A Summer Sensory Diet Series: Indoor Ideas for Summer Sensory Fun

Well, if I had been posting daily, we would now be wrapping up a week-long series on Sensory Summer Fun, but since I have been posting as life and inspiration have allowed, we are instead wrapping up a seven-part series, with a few brief tangents into Pausing for Prayer and Address Label Sticker Drawings.  Today, we close by offering:

A Few Indoor Ideas

Although I am a huge outdoor person – and have trained my children to follow suit – others prefer (or need) to stay in the comfort of A/C over the summer months.  So, I would be remiss not to mention some or our tried-and-true sensory ideas for indoor summer fun:

•  Finger paint with shampoo.
•  Enjoy some shaving cream in the tub.
• Use Sensory and Skills spring Activity Bags as inspiration to make summer ones.
• Build an imaginary boat and go on a ride.

And, most importantly, follow your child!   

I followed my children's lead the morning they woke up and wanted to make their own boat (pictured above).  And, I certainly don’t regret it.  Moving chairs provided great heavy work.  Rowing brooms worked arm muscles.  Running about the house to collect gear and doll-passengers provided some extra gross motor fun.  And – wow – the conversations that developed as Luke and Nina narrated our travels through multiple imaginary journeys all morning long! Precious and amusing.

Truly, on the trail, in the community, at the shoreline, in your backyard, at the playground or in the comfort of A/C… wherever you find yourself for the remainder of the summer, there are sure to be plenty of natural opportunities to weave quality sensory experiences into your child’s explorations.  As your child takes interest in something, just go with it! Sensory input with smiles are sure to happen:

Scaling boulders at a concert...

Riding ponies at a Family Day event....

Dodging sprinklers at a splash pad...

I often find that the greatest enjoyment in daily life comes from simply keying into what sparks my children's imaginations and, then, providing opportunities for them to explore these things at their own pace.  Their  investigations and adventures usually include natural sensory input.  And, a well-timed suggestion from me can up the ante for their sensory experiences.  In fact, all of the ideas I shared in this Summer Sensory Diet series blossomed from following my chidlren's interests and needs.

We hope you found some inspiration in:

• a Bucket List of Ideas for Summer Sensory Fun
• Tiny Treasures Egg Carton Walks
• Musical Interludes
• Kerplink-Kerplunk
• Mud Pie Kitchens 
• Animal Adventures

In turn, we welcome your ideas, comments and links as inspiration for us.  So, please don’t hesitate to leave some.

Truly, we read every comment and try to respond to them, too.  In fact, this final post in the Summer Sensory Diet series was inspired by Pamela’s comment.  She said, “Our weather has been close to 100 and well over heat index. I've been helping my daughter come up with fun indoor activities.”  That got me thinking about the fact that I'd neglected to include any indoor activities in this series until today.

Now, it's your turn:  Put on your SPD Lenses as you observe your child and see what nourishment you might add to a healthy summer sensory diet.  We'd love to hear about the recipes for fun you come up with!

A Summer Sensory Diet Series: Mud Kitchens for Sensory Summer Fun

Today, I want to spotlight a childhood favorite to enjoy in your backyard for some Proprioceptive, Gross Motor, Fine Motor and Tactile Fun:

Mud Kitchens

Mud and children.  They are a timeless mix. 

Capitalize on this by having your children build a mud kitchen in your yard.  It can be as simple as a dirt patch, some water and a a few foraged materials brought together for some imaginary mud pie cooking or as complex as, well, time, imagination and resources allow.

To get the full sensory benefit from your mud kitchen, I’d encourage involving your children in its creation from the git-go.

First, bring on the provocation – a suggestion on a rainy day, browsing photos of mud kitchen online, putting out an old muffin tin alongside some water and dirt… whatever you think might capture your children’s interest.

Then, have your child sketch or write notes about some plans for their very own mud kitchen.  Help them imagine the possibilities and brainstorm recycled, foraged or otherwise readily available materials they might use.

Next, get to work!  Hunt down your supplies together and actually build the kitchen.  Do it in an hour, a day, or over weeks (as we have been doing ours!)  Consider using such things as:

• a cooking appliance—an old range, a box made into an oven, shelves with homemade burners
• pots, pans, muffin tines
• large metal or plastic bowls
• cooking utensils
• baskets or buckets
• pitchers of water for cooking
• recycled containers to hold herbs, spices and food decor
• natural items to represent add-in ingredients
• milk crates, boxes or something else to act as shelves
• smocks or trash bags to protect clothing if you wish
• gloves and long utensils for sensory-defensive children to use
• recipe cards, pencils and a recipe box to add a literacy element
• log pieces or other found items to be used as tables and chairs
• a large bowl or dishpan to be used as a sink
• sifters, colanders and other cooking pieces
• towels, dishrags, potholders

Finally, get cooking with a large portion of imagination!

