This year, I decided that Lennox and I would do a Christmas activity for each day of December to mark down the days before Christmas! Doing so will get my little man excited for the holidays, and it also paves time in the day to stop the busyness and engage in some one-on-one time. 

Last week, we did a peppermint salt writing tray and made peppermint slime! They were a sensory hit!

Later in the week, we had a playdate with a neighbor who showed us how to make a pomander out of an apple! After that, I knew I wanted to do it again with Lennox, so yesterday we did!

Keep reading to find out what exactly a pomander is and how to do this pomander activity with your child today!

What is a pomander?

A pomander is a fruit, most commonly an orange or a clementine, poked with cloves. The combination of the citrus and the cloves make a beautiful perfume ball that will fill the room with holiday delight.

When I was doing this activity with my neighbor friend, I had no idea about the history behind this magical ball, much less that it had a name, a pomander.

According to Medium.com:

Pomanders became popular in Europe in the Middle Ages. They were used as a means of protection against infection, pestilence, and disease. 

Even though pomanders have been used in religious practices, they have their roots in witchcraft as a charm for recovery, protection and good spells.

Overtime, pomanders came to be known as a symbol of good luck and health. 

Pomanders are super easy to make. Once they are dried out, they can last for months and be used as air fresheners or keep unwanted bugs out!

In all honestly, I had so much fun making pomanders with Lennox, as did he, that I think I will turn it into a Christmas tradition and hang them around the house!

With that said, let’s get pomandering! 

What do you need to make do this pomander activity?

To do this activity, you need only a few ingredients that you might already have at home!

• Fruit

We had apples at home, so we started off doing this activity with apples. Later on in the day, I was cleaning out the fridge and found an old mandarin. Since Lennox enjoyed doing this activity with the apples, we did it again with the mandarin. The scent varies with the apple and oranges, and they are both delightful.

• Cloves
• A writing utensil

We used a sharpie, but a pen would work.

• A poking object

We used a skewer, but you could use a pencil nail or anything that will poke a hole into your fruit for easy insertion of the clove. You could simply use the clove to perforate the surface for softer fruit, but those little buggers can be sharp and lacerate the tender hands. 

How to do this activity:

This activity is super straightforward!

First, use your writing object to make a design onto the fruit’s surface.

Since Lennox is currently working on letters in preschooler, I decided to turn this into a prewriting activity by asking Lennox to write the Letter L on his apple!

Then, have your child use the poking object to poke holes into the written design.

Lennox really enjoyed this step. In fact, he came back to it after we finished his letter L to poke up the rest of the apple. I would say this was his favorite part of the activity. What a typical boy!

Related: Peppermint Sensory Salt Writing Tray for Preschoolers

Next, spread out the cloves on a tabletop, and watch your child’s fine motor skills in action as they pick up the cloves with the pincer grasp and place the gloves into their allotted holes.

You can do this activity for as long as you like.

It held Lennox’s attention for quite a while and mine too as it is a very nerve-calming task.

I made a Christmas Tree on mine and on the flip side I spelled out Navidad, although it was hard to capture on camera.

Related: Easy Christmas Tree Craft for Preschoolers

Now it’s your turn to do this activity!

Try it out and place it as an ornament on your tree, or put them around your house to freshen the room! It is a bonding activity that will engage your child for quite some time!

Enjoy!

Make sure to follow me on Instagram or Facebook for more sensory and fine motor activities!

Now that you have some ideas for Christmas activities, check out some of our following Christmas gift guides:

• 50 + Best Christmas Gifts for 5-Year-Old Boys
• The Best Open-Ended Toys for Bilingual Toddlers and Preschoolers
• 20+ Best Bilingual Toys for Babies & Toddlers
• The Best Art and Craft Gift Ideas for Preschoolers
• The Best Amazon Outdoor Toys To Keep Your Toddlers Busy This Summer

The post A Sensory and Fine Motor Pomander Activity To Do With Your Kids This Holiday! appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

Last week, I made a peppermint sensory salt writing tray for Lennox. He enjoyed this activity so much that finally, today, a week later, I bagged up our peppermint salt to save for later use!

Since he enjoyed last week’s activity and I have lots of leftover peppermint extract, I thought I’d create another sensory Christmas activity for Lennox.

I was planning to make a homemade peppermint play dough, but we still had some plain play dough in the fridge from a few weeks ago, so instead, I decided on SLIME! 

We haven’t done slime before, so I knew Lennox would be over-the-moon with a new texture!

I also had fun concocting the perfect slime— it only took me a few tries. The outcome was a perfect textured slime that provoked hours of sensory play. I can’t wait to share some of the experiments we did, so make sure to keep reading to the end of the post!

That said, let’s get on with this easy peppermint slime recipe.

Happy holidays, all.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases but this comes at no additional cost to you. 

Ingredients for this peppermint slime recipe

To make this easy peppermint slime recipe, you only need a few ingredients, all of which you might have right at home!

• 5 ounces of Elmer’s Glue

I used a white Elmer’s glue since I wanted a white-colored slime. However, if you’re going to add colors, clear Elmer’s glue works best. As you can tell, the second slime that I made (which is red) came out a little faded with the white glue. 

I buy glue whenever I am out and about at Target or Walmart, but the Dollar Store is a great place to stock up on glue. 

Related: The Best Art and Craft Gift Ideas for Preschoolers

• 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
• 2 Tablespoons of saline solution (contact solution.)

I use contacts, so I have contact solution readily at home. However, if you don’t use contacts, buy a travel-sized solution because it can be pricey.

• Peppermint extract

For more sensory input, I added a few drops of peppermint extract to our slime. It filled the room with a minty delight!

