Seaside Sensory Play

As soon as i saw these tables i became obsessed with everything sensory play. Honestly my pinterest has gone mad. Obviously you can just get tubs / bowls / whatever your heart desires but i NEEDED to proclaim my love for these Ikea sets for the pure fact you can hide them away, like magic. I find putting activities together while India's awake a bloomin' nightmare so these are ideal to make a little scene the night before and just take the lids off when we're ready to play genius. 

I put this one together after buying some wooden seals and then my mind went wild. I want to call it a seaside theme but i don't quite remember seeing a polar bear out at sea so... seaside / ocean. She's 17 months lets gimmie a break. Anyway before i start rambling how i'm not educationally correct this theme would work throughout the year but super fun in the summer if you can set it out outside.

  

To make the balls which ooooh my goodness are the most satisfying feeling you'll ever feel between your fingers. Thank me later. You'll need some water beads, they're cheap and can get them in a variety of colours. They need about 8 hours to plump up in water - if they come in little packets use more than you think you'll need as when i first made some they barely covered the bottom. I used a small amount of green, white and the majority blue to make the colours a little more interesting and pop.

On the sand side i added different items for her to dig out and play with. Texture wise shells, alphabet letters, feathers, a sieve and scoop.

Of course the two boxes got mixed around so just make sure at the end of the day the water beads and container have been washed through along with throwing any squished ones out to avoid digestion.

Just a reminder to only use water beads with kids who do NOT put things in their mouths. If you want to try this with a toddler who cant help but put things everywhere they shouldn't, I've got you covered - here. 

• Research shows that sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, which lead to the child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks.
• Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interaction.
• This type of play aids in developing and enhancing memory
• Sensory play is great for calming an anxious or frustrated child
• This helps children learn sensory attributes hot, cold, sticky, dry 

I thought these were quite fun to share and might spark some ideas for your play dates.

Remember to have fun and if they make mess LET IT HAPPEN. The worst thing that can happenn is you'll spend 10 minutes cleaning or a extra unplanned bath.

Here are some other sensory tables options mine is by Ikea - Flisat.

Faux Water Beads

Okay we are obsessed with water beads at the moment, they're literally our favourite sensory activity. However although they are untoxic they are NOT edible and a choking hazard.

Luckily Indias pebble eating stage has finished but i thought it was a little unfair for me to make a sensory post without a alternative for those babes that just want to ingest everything.

All you need is Tapioca pearls... you know those weird things in the bottom of bubble tea. You can also use food colouring if you want to brighten them up.So the general rule is to boil 10 cups of water for 1 cup of tapioca pearls. Once the water is boiling, add the tapioca. After about one minute they will rise to the top. Gently stir them and then put the lid on and let them sit for about 4 more minutes then drain and rinse them with cold water.Then I divided them up with the gel food colouring and got my little helper to stir them around. You'll want to wait for the food colouring to soak in so lay them out to dry for about a hour.

Tapioca pearls are a little sticky so add some water will really help. These don't have the same texture or feeling as water beads but they are a close second. It's all sensory play at the end of the day - oh poet. Why not try them? Your kids will love them.

Side note:

If you do use food colouring it does wear off slightly in the water and on hands.

These do not last as long as water beads - one use only. 

Toy Review Tuesday - Wobbel board

Today my review is on the Wobbel Board.

Packing: 1

DIY Difficulty: 0

Love At First Site: 9

Play Time: 8

Home Styling: 9

Breakability: Sturdy AFFFFF

Worth It?: 10 

We've had this board for a quite a few months now, Wobbel state that the boards are for 2 yrs upwards but honestly she was loving it before she was walking and i swear that it helped her walk earlier at 9 months. She would crawl across it and stand on it while holding our hands, honestly she found it hilarious. So if you were to get it earlier i feel you get more of your money out of it.It seems like such a simple toy that she'd grow out of but as soon as you see your little one grow with it you'll realise its so much more. It uses strength and balance but also teaches awareness. It's also a open ended toy so not only could you use it for yoga, strength practices but Waytoplay, Grimms, Ostheimer, Grapat. If you follow these brands you'll more than likely see a Wobbel board featured on their page... which brings me on to my next point.Theres defo a instagram mum craze where ... are you really a IG mum if you don't have a Wobbel board going on but lets face it, it's a good looking bit of curved wood. It's not a bright coloured bit of plastic and it doesn't take up the whole room. You can also get it in many different colours some of which are made from recycled pressed felt if you wanted to get fancy and match the walls.

Packaging and diy'ing is pretty simple as it comes how it is and packaging i can't quite remember but it was pretty minimal - not sure how it is now. However i know that they use recycled products so fingers crossed they're still playing ball.