Truly, whether you design, build and begin using your mud kitchen all in one short afternoon or make it a longer project, you will likely find that it can provide hours of active, open-ended play which fosters imagination and creativity while encouraging sensory input.

Looking Through Your SPD Lenses

Sketching out plans for your mud kitchen, as well as using utensils in it and decorating mud pies and cakes works fine motor skills.

Searching for, lifting and carrying materials to be used in the construction of the kitchen is great gross motor heavy work, giving the proprioceptive sense a work out, especially if you have your kids haul bricks as mine did.

And, of course, making mud pies and other concoctions is a tactile activity.

The following skills also come into play:

• Visual Attention – for building the kitchen as well as for making pies.
• Eye-Hand Coordination – for building and baking
• Reaching/Arm Extension – for stirring, getting supplies, etc.
• Motor Planning – for building and baking
• Two-Handed Play – for midline focus and transferring and bilateral coordination
• Self Esteem – for a job well done after building the kitchen or baking up some wonderful mud treats
• Sequential Thought – for deciding how to make design plans a reality as well as for cooking up  and serving mud recipes
• Cause and Effect – for example, if I add a cup of water, what happens to the sand?

Indeed, the seemingly simple concept of making mud pies is rich in sensory input and skills development.

Extensions/Variations

(1) Add some extra tactile stimulation by providing water at different temperatures for the making of mud – ice cold, cool, warm and hot – or by changing the media used to make the mud – sand, dirt with gravel mixed in, soil, compost, etc.

(2) Literacy in the mud?  Why not?  Use rocks and twigs to spell out names or initials to decorate mud cakes.

(3) Practice grace and courtesy – or live out a social story – by having a mud tea party or pizza party.

(4) Adapt the kitchen to special interests to further creative dramatic play – a café, a pet treat shop, a camp ground, a firehouse kitchen, a truck stop, etc.

(5) Add some olfactory stimulation by adding scented materials – coffee grounds to the mud, sweet smelling flowers to the cake décor, fresh cut grass or freshly fallen pine needles as herbs, etc.

Mud kitchens truly are a timeless, adaptable activity that appeals to many children.  We have enjoyed many variations of them over the past few years, all of which provide great sensory input.

How about you?  Any great mud pie recipes?  Other backyard ideas?  We’d love to hear about your favorite sensory-based backyard experiences.  Please share!  And, stay tuned soon for the next part of the series, when we’ll be sharing an idea for the playground.

Until then, please feel free to enjoy any of the Summer Sensory Diet Series posts you may have missed:

• a Bucket List of Ideas for Summer Sensory Fun
• Tiny Treasures Egg Carton Walks
• Musical Interludes
• Kerplink-Kerplunk

Since my children are still enjoying their mud kitchen, I decided to link this post to the Weekly Kid's Co-op.  I think it's definitely an idea worth pursuing for any child!

A Summer Sensory Diet Series: Kerplink-Kerplunk for Sensory Summer Fun

So far in our Summer Sensory Diet Series, we have shared:

• a Bucket List of Ideas for Summer Sensory Fun
• Tiny Treasures Egg Carton Walks
• Musical Interludes

Today, I want to spotlight a classic activity that we enjoy whenever we are at a shoreline which offers Auditory, Visual, Proprioceptive, Gross Motor, Fine Motor and a touch of Gustatory Fun:

Kerplink-Kerplunk

Got a bucket or heavy-duty? How about some crunchy snacks? Then, you are all set for this simple, but kid-proven activity.

Head to your nearest shoreline. It doesn’t matter if it’s at the ocean, near a pond, along a river or even just a mock-one made from a kiddie pool in your yard.

Once there, hand out buckets or shopping bags and ask everyone to fill them with as many different sizes, shapes and colors of rocks as they can.

What an arm!

Finally, gather at the waterline, make sure there’s no one in the water in front of you and start tossing the collected rocks in– one at a time.  As you do, listen carefully.  Do they “kerplink” (make a light splashing sound) or “kerplunk” (make a heavy splashing sound)?

When arms start getting tired, pull out some crunchy snacks for a break and a bit of oral-motor/gustatory stimulation. (As always, think salty, sweet, tangy, spicy and/or chewy when packing snacks, with heavy emphasis on the crunchy for this activity, since crunchy foods tend to fare better if accidentally dropped in sand or water.)  Then, get back to the rock tossing.

