Flannel Friday: Fourth of July Sensory Bin for Babies

Today, I'm sharing my first post ever to explicitly focus on the early literacy practice of play. Sensory bins - which I originally discovered on Pinterest - provide great opportunities for kids to explore the world using their sense of touch. While most of the examples I have seen have been geared toward preschoolers and thus contain small objects, I thought the concept would work really well for babies in general, and for my 7-month-old specifically. Therefore, I set out to create a bin that would be safe for a child who puts everything in her mouth, but that would introduce her to a new concept. Since July Fourth is just around the corner, I opted to make a red, white, and blue bin. 

First, I made sure to avoid any object that is small enough to fit into a toilet paper tube, as objects of that size are definite choking hazards for babies. Next, I worked on trying to have a decent representation of each of the three colors in the mix of objects, so that the distribution would be even. Finally, I selected objects featuring a variety of sizes, thicknesses, and textures, so playing in the bin would be a true sensory experience.

Contained in the bin (which is just a white dish pan that used be the baby's newborn bathtub) are the following items: 

• 13 pompoms - 5 red, 5 white, 3 blue (purchased at A.C. Moore)
• 4 Linkadoos - 2 red, 2 blue (received at our baby shower)
• 3 ribbons - 1 red, 1 white, 1 blue-and-white striped (from my craft supply box)
• 2 wooden keys - 1 red, 1 blue (borrowed from our Melissa and Doug clacking key ring set)
• 2 strands of beads - 1 red, 1 blue (purchased at Dollar Tree)
• 1 sponge - blue (purchased at Dollar Tree)
• 1 stuffed lamb - white (received as a Christmas gift)
• 1 cup - mostly red (borrowed from our set of Nuby Splish Splash Stacking Bath Cups)
• 1 washcloth - red (from our kitchen)

Though I bought some of these items specifically for the baby to play with, I didn't have the idea for this particular sensory bin until long after my shopping trip, so everything in the bin was something I already owned that happened to fit the color scheme. It's amazing how many everyday objects can be easily repurposed as baby toys!

My daughter has only played with her bin twice so far, but here are some observations:

• She had some trouble getting into the bin and preferred to have me dump the contents out on the floor for her to see. (Her own attempt actually caused the bin to smack her in the face. Oops!)
• She picked up one item at a time, putting each one to her mouth briefly and then setting it down before picking up the next.
• Eventually she settled on some favorite items: the red strand of beads, the blue sponge, and the Linkadoos.
• Pompoms went directly into her mouth, and I didn't feel comfortable letting her have them unless I was right next to her and watching her closely.
• My husband held the red ribbon above her and she batted at it with her hands.
• She showed no interest in the wash cloth.

I think a sensory bin like this would be a perfect activity for families to play with after baby story time, or in the early literacy play centers that are beginning to pop up in some libraries. Unlike so many other baby toys, the items in the bin come with no preconceived notions about how they should be played with, so babies and their caregivers can feel comfortable coming up with their own ideas.  It was also really easy to pull together at home, and it provided an uninterrupted 30 minutes of entertainment for my daughter, which gave me a chance to eat my lunch and finish up a blog post. I definitely think there will be more sensory bins in my family's future!

Flannel Friday is hosted this week by Bridget from What is Bridget Reading. For more about Flannel Friday, visit the official website. There is no Flannel Friday  next week, July 4, but on July 11, the roundup will be here at Story Time Secrets.

Story Time Secrets Reader Survey

Greetings, readers and subscribers! It has been over three years now since I started Story Time Secrets and nearly 4 months since I combined blogs and began posting all my book reviews here. Now that things are more or less settled, I'd like to hear from you.  Please take a moment to fill out my reader survey and let me know how and why you access this blog, what you like about it, and what else you might like to see in the future. There is also an open space in the survey for you to share any other comments you might have. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

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Mommy Librarian's Story Time Secret #1: Sit with the Grandmas!

First I was a children’s librarian. Then I became a mom. As I attend story times with my daughter, I have started to make a list of hints that might be helpful to story time performers and/or story time attendees. Today’s hint is for moms (and dads) who attend story time: When in doubt, sit with the Grandmas!

At every story time I have attended or performed, it seems like there has always been at least one grandmother in attendance. Whether Grandma is the regular caretaker, a one-time babysitter, or an out-of-town visitor, here’s why I recommend sitting next to her whenever possible:

1. Grandma knows how to behave at story time. She remembers the old days when story time was about sitting still and listening. While she might not expect the baby in her care to be completely attentive, she will, without a doubt, be respectful of the story time performer and she will probably not elbow you to make a snarky comment about the silly book the librarian is reading. 
2. Grandma has been there, done that when it comes to meeting other parents, and knows how to smooth over socially awkward situations. Recently, another mom and I were sitting next to the soft blocks after story time, looking back and forth between our babies and each other, struggling for something to say. A grandmother nearby picked up on this and immediately said just the right thing to get the conversation going again. 
3. Grandma says nice things about your baby. People who have just had their first baby or don’t have children at all often don’t know what to say to a new mom about her baby. Not so with Grandma! Grandmothers give great compliments on your baby’s clothes, eyes, and hair, and they always point out how your baby looks just like you. They never say weird things like, “Your baby grew” (because that’s obvious) or “Do you breastfeed?” (because that's personal.) They know what their own daughter would like to hear and they say those things to you.

 Do you use a seating strategy when you bring your kids to story time? Share it in comments!

Fizz Boom Reads: Chapter Books

Though this year's CSLP summer reading theme, Fizz Boom Read, lends itself well to nonfiction reading, it's inevitable that kids will also want to read a few good stories. So far, I have shared my suggested lists for fiction picture books and easy readers. Today's post focuses on chapter books.

Eliza Boom: My Explosive Diary
by Emily Gale, illustrated by Joelle Dreidemy
After many failed attempts, Eliza Boom, a budding inventor, finally creates a useful invention with the help of a classmate.

Stink and the Shark Sleepover
by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Stink and his family win an overnight stay at the aquarium.

Phineas L. MacGuire... Erupts by Frances O'Roark Dowell
After losing his science partner, a friend who has moved away, Phineas "Mac" MacGuire is paired with Mac R., who is notoriously not nice.

Scab for Treasurer?
by Trudy Trueit, illustrated by Jim Paillot
Scab, a self-proclaimed "lab rat," runs for class office, using wild and disgusting stunts to get voters' attention.

Violet Mackerel's Natural Habitat
by Anna Brandford, illustrated by Elanna Allen
Violet learns a hard lesson when she tries to keep a ladybug in captivity overnight.

Marty McGuire Digs Worms
by Kate Messner, illustrated by Brian Floca
As part of her class's effort to save the earth, Marty enlists her grandmother's help in raising worms.

Squish: The Power of the Parasite
by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Squish, a young amoeba, makes friends with a parasite whose sense of humor proves more cruel than funny.

Ivy & Bean: What's the Big Idea?
by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Ivy and Bean struggle to find a suitable project for the class's global warming unit.

The Jelly Bean Experiment
by David Adler
Daniel's unusual classmate, Calvin, uses him as the subject of a strange social experiment involving jelly beans.