The Art of Sensory Bins

The Art of Sensory Bins

by | Feb 9, 2022 | Homeschool, Parenting, Parenting preschoolers, Parenting Toddlers, Sensory Activities, Sensory Bins, Sensory DIYs

While scrolling through social media, specifically in parenting groups I have noticed that people often get stumped on sensory bins. One common question in my Montessori groups is “Is this Montessori aligned?” The answer is no, it is not a Montessori aligned activity. There is generally not an isolation of a concept for a child to be learning, there is no element of self correction within the activity, and it generally appeals to multiple senses at a time. All that being said there is a place for sensory bins in Montessori homes, even if it is not found in Montessori classrooms. The home does not need to replicate the classroom, the classroom actually attempts to replicate a home environment in many ways! I believe that sensory bins are lovely additions to any home regardless of the adults approach to education and parenting. Another sticking point seems to be what to put in sensory bins. I see people do a couple of the obvious bins like rice and water and then come looking for ideas on facebook.

First off I want to provide a recipe for a great sensory bin. You need three things. 

  1. A filler
  2. Tools or Figures
  3. A bin to put them in 

That is really all you need! I will provide three lists below for each category to give you plenty of ideas for your sensory bins at home. 

Dry Fillers

  1. Sand
  2. Gravel
  3. Large rocks
  4. Soil
  5. Shredded paper
  6. Rolled up balls of tinfoil
  7. Tissue Paper
  8. Pipe cleaners
  9. Pom Poms
  10. Feathers
  11. Cotton Balls
  12. Twigs
  13. Leaves
  14. Pine Cones
  15. Grass
  16. Fake Flowers
  17. Real Flowers
  18. Beads
  19. Scraps of fabric
  20. Tiny wood or foam block

Wet Fillers

  1. Water
  2. Dyed Water
  3. Soap in Water
  4. Shaving Cream
  5. Whipped Cream
  6. Oobleck
  7. Cocoa powder with water
  8. Jello
  9. Ice ( I included it here because of how quickly it melts!)
  10. Snow

Many of the dry fillers can be combined with the wet fillers to get all new fillers! Just keep an eye on things like beans and seeds as they may sprout. I have accidentally started bean plants in my classrooms more than once!

Bins

You do not need the elusive Ikea Flisat Table for sensory play. You just need a container of any kind to hold your fillers. It could be a plastic tub from the dollar store, a large stock pot, a couple Tupperware containers, your bathtub (depending on the filler), a shoebox or cardboard box for dry fillers, a big bowl, even a playpen or kiddie pool. There are some other options out there for sensory tables such as Tuff Trays and water tables as well. Be creative and look at what you have on hand, you likely already have everything you need to set up an amazing sensory bin for your little ones.

Edible Fillers

  1. Rice
  2. Dyed Rice
  3. Pasta
  4. Dyed Pasta
  5. Oats
  6. Flour
  7. Cornstarch
  8. Cocoa Power
  9. Cereal
  10. Crushed Cereal
  11. Popcorn Kernels
  12. Dry Beans
  13. Lentils
  14. Barley
  15. Seed Mix

Note that while these are all technically edible many of them should not be consumed raw for health reasons. Flour, lentils, beans and kernels especially should be supervised closely to avoid consumption.

Tools and Figures

  1. Scoops
  2. Spoons
  3. Shovels
  4. Containers
  5. Cups
  6. Lids
  7. Bowls
  8. Tongs
  9. Ladles
  10. Strainers
  11. Spatulas
  12. Mixing Spoons
  13. Toy Vehicles
  14. Animal figurines
  15. Small dolls
  16. Baby Dolls
  17. Play food and utensils
  18. Blocks
  19. Toy tools
  20. Paintbrushes
  21. Stuffed Animals
  22. Dinosaur figurines
  23. Peg People
  24. Small Bags (fabric, or coin purse type thing)
  25. Straws
  26. Funnels
  27. Bottles
  28. Flower pots
  29. Small doll houses
  30. Lego and lego figures ( This can also be a filler combined with another tool)
  31. Cupcake liners
  32. Coffee filters

So many toys and household tools can be used in sensory bins. As long as it is safe, and washable then it is likely something you can use!