Looking Through Your SPD Lenses

Listening for the sound of the rocks as they splash into the water, of course provides auditory stimulation. Try closing your eyes as you throw to really help you focus on the “kerplink” as versus “kerplunk” sounds for auditory discrimination practice. And, while you’re tuned in, enjoy noting all the other sounds at the shoreline – bird calls, breezes, laughter, etc

Searching the shore for different sizes, shapes and colors of rocks offers visual stimulation. And, if you’re prone to over-stimulation, shades and/or a wide brimmed beach hat can help!

Rock-Hauling Muscles

Carrying the heavy rocks, as well as throwing them into the water works the proprioceptive sense. Try throwing the rocks underhand, overhand, like a fastball pitcher, with two hands, through the legs, and so on to ensure even more muscles and joints get used!

And, of course, the walking and throwing work the gross motor muscles, while the picking up of rocks works the fine motor ones.

Noting the flavors of snacks, not to mention tasting the sensation of sprayed sea or fresh water, offers some gustatory stimulation.

Extensions/Variations

(1) Try to predict which rocks will make a “kerplink” sound and which will make a “kerplunk” sound before tossing them in. Test if the size or shape of rocks makes a difference. How about the way in which they are thrown?

(2) In addition to rocks, collect different natural objects to throw into the water – twigs, sea glass, stones, pebbles, sand... Which ones make what kind of sounds? Do some sink and some float? Experiment and get some extra tactile sensations going as each type of object is grasped to be tossed in.

(3) Make a rain storm by first throwing a few rocks in quick succession, or all at once, and then throwing a big handful or rocks or sand. Try to simulate the start of a storm, a driving rain shower, a mere pitter patter, etc.

(4) Have contests to see who can throw rocks the farthest, make the biggest splash, disturb the surface of the water the least, skip rocks, etc.

(5) Try splashing rocks into the water without using your hands. Balance one on an elbow or knee and jerk that body part away. Hold one under your chin, walk into the water and let it drop. Try to hip check one into the water. (Just be extra careful to give everyone space when experimenting like this, so no rock goes astray, injuring a bystander!)

Onto sandcastle time...

As always, make enjoyment the key aim of this activity.  If it leads to a new exploration, let it.  Follow your child’s interests wherever the activity leads.  Keep your SPD Lenses on and offer gentle suggestions of make pointed challenges in order to make any activity even more nourishing to your child’s sensory system.

We’d love to hear about your favorite sensory-based shoreline activities.  Please share!  And, stay tuned soon for the next part of the series, when we’ll be sharing an idea for your back yard!

A Summer Sensory Diet Series: Musical Interludes for Sensory Summer Fun

So far in our Summer Sensory Diet Series, we have shared:

-          a Bucket List of Ideas for Summer Sensory Fun and

-          Tiny Treasures Egg Carton Walks

Today, I want to spotlight a fun frugal (read: free) activity that we enjoy out in the community:  time at summer concert series for Auditory, Fine Motor, Gustatory, Gross Motor, Motor Planning, Proprioceptive and Vestibular fun:

Musical Interludes

 

Got a blanket? How about a picnic bag, a basket or a cooler to pack some chewy or crunchy tidbits into? Then, you are all set for some family fun at your local free summer concert series. 

Okay, you might need to pack a few more things, of course – bug spray, sun lotion, extra clothing, even ear plugs if your child has sensitive hearing – but the bare minimum is the blanket and the food, in my opinion.

Now, it’s not rocket science how this input for great summer sensory input goes. – pack the picnic, go to the venue, spread out your blanket, eat, listen to the music and enjoy.

Through Your SPD Lenses

The difference in just attending a free concert and in attending one as a sensory experience, is all in the details.

Pack your picnic, keeping crunchy, chewy, salty, sweet, tangy and/or spicy foods in mind for the greatest oral-motor and gustatory stimulation.  If possible, have your child help you prepare and pack whatever items you choose.  It’s a perfect natural activity for encouraging strong motor planning and fine motor skill use and gets tactile stimulation in.  Slicing fruits and vegetables.  Putting lids onto food containers.  Doling crunchy or salty snacks into personal portions, placing them in bags and pressing to seal the bags. All these things provide ample opportunity for working fine motor muscles.

Once packed, when you get to the concert venue park a little ways away (but not so far you’ll tire your child out just by getting to the stage area.).  Have your child help you carry the blanket, food and other thing you’ve packed in order to get some heavy work in.

Then, depending on how your child does with loud sounds and crowds, spread your blanket down in a spot you feel will work.  In other words, choose one in the thick of things or on the outskirts, depending on your child’s auditory comfort level.

