Simple Sensory Bins For 1 Year Old

M2 (18 months) is super busy right now and it can be very difficult to keep a close eye on her while we are doing school work for M1 - 4 yrs

Sensory bins save the day but the mess can sometimes can be out of control! We cannot wait for the weather to warm up to play with things outside rather than in the house!

She really enjoys the simple sensory bins things like:

Dried Beans

Rice - Colored is especially fun

Lentils

Dried Peas

Water Beads

Cotton balls

Corn

bird seed

Basically anything you can pour, dump, pile or send through a funnel!

My solution to the mess?

the biggest vinyl shower curtain or table cloth you can find!

It works great!

Maple Syrup Snow Candy

A Sugar Snow!!!

We have been trying to fit this fun activity in for awhile and we had a good clean fresh snow the other day and dad went out side and collected a whole pan full of snow to make MAPLE SYRUP CANDY!


Ingredients:
Pure Maple Syrup
Candy Thermometer

1. Gather your snow in a large pan or bowl.

2. Heat syrup in a saucepan until approximately 235-240 degrees depending on how hard you want your candy to be. IF YOU DONT HAVE A CANDY THERMOMETER HERE is a tutorial on how to do it the old way before our modern kitchen tools.


3. When the syrup is heating make sure to keep it at a rolling boil not letting it boil up. WATCH IT CAREFULLY! and adjust heat accordingly.

4. We put it into our gravy boat to pour it then, easier and safer by my mommy standards! Then slowly pour over snow, don't pour too much on top of itself or it will just sink down in the pan. Then you can make swirly designs, letters, etc. The snow helps it harden and then ENJOY! DELICIOUS!

Then while you enjoy your snack read 

Laura Ingalls Wilders Book Sugar Snow

MMMM... Delicious!

Home Made Fruit Leather / Fruit Rollups

The Food Dehydrator is one of my favorite kitchen tools right now!!!!

Here are some of our favorite recipes or combinations:

1. Strawberry Apple Pineapple Fruit Leather 

2. Blueberry Raspberry Mango Fruit Leather

3. Spinach Rashperry Apple Fruit Leather 

TO MAKE FRUIT LEATHER

1. blend in blender

2. Grease plastic liner of dehydrator

3. Pour about 1/4" thick

Time varies by ingredients I use 140-145 degree temp

Other Family Favorites

1. Dried Mango

2. Dried Strawberry

3. Dried apple chips

4. Dried banana chips

5. Dried orange on the rind

6. Zucchini Fruit Snacks

(there is a great tutorial here)

For the Zucchini since we are trying to eliminate processed food I try to use fruit juice, lemon juice, and honey to sweeten and flavor rather than koolaid!