Oh Baby! Simple Sensory Play

At least once a week JZ requests to make Oobleck.  Making Oobleck is simple.  Mix equal parts of cornstarch and water.  We've experimented with it in many ways.

With all the fun we've had, I think JZ's favorite part continues to be the cornstarch.  He plays with the cornstarch for quite awhile before he is ready to add the water, and he always insists that I feel it, too.  I can see the draw.  Have you ever felt cornstarch?  I don't mean just touching a small amount.  I mean, have you ever really ran your hands through it?  That stuff feels so cool!

A few weeks ago (I am waaay behind on my blogging) the big boys explored frozen paint and Oobleck, a neat variance on Oobleck that one of my favorite bloggers, Growing a Jeweled Rose posted about.  We only added a small amount of water to the cornstarch and then watched the frozen paint cubes melt into the mix and create a rainbow of colors.  You can read more details about combing frozen paint and Oobleck (aka Goop) on this post from Growing a Jeweled Rose.

As I was gathering supplies for the older boys to play with the Oobleck, it occured to me that Oobleck is perfectly safe for the little guys to explore.  If they tasted it, well, it's cornstarch and water!  Who cares?  I sprinkled a fair amount of cornstarch onto a cookie sheet.

Seeing how much JZ loved rubbing his hands together in the cornstarch despite the fact that he has done it dozens of times made me hold off on adding water for the babies.  I decided I'd let them play with the cornstarch on its own.  

Look at that focus.  KO was really intent on figuring out what this white stuff was and what he was supposed to do with it.

Enter KJ.

He crawled directly over, lifted the cookie sheet, and dumped all the cornstarch onto the grass.

He even shook it a bit for good measure.

"Nailed it!" 

He seemed proud of himself, like he had accomplished a goal, LOL.

And then...He discovered that his big brothers had a large bin full of more cornstarch, water and enticing colors, and he was off!

Oddly enough, he reached the sensory bin but never actually stuck his hands in it.

What fun sensory goodies has your baby explored lately?

Stay in touch with Train Up a Child via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.

Read More

Bartholomew and the GLOWING Oobleck

The oddest thing happened last night.  I wrote this post months ago, and last night it disappeared into cyber space.  It is one of my favorite activities, so I decided it was worth re posting.  This was the first time the boys and I made Oobleck, and we have since made it almost weekly.  It is an amazing sensory experience comparable to no other, in my opinion.

Making Oobleck is simple:

1 part cornstarch

1 part water

 

We don't measure.  We add water to the cornstarch until it is the consistency we like.

 

On this particular night, the first time we made Oobleck, we made it after reading Dr. Seuss' Bartholomew and the Oobleck.  We spent two weeks doing activities inspired by our favorite books by Dr. Seuss, and Oobleck was definitely a highlight.  A good friend of mine is an elementary teacher, and she is the one who gave me the idea.  When I originally wrote the post, I had no idea that Oobleck is also known by another name, Goop.  Many of my favorite bloggers have experimented with Goop in different ways!  Since falling in love with Oobleck I've enjoyed reading about new ways to add to our play.

When we did this, we happened to be on a glowing kick, so for an added sensory experience I used Glow Water to make our Oobleck.

Once adding the Glow Water to the cornstarch, the mixture gave off a nice glow.

Note:  We used about half of the pitcher.

Oobleck is seriously the coolest thing ever.

It is both a solid and a liquid.  One second you can grab a solid handful, then it drips through your hands like a liquid.

JZ was mesmerized.  He scooped handfuls and watched the Oobleck drip through his fingers again and again.

JM asked to put his feet in the Oobleck.  I moved the bin to the bath tub, so the boys could go nuts without spraying Oobleck all over. 

A black light is necessary for the Glow Water to really glow.  While the glowing Oobleck was neat, Oobleck is cool on its own.  If you don't have a black light , don't let that stop you from trying Oobleck!  Even my husband who shies away from our messy fun couldn't keep his hands out of it.

Stay in touch with Train Up a Child via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.

Read More

Homemade Glowing Paint

One night I experimented with Glow Water and watercolors. I used Glow Water to paint, and my art glowed under the blacklight.  I was pretty impressed and eager to give the boys a shot at it.  JZ happily followed me upstairs the other night when I suggested it.  Unfortunately, the paint hardly showed up at all.  Hmm, I'm not sure what the difference was between the night I painted solo and the night with JZ.

JZ still enjoyed painting, and he thought it was cool that his shirt lit up.  If you've followed me for long, you know that JZ usually only paints for a short while before moving on to something else.  This particular evening, he was really into his work.  After much focusing and painting he commented, "It's too bad the paint didn't glow."  I had an idea.  Several months ago I created glow in the dark puffy paint to write a glowing love note to my boys.  (Please note:  I called it puffy paint at the time, but it dried flat.)

Now this stuff really glows!

Homemade Glow in the Dark Paint is super simple:

School Glue

(A half used bottle is perfect)

+

Glow Water

(All you need is a yellow highlighter and water)

=

Glowing Paint!

I left his paintings flat to dry over night then hung them up where we can enjoy them any time we do black light play.

Please note a black light IS required for this activity.

Stay in touch with Train Up a Child via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.

Read More

Glowing Ice

I have recently discovered that my guys really like the simple ideas I have compared to the more elaborate invitations I set up for them.  It's not that they don't like the extravagant play.  They do.  But it seems like when I set up too much, they "complete" what I've set out then move on.  This surprises me, because I rarely have a desired outcome in mind.  Typically our activities are open ended.  Still, when I leave out too much, they seem to touch or use everything once then tire of the activity, especially JZ.  It's almost as if he thinks once he has touched/used everything he is "done".  I always invite him to continue, and he looks at me with confusion and says, "I already did it all."  This doesn't line up with his personality, because he has an incredible attention span and is not the type of child to become bored.  Yet when I leave out a simple activity or only put a few things in a sensory bin he will play with it until I have to draw him away (for a meal, nap, play date, etc.) 

Discovering this has been huge for me.  As a blogger, I'm often trying to think up original, unique, messier, more colorful ways to play.  My children have helped me bring it back to their level.  The less I set up, the more their imagination runs wild!  It's such an incredible thing to watch them play, explore, imagine, and create.  (And the less I set up, the less there is to clean.  WIN/WIN.)

Just because we are keeping it a little more simple doesn't mean we won't be showcasing a ton of great ideas anymore!  

This glowing ice we made provided over an hour of fun.  That's right I said ice.  Just ice.  I didn't even include any props.  I put down a shower curtain from the Dollar Tree to protect the floor, and I put a few dozen cubes of ice on a tray.  That's it.

I made some of the cubes using Glow Water, which we've explored in many ways around here.  The other cubes I made were frozen tonic water.  It turns a cool, blue color.  It doesn't shine anywhere near as bright as the cubes made from Glow Water, but it's still pretty cool.  I like the bright yellow better, but the boys loved seeing differences.  (And after playing they wanted me to show them what tonic water is.)

Anytime I make ice for the boys I use these perfect cube ice trays, because they love to use the ice as blocks and stack them.  (And, of course, knock them over.)

In the past when we've done activities using Glow Water I've done my best to set the black light up in a place where the boys can't look directly at it, as this is harmful to eyes.  They constantly ask to hold it, move it closer, touch it, etc.  This time I put it on a tall dresser above where we were playing, and it worked very well as you can see by the photos.

Read More