Spot picked, it’s time to enjoy the picnic and music.  Drumming fingers and hands on food containers to the beat.  Dancing to it.  Jumping to it.  Rocking to it.  Spinning to it.  All these things provide opportunities for proprioceptive and vestibular input.  Just be sure to gauge your child.  Know when to encourage more movement and when it might be time for a calming, deep-pressure cuddle.

Extensions/Variations

(1) Look around at the venue you are in.  What natural elements are there for input for the large muscle and small muscle groups?  Are there boulders for climbing up on and jumping off of?  Hills to climb up and roll down?  Water to toss rocks into?  At each concert venue we attend, we always find such elements that become “traditional” spots for the kids to have fun and for us to know we are sneaking in more nourishment for their sensory diets.

(2) Might you pack any little extras to encourage further vestibular or proprioceptive input?  At one venue we attend, the organizers provide hula hoops, bubbles and jump ropes for the children to play with.  Brilliant!  Most of the children love to play with these as they listen to the music.  Other children ask to take the equipment a bit further from the music area so they can tune out for a bit while concentrating on something else.

(3) Might you add a bit of visual tracking into the experience?  At some concerts, we’ve taken to bringing a small soft rubbery ball with us.  Then, our son can get visual tracking and motor planning practice by playing a game of traditional catch or by tossing it up into the air or against a tree or wall, following its course in order to catch it.

(4) What kinds of instruments can you make with the objects you have in your packed bags or ones found on the site?  Rocks in a plastic food container make a great shaker.  Almost anything can be a drum.  An elastic around and open container can become a stringed instrument for plucking.  (Think pincer skills with that one!)

(5) After attending a concert, let your children plan and set up their own, in your house or outside.  Setting it up makes for great heavy work.  Performing allows for creativity and more sensory input.

How do you slip sensory experiences into your child’s summer through musical interludes?  What do you do to tailor the activities to your child's needs?  Do you have further ideas for weaving fun and input into such experiences.  Do share!

And, check back soon for the next part of our Summer Sensory Diet Series to join us at the water’s edge.

This post is being shared at Life as Mom's Frugal Fridays.

A Summer Sensory Diet Series: Tiny Treasure Egg Carton Walks for Sensory Summer Fun

Today, I want to spotlight an activity we enjoy when summer days are not too hot:  time out on the trails for Tactile Olfactory, Proprioception, Gross Motor and Fine Motor fun.

Tiny Treasures Egg Carton Walks 

Grab some egg cartons and go! What could be simpler than that?

Head to your back woods, seaside trail or any nearby green space or beach and enjoy a family nature walk. The more hills or dunes the better – since walking up and down them works muscles! Fallen trees for balancing, large rocks for lifting and looking under, boulders for climbing up and jumping off, plus varied trail floors (think sand, packed dirt, gravel, etc.) are all extra bonuses. Not only do they add to the adventure, but they help feed the senses a richer diet!

Once on the trail, challenge every hiker with you to fill each section of an egg carton with a different tiny treasure.

For younger children who tire of carrying things quickly, or for any child who needs both hands for balance, consider, bringing along a back pack to hold the egg carton, or simply use a plastic shopping bag with one hole over each of the child’s shoulders, as a make shift back pack.

When you finish your hike, explore each collected item, talking about its texture, trying to identify its name, even sketching things if you like.  Or, like we did recently, add an extra element of tactile input in by capping things off with a sink or float experiment.

Looking through your SPD Lenses

This activity feeds the tactile sense due to the textures of objects found as well as those brushed against while hiking. Plus, if you have tough feet and are in a safe place, the trail floor can give a little extra sensation – nothing wrong with going barefoot!

Trails are full of different scents. Breathe deeply and take them all in for some olfactory sense stimulation!

Climbing hills, moving up and down along trails and lifting logs, rocks and debris to search for tiny treasures are all effective proproceptive activities.

The trunk, leg and arm muscles are employed to navigate the trails, providing gross motor activity, while using the pincer grasp to pick up objects and place them in the egg carton sections provides fine motor focus.

 Extensions/Variations

(1) Before heading out to the trails, print pictures of, or sketch, 12 small objects. Tape these to the top of your egg cartons and challenge everyone to scavenge for similar items to fill their egg cartons with.

(2) At the trailhead, brainstorm 12 or more small objects that you might find which would fit in the carton’s sections. Race to find them and fill your egg carton.

