As Edie gets older
I am always looking for ways
That she can play alongside her older siblings
One of the simplest ways
Is to make sure the contents of our tuff spot
Are baby safe and best of all
Edible
We started super simple
With a tuff tray full of Rice Krispies
Edie would have been more than happy with the cereal alone
For the older ones I also included
Different tools for scooping, stirring and moving
Plastic measuring beakers
Weighing scales
Balance scales
Pots, plates and bowls
And a teeny tiny miniature ceramic tea set
For involving teddy bear friends
Now we were ready to play!
To start with all four children sat round the edge of the tuff spot
With no input from me
William went straight to the measuring equipment
He started filling and measuring
Pouring and comparing
Estimating
Providing a running commentary
Of all his actions
Edie sat beside him
Eating fistfuls of cereal
Esther and Bea put out the tea set
And invited their cuddly toys to a party
I love watching them play
And seeing the choices they make
When given the same invitation to play
I love listening to their conversations
William all precise and mathematical
Esther and Bea all American accents
Fairy tales and furry friends
Edie loves to look and listen too
And she learns so much through their play
Their play and her own
Edie loved the Rice Krispies
She loved the feel of them
The Snap Crackle Pop of them
The taste of them!
She loved grabbing handfuls
Crunching the cereal in her fingers and her toes
She loved squashing
Crushing
Licking and chewing
She loved brushing the popped rice
Around the tuff spot
Making marks and trails
Playing with this cereal
Was great for Edie and Bea
To practise using their fine motor skills
Picking and pinching the grains of popped rice
Using the tweezers and scoops
To empty and fill containers
Large and small
Sensory play like this is such a lovely bonding experience for siblings
And a fun way for parents to play with their children
So much can be learned through a simple set up
That can be extended in different ways
We used this tuff spot for a week
Adding different resources
Taking toys away
Finding different ways to play
Different ways to use their senses to explore
To experience
To discover and learn
Edible sensory play
Offers an open ended sensory experience
An invitation to learn through play
An invitation to play creatively
Imaginatively
An invitation to play together
To learn and grow together
As easy as Snap Crackle Pop