• 2 or 3 drops of Red Gel Food Coloring (optional)
• 1/4 cup of Red Glitter (Optional)
• 1/4 White glitter (optional)

Equipment needed

• Plastic mixing bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Mixing spoon
• Storage container 

How to make the peppermint slime

This peppermint slime recipe is super easy to make and takes less than 10 minutes!

1. Pour glue into a plastic mixing bowl. 
2. Add in 2 to 3 drops of peppermint extract.
3. If desired, add in your drops of food coloring and glitter. With a mixing spoon, stir the ingredients until smooth.
4. Add one teaspoon of baking soda. Mix the baking soda into the glue and stir until smooth.
5. Add in saline solution. Add in the two tablespoons of saline solution and stir slowly. The mixture will quickly start to become stringy and start sticking together. 
6. Pick up your slime and knead it by hand. If it is particularly sticky, add another 1/2 tablespoon of saline solution and keep kneading. 
7. Once your slime is ready, prepare the slime station. Use a plate, table cloth, baking tray, or any other easy-clean surface to allow your child to play on. *Do not let your child use the slime on upholstery or carpets because the slime will absorb into the material. 
8. Let your child play! See further down in the post for slime play ideas!
   • Make sure to supervise your child at all times! Slime is not an edible substance, so make sure they are not putting it in their mouth and ensure that they wash their hands after playing with the slime.
9. Once your child has lost interest in the slime, place the slime into an airtight food storage container and place it in the fridge for future use!

Ways to use the peppermint slime

There are so many fun ways to use slime! Below is a list of ideas you could try.

• Add loose parts to the slime. Doing this will encourage imagination and open-ended play.

I added candy canes and jingle bells to our Christmas peppermint slime. Lennox had fun hiding the bells and candy canes and then finding them again!

Lennox also used the objects to create a birthday cake which he said was for my upcoming birthday. How sweet!

Related: Loose Parts Outdoor Activities for Kids

• Add some scissors to the mix and get some fine motor, sensory play.

Slime has a weird, jiggly consistency that makes me want to squeeze the bubbles out of it (oh, and there are bubbles too!) Adding in some safety scissors to the mix will give your child the opportunity to work on their scissors skills and improve their fine motor muscles. 

You could also add some math practice by introducing a ruler and teaching your child how to stretch the slime and measure it to a certain length.

Related: Sensory Christmas Activities for Toddlers

• Imprints and tracks

Take those animal figurines and look at the different tracks their feet make in the slime. 

Furthermore, you could take cars or monster trucks and drive their tires through the slime! How fun!

• Prewriting activities

Show your child how to use the slime to make lines or letters. Can they make a straight line or a diagonal line? How about a zig-zag line? Maybe they can form the first letter of their name! 

Related: Peppermint Sensory Salt Writing Tray for Preschoolers

• Science 

Lennox had a blast placing the slime over different objects and watching how the slime would mold to different surfaces. 

Our first experiment was with a Magna-Tiles house made by Lennox. We placed the peppermint slime ball onto the house and watched how it melted down over the side. 

Related: The Best Open-Ended Toys for Bilingual Toddlers and Preschoolers

Next, we used a small glass to see what would happen. The slime went inside the glass as well as down and around the edges. How cool!

• Get some gross motor play

WIth enough space, and nothing valuable that could break, take the slime and let your child swing it around. They will be amazed at how stretchy this substance is! Lennox and I swung it in circles over our head and it stretched long as a jump rope!

• Currently as I write this post, Lennox is breaking the slime up and turning it into food for his new nutcracker! I love the endless play opportunities provided by slime!

Well, amigos, there are some ways to use your slime, but I am sure I could keep thinking of a million more! But that’s the fun thing about slime. It’s sensory and open-ended!

Once the slime play has come to an end, make sure to store it away for future use and bring it out on the coldest of cold winter days!

Happy holidays, all!

The post An Easy & Sensory Peppermint Slime Recipe To Make this Christmas! appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

Over the past few days in Lennox’s play-based preschool, he’s been playing with lines, shapes, and letters using writing trays. 

He has been telling me all about it, so I decided to make one at home.

With Christmas right around the corner, I thought making a Christmas-themed tray using salt and peppermint extract would be super fun and sensory!

It was definitely a hit, so I thought I’d share our sensory salt writing tray with you today!

Keep reading to learn what a sensory salt writing tray is and how to make yours today!

*This site may contain affiliate links. To real the full disclosure, click here.

What is a Writing Tray?

A writing tray is a tray or bin filled with a material such as salt, sand, or rice that helps encourage prewriting skills in toddlers and preschoolers. 

Sometimes as caretakers and instructors, we are so adamant about children learning to write that we place a pencil in their hand and think they will miraculously start forming letters.

However, this can be intimidating to children and have the opposite effect and discourage writing. 

I know because I made this mistake with my son.

First, they need to develop the tiny muscles in their hand.

“Salt writing trays give kids a chance to practice some of these key handwriting skills WITHOUT the added pressure of a pencil grip.” – Susan from Busy Toddler

Salt writing trays are a non-threatening way to introduce writing to children.

With the writing tray, the child can practice drawing lines, shapes, pictures, and WHEN they are ready and interested, letters!

Susan from Busy Toddler states that the goal of sand trays is not letter formation, but rather to build hand strength and muscle memory.

Pencil grip will come later, friends!

Materials Needed for this Sensory Salt Writing Tray

• Coarse Kosher Salt

I used salt in this activity, but you could very well use sand or rice as well. 

• Green & Red Gel Food Coloring
• Baking Tray

You could also use a box or a storage container. I chose the baking tray because it was easy to move, and it also provided a black background that contrasts with the colorful salt. 

• Peppermint extract

To make this salt tray all the more sensory, I added peppermint extract to the salt. It made the room smell glorious! It’s also taste safe! You could also use peppermint essential oil, but make sure your littles don’t put their hands in their mouth! 

I know my child enjoys tasting his fingers during experiments, so I always add ingredients that are taste safe. 

