DIY – WonderHouse of Littles https://wonderhouseoflittles.com Fri, 14 Jun 2024 09:51:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/cropped-logo-32x32.png DIY – WonderHouse of Littles https://wonderhouseoflittles.com 32 32 Insect Sweep and Find https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/insect-sweep-find/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/insect-sweep-find/#respond Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:03:14 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?p=435

Insect Sweep and Find

My daughter A has been super interested in insects since around 2 years old, and since she also loves sweeping I thought she would enjoy this setup. She had to sweep the rice on the tray in order to find the insects at the bottom.

To recreate this activity, you will need:

  • a sensory base

White rice works really well for this activity because it is easy to sweep and the neutral color is not distracting.

  •  a set of picture-to-picture matching cards with control sheet.

We used a free printable from 1plus1plus1equals1.com .

  • a small brush

We used one from the Ikea MALA set.

I include a magnifying glass in most of our activity setups because my daughter loves using it and it’s a simple way to foster concentration and encourage children to look into things in more detail.

Tape the cards to the bottom of your tray and add your sensory base on top. That’s it. When you’re done invite your child to the table and model the activity.

A enjoyed sweeping to find the different insects at the bottom of the tray and identifying them on the control sheet. She got so excited every time she found a new one. 

This activity is great for strengthening fine motor skills, visual discrimination, concentration, and is also perfect for learning new vocabulary.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up once done. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡.

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/insect-sweep-find/feed/ 0 Ocean-Themed Transient Art on Kinetic Sand https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/ocean-themed-transient-art-on-kinetic-sand/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/ocean-themed-transient-art-on-kinetic-sand/#respond Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:02:47 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?p=368

Ocean-Themed Transient Art on Kinetic Sand​

My daughter loves kinetic sand and I find it is a great option for sensory play, especially in the summertime. I observed her pressing shells into it one time so I set up this simple ocean-themed transient art tray so she could explore this further.

I provided different types of seashells, a few ocean-themed cookie cutters so she could create images, and a few tools. I left the set on her activity table as an invitation to play. When she saw it, she went straight to it.

I love transient art because:

  • It is open-ended and process-driven. There is no final product to be achieved or any set of expectations on the child. It’s just about the joy of creating and being in the moment.
  • It enables the child to explore and express their creativity freely.
  • It makes for a rich sensory experience. They can manipulate, explore and experiment with the materials, different textures, colors, shapes, etc.
  • Loose parts also provide endless opportunities for extended learning: sorting, pattern making, exploring shapes, learning about symmetry, and so much more.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡.

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/ocean-themed-transient-art-on-kinetic-sand/feed/ 0 Tissue Paper Rainbow https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/tissue-paper-rainbow/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/tissue-paper-rainbow/#respond Wed, 07 Jun 2023 06:38:37 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6252

Tissue Paper Rainbow

 
This activity is perfect to work those little fingers!
 
It helps to strengthen hand and finger muscles, refine fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, color recognition, develop concentration and more.
 
It’s also easy to set up!
 
All you need is:
 
– some cotton
– a rainbow printout (you can also simply draw one yourself.)
– double-sided tape
 
Tape the printout to the table so it doesn’t move when the child is working. Then use the double sided tape on top of the rainbow image.
 
Model scrunching the paper with your fingers (using only your thumb, index and middle fingers) and sticking it to the surface of the rainbow. Then invite the child to do the same!
 
Did you know that scrunching/crumpling paper helps develop and strengthen the same muscles used for handwriting?
 
Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/tissue-paper-rainbow/feed/ 0 Bear Family Sensory Play https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bear-family-sensory-play/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bear-family-sensory-play/#respond Tue, 06 Jun 2023 07:22:42 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6172

Bear Family Sensory Play

To discuss bears and hibernation patterns during winter I created this little setup using green lentils, a bear family, and the book Green Planet, Life In Our Woods And Forests by Moira Butterfield and Jonathan Woodward. This book has been a favourite in our home for a while.