(3) Have a contest to see who can find the most unique items. The most items of a specific color in varying shades (think browns, greens, grays –and visual discrimination, too!); the most variation in textures (prickly, sandy, smooth, rough, hard, etc.); the most examples of any one kind of thing (seeds, rocks, leaves, etc.) or the most differently scented items (think pine, blooms, hummus, etc.)

(4) Tie the walk to themes of interest or study – rocks and minerals, identifying tree types by examining leaves and bark, finding plant parts, using one side of the carton for living and one side for non-living things, etc.

(5) Enjoy some fine motor artistry by breaking out pens, pencils, paint or other art mediums after hiking, to create pictures based on objects found. Or, grab glue and paper and make a collage.

For additional egg carton walk ideas, see 7 Egg Carton Nature Walks at Squidoo.  It’s not a well-developed page, but it offers some further ideas.

Or, try a color walk.  No egg carton needed, but a camera is handy!

Also, if you haven’t had a chance to read a Bucket List of Ideas for Summer Sensory Fun , click on over for 15 more ways you can feed your child's need for sensory experiences in the coming weeks.

Finally, be sure to share your favorite ideas for nature walks and summer sensory experiences below and be sure to stop back soon for a sensory-based musical interlude.

A Summer Sensory Diet Series: A Bucket List of Ideas for Sensory Summer Fun

A while ago, Mom Guide commented on our Media and Our Boy’s Mind post:

 "We are trying to plan a sensory fun summer minus a lot of TV and screen related games. Do you have any recommendations for a fun sensory summer?"

Silly me commented back that I would get some ideas up within a week.  Sorry, Mom Guide!  Make that within two months.  Life (kids, homeschooling) is what happens when you’re making other plans, folks say.  And, for me, blogging is what happens when those plans allow, it seems.

Anyway, without further ado, as we head into the next month of summertime, let me make it up to Mom Guide – and share with all – a multi-part series to highlight some of our favorite tried-and-true Sensory Summer Fun for the Sun (or Shade) ideas, as well as some we have on our list to try out.

Now, as I think “lists”, I have decided to start out with a brief Bucket List for Summer Sensory Fun. (I wrote about making a more general Summer Bucket List at Signature Moms and shared our own list, which included many sensory-friendly ideas here, if you are interested.)   

Here 15 quick ideas that get kids away from screen time and into sensory summer fun, giving them back a bit more of the traditional (and not-so-traditional) summer fun that I think all kids should experience: 