Is it going to break on you? No and i would be pretty concerned with what you were doing with it if it did!! Its made from layers of beech wood which is pressed under pressure and formed in to a curve. Built to last!

Create a den, rock and read a book, be a bridge with a troll underneath, make a slide with it! Honestly it is endless fun and completely worth it.

Pom Pom Drop DIY

This DIY toy is so easy, uses up your recyclables and for ages 1yr +. 

I went a bit extra 'cos unno... could i leave the toilet roll unpainted if i had a tub or two of paint laying around?! As for the for the washi tape..  it covers up my awful sellotape job.

You can make it easy for yourself and just use them unpainted with a bit of duct tape to insure you're not re-taping it 6 hours later once you're shoddy old sellotape died like mine or you could tape them to a larger box if you don't want to attach the card to the wall. Whatever works for you!

All you have to do... is tape them to the wall and make some poms or balls that are small enough to go down the tubes. Show your little babes how it's done and see how they take to it! 

Every child develops at different rates so if you're little one doesn't grasp the task don't worry try again a few weeks later or a month... you'll be surprised how quickly your child learns and develops!

If you have a 1 yr old you could just use one kitchen roll close enough to the ground so that they can sit and place it in themselves without straining, hours of fun and giggles trust me.

You could even add some colour learning with coloured poms and corresponding colour tubes with the idea of making them go down the right coloured lane. I really want to make a rainbow lane!

For older kids you could make it in to a little project by getting them to design it all their own way - paint them , adding stickers or even drawing on the tubes and then actually attaching a design ( you could get them to work it out on paper first ) on to the wall themselves to see if the balls / pom poms  fall properly.

Think marble run but arty crafty and cheaper.

Please give me gold stars for how long it would of taken me to carefully balance those poms in place ... all while India was trying to push them down . I GOT THE PHOTO THOUGH THATS ALL THAT COUNTS. I RULEEEEEEE.

I took my eye off the wall for two seconds and she was trying to get the big ball down the wall... which wasn't so fun with my bad cello-taping job.. so then we collected all the poms in to her pully, urgh i just dieeeee. Too cute.

I hope your little one loves this activity. I'm planning on making this a new thing on my blog as my mind is going wild with different activities :)

TOY REVIEW TUESDAY - OOH NOO

Okay here we go! I've decided to start a new series called Toy review Tuesday, inventive name i know. Brain science over on this blog. Since India celebrates Christmas nearly every weekend i thought i might as well put the toys to good use.

Today my review is on the Oohnoo Double O table and chair set.

Packing: 2
DIY Difficulty: 1

Love At First Site: 8
Play Time: 8

Home Styling: 9

Breakability: Sturdy AF

Worth It?: 7

Let's start with packaging from 1 - amazon i would say it was about a 2. Nothing was heavily packaged in plastic and the boxes were just what was needed.

I can't take credit for putting this one together as Tom and India did, however he has given it a solid one. His not that skilled in the diy department so it must of been pretty easy especially when you have a little one crawling up and round your head. *There was no dad grunts or groans*

Was it love at first site? For me?! Oh god yes. It's uber cute. For India?! Oh god yes. It's uber cute. 

No but seriously she sat on it right away with a big grin on her face. 

It has been amazing for play time. Whatever they've coated it with we all need to go paint our houses inside and out. Everything and i mean EVERYTHING wipes off, its magic. Perf for messy eaters and painting!
We've been really getting in to invitation to play so it's been ideal for that, for those who don't know what it is an invitation to play is arranging a area so that it “invites” kids to come to what you've created to explore, investigate, question, examine, participate, touch, feel, and manipulate through as much independent play as the materials can possibly allow. So i set up scenes the previous night and she literally runs to it in the morning sits down and plays peacefully for a good 10 minutes. Anyone that has a toddler understands that that moment is pure gold.

I thought i'd add in home styling as i think it's important to get something you'll love and be able to put in your home and blend. If it was a bright colour i'd really struggle but due to the wooden legs it blends well with my other furniture and white is pretty universal.However i do debate painting it to a light stone / pink but due to its magical cleaning ability i just don't dare.

It's a good height and not invasive.
I like the subtle detail on the chair making it slightly more unique and stops it looking Ikea.

Okay breakability ? is that even a word? This i'm actually shocked about. It is so sturdy! It does not wobble. India pulls it, leans, lays ... tries to stand on both the table and chair. This is something that will last and can be passed down.

Is it worth It? I struggle with this one. Its cute, sturdy and has a magic paint coat however the price tag is £99 for the table and £85 for the chair. There are many cute options with a quick google for a two chair set at £55+ . I can't comment on the durability of those so i'm torn. The quality is there if you have the money to spend but from a price point... they could bring it down.

Valentines Outfit