• Candy Canes

I added the candy canes to go with the peppermint theme. Also, they make a great writing utensil in the colored salt if your child is bored using their fingers. 

• Christmas sprinkles (optional)

I wanted this sensory salt tray to be as festive as possible, so naturally, I added baking sprinkles. Sprinkles are totally optional. 

• Mixing bowl

You can use any bowl to mix your salt and gel food coloring. I used my Kitchen Aid Mixing bowls because, boy, do I love them. The grip on the bottom is so helpful!

• Whisk

Related: Construction Zone Sensory Bean Box for Toddlers

How to prepare the Sensory Salt Writing Tray

*This is an optional step, but I placed a laminated sheet of printer paper with Lennox’s name underneath the sand to allow him to uncover or trace his name if desired.

1. First, in a mixing bowl, add a generous portion of the coarse Kosher Salt. Next, add a few drops of the Peppermint extract and two to three drops of red Gel Food Coloring.

1. Then, mix away with the whisk. Whisk, whisk, whisk to get all the grains of salt colored by the food gel.
2. Once your salt reaches the desired color, add your salt to your baking tray. 
3. If you want to, repeat steps 1-3 with green food coloring, or keep the salt red and white to resemble a peppermint!
4. Next, add in your Christmas sprinkles (optional) and candy canes!
5. Lastly, let your gets explore and work their hand muscles!

How to use this prewriting activity:

Remember, this can get super messy, so place your tray in an area you are not too concerned with dirtying.

I placed our tray on top of a green storage bin to collect salt grains that decided to jump ship.

We also did the activity on the floor. It was super easy to clean up the sand with a vacuum once Lennox lost interest.

Once you get set up, give the Peppermint sensory sand tray to your toddler or preschoolers and allow them to have some free play and exploration.

Next, parent or caretaker, sit back and watch your child’s creativity in action.

I enjoyed watching Lennox first marvel over the activity.

First, he tried to figure out what he was dealing with and put all of his sensory skills to use. Was it sand? Could he eat it? Yum, it’s salty. What is that smell?

Then, he was fascinated by the separation of colors. He wanted to play with it, but he didn’t want to mix the colors.

Then, he gave up on trying not to mix the colors and he started mixing the salt with the candy canes.

Once he started mixing the colors, he realized there were letters underneath, and he started identifying the letters in his name! Then he identified his name!

After that, he brought some Magnatiles into the mix and started tracing and carving out shapes in the salt.

Then, daddy got involved and they starting drawing drawing figures and animals!

Lennox enjoyed this activity so much that I placed the leftover salt grains into a ziplock baggy to use again another day!

Did you enjoy this activity?

I hope you child enjoys this sensory salt tray! If they did, take a picture and share it with me on Instagram or Facebook using the tag @lorenaylennox!

I love to see your children in play!

The post Peppermint Sensory Salt Writing Tray for Preschoolers appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

Lennox and I just put our Christmas tree up today!

Now that he is four, he understands and gets so excited for Christmas.

His excitement makes me so happy! So much so that I am already on the hunt for Christmas activities to do with him this winter!

We have a month and a half before Christmas, so let’s go!

In pursuit of Christmas activities to do with Lennox, I have asked some awesome parenting bloggers to share some of their BEST Christmas activities for preschoolers with me. If you’re interested, I want to share them with you today!

You will find three section of Christmas Activities for Preschoolers: Sensory activities, fine motor activities and printable Christmas activities!

Maybe you can fit in one activity for the 25 days of December! How fun would that be?

Check these activities out and make sure to tell me which Christmas activities your preschooler enjoyed most in the comments at the end of this post!

Sensory Christmas Activities for Preschoolers

• Use colored salt to build a Christmas tree or to play with. This activity will entertain your child for hours as they feel and see the different colors of salt. If they put their hands to their mouth, they will get some tasty sensory play too! Ha!
  
• If you are a peppermint lover try this sensory peppermint Christmas slime. You can also find many ways to use this slime over the course of the holidays!

• Looking to keep the kiddos entertained for a while? Try this Peppermint Cloud Dough. This dough not only smells good, but it is also safe to taste and uses ingredients you can find at home!

• Try out this no-cook peppermint-scented Candy Cane Playdough that takes less than 10 minutes to prepare!

• Continuing with the peppermint theme, let’s do some peppermint STEM with this Peppermint Oobleck recipe.
  
• For a fun pre-writing activity, try out this Peppermint Sensory Salt Writing Tray where they can practice drawing lines or writing their letters!

• Not a fan of peppermint, no worries, here is a Gingerbread Cloud Dough sensory activity you can try!

• Here is a sweet and spicy Christmas Pudding Playdough that smells amazing and is super quick to throw together!

• I have done sensory bins and sensory boxes before, but never have I done a sensory bag! This Christmas Reindeer Sensory Bag made using gel is a great activity to keep your little entertained for hours!

• This Hot Chocolate Sensory bin is a must. Who doesn’t love hot chocolate? It is made out of an easy-to-make oobleck recipe! I know my preschooler will love this delightful sensory activity!

• Here is another fun Snow Sensory Bin to keep your child engaged and learn about winter!

• Yet another fun Festive Sensory Tub fill will all of the holiday fun for your child to manipulate and explore!

Related: Winter Bucket List for Toddlers

• Do your kiddos love playing with shaving cream? Then they will love this Marbled Christmas Card Activity where they can have some sensory play, all while making a Christmas card for their loved ones.

• Have you made a sensory bottle yet? If not, they are great for younger toddlers to play with, and for older toddlers to make!

• For more shaving cream and loose parts play, try this Christmas Tinker Tray, sure to keep the little fingers busy for hours!

