A Couple of Extra Busy Bags

Hello everyone! Remember last month when Alison (from The Way He Plays) and I posted 20 Busy Bag Ideas? Well I had this extra little one in mind and thought it should be shared...

You can find these containers just about anywhere and they're generally used for storing all of your craft bits and pieces. Miss M is just getting interested (well obsessed with) 'little things' and 'loose parts', especially the little gems (she calls them 'mini rocks' - bless!) She can't quite turn/twist the containers herself yet, but she certainly enjoys tipping, sorting and moving each item one by one from container to container. The kidney beans were also a big hit after some recent sensory play.

These 'Surprise Sensory Boxes' were Alison's idea - but I gave it a go myself and wanted to share my version. My little miss loves them. I'm teaching her how to slide the boxes out herself and it's go great for her language development - already she's learnt bumpy, fuzzy, soft, rough, smooth...

From L-R / top-bottom: Corrugated cardboard, sticky velcro dots, pipe cleaners, mini pom poms, cotton wool, sandpaper, straws, shiny paper, match sticks and scrunched cellophane. Make sure you glue everything down thought! I also thought these would be great to use at school during our 'five senses' unit for the sense of 'touch'. Thanks Alison for the idea!

As ever, please be wary of small items if your child is likely to put them in their mouth. I would definitely supervise my little miss with these materials, but am confident and trust her not to put them in her mouth - she seems to be over that phase.

Give these a try with your busy little person.
Lauren