Sensory Bin…weekend fun!

One of the blogs I follow is always posting really fun sensory bin activities. I got the concept of what made up a sensory bin but really had no idea what its teaching power was. Someone linked me to this post to explain it further:

Maria Montessori developed the Sensorial Materials to help 2-6 year old children educate and refine their senses to recognize similarities and differences, and make decisions based on sensory characteristics. She based her materials on objects used at that time in research on human perception. The Sensorial materials include the Cylinder Blocks, Pink Tower, Red Rods, Broad Stair, Geometric Solids, Color Boxes, Smell and Sound cylinders, Baric Tablets, Constructive Triangle Boxes, Fabric Box, Thermal Cylinders, and others found in virtually all Montessori preschools.

Your 2-6 year old child’s brain is where the action is! Early childhood is all about opening new brain nerve pathways and developing the best possible brain architecture. Your child’s senses send electrical impulses racing to his brain, where they open nerve pathways and are interpreted as sensations of touch, smell, sight, taste, and sound. When a young child uses Montessori and other sensory activities, she experiences the relative sensory characteristics of objects. She focuses her attention and makes comparisons and decisions based on sensory information. These purposeful mental activities develop the efficient, powerful brain architecture your child will use the rest of her life. They are why children in Montessori preschools learn to read, write, use mathematics, and develop critical thinking skills at young ages in a very natural, unforced way. These skills are the byproducts of strong brain development and learning to focus attention. For young children, it’s all about the brain.

So on Friday we headed out to Target (what Liam calls the “big ball store” because they have two big red balls outside the doors) to pick our some fun stuff for our first sensory bin. We got lentils as our base because they were the least expensive, some sandbox toys, a small scoop, little frogs, balls, ect.

Let’s just say the sensory bin was a hit! Liam wanted to play with it all weekend long. He loved filling the scoop and cup and saying “full” then spilling it our and saying “empty”.

What surprised me the most was how much Lucy liked it! She had so much fun digging her hands in the lentils and pulling out the smaller toys. Every time she saw Liam playing she would literally try throwing herself towards the bin to play too …. story of this child's life, all she wants to do is play with Liam.

 

Lucy is doing so much better….but now Liam and I are sick, just can’t catch a break this year with colds. What I have learned is that little boys are just like grown men when it comes to having a cold…overly dramatic Miss Lucy was such a trooper when she was sick and was still smiling up a storm…Mr. Liam on the other hand is hanging on my leg saying “Maaama, oh Maaama” in his little pitiful voice. Poor boy, I hope he is feeling better soon.

Lucy got in some quality naps this weekend on her Dada’s lap.

Two of her favorite things: the exersaucer and Sophie!