Related: Loose Parts Outdoor Activities for Kids

• If your little LOVE slime, here is an awesome Christmas Sensory Slime recipe you have to try today! Even better, your kids get to decorate their slime with their own embellishments!

• For more slime, try out this Grinch Slime recipe made with little red hearts

• If you like booktivities, try out this Jolly Christmas Postman Sensory Bin, based off of the book The Jolly Christmas Postman. This sensory bin will encourage your children to reenact what they learn in the book!

Related: Spanish Picture Books About Winter & Christmas To Get Your Child In The Holiday Spirit

• Make some Applesauce Cinnamon Ornaments for a fun olfactory sensory activities. Get the kiddos involved to mix the ingredients and let them adorn their ornaments.

Fine Motor Christmas Activities for Preschoolers

If you are looking for Christmas activities for preschoolers that will work their fine motor muscles, below is a list of activities to try out!

• Try out this super simple fine motor Christmas tree craft! Your child will execute their fine motor skills by painting a cardboard Christmas tree. Next, they will scrunch some tissue paper and glue it to their tree!

• Here is another fun Christmas Tree pom pom ornament craft that can be used as family keepsake.

• Work those small hands with this glue and paste Christmas Wreath Craft made out of materials you might have right at home, buttons and paint!

• Don’t have buttons at home, try out this adorable Christmas Wreath made from tissue paper. The scrunching of the tissue paper will work your preschooler’s tiny hand muscles.

• Left over pom poms? Great! Pair them with some popsicle sticks and make this adorable and simple Elf Hat Ornament. Your child will use their hand muscles to paint or color the sticks and glue the pom poms!
  
• Make a magical holiday pomander using aging fruit and work your child’s tiny hand muscles! These will make great gifts for loved-ones to freshen up their house!

• Here is a super simple popsicle Reindeer Christmas Ornament Craft, perfect for younger toddlers and preschoolers too!

• Nothing works those tiny hands more than lacing or beading. This Snowflake Bead Craft will definitely get the job done!

Related: Best Christmas Gifts for 5-Year-Old Boys

Christmas printables for preschoolers

Are you looking for Christmas printable activities to do with your preschoolers, or to use in your classroom?

If so, I have a round-up list of Christmas printable activities you can check out here.

Among these activities you can find:

• Fun Christmas scavenger hunts
• Letter to Santa printables
• Printable crafts
• Christmas preschool math activities
• Fine-motor printable fun
• Language learning printables
• Christmas sight word activities
• Coloring pages & more!

Thanks for checking out these Christmas activities for preschoolers. I hope you found one that you and your child can do this holiday!

¡Feliz Navidad y próspero Año Nuevo!

The post 25+ Fun Christmas Activities for Preschoolers appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

This easy activity is fun to do indoors and out, in the classroom, or at home!

We had so much fun with this activity that we ended up doing many other small leaf activities that turned into a full day of nature fun!

Keep reading for a tutorial on how to do this fine motor leaf imprint activity and more educational leaf activities! 

Enjoy! If your child ends up loving this activity, let me know by tagging me on Instagram using the handle @lorenaylennox!

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases but this comes at no additional cost to you. 

Materials you will need for this fine motor leaf activity

• Leaves- Go on a nature walk and collect a handful of gorgeous fall leaves.
• Crayola Crayons
• Safety scissors
• White paper

Yup! That’s all you need! Four simple items that you can probably find outside and around your home!
Now, let’s get to the fine motor leaf activity!

Related: The best arts and crafts supplies for preschoolers

We did this entire activity outdoors on a beautiful fall day.

Children need to be outdoors, not only for their physical well-being but also for their emotional state! Furthermore, there is so much to learn from nature!

With that said, before I get down to the fine motor leaf activity, I wanted to walk you through some other fun-filled fall leaf activities that led up to our fine motor leaf imprints.

Enjoy, and may nature bring you and your littles some fun and peace!

Step 1: Go on a fun nature walk and collect leaves!

Our first step in this activity was to go on a nature walk and collect some beautiful leaves.

On our walk, we brought along our fall scavenger hunt for some extra fun!

We snatched up whole, fallen leaves. Likewise, if we found a leaf on a unique tree or bush, we added it to our pile too!

Step 2: Have some educational and sensory leaf fun!

After we go back from our nature walk, we laid our leaves out on the table to observe our finds.

Then, Lennox and I talked a little bit about the anatomy of the leaf such as the veins and the stems.

Next, we did some fun sorting games with our leaves.

We sorted the leaves by:

• Colors
• Size
• Shape
• Texture
• Dead or Alive

Related: Outdoor Loose Parts Activities for Toddlers

Step 3: Identify the leaves

This part of our nature learning was my favorite part of the activity!

The older that I get, the more into gardening and outdoor life I am. I recently downloaded the iPhone App, PictureThis, and everywhere I go, I am constantly snapping pictures of different plants to learn more about that.

Thus, we took our leaves, and I took a picture of each leaf and wrote its name on the backside.
Then, we used our leaves as our reference guide on our future nature walks by identifying each tree or plant by looking at our leaves!

Step 4: Make your fine motor leaf imprints

Now time for the fine motor fun!

First, you will want to show your preschooler how to make their leaf imprint.

Take a leaf, and turn it face down. You want the veins to be facing you.

Then, place a blank piece of paper on top of the leaf.

*Hint: to save paper and resources, cut your paper into four rectangles! Use bigger pieces of paper for bigger leaves!

Next, show your toddler or preschooler how to hold the crayon at an angle. Place the crayon in between the thumb, pointer, and middle fingers. 

After that, show him how to shade the crayons on the paper to imprint the leaf’s outline.

You will want to add some pressure to the crayon, but not too much! If you have an impatient toddler like myself, good luck! Just keep on reminding them the patience is key!

Since we speak to Lennox in Spanish at home, I always say “Con la paciencia, se adquiere la ciencia.” Doing this does the trick to calm him for a second!

