Fun Things to do With Toddlers on Bonfire Night

Ok so it's probably a bit late for you to actually do these activities with your toddler tonight, but we did them today so thought I would share.  Maybe you can do them tomorrow as a way of reflecting, or Pin them for next year.

I wanted to do some Bonfire night activities today because we were staying in. (We had terrified both our children sufficiently with fireworks on Saturday)  And I wanted to reflect on their firework experiences thus far. (i.e. try to help them  not to be terrified.)  I hadn't made any decisions about what I would do, but was thinking about something along the lines of flicking paint at black paper and fireworks made of toilet tubes.  But then Pinterest saved the day!

Sometimes activities I do take weeks of planning, ordering items off Amazon, preparing, making parts etc.  and other times they just seems to come together.  I saw this activity on Pinterest literally yesterday, HERE it is, its a great activity, I thought, "yes, I will pop to the shops and get some rice and black food colouring tomorrow and do this activity, BOSH!" 

Then, when I was in ASDA (I went a bit mad I think) and it became abundantly clear that not only could I replicate this marvelous activity I could also enhance it!  With...wait for it....FLASHING BALLS my friends! Oh yes, what could be better for a firework sensory tub than actual flashing spikey balls (in the party section, meant for party-bag gifts I think and on offer 8 balls for £5)!  I also bought parcel bows, tinsel, twirly gift wrap ribbon, and some shiny card. (Did I mention I went a bit mad?!)

This was the awesome result - Fireworks baby!

I made little "Fireworks" by sticking two parcel bows together with two bits of twirly ribbon and some tinsel stuck between them.

And I cut some stars out of the shiney card and glued them together so they were shiny on both sides.

I began the activity with just the balls, then added the rice, then the fireworks, and then the stars.  This seemed to engage Boris more than putting everything in at once. I talked to Boris about fireworks and made firework noises with the little fireworks I made and he mimicked this.

He was very mesmerised by the rice more than anything else and spent a long time running it through his fingers (and pouring it on the floor) and swirling his hands in it. 

If I were to do this activity again I would use a big, low sided tub and put it on the table so that Biscuit (age 1) couldn't get into it (he tried to eat the rice).  I used our water table that we used in the summer for THIS activity. 

In the evening I did this quick activity with chalk that had been soaked in water (it makes the colour brighter!) I said to Boris that we would draw a firework and he did a lovely big circular scribble which I added to with some sparkly type bits round the edge.

Did you do any bonfire related activities with your toddlers?  I have a ton of Autumn related posts to write but they will have to wait for another day.

Hope you are enjoying this (mostly) lovely warm and sunny Autumn.

Sensory rice

My friend told me about this idea, I had seen it before on Pinterest but couldn't visualise how the food colouring would spread through the rice and without the rice going soggy, I thought there was some magical ingredient or process you had to go through to make it, turns out it is totally easy for anyone with more than half a brain. 

All you do is put some rice into a zip lock bag then put a splash of food colouring in, close the bag and give it a shake.  I was told adding a bit of white vinegar makes the colour brighter, so I added a bit to the pink but it took much longer to dry so I didn't bother adding it to any of the other colours.  I then spread the rice out on a tray to dry overnight. 

Unfortunately I actually have ever so slightly less than half a brain (the other half came out with the placenta)  I forgot to zip the bag up before shaking when I dyed the blue.  Cue a kitchen with rice E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E!! 

Boris was very interested in the rice (and I was absurdly excited about giving it to him) he scooped it and mixed it and let it fall through his fingers, he didn't get very far with it before a parcel arrived for my husband FULL of packing noodles (those polystyrene and starch foamy packing things, I call them noodles) and he became totally distracted from the rice.  I didn't mind too much because he was sooo engaged by the noodles, he loved them and spent a long time sat in the box swimming in them, pouring them over his head and generally having a ball.  He did return to the rice later, and played a bit more before starting to spread them around the whole room.  At which point I called it a day on the rice because I didn't fancy spending the rest of the afternoon picking up rice.

Yep, the packing noodles were a big hit!

The rice was the cheap as chips own brand from the supermarket and cost only about 40p, I already had the food colouring, I didn't have to use much except for the pink which I had intended to be red but ran out.  

Have you used sensory rice?  How else did you use it?  I am thinking collaging when he is a bit older.