The Chaos and the Clutter

Christmas

The Grinch Sensory Bottle

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What would the holidays be without the classic story The Grinch?! Bring a bit of that story alive with The Grinch Sensory Bottle. This can also be a wonderful calm down tool.

As the hearts and glitter slowly make their way through the liquid, children will find their breathing slows as they focus on the slow movement. Having at-the-ready calm down tools is especially important for this time of year as some children can find the holidays quite stressful.striped white and red background with a clear bottle with green glitter and red hearts with text that reads "The Grinch Sensory Bottle"

The Grinch Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

Directions:

  1. Empty the glue into the bottle. I like the look of Voss water bottles, but sometimes Michael’s sells sensory bottles that look similar.
  2. Pour warm water into the bottle with the glue about 3/4 of the way full and screw on the lid. Shake to combine.
  3. Adding glitter. Replace the lid and shake again.
  4. Drop in the aquarium rocks and buttons. If necessary, add a bit more water.
  5. Seal the jar and shake well. If the glitter or confetti does not move easily, add more warm water. If the glitter or confetti moves too quickly, add additional glue.
  6. Replace the lid. If you’re going to be using this bottle with younger children, you can secure the lid with hot glue.
  7. If you want to, you can cover the lid with decorative duct tape or washi tape.

As with all sensory activities, adult supervision should be used. Over time, even a lid secured with hot glue can become unsecured.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

This activity engages the visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems.

Because of the glue, the glitter falls slowly in the bottle. This is what creates a calm down bottle and can have a soothing effect on kids (or adults) as they watch the glitter and other items in the bottle slowly move through the liquid.

Read How The Grinch Stole Christmas to your child while they hold and play with their Grinch Sensory Bottle. This will help reinforce what they are hearing and help them maintain focus on the story.

You’ll also enjoy these sensory bottles:

Deconstructed Christmas Tree Sensory Bottle

Nativity Sensory Bottle

I Spy Christmas Counting BottleChristmas I-Spy Counting Discovery Bottle

Christmas Nativity Slime

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Leave it to kids to create the best ideas! While I thought of the nativity slime on my own, it was the imagination of one of the kids that came up with the concept of creating a manger with the slime. The results? Wow!a tiny nativity scene sits inside a manger made out of slime on top of a child's hand with text that reads "Nativity Slime”

I love how this activity allows kids to use their imaginations and interact with the Christmas story. It has the added bonus of providing a calming effect!

You can see that in the video below that this slime has just the right amount of stretch and so many play possibilities.

Nativity Slime Recipe:

  1. Pour the glue into a large mixing bowl and add the baking soda.
  2. Begin to add the contact lens solution a few drops at a time as you stir.
  3. When you find that the mixture begins to pull away from the bowl, knead by hand.
  4. Add the glitter. Knead.
  5. Add the nativity figures and and fold them in.
  6. Continue kneading.
  7. The slime is now ready for play.

Dress It Up 7473 NativityDress It Up 7473 NativityDress It Up 7473 NativityDress It Up Buttons 8816 The Good ShepherdDress It Up Buttons 8816 The Good ShepherdDress It Up Buttons 8816 The Good ShepherdElmer's Liquid School Glue, Clear, Washable, 1 Gallon - Great for Making SlimeElmer’s Liquid School Glue, Clear, Washable, 1 Gallon – Great for Making SlimeElmer's Liquid School Glue, Clear, Washable, 1 Gallon - Great for Making SlimeEquate Saline Solution for Sensitive Eyes Twin Pack, 12 fl oz, 4 countEquate Saline Solution for Sensitive Eyes Twin Pack, 12 fl oz, 4 countEquate Saline Solution for Sensitive Eyes Twin Pack, 12 fl oz, 4 count

Slime Troubleshooting Tips:

If the slime is too sticky, you can try these tips:

  • knead the slime for longer
  • add a drop or two of baby oil
  • or put in a drop or two more of the contact solution

If the slime is too runny, you can try this:

  • mix in a bit more glue

If the slime has lost its stretch:

  • soak in hot water
  • or add a small dollop of lotion

Sensory and Learning Opportunities for the Nativity Slime:

Slime allows children (or adults) to engage their visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems. Because of the way that it engages the proprioceptive system, playing with the slime can have a calming effect.

Kids can use their imaginations to move the nativity figures through the slime or on top of the slime. If they want to, they can even make a complete manger scene with the slime and nestle the baby Jesus inside. Have your child hold and squish and pull their slime while you are reading them the Christmas Story. Allowing them to engage in sensory play will actually help them be more attentive to the story and the figures in the slime will help reenforce the story and improve their memory.