Here is the beauty of sensory bins. You can combine items from these different lists and have so many varieties that you likely will never cycle through them all. Switching one element can make the activity entirely different. I want to use shaving cream as an example. Shaving cream and food coloring with paper and paintbrushes can be used to make shaving cream art. Shaving cream with small animal figures and scoops can be used for an animal hunt. Shaving cream in the bathtub can be used to paint oneself. Shaving cream with vehicles becomes a carwash. Shaving cream with cupcake liners and various kitchen tools becomes an invitation to play bakery. Colored shaving cream in multiple small containers becomes a science experiment in color mixing. Shaving cream of one color in a large tub with a bottle of water becomes an experiment in how substances change. The opportunities are nearly endless! I will be doing a post in the near future about the other major element of sensory bin play. Mess containment and clean up. 

Spanking by Default

Spanking by Default

by | Feb 8, 2022 | Christian Parenting, Discipline, Parenting, Parenting preschoolers, Parenting Toddlers

Of the many parenting conversations I have had over the years there is one moment that really sticks out to me. This is a moment of conversation when I felt so jarred, and so genuinely surprised that it made a profound impact on me. I think this conversation led to me making this site and to it’s name. Not By Default. It was during a meeting with my former Pastors as they attempted to convince me that spanking is a necessary parenting tool for all parents to use. I had said something along the lines of “How can we say spanking is necessary when we know it is harmful?” when I was cut of by both Pastors. “What do you mean harmful? Says who?” The reason it jarred me was because these were two well educated men, they took their professions seriously and as long as I had known them I believed that they generally held well researched opinions.  I had assumed that their approach to parenting would have been just as well researched but instead they appeared to be parenting by default. The way that they had been parented and their book recommendations supported their default opinions. My response was not well put together, they could have just stated a firm belief in flat earth theory and I would not have been more surprised. “Says basically all the experts in fields related to children. There aren’t many who would disagree based on facts alone!” The conversation did not really go anywhere productive after that but it still haunts me. How could parents, who often believe they are doing the most important job of their lives not choose to read up on the impact their parenting may have? This is a question I really want to dig into over the next few weeks. This post is not going to be a deep dive in itself, but rather a series of questions that I would like to explore together. 

First of all the big question take away from this experience. Is spanking harmful? I would also like to explore some of the objections people often make when they hear that spanking is potentially harmful to developing children. “I was spanked and I turned out fine”, but did you?. “Children need to know who is in charge”, isn’t this already clear? ” This is why children run wild these days, the jails are full of people who were not disciplined”, is that really true? The last question I will dig into is regarding the Book of Proverbs in the Bible, and I will be looking to find out if the Bible really commands parents to spank. I think given the tone of this post and the site in general you have likely guessed where I stand on this issue, but believe me this was not a default stance. I did a lot of reading, plenty of research, and talked to many parents along the way. I am excited to share all the answers that I have found satisfying soon! 

Toddler Responsibilities

Toddler Responsibilities

by | Feb 5, 2022 | Parenting Toddlers, Toddler, Toddler Activities, Toddler Environment

Toddlers can sometimes get a bad rep. Sure they are impulsive and generally loud but they are also incredibly willing to help. I have never seen anyone react with as much excitement and positivity as a toddler when invited to participate in chores around their home. In basically every household chore there is a way to include a toddler who wishes to help. It will be worth the extra time and effort to invite them to join you as often as feasible. I want to discuss different household chores and ways they can be modified to include even young toddlers. 

Cooking

The easiest way to include toddlers in the kitchen is to invite them to wash your fruits and vegetables. Make it even more fun and through by including a scrub brush for them to use for potatoes and carrots. For the actual food prep start slow, both my children started with peeling half a banana. This task requires careful movement but does not require any tools so it is a great introduction and confidence booster as they will likely be successful. Some other great starter activities are dry pouring- think pouring their cereal in their bowl, or pouring dry ingredients into a recipe. Follow this up with the more challenging wet pouring. Having a small pitcher of water and a cup available throughout the day is an excellent way for them to regularly practice this skill. There are some lovely crinkle cutters available that can be a safe introduction to cutting soft foods. I will be doing a post recommending some of my favorite cooking implements for children soon. 

