Water Bombs

With Summer officially here, things are really starting to heat up. I love the pool but after a long day at work I do not always feel like driving to the pool and we don't have a pool in the back yard so what is a Mom to do? Get creative!

I made water bombs for us to play with and we have used them almost daily since.

Supplies:
Scissors
Sponges (2 or 3 per bomb)
Cable ties

If you are using a large sponge (5 inch or so) you will only need 2 sponges per bomb. If you are using smaller sponges, you may want three sponges. Cut each sponge into thirds (larger sizes) or fourths (smaller sizes) and then stack them in layers. See picture for explanation.

Put a cable tie under the sponges and pull tight. Once you have it pulled all the way, trim off the excess.

Now squeeze, squish and soak your water bombs. Do not aim for the face and be sure to play nice!

Wordless Wednesday - Water Time

Having a great time in the great outdoors!

Tuesday Teachings - Sensory Bins

If you have spent any time looking online at parent or teacher blogs then you know that themed sensory bins are a huge phenomenon! I love them and would love to personally play in several of them. There are some amazing and creative people out there that are designing these sensory bins.

Sensory bins are great for extending a theme in your classroom or home. There are three types of learners:
Auditory - meaning that you learn through listening. Verbal lectures, discussions and listening to what others have to say are the most beneficial for this type of learner. Auditory listeners are great at picking up the meaning of the speaker through listening to the tone and pitch of the lecture.
Visual - meaning that they need to see something to learn it. Visual learners not only need videos, flip charts, illustrations and diagrams but they also learn through the body and facial expressions of the speaker.
Kinesthetic - meaning they need a more hands on approach for learning. These learners typically have a hard time sitting still for long periods listening to lectures. They need to see, feel, and touch items to process. They need to move around to learn.

All learning styles can benefit from sensory bins but a Kinesthetic learner will really prosper with a sensory bin.

I have scoured the web looking for some of my favorite summer themed sensory bins and have included links below.

First, I have to include Counting Coconuts Blog. She has some amazing bins and does one each month for her son.

Weather Bin

Ice Cream Bin

Beach Sensory Bin

Garden Sensory Bin

Some other sources for Sensory Bins:



Ocean Sensory Bin from The Picky Apple

Camping Sensory Bin from Jada Roo Can Do

Pond Sensory Bin from Jada Roo Can Do

Lagoon Sensory Bin from Lightning Bug Lit

As you can see, there are some very creative bins out there. I will give you a few pointers though:

1) Make sure everything is age appropriate. If your child stills put everything in her mouth, be vigilant about the items you put in the bin.

2) Put cups, spoons, scoops or other items in the bins to let your child practice those skills.

3) Be prepared. Yes, it can get messy but we put down a cheap vinyl tablecloth and put the bin on top of that.

4) If you are afraid of huge messes, use some of the bins strictly outdoors.

5) It does not have to be expensive. Buy bins at the dollar store and supplies at the dollar store, goodwill, thrift stores or dollar spot at Target.

Read this article from Counting Coconuts about her FAQ on sensory bins. Have more questions? Post them below and we will answer them as soon as possible.

Happy 4th of July

Kids Matter and the Child Care Council of Kentucky would like to take a moment to wish you and your families a safe and fun 4th of July.

We wish you a festive and safe time with great friends and family!

Want a little math lesson for the kids? Have them poll guests about favorite grill foods, fireworks or ice cream flavors. Then the kids can graph the answers. Easy and fun, learning never rests!

Family Fun Calendar

The July Family Fun Calendar is ready to be downloaded. Enjoy!

Making Soap Mountains

We did the old standby experiment this week of Ivory Soap in the microwave. If you have not done this experiment yet, run don't walk to the nearest store and buy a few bars of Ivory Soap.

Take your bar of Ivory and cut it in half or thirds. Lay a piece of the soap on a paper plate and put it in the microwave for 45 seconds. You will be amazed at the results! The bar starts to expand and grow. It literally looks like a mountain of soap. When you look at it, it looks soft and squishy but looks can be deceiving. It is still hard just like a bar of soap.

This only works with Ivory soap but it will be beneficial to have another type of soap available to test also.

How it works:
When Ivory is manufactured they whip plenty of air into it. It is the only soap that floats in water. It does not float as well now as originally due to Proctor and Gamble changing the formula somewhat and adding glycerin to the mixture to keep it from dissolving so quickly. Back to the point though, when you heat up the soap it begins to soften and the air and water inside the soap will also heat up. When the water in the soap heats up, it vaporizes and when the air heats up, it expands causing the bar of soap to expand into a foam mass.

When you cut the bar of Ivory, look closely at the cut sides. Do you see bubbles or pockets of air in the soap? You would think you would since I just told you it contains lots of air but since the air is whipped into the soap during manufacturing you do not actually see the bubbles or air pockets.

The foam mass of soap that is now out of the microwave has not changed at all chemically. You can still wet it and build a lather. You can use it for a bath or shower. The only change is in the physical appearance. If you tried other bars of soap in the microwave you will see that they just begin to melt instead of expanding.