Related: Fall printables for preschoolers

Once you start shading, the crayon will shape down to the perfect angle to capture the outline of the leaf!

Your toddler or preschool will probably require a little help to finish this part of the activity. Remember, perfection is not the goal, but fine motor practice and sensory stimulation! Oh, and educational fun, of course!

Step 5: Cut out your leaf imprints

The last step in this fine motor leaf imprint activity is to cut out your imprints!

This is where your toddler can execute his fine motor skills and cut out the outline of the leaf he just imprinted in the paper!

Once all of the leaf imprints have been cut out, you can laminate them and keep them as an educational resource for the rest of time.

Thank you for reading thus far. I hope you and your kiddos enjoy this fun fine motor leaf imprint activity. Don’t forget to tag me on IG with the handle @lorenaylennox to show me their beautiful artwork!

EVEN MORE FUN FALL CRAFT PROJECTS FOR KIDS

• 10 Free Printable Nature Coloring Pages in Spanish
• 30 + Fall Printable Activities for Preschoolers
• Fall Sensory and Fine Motor Activities for Preschoolers
• Autumn Leaf Activities for Preschoolers
• Color by Number Fall Worksheets in Spanish [Free Printables]
• Toddlertober— 31 Easy Peasy Fall Activities To Do With Your Toddler this October

The post Fine Motor Leaf Imprint Activity appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

Sensory bins are a great resource to use at home to entertain and educate toddlers, and they are super easy to make!

Keep reading below for an explanation of the benefits of sensory bin play, as well as a tutorial on how I made our beach sensory bin.

Enjoy, and if you decide to do this beach sensory bin for toddlers, add picture and tag me on Instagram using the handle @lorenaylennox!

*This site may contain affiliate links. To real the full disclosure, click here.

What are the Benefits of Sensory Bin Play?

According to Whole Child Homeschool, ten benefits of Sensory bins:

1. Involve all of the senses.
2. Promote self-regulation.
3. Promote language development.This is super important in our bilingual household!
4. Promote fine motor skills.
5. Promote awareness of physics and how the world works.
6. Promote math skills.
7. Promote critical thinking skills.
8. Promote homemaking and life skills.
9. Promote imaginative skills.
10. Promote brain development.

Those are a lot of benefits, plus on top of it all, sensory bins are SUPER fun and will entertain your toddler for a long time.

At least for my toddler, they do, and he is one to never sitstill! So it’s a win-win for child AND parent!

So let’s get to the sensory bin business. Please keep reading to see how we made our beach-themed sensory bin!

Related: Summer I Spy Free Printable Worksheets in Spanish

How to create your beach sensory bin + materials you will need:

The materials listed below are what I used in this specific beach-themed sensory bin. However, if you do not have these particular items, I’m sure if you do a little rummaging through the house, you can find various things to add to your sensory bin!

• Choose your bin

  There are many different ways you can make a sensory bin. Sometimes we use a box, like in our construction zone sensory bean box.This time I chose a plastic storage container.

• Add your Ocean animal figurines

  We are big crafters in our home, so you can frequently find us at the nearest Joann’s, which is where I got our collection of ocean animal figurines. But, you can also find a wide variety available on Amazon.

• Mixed Sea Shells

  Sea Shells are a loose parts fan favorite, and boy, are they sensory! Who doesn’t go to the beach and search for the biggest or most unique shell? I’m sure you’ve listened in on many conches to hear the ocean too!  During Lennox’s sensory play with this beach-themed sensory bin, he found a clamshell that was not open yet and entertained him for a solid ten minutes. That’s a lot in Lennox time.First, he used it as an instrument. Then, he tried to open it by testing out different methods. Lastly, once he did get the clamshell open, he tried to figure how to get it back together again! It doesn’t get more sensory or educational than that, folks!

• Rice

  I took rice added a half teaspoon of water, and a half teaspoon of vinegar. Then I added two or three drops of yellow food coloring to it to turn the rice yellow. I let it sit for about ten minutes to absorb some of the liquid. Then i drained it. Next, I crushed the rice a little bit with my hands to give it more of a sand appearance. Lastly, I let it dry before I added it to the sensory bin.All of these steps are completely additional. You could simply just add rice and your toddler will still have lots of sensory fun!

• Rocks

We have an adorable blue Betta fish, so we already had these aquarium rocks, but you could use any blue items you have lying around the house instead. 

These blue water beads would be super fun and sensory for your toddler.

You could also make blue rice as I did for the yellow rice for the sand above.

Or, you could add blue coloring dye to Rice Krispy Treats or any small food item you have in your pantry. 

Or, you could add in another small container and add actual water, which will make the bin all the more sensory! The extra container is so that the sand rice doesn’t mix with the water. If your toddler is like mine, he would most likely mix them anyways!

• Lastly,

I added in random ocean/beach-themed things that I could find laying around, such as these aquarium plants.

I also added a small teaspoon to resemble a small shovel.

Related: 30+  Best Summer Books in Spanish for Children

How to make your beach sensory bin an educational activity

• Have your toddler practice her fine motor skills by using the small teaspoon. See if she can scoop up the sand from one side and transfer it to another.
• Practice language development by first learning and repeating several times the names of each animal.Since we only speak in Spanish at home, we use sensory bins as a great way to learn new vocabulary. Shortly, I will be uploading some ocean and beach-themed printable activities in Spanish, so stay tuned, and subscribe below so you can get an immediate notification when these printables are ready!
• Play a sorting game.Once your child knows the different names of the animals, have them sort them by animal type, size, color, etc. You can do the same with the different seashells!
• Play I-Spy.Playing I-Spy will help your child memorize their new vocabulary and make it stick!

Enjoy, and if you decide to do this activity, take a picture and tag me on Instagram using the handle @lorenaylennox!