Cleaning

This is an area of learning that will have so many opportunities throughout the day that we often do not even realize it. There are the obvious tasks of having your child help with tidying their toys, but there are also so many other cleaning tasks that toddlers will take great pride in accomplishing. Wiping the counter with a damp cloth after they brush their teeth. Checking for and wiping any droplets after using the toilet. Hanging up their own towel after a bath. These are just a few examples of ways toddlers can contribute in the bathroom first thing in the morning. Try thinking about what you do for your toddler during your routine and consider if they can do it for themselves (if they want to, don’t invite power struggles) or if they can help. Do you put their laundry in the basket? Or their diaper in the bin? While you are sweeping, what is your toddler doing? When you clean furniture would your toddler enjoy using a damp cloth to wipe furniture as well? Does your toddler have the hand strength to operate a spray bottle? Window washing, wiping down a table and wiping up a spill are all toddler favorites because they include water- which generally fascinates small children. You can get expensive cleaning toy kits meant for children but I do not recommend these as they often come with parts that are not functional and are really just toys. I like going to dollar stores and checking out the small brooms, dusters and mops they often stock there. You can also find spray bottles and squeegees at dollar stores to complete your child sized cleaning supplies collection. A real game changer in our house has been the addition of a cordless vacuum. Now whenever we have a spill or a mess after dinner I can count on either my toddler or my preschooler happily cleaning it up unprompted as they no longer need help operating the vacuum. Another great task to teach a toddler is how to scrape their plate and put it in the designated area. I actually forgot to teach this to Little Miss and was surprised one day when the table was clear because she had the opportunity while I had stepped away and she had been observing the rest of the family do it for her whole life.

Laundry

Most children I have worked with love to participate in laundry work. Putting clothes and detergents in the machine, pulling them back into a basket, hanging them to dry. These are all so much fun for children but also engage so many skills! These are excellent learning opportunities and doing them with your toddler means not having to do them during your downtime while the children sleep. As they become able it is also great to include them in folding and matching things like socks and cloths. I like to play a put away game with my children where I fold clothes as quickly as I can on my bed and they grab armfuls of clothes and try to put them away before I fold another pile. They burn of energy, clothes are put away, and the work is shared! It is also a good idea to include children in sorting through clothes that no longer fit (they may miss a favorite article and this makes it easier to understand) and in restocking wardrobes with the next size up. 

Plant Care

This is Little Miss’s favorite activity these days. She waters my plants a tiny bit everyday right now, and I monitor to make sure they are not over watered or forgotten about. She is twenty months old now and has been doing this for a couple months and my plants are thriving! She also loves to dust the plants leaves and remove any ill foliage. In the warmer months it is also a great joy to garden with toddlers. Playing in dirt is actually really good for humans, there are good bacteria that we interact with and there have been studies done that show how interacting with soil through gardening actually helps people be happy. It is good for us, and it is good for children! There are different kinds of gardening that you can do with children depending on your goals. One really rewarding approach is to grow vegetables! The benefits are obvious, your toddler gets to see how vegetables grow and taste them! May make them more keen to eat them as well! Another great approach is to plant a pollinator friendly garden and take the opportunity to observe the bees and butterflies that visit. I like to do both each year, food in our backyard, and flowers in our front. 

Repairs and Upkeep

When things get broken I like to consider if there is a way my toddler can fix it if they want to. My children have helped with taping torn books, screwing in loose bolts on furniture, and fixing broken toys. They love to help my husband while he works on the car by handing him tools and holding parts in place for him. They help me find missing parts for toys and games and also help with organizing when things get a little too messy. We go through toys and books together to decide what is ready to go to another family, and what they are not yet ready to part with. 

The bottom line is that toddlers are members of the family and they generally desire to feel like they contribute. Toddlers do not have a lot of power and they know it but giving them opportunities to help in a meaningful way is not just great for their skill building, it is great for their confidence! 

 

Pet Care

Pet care must be entirely an adults responsibility but a toddler may enjoy helping pour food, refill water or help with grooming depending what kind of pet you have. We have parrots in our home and so my toddler enjoys giving them spray bottle showers. They love it, and she takes pride in being able to do it all by herself. It is also a great idea to include children in the training of pets, and teach them how to respectfully interact with them.