Special Needs – Sensory Bottles

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Honey

Have you ever made a sensory bottle?

We made a sensory bottle on Wednesday and the kids all loved it. We started with an empty 2L bottle (but you can use any size). We added in equal parts of water, corn syrup, and cooking oil. Then we added food coloring, plastic beads, and shiny glitter. We put glue on the lid and screwed it on very tight. We turned the bottle upside down and then we shook it. The kids took turns for the next hour shaking the bottle and watching the liquids separate. Overall, it was a success. Here are a couple of pictures during the making.

There are many different ways to make sensory bottles. Here are some simple ideas to get you going:

Since this was our science, we also watched some videos from BrainPop, including Scientific Method, Compounds and Mixtures, States of Matter, and Matter Changing States. BrainPop is an awesome little website with tons of educational animations (and more).

If you are looking for more science resources, you can check out my guest post over on The Tuckers Take Tennessee. I included a list of great sites loaded with fun science experiments.

Check out my Special Needs column if you are looking for more sensory resources.

Have you ever made a sensory bottle? What sensory activities do your kids enjoy?

Mom, he ate my science experiment!

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Honey

My eight year old walked into the living room this afternoon in sheer panic and announced that someone had eaten his science experiment. Oh, the horror!

I had to stop for a moment to think about "which" science experiment could have been eaten. Was it the extra pizza dough that was being risen on the counter, was it the carrot top growing in water on the counter, or was it some other experiment that I was unaware of . I wouldn't have been surprised if it was the latter with a house full of boys who love to do experiments. Well, to my relief (but not my son's) it was the carrot top that was eaten by the two year old. I don't think the carrot top would have been that pleasant to eat, but he used an old coffee tin to stand on and grabbed it off of the plate on the counter before anyone was the wiser.

The twins love standing on things to reach those places that used to be safe. Nothing is safe anymore. No, seriously! I mean it. Nothing is safe anymore. They can scale the dressers, the cribs, and they can even climb the ladder up to the bunk bed. All of which is strongly discouraged around here. They are forever finding new and creative things to stand on, coffee tins, flour bags, riding toys, pots, chairs (dragged from the dining room and down a long hallway), among other things. We have reached that stage where curiosity is incredible, but common sense has not developed yet.

I guess we will have to be careful not to leave any dangerous science experiments sitting around because you never know who might be interested in eating them.

So, tell me... have you little kids eaten any science experiments recently?

Homemade Fizzy Soda, Blanket Tents, and Loads of Giggles

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Honey

What a great day we had yesterday!

Homemade Fizzy Soda

After each of the boys completed their school work, we worked together (one-on-one) to make homemade fizzy soda. We had a great time making lemon soda. I found the original recipe on-line somewhere, but it was yucky (I tried the recipe first and down the sink it went). We came up with a recipe that worked well for us. It is still a bit different than what you might expect, but it worked for us.

1/4 lemon juice
1 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 cup sugar

Pour it all into a large container (it fizzes some) and stir gently. Then throw in an ice cube or two and sip it through a straw.

Blanket Tents

Malachi and the twins had an awesome time last night, right before bed, building a blanket tent using all the dining room chairs. They chased each other on all fours through the chairs and over daddy's legs. They had a grand time hiding and playing peek-a-boo with the blanket. This morning, another tent under the bunk bed turned into a fun reading nook (and a big book mess!).

Loads of Giggles

Giggles and grins from the kidlets are so much fun. Sometimes it is the simple things that make all the difference.

I can't even begin to tell you how excited the boys were when they heard that they were going to make homemade soda pop. They attended to their school work without too much whining (well, no more than usual). I was prompted to find the recipe after someone (who will remain nameless) was caught trying to create soda with strange ingredients the day before.

The tent in the living room / dining room was Malachi's idea and daddy helped, while sharing his childhood memories of tent making. I have some good memories of making blanket tents with my sister when we were growing up.

I need to remember that sometimes it is the simple things we do - like making fizzy soda or not freaking out over a tent town mess - that can make all the difference in our relationships with our children.

What simple things have you done with your children recently, that they really enjoyed?

What are some ways that you can connect with your children today?