1. Play in the sand.  At the beach, in sandboxes or in the dirt patch in front of our home, our kids often self-regulate through sand play.  Building with sand, walking in sand, digging tunnels in sand, burying feet and running along a shore line are all great for sensory input.  Just be cognoscente of tactile defensiveness.  For some children, offering an extra set of clothes, a change of shoes, digging tools or a large towel or blanket to sit on can keep “fun” sand from becoming “irritating” sand.
2. Check out a new playground.   As a confirmed Playground Junkie, I always have a list of playgrounds in my mind to offer opportunities for my children to enjoy working on balance, coordination, bilateral skills and social skills, while getting great sensory input through climbing, sliding, swinging, hanging, balancing and crawling on equipment.
3. Get in the water.  When my children are antsy or argumentative, I find our local wading pool, beach or splash pad provides a great panacea.  Splashing, swimming and playing in the water focus and calm them (this year.  Last year, our SPD kid still struggled with water at times.)  And, water can be an excellent environment for vestibular and proprioceptive input.  Army crawling or walking on hands in shallow water can provide arm and core strengthening benefits.  Swimming provides tactile input, while working strength and endurance.  Pulling or pushing others on rafts is good heavy work.  Riding or spinning on a boat or raft provides vestibular input, core strengthening and balance.  With all these things, though, be sensitive to what your child might be defensive with – certain swimwear fabrics, levels of chlorine, loud echoes at indoor pools, water that is too warm or too cold, etc.  – and stay alert for signs of over-stimulation.
4. Make an outdoor sensory box.  For us, two green plastic sandboxes are our giant outdoor sensory boxes.  They get filled with sand, mud, water, ice, shaving cream, grass clippings...  You name it.  We’ve even used them to hold "paint" in order to paint a concrete wall.  If you don’t have a big green sandbox, an underbed container, large dishpan, blow up pool or similar can do the trick.  Also, if you'd like some further specific ideas for outdoor Sensory Sandboxes, please pop over to see my previous post at OJTA.)
5. Jump on a trampoline.  We like to drag our mini-tramp outside in the summer.  This, alone, provides heavy work.  Then, proprioceptive and vestibular work get added as we use the trampoline as part of an obstacle course or just as an activity on its own.  Anytime you use a trampoline, keep safety in mind first.
6. Enjoy messy art outdoors.  Chalk, shaving cream, paint, goop, pud – any "messy" art media – can be moved outside and then “cleaned” or “erased” with squirt guns, sprinklers or a hose.  Lots of tactile work and pressure-grading are used by doing this.  Also, scavenged natural items can substitute for traditional ones.  Pine needles, weeds or sticks can be paint brushes.  Rocks, sidewalks and driftwood can be paper.  Sand or gravel can be added to media for a new texture.  The more you trade traditional items for natural ones, the more tactile input and motor skill use you'll encourage.  Truly, great sensory-sound art is waiting just outside the front door. 
7. Blow bubbles.  It’s a classic oral-motor activity with applications for all the senses, as described in my Seven Sense-ational Way to Use Bubbles post at OJTA.  Good thing our Nina always asks for them for her birthday, because we go through them quickly and appreciate stocking up on them through gifts.  We like reading about them, too.  You can see our Book Nook: Bubbles! Bubbles post for some good literacy connections.
8.  Go hiking, geocaching or letterboxing.  We enjoy hiking when it is not too hot.  It provides sensory input while building stamina.  And, if your state has anything like MA’s Passport Program, you can win prizes, too, which can serve as a motivating factor for "tired" kids.  Just pick your trails with your own child's needs and abilities in mind.  Challenging ones?  Yes.  Too much challenge?  No.  It can lead to unpleasant, defeating experiences.
9. Play with pool noodles – even on the land.  We love ours and find many uses for them from hockey to obstacles courses to Seven All-Season Reasons for Pool Noodles.  Pool noodles not only seem to stir up creativity in our home, but ensure great heavy work and movement.
10. Find a hill.  Grass sled.  Roll down the hill.  Run up it.  Play King or Queen of the Mountain.  Thesre will be lots of vestibular and proprioceptive input involved, as well as some tactile (with the rolling in the grass and maybe some barefoot play, too.)
11. Have a motor/riding toy parade.  Pogo sticks, bouncy hop balls, tricycles, bicycles, plasma cars, scooters, wagons.  You name it.  If it’s got wheels or you can ride on it somehow, make it part of a parade.  Use creativity and fine motor skills to decorate the toys and then get large motor sensory input while using them.  Provide extra heavy work by having your child push or pull another child on a toy.  Give extra sensory input by having your child ride backwards in a pulled toy.
12. Make obstacle courses and/or run relays.  These are fantastic not only as heavy work, but to encourage creative planning, balance and plain old fun!  Including some water elements can keep you cool.  Incorporating wheelbarrow races, crab walking, bear walking and army crawling can work toward core strengthening.
13. Pick up a sheet or parachute and invite some friends to play on the lawn.  Lift it.  Dip it.  Walk around it. Bounce balls or balloons on it.  Run under it.  Pop cotton ball popcorn atop it.  Make waves with it.  Hide under it.  Provide fun and sensory input at many levels, while working social skills, teamwork and the ability to follow directions.
14. Gaze at the sky.  For visual tracking, lay on your back and watch airplanes or birds fly across the sky or bubbles and dandelion seeds float away.  While you’re at it, key into auditory input by being quiet for a few minutes and seeing how many natural and manmade sounds you can hear.
15. Cool off through straws.  Lemonade, shakes and smoothies seem synonymous with summertime.  Suck them through a variety of straws – twisty ones, fat ones, coffee stirrers, etc. – for increased oral motor input.
16. Make work into play.  Have fun doing chores such as gardening, washing the car or washing windows and siding.  These make great family projects that can lead to water fights and laughter, while also encouraging teamwork, follow-through, heavy work and tactile input.

These ideas, of course, are suggested with children who have sensory integration issues in mind, but they are equally beneficial for any child.  Sensory fun is for everyone, including parents, who will share more summer smiles when sensory diets keep all their kids regulated and entertained.

For more ideas for the seven senses (sight, sound, taste, smell, touch, hearing, vestibular and proprioception), keep dropping by this week and next.  As our own summer fun (and appointments) allow, I will be adding parts to this series that spotlight particular ideas.  And, of course, if you have your own summer sensory ideas or want to offer new twists on ones I have already shared, I would welcome your input in a comment!

Have a sense-ational remainder to your summer.  Stop by soon to read about how we integrate fun and learning out on the trails.

I am linking this post to Give Back Thursday, as I think that offering our time to ensure our kids get all the sensory experiences they need is a vital part of parenting!

Our Summer Bucket List – 94 Activities to Enjoy This Summer

Ninety-four days.

