Rice Sensory Box

I have been trying to do this for a long time but didn't have the time or money, til now. I bought the rice awhile ago and finally got the bucket. It is a 25 quart plastic bin from Walmart. It cost me $7. I bought a 25 lb bag of rice for around $11. I don't remember where I got it. I put around 20 lbs of rice in the bucket as well as a toy dinosaur, a small ball, some bottle tops and a spoon. I will add a few more small things when I can get to the dollar store. I am also going to make some with beans, sand and pebbles. I'm trying to think of something gooey or swishy to use too but can't think of anything that's not extremely messy. Any ideas?

Sensory boxes are great for all kids but blind and other special needs kids find them particularly cool. The different types of materials are good sensory input. Putting toys in the box allows something for them to find and to practice burying and digging up things.

Elena loves it. She likes to scoop with the big spoon and bury her hands in the rice. She likes to put her feet in it too and feel it with her toes. I'm excited to see how she reacts to the other sensory boxes, once I get them done.

Experiencing different textures is very important. Often, blind children do not like textures. I don't know why. We had Elena touch many different textures since she was about 2 months old so she never really experienced texture aversion. Although she didn't always like her hands being gooey.

So whether you have a sensory box or not, have your child feel anything and everything; the brick on the outside of your house, the bark of a tree, the smooth wall of the living room, the cool metal of the stove, the shaggy bathmat, the ridges of your car tires, the bumpy asphalt driveway/road, etc. There are so many things to find and feel.

No mess painting

In December, I had a brilliant idea (well i thought it was brilliant) of how to let Elena finger paint without getting the mess all over.

She uses a booster seat with attachable tray for eating. I took plastic wrap and duck taped it to the tray. Then I duck taped plain computer paper on top of the plastic. When painting, I took her shirt off and put her hair up in a ponytail. I put her in the chair and attached the tray. It keeps her contained and the paint is washable so if it gets on her skin it comes right off. I put a little blob of paint on the paper, give her and brush and let her go at it.

She tends to stay in the middle so she ends up tearing the paper. That's fine for me cause she just enjoys the painting. When she is done, I un-tape, wrap it all up and throw it away. Super easy and mess free.

I used Crayola Washable Kid's Paint. A 10 pack costs me $5 or $10.

My apologies

Hey everyone. It's been awhile. Here I am again apologizing for my lack of writing. Seems to becoming a bit of a habit. :( Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that we're still here and doing good. I'll write another entry later giving more details about Elena progress in the last few months.

These past few months have been chaotic for my family (family meaning Elena and I). I have had some medical issues that were unexpected (aren't they always?) and that added to a very full semester of school and, of course, parenting stuff has made the end of 2012 something I'll never forget. (Not sure yet if that's good or bad.) I am doing good now, btw.

Anyway, I should have some updates soon. I start school on Monday and am hoping to have something posted before then. Thank you all for sticking around and I hope you have a great new year. :)