I would love to see your very own renditions of a beach-themed sensory bin!

Other outdoor activities you might enjoy:

• Disney In Ice Escape Water Table STEM Activity for Toddlers
• Construction Zone Sensory Bean Box for Toddlers and Preschoolers
• Animal Washing Station for Toddlers
• 20 Loose Parts Outdoor Activities for Toddlers
• 23 + Sun Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

The post Beach Sensory Bin for Toddlers appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

If this is your first time to Bilingual Beginnings, ¡bienvenidos!

I recently changed the direction of this blog to focus more heavily on bilingual parenting and how I raise my toddler, Lennox, in Spanish as a nonnative speaker.

Since I am raising Lennox in a minority language, one way I stay grounded through my own cultural identity is through holidays.

One of my favorite ways to show Lennox about the different holidays is through sensory, play-based activities.

These activities involve hands-on activities that allow him to execute his fine and gross motor skills and explore new sensory, holiday-related items.

It is an authentic learning experience for the whole family. On one hand we learn about each holiday in Spanish. This means Lennox and I get to learn new vocabulary words in Spanish. On the other hand, my Salvadoran partner gets to learn about  American traditions. We get to experience the best of both worlds. 

To get back to the point, below you can find seven sensory Easter activities for Toddlers.

Sensory Easter Activities for Toddlers

1. Peep’s nest:

I don’t know about you, but as a child, I loved baking. Lennox takes so much interest in helping me clean and cook that I thought it would be fun to do some sensory baking with him! 

The first baking activity we did was our peep’s nest made out of Rice Krispy treats. Rice Krispy treats are super easy to make.

Ingredients you will need to make the peep’s nest:

• A sauce pan
• butter
• Marshmallows
• Rice Krispies
• Muffin Pan

How to make the peep’s nest:

We put a whole stick of butter into a pot on low heat and let the butter start to melt.

Once the butter began to melt, we added an entire bag of marshmallows.

When the marshmallows started to get soft, we stirred them with the butter. Once they melted, we added 6 cups of Rice Krispies After all the ingredients were thoroughly mixed, we added the Rice Krispies to a non-stick muffin pan. We let the Rice Krispy treats cool and harden and then Lennox placed the Peeps into their Rice Krispy nidos (nests).

2. Easter Sugar cookies

Our next baking activity was sugar cookies. Lennox loved making the cookies as well as making a big mess. 

We made the sugar cookies from scratch using this recipe. We used cutting boards to do the rolling.

Make sure you put flour not only on your surface but also on the roller when rolling out your dough. Next, we made our Easter shapes with these Easter cookie cutters, and I also used a knife to write out the words Easter and Pascua, Easter in Spanish.

We placed them on a cooking sheet covered in Parchment paper and then put them in the oven for 4-7 minutes. I like my cookies soft, so we took them out shortly before the instructed baking time. 

The best part was next, the decorating. We made homemade icing and added 2-3 drops of food dye to turn our frosting into pastel Easter colors. 

We took all of our ingredients outside since it was such a beautiful day, and to also avoid the toddler mess. 

Then, we went at it. Lennox was confused at first but enjoyed making a mess on the cookies. I was shocked that he didn’t try to eat the icing. Whenever we paint or draw, he always puts the utensils in his mouth, but he didn’t try to put the icing in his mouth at all, only the sprinkle. Toddlers are strange, aren’t they? 

It doesn’t get much more fun, sensory or delicious as baking cookies damas y caballeros.

3.     Whipped Cream Dyed Easter Eggs

Dye your Easter eggs with a natural dye with whipped cream! Not only is it sensory and sugary fun, but the set-up and clean-up are so easy!!!

4.    Little Critter Creativity

In his Easter basket, Lennox got the Happy Easter Little Critter by Mercer Mayer. It comes included with Easter activities for your Toddler. One of those activities is a tear-out poster for some sticker fun.

If you have read my Valentine’s Day or St. Patrick’s Day activities for toddlers, you know I am a strong advocate of stickers for toddler’s fine motor skills.

Just look at that fine-motor concentration, will you! I love watching toddlers at work!

5. Box-dyed Easter Eggs

I was hesitant to dye Easter eggs with Lennox because he is still a bit young, and dyes can get messy.

However, when I saw this adorable Mickey Mouse Easter Egg Kit, I was persuaded. To make it easy and mess-free, I did most of the dying, but Lennox helped me put stickers on the eggs and had fun placing the eggs onto the egg holder. A perfect introduction to a holiday tradition.

6. Easter Bunny Color Sort

I found these cute little Easter bunny marshmallows at Giant and thought they would be perfect for sorting. Lennox and I talked about the color of each bunny then sorted them into different Easter cups. 

7.   Easter scoop & toss sensory bin

Last but not least, the standard sensory bin. We added Marshmallows, peeps and little tiny chicks and Lennox had a free for all touching, tasting, smelling, scooping, throwing and making a huge mess with all these little pieces. Let’s just say I had a blast cleaning it all up =) Lennox’s fun was worth it. 

Well we’re pretty Easter’d out over here. We still have to hunt our eggs, but that we will save for Easter day. I saw the cutest Idea of attaching balloons to the eggs to make it a toddler-friendly hunt. I am very excited to try it out!!

Thanks for reading. I hope you have an exciting Easter like Lennox and I did =)

Other Easter posts you might enjoy:

• 15 Easter Basket Stuffer Ideas for Toddlers
• 15 Easter Books in Spanish for Children
• 25 Easter Printable Activities for Preschoolers

The post 7 Fun Sensory Easter Activities for Toddlers appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

Looking for some engaging St. Patrick’s Day sensory activities for toddlers?

If so, this post has you covered with 20 St. Patrick’s Day sensory activities for toddlers and preschoolers. 

Among these activities you can find some fun St. Patrick’s Day crafts, sensory bins, edible treat activities and much more!

