good morning and happy first day of spring!
i hope you’re stopping by feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the week ahead. or, if you’re needing an extra cup of coffee like me, rest assured that today officially marks the first day of spring!! that has to put a little pep in your step!

we had both a relaxing and busy weekend which are mainly my favorites these days! here’s a little recap:

friday

we started out friday with a twin playdate at our house.  so much crazy + so much fun!! we had 11 kiddos over for shamrock shakes + snacks with a little socializing for the mama’s.  it’s always so nice to get together with other mama’s who are in the same place of life..and feel a little less crazy.  i think it’s safe to say everyone had a good time..and can we get some props for getting all the babes looking in the same direction?! woo woo!
after nap time, the girls and i headed over to christine + mark’s for a play date with their cousins while zach and mark had a guy’s night playing poker.  one of our girlfriend’s stopped by for an easy pizza dinner while the kids all played and we could catch up a bit… i’ll say it for the thousandth time… girl time is just one of the most important things in my life these days! christine and i ended up falling asleep watching a movie until the boys got home and we headed home for the night…. st. patrick’s day looks just a little different these days!

saturday

saturday started out with the cutest breakfast play date!! janice + harper came by so i could get all my baby snuggles in…and piper was just dying to hold her ‘baby ha-pah’ who we talk about almost daily.  i mean seriously. they’re going to be the best big sisters…and could that little girl be any stinking cuter??? the smile she saves for her mama is just about THE sweetest thing in the world!!
we spent the rest of the day doing arts and crafts in jammies and just relaxing around the house.  zach was in and out doing a bunch of errands and work around the house so the girls and i filled our time with plenty of painting, coloring, sensory boxes {see below!} and just hanging.  zach and i ended the night unplugged and on the couch watching hacksaw ridge… have you seen it?! it was pretty intense in the violence department but it really was a pretty incredible story.

sunday

sunday began with an incredible church service with our fam followed by filling our tummy’s at brunch.  we came home for some play time and cleaning up around the house before the girls went down for nap.  i got a little work done on the computer with some meal planning and work on the blog before it was time for the girls to get up.  zach walked in about the same time and played entertainer while i got dinner ready.  it was really a fairly boring evening {as boring as life is with twin toddlers} of playing, cleaning up, laundry and until the usual bed time routine.  i worked on this post a bit before nodding off and realizing it was probably time for bed time 🙂

i hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!

spring garden sensory bin

this spring garden sensory bin is great for a wide range of ages and can be adapted for younger babies + toddlers or even older preschoolers!

sensory bins are a super easy and fun way for children to explore a variety of materials, sights, sounds, smells, textures as well as promote imaginary play and language development.  as children develop, learn the rules of the sensory bin and grow older, sensory bins are easily adapted to meet the needs of the children involved.

spring garden sensory bin materials:
– tub {i use an old, shallow rubbermaid plastic container}
– the base material {dirt}
– extra materials {fake flowers, shovels, flower pots, a plastic bug, watering can}
**alternative base options: black rice, black beans, coffee grounds
**alternative additions: bugs, rocks, real flowers, play veggies {veggie garden}, magnifying glass, water, story characters, books to go along with bin theme

a few notes to make the sensory bin more successful:

when using indoors, i always like to have a drop cloth of some sort under the tub.  my girls are still learning the ‘rules’ of our sensory bins and messes are absolutely expected.

if your child still puts things in their mouths, be mindful about choking hazards or poison potentials when choosing items to go in their bin

repetition. children love repetition and will need lots of reminders while learning rules!

let your child explore and use materials in different ways other than intended use

encourage language development by modeling actions, labeling items and having children repeat

have FUN!! seriously, this is the most important part! if you need to start out with one item in your bin, that’s okay! add to it as your child becomes more familiar!

these are easily moved outside and as the weather gets warmer, we will be playing outside!

our sensory bin rules:

materials stay in the bin
children must stay on the drop cloth
materials stay out of our mouths
have fun!

focus words:

dig, scoop, pour, bug, shovel, flower, color words

above all else, have fun with this and get creative!  if you create some variation, i would love to hear what materials you used or if you have any questions!

you can see other sensory bin ideas here.

question: have you ever used sensory bins with your children?!

xoxo,

lindsey