Did you know that’s how long summer is this year?  

Go to a concert at the Pine Hills -- Check!

It most certainly is – from the Summer Solstice to the Autumn Equinox.  And guess what?  We still have about 2/3’s of summer left to enjoy full days, free days, days that we race through and those that we laze through.  Every day this summer can become that much more pleasing by spending time dipping into a Summer Bucket List.  And, I am so thankful for that!

Ride a boat -- Check!

Now, as we reach the third-of-the-way-through-summer mark, I think it is fortuitous that I rediscovered the Summer Bucket List that Luke, Nina and I created last month in a notebook while sitting under the shade of a tree in our front yard.  Looking at our list makes me realize that, just by having written our ideas down, we became more likely to actually experience them.  For, indeed, we have already enjoyed over half the items we had listed, and I know we’ll have opportunities to enjoy a plenty more:

Party before the bonfires -- check!

Our Summer Bucket “Done” List

1.      Giggle at the Splash Pad at Nelson Park in Plymouth (Nina, Luke and Mom)

2.      Go to the beach.  (Nina)

3.      Run at Grammy and Grampy’s.  (Nina)

4.      Jump in puddles. (Nina)

5.      Run around on the beach. (Nina)

6.      Put water in cracks. (Nina)

7.      Go for a bike (trike) ride. (Nina)

8.      Splash at the Wading Pool at the Freetown State Forest. (Luke and Nina)

9.      Go to a concert. (Nina)

10.  Make sandcastles. (Nina)

11.  Climb rocks at the beach. (Nina)

12.  Go to Auntie's house. (Luke)

13.  Have Jack’s birthday party. (Luke)

14.  Go on a trip with Grampy and Daddy (Luke)

15.  Learn about outer space. (Luke)

16.  Make tunnels at the beach. (Luke)

17.  Look for shells. (Luke)

18.  Go to Luke’s first movie for the first time at a movie theater. (Luke)

19.  Go to a concert at the Pine Hills. (Luke)

20.  Go to a waterfront concert. (Luke)

21.  Explore the jungle or the woods or the Blue Hills because they are just better. (Luke)

22.  Catch bugs. (Luke)

23.  Jump on Auntie’s trampoline. (Luke and Nina)

24.  Go to the pool at Daddy’s work. (Luke)

25.  Ride a boat. (Luke)

26.  Watch the leaves dance above our heads in the wind. (Mom)

27.  Listen to the birds singing. (Mom)

28.  Lay and look at the clouds rolling by. (Mom)

29.  Spot airplanes in the sky and track them with our eyes. (Mom)

30.  Inspect flowers in our yard. (Mom)

31.  Eat berries off the bushes in our yard. (Mom)

32.  Picnic for dinner at a playground. (Mom)

33.  Go to White Horse Beach. (Mom)

34.  Watch a thunder and lightening storm. (Mom)

35.  Swim in the rain. (Mom)

36.  Do a Passport Hike. (Mom)

37.  Have a picnic at the Fish Hatchery in Sandwich. (Mom)

38.  Use a library pass for parking so we could enjoy a day at Scussett Beach. (Mom)

39.  Enjoy our front yard during Stay Days. (Mom)

40.  Make a “bucket elevator” over a tree branch. (Mom)

41.  Host a family party. (Mom)

42.  Enjoy a dinner picnic in our front yard. (Mom)

43.  Eat meals on the back deck. (Mom)

44.  Go on a family walk to a playground after dinner. (Mom)

45.  Make juice wigglers. (Luke and Mom)

46.  Meet old friends at the beach over the July 4^th weekend. (Mom)

47.  Party with our extended family at the annual family cook out and auntie’s birthday party over Independence Day Weekend (Mom, Luke and Nina)

48.  Watch the flames dance in a bonfire at the boat ramp on the 3^rd. (Mom)

49.  Participate in a bit of Americana by attending the North Middleboro Fourth of July Parade. (Mom, Luke and Nina.)

50.  Ooo and aaah at the fireworks at the Plymouth Waterfront. (Mom, Luke and Nina)

51.  Read lots of books as we participate in the library’s summer reading program. (Mom)

52.  Follow bunnies, turkeys and other creatures through our yard. (Mom)

53.  Go for a boat ride. (Mom)

54.  Let the kids get up on Seaweed Rock. (Mom)

55.  Look for crabs. (Mom)

56.  Play in our sensory sandbox. (Mom)

57.  Spend a TH night at the Farmer’s Market in Plymouth, enjoying a beach picnic and time at the playground. (Mom)

58.  Go to Organization Day at Daddy’s work. (Mom)

59.  Spend time in water as much as possible. (Mom)

Look for crabs -- Check!