Sensory setups like these are not typical in Montessori but they work really well for us. My daughter loves pretend play and to play with her hands and feel a variety of textures, all of which sensory play like this offers.

I love how engaged and focused she gets whenever she is doing sensory activities! We can talk about different topics, improving her language development as well as her attention span. It is so impressive to see how much information she can absorb through these activities!

I also love to see how much she is able to take away from these activities and build upon. We talked about bears’ hibernation for the rest of the day and of course she tried to build the bear family a den in different parts of the house. This is how children make sense of the world, of what they are learning – through play.

Did you know that female bears often give birth during winter and they usually have twins? They stay in the dens with their cubs until the beginning of Spring, when the temperatures are not as extreme and their cubs have more fur to protect themselves from the cold.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bear-family-sensory-play/feed/ 0 Farm Small World https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/farm-small-world/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/farm-small-world/#respond Tue, 06 Jun 2023 07:17:07 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6162

Farm Small World

Small world play is a great opportunity for children to expand their vocabulary, organize ideas, develop sequencing skills and foster creativity and imagination.

My daughter loves animal figurines so this activity was a huge hit with her. It stayed on her table for a few days before she was ok with cleaning it up. This setup was complete with a feeding and water station because feeding the animals is the beeeest part, am I right? 

She got so excited when she saw it! Seriously, I live for those moments!

She’s super into pretend play at the moment. We try to do it based on reality and that’s why I love animal figurines that are good quality and realistic. The ones used in this activity are by Terra by Battat. You can find the set with the donkey, cow and pig here, and the set with the sheep, bull and horse here.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/farm-small-world/feed/ 0 Frozen Acorns https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/frozen-acorns/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/frozen-acorns/#respond Tue, 06 Jun 2023 07:07:16 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6142

Frozen Acorns 

Hiding and collecting acorns is one of my daughter’s favorite things! She loved to do it with playdough so I decided we could explore this further with this activity, while also working on counting and number recognition. She had such great time!

It was the perfect opportunity to use these beautiful acorn counting cards from inspiredmontessoriliving.com (from their winter woodlands pack).

A didn’t want to use the clothespins this time. Instead she placed the corresponding quantity of acorns on the cards with the corresponding number discs. 

To make the “snow” you need only two ingredients:

– Baking Soda

– White Hair Conditioner

Mix them together until you get to your desired consistency. ”It should be a little “crumbly”.

We used wooden acorns for this activity but if you can collect real acorns on your walks with your child, it would work even better. You can also find a very similar set of unfinished acorns with bowls here!

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/frozen-acorns/feed/ 0 Winter-themed Playdough Tray https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/winter-themed-playdough-tray/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/winter-themed-playdough-tray/#respond Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:12:26 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6097

Winter-themed Play Dough Tray

As my daughter approached her 3rd birthday she began to join me in preparing our activities. What a great opportunity to get her involved in the whole process, from start to finish!

For this activity we made the play dough from scratch and even decided together what to include in the tray. Seasonal play dough trays are the perfect opportunity to talk about all the different aspects of that season in a fun, sensory-rich and relaxing way. It’s a great way to develop language skills and learn some fun facts about the theme to be explored!

We used some DIY stampers I had made previously, some polar animals and acorns. She even helped me to set it all up in the serving tray.

She loved using the stampers and making footprints with the animals but the real hit was the acorns. We had been reading “Squirrel’s Family Tree“, a beautiful book by Beth Ferry, so A was fascinated by how squirrels bury their acorns for winter but often forget where they hide them and they become great oak trees. She kept hiding/ burying the acorns in the play dough snow and asking me to find them. Only to not let me dig them out because she had to do it herself!

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

To make homemade playdough, we use a very popular recipe.

You will need:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup table salt 
  • 1 tbsp cream of tartar 
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 cup boiling water

Instructions:

In a bowl combine the flour, salt and cream of tartar. Mix well and add the oil. If you’re using food coloring, mix a few drops into the boiling water and add to the bowl. Mix well until it is no longer sticky.

To store, let the play dough cool completely then wrap it tightly in plastic and store in an airtight container. 

