“Perhaps imagination is only intelligence having fun.”  ~George Scialabba

We enjoy our Imagination Bowls here at Small Potatoes. If you haven’t had a chance to see them yet, you can click here, or here to have a little peek. We enjoy them so much we are spreading the love down to our smallest smalls. It’s time for the babies to stop watching and start playing, don’t you think?

Our first bowl is inspired by our outdoor sandbox. It is so difficult to put babies in the sand and not have them eat it, right? Some babies just can’t help themselves. Babies are all about sensory experiences…especially in the “taste” category. I wanted the babies in my care to enjoy playing in the sand without having to police the “hands to the mouth” all the time. And for you mamas out there who want a little kitchen time, you can set this activity up at your feet while you make dinner. Baby will be busy and safe, and you will get things done!

I didn’t use the small plastic bowls for babies, as they are easily tipped, or picked up and dumped. I’m ok with a little mess on my floor, but not keen on the idea of an entire box of cereal on my floor, so I chose to use a heavy enamel bowl. If you don’t have a heavy bowl, you will need to use more “sand” to weigh down the lighter bowls. I like the idea of a bowl because baby legs fit right around them , making it very easy to reach everything.I used Cream of Wheat porridge for the sand. We call it “baby sand.” It’s very similar to what’s out in the sandbox, but doesn’t matter so much if they try to eat it! The babies find the sensory experience intriguing. They typically start out slowly, feeling the sand between their fingers…Pretty soon they are picking up handfuls and dumping it right out of the bowl.Some might even get chucked over their wee shoulders…I suggest a splash mat or plastic table beneath the activity. When baby is finished, it is easy to fold the mat in half and pour the spilled sand back into the bowl for another day.

I added chunky wooden vehicles that I purchased at the Real Canadian Superstore for $3 each. You can add whatever baby safe toys your little one enjoys.There is so much going on in this one very simple activity. Baby can practice his fine-motor skills by drawing with his wee fingers in the spilled sand…Verbal communication is encouraged by sitting with baby and “vrooming” and “beeping” with him as he drives the cars through the sand…His focus and attention span are also given a work-out as he plays so earnestly, enjoying the freedom of this sensory experiment. You can even take those little socks off and get baby’s toes in on the fun…

*Please know that the baby sand brushes off of clothes very easily, it is swept up very easily, and it is well worth the bit of work that goes into setting up and cleaning up this activity.

Don’t forget today is the start of the Weekly Kid’s Co-op for October! Click the link below and join in the fun. You can link up your kid-friendly activity with us by following the simple steps you will see upon clicking the link. Or you can just browse and store up some really great ideas to do with the smalls in your world. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Arlee, Small Potatoes