Our Summer Bucket “Opportunities” List

60.  Go to Grammy and Grampy’s for family time. (Nina)

61.  Make cookies (Nina)

62.  Camp.  (Nina)

63.  Make popsicles. (Nina)

64.  Go to a park we have never been to before. (Nina)

65.  Check out a new splash pad. (Nina)

66.  Have a party at Grammy’s. (Luke)

67.  Make a tree house. (Luke)

68.  Do worksheets on rainy days. (Luke)

69.  Eat a crab. (Luke)

70.  Go see Winnie the Pooh at the movies. (Luke)

71.  Learn to swim. (Luke)

72.  Go to the big kid skating park to ride our bikes and trikes. (Luke)

73.  See a dog at a pet store. (Luke)

74.  See a kitty at Uncle and Auntie's house. (Luke)

75.  Sit around a fire in our fire pit. (Mom)

76.  Wash the minivan together. (Mom)

77.  Go berry picking. (Mom)

78.  Ride bikes and trikes at the Cape Cod Canal. (Mom)

79.  Sketch blooms in the yard. (Mom)

80.  Collect starfish and shells at Scusset Beach. (Mom)

81.  Explore Ellisville Harbor. (Mom)

82.  Sing in the rain. (Mom)

83.  Send homemade boats down rain rivulets. (Mom)

84.  Paint with rain.

85.  Attend Elephant Day at Buttonwood Zoo. (Mom)

86.  Explore Center Hill Preserve. (Mom)

87.  Eat popcorn at a concert. (Luke)

88.  Stroll along the Water Fires in Providence. (Mom)

89.  Use our Buttonwood Pass to enjoy reciprocal locations, such as Science Museum. (Mom)

90.  Spend a day at Capron Zoo. (Mom)

91.  Enjoy play dates with friends we have not seen in a while. (Mom)

92.  Picnic for dinner on the town hall lawn on a free concert night. (Mom)

93.  Go whale watching. (Mommy)

94.  Lie on a blanket at night and gaze at the universe. (Mom)

Picnic after the Farmer's Market -- Check!

 (For the record, Daddy was consulted about this list and added that he just wanted to have as much time outside and at the beach as possible.  We’ve been doing the former weeknights and the latter mostly on our Sabbath Days!)

Enjoy the front yard during Stay Days -- Check!

 Perhaps some of our ideas will inspire you to enjoy intentional, mostly free fun over the 60+ days that are still left to Summer 2011.  Or, maybe you’d like to write your own list.  It’s not too late to do so.  You can even click on over to my How-To Make a Summer Bucket List post at Signature Moms for some easy pointers.

Make a bucket elevator -- Check!

Whatever you choose to do this summer, enjoy!  I know we have been appreciating Stay Days, taking breaks between appointments and savoring Sabbath Days with our list.  We’d also love to hear some of your ideas for summer fun.

 

Since I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to slip fun, intentional living in between appointments, home upkeep and the other more mundane parts of life, I am sharing this post at Thankful Thursday.  Please browse the links there to be inspired by what others are grateful for today. 

Sensory Snow and Ice Tray

Too cold or stormy outside to get some creative free play in the great outdoors?  Too warm (oh, how we wish some days) to enjoy seasonal snow?  Then, perhaps you'd enjoy helping your children make their very own Sensory Snow and Ice Tray.  It's easy

1. Run about a half-inch of water into the base of a plastic food container and freeze it.
2. Gather a tray, some favorite figurines and shaving cream.
3. Squeeze the shaving cream liberally all over the tray to make "snow", leaving but one small space clear.
4. Once the water has frozen in the plastic food tub, pop it out and put in that space.

Viola!  Your own Sensory Snow and Ice Tray - an indoor winter wonderland for imaginative minds, as great for creating stories as for retelling ones you've been reading through a bit of dramatic play.  Good for learning - or just for plain old fun!  And, great for keeping hands and minds happily engaged while attending to other children, a phone call or a few brief chores.

Gotta love Luke's current obsession with hockey for inspiring this take on our sensory and shaving cream fun.  Textures.  Temperatures.  Great tactile input!  A delectable bite for a healthy sensory diet and another good tie in for our book of the week - The Snowy Day.  (Sensorimotor/movement lesson ideas for that here and storyhour ideas here.)

We'd love to hear about some of your recent sensory play and learning experiences.  Do share them in a comment.  And, if you'd like to peruse others tips today, be sure to check out Many Little Blessings' Helpful Homeschool Hints, where this post is being shared.