Also, if you don’t find exactly what you are looking for, I have another post with 10 St. Patrick’s Day  sensory activities that you can check out for more inspiration.

If you are looking for a St. Patrick’s day printable worksheet activity, I have a round up of 25 St. Patrick’s Day printables you can check out too!

I’m certain with all of these options you will find an activity to do with your toddler this St. Patrick’s Day!

1. Leprechaun Handprint Craft

with Simple Everyday Mom

“Have fun this St. Patrick’s Day making this cute leprechaun handprint craft with your kids!”

2. Fruit Loop necklace

with Bilingual Beginnings

“This is an excellent fine motor activity to do with your toddler. You can do it with plain cheerios to avoid the extra sugars.”

3. Shamrock Wand

with Messy Little Monster

“This shamrock wand is such a fun St. Patrick’s Day craft for toddlers and preschoolers! Young children will really get into the spirt of St. Patrick’s Day as they whizz their shamrock craft through the air.”

4. Rainbow with a Pot of Gold Paper Plate Craft

with A Mother’s Random Thoughts

“A simple easy St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Craft that is fun for all ages”

5. Yarn Wrapped Shamrock Craft

with Red Ted Art

“These Yarn Wrapped Shamrocks they are super fun and easy to make.”

6. Shamrock Matching Game

with Simple Fun For Kids

7. Green Sensory Hat

with Bilingual Beginnings

“Go on a St. Patrick’s Day scavenger hunt with your kiddo and collect green items in your leprechaun hat. They will have so much fun with this interactive learning activity.”

8. Rainbow Gold Coin Drop

with The Salty Mamas

“Toddlers love dropping things into containers. I don’t know why, I can’t explain it, but I promise you that they do.”

9. Hanging Cotton Ball Rainbow

with Crayons and Cravings

“If you are looking for a rainbow kids craft for St. Patrick’s Day or just for Spring in general, this colorful Hanging Cotton Ball Rainbow Craft for Kids is the perfect idea.”

10. Shamrock Craft

with Simple Everyday Mom

“Make this adorable photo shamrock craft for kids to have a festive keepsake of your child!”

11. Bubble Wrap Shamrock Craft

with Messy Little Monster

“Bubble wrap painting is so much fun for toddlers and preschoolers, add glitter and sparkles and this really is the PERFECT craft to make with young children.”

12. St. Patrick’s Glitter Playdough

with A Mom’s Impression

“Playdough is an easy and fun activity to DIY with your toddler. They can create and let their imaginations go wild!”

Related: The Best Art and Craft Gift Ideas for Preschoolers and Toddlers

13. Rainbow Rice Sensory Bin

with Mommy Made That

“My kids love sensory bins! So many new textures and things to feel, do and experience. Some sensory bins are a total hit, and today’s rainbow rice bin was no exception!”

Related: Construction Zone Sensory Bean Box for Toddlers and Preschoolers

14. Mosaic Love Letter Cards

with As For Me and My Homestead

“A simple St. Patrick’s Day craft for kids to do. Rainbow Heart Clovers give your kids practice with measuring.”

Related: Mosaic Heart Chalk Activity for Preschoolers

15. St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Fruit Loop Color Sort

with Bilingual Beginnings

“Learn the colors with your preschooler this St. Patrick’s day with the FUN and DELICIOUS color sort.”

16. Edible St. Patrick’s Day Jello Playdough Recipe

with Ottawa Mommy Club

“Children love playdough and with good reason. It’s so much fun to play with. It’s something that inspires your children’ to be creative and use their imagination. The only problem is kids often want to eat it…why not make some Edible St. Patrick’s Day Jello Playdough Recipe?”

17. Leprechaun Garden Sensory Bin

with Finding Zest

“This leprechaun garden sensory bin is the perfect St. Patrick’s Day activity for preschoolers. Let your child explore and learn while engaging their senses with plenty of opportunity for imaginative play.”

18. Edible Rainbow Kid’s Activity

with Finding Zest

“A sunshiny “craft” idea that you get to eat when you’re finished.”

19. Easy Paper Plate St. Patrick’s Day Wreath

with The Keele Deal

“This paper St. Patrick’s Day wreath is a perfect craft for all ages. It’s easy enough for kids (even toddlers) to make and it’s cute enough to use as a fun St. Patrick’s Day decoration!”

20. St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Pudding

with Bilingual Beginnings

“A sensory activity and sweet snack all in one!”

I hope you found an activity that your family can enjoy! Don’t forget to leave a comment below letting me know which activity you plan on doing this St. Patrick’s Day!

MORE FUN ST. PATRICK’S DAY ACTIVITIES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

• Free printable coloring pages for St. Patrick’s Day in Spanish
• Free Printable St. Patrick’s Day Color By Number in Spanish 
•  St. Patrick’s Day Bingo Game in Spanish
• St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt in Spanish (Free Printable)
• 10 Sensory and Fine Motor St. Patrick’s Day Activities for Toddlers
• St. Patrick’s Day Printables for Preschoolers

The post 20 St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Activities for Toddlers appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

Last year, we opted for the traditional boxed Easter egg dye, but I found myself constantly on edge, worried about the mess and potential spills. It made for a stressful experience, to say the least.

This year, I decided to take a different approach and try something new: natural dyeing with whipped cream! Not only was it a sensory and sugary delight for my son Lennox, but the setup and cleanup were a breeze.

Join us as we walk you through our DIY toddler-friendly whipped cream dyed Easter egg adventure below! Get ready for a mess-free and enjoyable Easter egg decorating experience that the whole family will love.

Ingredients for whipped cream dyed easter eggs

• Eggs
• Whipped Cream
• Gel Food Coloring- I bought this set of 12, becuase there is so many fun kids’ activities that you can do with food coloring
• Water
• Vinegar
• Bowls/pan

Step 1:

Boil your eggs.

