegan go-to is Wholly Wholesome).

Spoon a thick layer of non-dairy yogurt into the pie.

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Set out plates of berries or other fruits for your child to use as decoration and score the top of the yogurt so the pie is divided into 4 equal portions.

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(Note: Bigger kids might want to do this with six portions, but four seemed easier for my kindergartner to handle).

I placed a strawberry in one quarter of the pie. How many strawberries should each of the other three sections receive? Travis quickly added 1 strawberry to each.

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Next I placed two blueberries in one section. At first he placed his blueberries any which way, but I showed him how to place them not just in the right quadrant, but also the same place.

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“Is it ready to eat?” he wanted to know. Almost!

 

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We added just a few more blueberry and strawberry decorations to help him see the symmetry, and then it was time to scoop into the pie. What delicious fun!

Magnetic Hearts

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This quick craft not only teaches about the topic of symmetry, but is also a fantastic way to explore the properties of magnets!

To cut out symmetrical hearts, fold cardstock in half and draw half a heart; cut out.

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I thought to only have Travis help cut out the accompanying two long rectangles we would need from each color of cardstock, but he insisted on cutting out the heart himself – great practice along curves!

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Open up the paper to reveal a symmetrical heart, then cut it in half.

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Fold the rectangular strips you’ve cut out accordion style to form 5 pleats.

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Fold this strip around itself to form a square and use tape or glue to adhere shut.

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Tape a magnet to one side of the square, facing towards the center of your heart.

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Tape down onto the heart and repeat on the other side.

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Now, your two heart halves will snap together!

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The other fun way to do this is to deliberately set up the magnets to repel each other. Travis loved chasing halves of hearts around the play room this way!

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As you play, have a quick talk about attraction and repulsion in magnets, and you’ll have thrown a little learning into the fun.

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This Little Piggy… and Rabbit?

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“This Little Piggy” is a favorite and anticipated game around here now for Veronika, especially since she’s at an age where she can anticipate that tickle under the chin. Today, we mixed it up with other animals. First she had piggy toes, of course.

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And a big tickle!

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But then she had… ducky toes?

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And bunny toes!

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What other silly versions of “This Little Piggy” do you and your baby play? Please share in the comments!

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Puppet Play

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Veronika and I played with puppets today in a few cute ways. Babies adore puppets, likely earning you huge grins no matter how amateur your show. So pull out the puppets or make a few, and have fun!

For a simple homemade version, consider making puppets for whatever song or story your baby currently likes best. Veronika loves Itsy Bitsy Spider, so I made a nice big spider (a purple color, cute top hat and smile ensured that he was a friendly spider, and yes I know that my arachnid is missing a set of legs), and a bright orange sun.

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Tape your puppets to popsicle sticks and you’re ready for the show!

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I sat Veronika down in her crib which made the perfect “stage.” As I sang the song, the spider and the sun took turns coming out – much to her delight!

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Next we moved on to hand puppets.

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I regaled her with characters popping up over the crib rail, everything from a doctor to a firefighter to a pirate.

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She loved watching the puppet hands move and getting kisses on the cheek.

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Somebody’s having fun!

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There’s a reason shows like Sesame Street have endured for so many years; puppets can bring comfort down the line, as well as amusement. We like using puppets to search for other toys that have gotten lost, or to help illustrate emotions.

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How do you and your baby play with puppets? Please share in the comments!

Maraca Music

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I’ve made homemade maracas for Veronika before, but today the idea was to see which one she liked best out of a few variations!

I set out three small snack containers. Make sure whichever container you use has a tight-fitting lid, or one that you can tape shut.

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The first received a few scoops of dried beans, the second some dried orzo pasta, and the third a little bit of dried rice.

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Next I presented them to her to shake. Veronika has loved bopping along to music lately, so she loved having a container in her hand to shake, too. Beans were a big hit!

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She seemed to enjoy the subtle sound of the shaking rice when I held it up to her ear.

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Of all of them, the orzo seemed easiest for her to shake and made her preferred sound.

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She also loved when I piled the “maracas” into a tower which she could then knock down, or reach over and pick up a container to shake.

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These made for great solo play while I prepared dinner, too!

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Indoor Hide-and-Seek

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This stay-put version of hide-and-seek will introduce your baby to the concept of the game… and is sure to get a whole lot of giggles!

First, I set up a tent. Place two small chair nears each other, and weight each one down with a heavy book to avoid topples or accidents.

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Drape a sheet over the chairs. Your tent is ready!

Outside of the tent, I had Veronika play with a stuffed animal friend (named Marshmallow), much to her delight.

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Then, I placed him behind the sheet. She looked around, suddenly confused.

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“Where’s Marshmallow?” I asked. Together, we shined a flashlight on the sheet.

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She seemed quite curious. I lifted up the edge of the sheet and… There’s Marshmallow!

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Not only was she clearly delighted at the reveal, but she wanted to be the one to hold the flashlight and “find” him.

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We played several rounds of the game like this before it was time for advanced hide-and-seek: where’s Veronika!

I put her under the sheet with Marshmallow, and lowered it down. Very quickly (so she didn’t get startled or scared), I lifted the sheet and said, “I found you!”

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Needless to say, this version was also a big hit.

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I hope you and your baby love this one as much as Veronika and I did!

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Saying Hello for the First Time

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As Veronika navigates the “stranger danger” phase, a very normal developmental step for babies, I’m thinking a lot lately about the best way to introduce her to new family and friends. This week, she even did drop-off day care which was excellent practice!

When we entered the facility, I first held her in my arms so she could see the caregivers from a safe place. I pointed out toys that were familiar and that she likes best from home. At the top of her list these days: an “exersaucer” or anything musical.

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Her face did crumble when she was handed off into the caregiver’s arms, but I returned to hear that she had been “totally chill” and calm!

She was happily sitting on the caregiver’s lap, involved in a storytime for the bigger kids. These kinds of gentle first hellos make a big difference and I’m glad I’m tackling “stranger danger” early instead of letting it linger.

Here are a few other tricks, whether you’re placing your child in a day care setting or inviting people over to the house.

Encourage guests to get down to your baby’s level. I sit Veronika down in her favorite play area and let her get busy, pointing out a few favorite toys.

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Pretty soon, she’s not only playing happily but also engaging shyly with visitors.

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She does a lot of looking to me, as if to say, “Is this ok mom?”. Make sure to reassure your little one with smiles.

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In no time at all, there was a happy storytime taking place, her back turned to me, clearly at ease.

 

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Shoe String S

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S was a speedy letter for Travis’s tracing today. With an ‘s’ at the end of his name, he has worked hard on this one over the past year, initially tending to write it backwards but now a pro.

He polished off his tracing and then was intrigued when I pulled out a shoestring to form the letter on the ground.

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I thought he might need some guidance with all those loops and curves but…

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Nope!

Rock R

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Travis traced the letter R today and then we found three materials beginning with R to make our 3-D models.

First up was upper case R, using a ruler and rope (ok, ours was more string, but perhaps you could call it a thin rope).

He placed the ruler straight, and then had to ponder how the rope could twist in such a way that he ended up with R. He remembered that first you make a loop so it looks like a P…

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…then just needed to angle the final bit of rope out.

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For lower case r, we headed outside to the driveway and found a few small rocks.

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“I can do this!” Travis said with confidence, since r is in his name. In no time, our rocks were in an r.