with pearls on: Pom Poms, Ice Cubes, and other fun things

A while ago I started coming up with things Tyler could do while sitting at the table. With a very screamy younger brother, there were times I just couldn't give him the attention he wanted. I needed to know that he could be safe, while having fun, without me standing over him. We came up with some fun sensory activities that he enjoys, and no Coco is old enough to enjoy them as well.

Both kids love playing with pom poms. Coco (15 months) sat at the table for an hour doing it the other day. When he woke up the next morning, he went right to the kitchen and asked to do it again. It's just a food storage container with a small hole in the top. I burned the edge of the hole to smooth it out (I'm sure that didn't release anything toxic into the air...). He pushes the pom poms in one by one.

When he was doing it, I started saying the colors that he was using "yellow... green... blue..." Tyler exclaimed, "Mommy, you're counting!!" *facepalm*

They also love playing with ice cubes. They really like anything that I put in the big sensory bin. I like ice cubes because they are less messy than some of the other options.

The boys also love to play with colored rice. We made this a couple of months ago and it's still a huge hit. They are not supposed to go in the bin but.. oh well!

To make the rice, take two cups of (uncooked) white rice, mix in 1 tbsp white vinegar, and several drops of food coloring. Mix it until the color is even. Spread it out on a baking sheet and put it in the oven on 200 for a hour or two. (let it cool before you play with it!)