Once your water comes to a boil, boil your eggs for 7-10 minutes, depending on the size of the egg.

Step 2:

Once your eggs are done boiling, either let them cool, or replace water with ice water to chill them faster.

Step 3:

Soak your eggs in vinegar.

This step is important if you want the food coloring to stick to the egg. If not, your egg will be left with a very faded color of the dye.

Step 4:

While the eggs are soaking in vinegar, prepare the whipped cream dye.

To dye plain colors, use individual bowls and add a dollop of whipped cream to each. Then, add one or two drops of food coloring to each bowl. With a fork, blend the color with the whipped cream. To give it a tye-dye look do not blend it completely.

Related: 25 Easter Printables for Preschoolers

To dye with multicolors, cover a pan with whip cream. In sections, add food coloring and blend only into that section as you can see below.

Step 5:

Once your eggs are done bathing in the vinegar, dry them with a paper towel. Dump—or save the vinegar for future sensory play use— and put the eggs into the bowl.

Then, give them to your toddler and let the fun begin!

Step 6:

Dye away!

Lennox had so much fun rolling the eggs around in the whipped cream dye. He had even more fun licking his hands once he found out how scrumdiddlyumptious it was.

Step 7:

Once your toddler is satisfied with his work, or starts beating his eggs or throwing them around, place them into a bowl of cold water.

This step is important to seep the dye’s color into the egg’s shell.

Step 8

Place your eggs in the refrigerator to dry.

There you have it, beautiful dyed eggs, with zero (or an easy-to-clean) mess. With these whipped cream dyed easter eggs, you won’t have to worrying about cleaning up dyed little fingers from all of the surfaces.

Instead you can sit back, and watch your toddler have some sweet and sensory fun with a beautiful outcome!

As always, thanks for reading. Let me know what you think of these whipped cream dyed eggs in the comments below. If you decide to do them, find us on Instagram or Facebook, and tag us using the handle #lorenaylennox. We would love to see your artwork!!!

Also, if you haven’t gotten your free Easter printables in Spanish yet, you can do so here. Even if you or your kiddos don’t speak Spanish, they are some fun activities that can occupy part of your day during these crazy quarantined times.

The post Whipped Cream Dyed Easter Eggs appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

Today,  I have a fun, sensory, STEM water table activity to do with toddlers that I want to share with you.

It’s a Disney in Ice Escape activity that will allow your child to explore with different tools and help them break the Disney figurines out of the ice!

It is super easy and simple to set-up, so let’s get ready to jail break these Disney figurines!

Enjoy this activity.  Tag me on Instagram with the handle @lorenaylennox, so I can see your child hard at play!

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases but this comes at no additional cost to you. 

What is a STEM activity?

A STEM activity involves science, technology, engineering, and math. 

According to Little Bins Little Hands Blog, 

“STEM makes creators, thinkers, problem solvers, doers, innovators, and inventors. Exposing kids to simple STEM ideas at an early age today sets a foundation for higher learning tomorrow.” 

In this activity, your toddler will learn the science of ice and how warm water will melt the ice. If you have an impatient toddler like myself, he will try lots of methods to break his Disney friends out of ice jail as quick as possible.

Keep reading below to see our Disney In Ice Escape Water Table Activity for Toddlers.

Materials needed for the disney in ice escape activity

• Water TableDisney Figurines

• This activity can be done with any figurines. I chose the smallest one so that I didn’t take up much room in my quarantine-filled freezer.
• Small containers to freeze your figurines in
  • In a similar activity, Little Bins Little Hands uses Balloons, which I think is a great idea. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any at the time.
• Eye Dropper
  • I couldn’t find Lennox’s liquid dropper from his fine-motor toolset. Therefore, I ended up using a Boogiebulb (clean, I promise, I had just boiled everything at the beginning of the quarantine)from when Lennox was a baby. It did quite the job.
• Water Blaster
• Measuring Cups

I set this activity up this morning before Lennox could see me because he would have been way too curious and try to impede my doings. 

I took the smallest of his Disney Figurines and put them in the storage containers and added water.

They took about 5 hours to fully freeze.

While he was napping, I submerged the containers in warm water for about a minute. Then, into a bowl, I pounded on the bottom of the containers with my palm to extract the iced-figurines. 

Since it was semi-nice outside, I thought I’d bring this activity to the backyard to avoid messes. I placed the ice in his water table along with a bow full of warm water and the Boogiebulb. 

 All that was missing was the toddler. 

How Lennox helped his Disney friends escape

First, we used boogiebulb. Lennox practiced his fine-motor skills while trying to figure out how to get water into the bulb. 

He did this for about five minutes until he got frustrated that his friends were still cold. 

Then, I brought out the water blaster, where he got some gross motor practice trying to get water into it. 

I added measuring cups to the mix, and Lennox enjoyed transferring the water in an easier-fashion to the ice cube. 

It was at this point in his discovery that Lennox’ had a lightbulb moment. He realized that the warm water removes the ice. So, to get more water onto the ice, he unplugged the drain to the water table, and let the water run over it.

Out popped Alvin! Lennox was in awe. You could see he was really proud of himself.

He did this with a few more ice cubes until he realized the ice was fragile enough to beat his friends out.

He was thrilled once they had all escaped.

It was an entertaining and educational STEM activity all in one that allowed Lennox to execute fine-motor, gross-motor, and sensory exploration all in one. 

Lennox really enjoyed this activity, and I hope to try it again soon by freezing the figurines in a balloon for an Easter-related escape. Stay-tuned.

Give this activity a try, and if you do, tag me on Instagram or Facebook with the handle @lorenaylennox. I would love to see your toddler’s fascination!!! 

The post Disney In Ice Escape Water Table STEM Activity appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.