If your little ones are going to participate in making this recipe, be sure to keep them away from the boiling water to avoid burning.

Playing with playdough is a great pre-writing activity. Squishing, rolling, pressing, molding and all other play dough movements help strengthen hand and finger muscles and improve fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. It also allows the child to use their imagination and creativity, while fostering language development as the child is exposed to the different elements on the tray.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/winter-themed-playdough-tray/feed/ 0 DIY Color Matching Posting Activity https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/diy-color-matching-posting-activity/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/diy-color-matching-posting-activity/#respond Wed, 31 May 2023 08:23:35 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=5156

DIY Color Matching Posting Activity

When my daughter was around 20 months old I made her this simple DIY color matching posting box, as she had begun showing an interest in color matching. At this age children outgrow activities quite quickly so if you don’t want to make huge investments in materials, DIY’ing simple activities like this one can be a really good alternative.

It was very easy to do. I simply cut 6 slits on the box for primary and secondary colours and painted around them. Then I painted wood chips in the same colors (2 of each color), and presented them in a small bowl.

An even easier alternative would be to make round holes and use colored pom poms instead of painting wood chips. Or, instead of a round hole you can make 2 cuts in the shape of an X so the child can push the pom pom through using their fingers to push down.

My daughter loved this activity at the time. It was one of her very favorites. The first few times she did it she would shake the box to hear the sound of the wood chips inside. She was so happy the first time she completed it that she clapped for herself. 🙂

This activity is great to develop: 

🎨 Fine motor skills

🎨 Hand-eye coordination 

🎨 Color matching

🎨 Visual discrimination 

🎨 Spatial awareness

🎨 Concentration

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

Bringing play to life:

  • How about posting mail? If you still use your local postbox to post letters, then this is such a simple and fun opportunity for your child to see what posting looks like in real life!
  • Do you ever buy from vending machines? How about letting your child insert the coins or notes to see how it works?

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/diy-color-matching-posting-activity/feed/ 0 DIY Car Race Track https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/diy-car-race-track/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/diy-car-race-track/#respond Sun, 28 May 2023 19:00:17 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=4552

DIY Car Race Track

Tape is such a versatile material and many activities can be created with it and very little else! When my daughter was a young toddler I used to take it with me everywhere, especially to cafes and restaurants.
 
For this activity all you need is tape and toy cars.This tape is perfect for this!
 
It is very simple to do and has lots of benefits. Because of its open-ended nature, it stimulates imagination and creativity while also helping strengthen gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness.
 
Want to see more DIY activities with tape? Check out this animal rescue wall edition, this animal rescue bin edition and this walking on the line activity.
 
Bringing play to real life:
  • How about watching a real race? What kind of vehicles were in the race?
  • How about setting up a fun outdoor race track? 

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/diy-car-race-track/feed/ 0 Transfer With Spoon https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/transfer-with-spoon/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/transfer-with-spoon/#respond Sun, 28 May 2023 18:54:39 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=4544

Transfer With Spoon

 
This classic Montessori Practical Life activity is great for refining fine motor skills, developing the pincer grasp, hand-eye coordination and building concentration.
 
It is also super easy to set up. All you need is two bowls of similar dimensions, a spoon and a grain of your choice. On this occasion we used colored rice from a previous activity.
 
The child can transfer all the contents of the first bowl – from left to right – and then can dump the second bowl’s contents into the first bowl to start again.
 
Practical Life activities have what is known as a Point of Interest (POI) – a quality or moment in the activity that captivates the child’s attention and makes them want to repeat it over and over again. In this case it was the sound the rice made as it fell in the wooden bowl. So satisfying!
 
I love practical life activities for this reason. They seem to have a way of really peaking a child’s interest in a way that “conventional toys” can’t.
 
Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish. To pick up the rice that will likely fall in the tray we love to use a small table top dust pan and brush set. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.
 
Bringing play to life:
  • The kitchen is probably the best place to practice transferring with a spoon – the possibilities are endless!
 
 

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

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