You’re also going to love:

Nativity Sensory Bottle

O Holy Night Sensory Bin

Cookies Bite Size Lessons Sensory and Learning Activities

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Nothing can bring a family together like baking cookies. In the book Cookies, Bite Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Resenthal, children can learn life lessons about love, kindness, and sharing all centered around their favourite food…cookies! Enjoy the book with your child, then take a look at these book based activities designed to extend the learning even further.

These activities are a great way to enjoy the themes of the story long when the book is done, and can help keep kids learning and engaged in a way that is fun and meaningful. yellow book cover and a muffin tin of sprinkles and text that reads "Cookies Bite Size Lessons Sensory and Learning Activities"

Cookies Bite Size Lessons Book Activities:

Activity #1: Cookie Baking Sensory Experience

In this activity, kids will experience the smells and feels associated with cooking baking in a hands on way. It engages the tactile and olfactory sensory systems.

Supplies needed:

  • muffin tin or muffin cups
  • assorted cookie toppings such as candies, cinnamon sprinkles, candy sprinkles, sugar, cloves, and other spices.

Directions:

  1. Start by reading the book with your child. As you look at the pictures, talk about how we can use illustrations to “smell” the pictures. What types of items do you see that make you think of baking scents? Some examples include dough, sugar, candy, etc.
  2. Take a look at the samples you have collected for children to smell. Take turns smelling each sample. Some of the samples can include candy toppings, cloves, cinnamon, and sugar.
  3. Use your adjectives to describe the scents. Do they smell sweet? Spicy? Tasty?
  4. Let children touch and smell each sample and use their adjectives to describe what they are experiencing.

Activity #2: Comprehensive Book Walk

In this activity, children will take a book walk through the text and use this opportunity to ask questions, discuss their favourite pages, and more.

Supplies needed:

  • book
  • Post-it notes
  • pens/pencils

Directions:

  1. Give each child a stack of post it notes as well as a pen or marker.
  2. Go through the book page by page. When children find a page that they have a question about, have them write a “?” on the sticky note and stick it to the page.
  3. When they find a page that excites them or is their favourite, have them write a “!” and stick it on the page.
  4. When you are done walking through the book, take the time to go back and address the sticky notes. These conversations help them develop further comprehension of the text and can help guide the conversation.

Activity #3: Bake and Share

A big theme in the book is sharing with others. For this activity, you will plan, bake, and share your own batch of cookies.

Supplies needed:

  • book
  • ingredients to make cookies
  • construction paper, markers

Directions:

  1. Talk about the themes of the book such as sharing, caring, and love. Talk about who you would like to share cookies with and why.
  2. Bake a batch of cookies. Use this opportunity to practice those measuring skills. Let kids help plan, bake, and clean up.
  3. Take the construction paper and markers and create homemade cards to go with your cookies. Deliver them to family or friends who may enjoy them.
  4. Afterwards, sit down and talk about how sharing and caring feels.

Enjoy this book with your child, then give these fun and educational book based activities a try!

You may also enjoy these book activity ideas:

Have You Filled a Bucket TodayActivities for Have You Filled a Bucket

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake

A Bad Case of StripesA Bad Case of Stripes Activities

Nativity Sensory Activities

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The holidays are a wonderful time to use sensory play. With all the hustle and bustle, it can become even more important for kids to have down time and sensory play allows them to do that. These Nativity sensory activities bring the true meaning of Christmas into that sensory play. a collage of different children's play opportunities with text that reads "Nativity Sensory Activities"

Nativity Sensory Activities:

Invite kids to engage both their creativity and senses with a station for Nativity Playdough.

A perhaps unexpected sensory play recipe is this one for Nativity Slime. It’s a favourite with kids.

Our Nativity Sensory Bottle Snow Globe is a great way to help kids focus on the Christmas story as they try to follow along by finding the corresponding items in the bottle.

We used the same buttons to create our Nativity Sensory Bag.

The Christmas story is the main event with the Sensory Nativity Story Box from The Fairy and The Frog.

Create your own Felt Nativity for kids to interact with like the one at Mama Smiles.

Nativity Sensory Bins:

Our O Holy Night Sensory Bin is a very simple one that keeps the focus on baby Jesus. It costs next to nothing to put together.

The Nativity Sensory Bin at Growing Hands on Kids incorporates homemade elements so kids can really be involved in the process of creating the bin with you. It allows them to make Christmas crafts and then play with those in a very hands-on way.

Away in a Manger Nativity Sensory Bin from The OT Toolbox again begins with kids helping to create the elements that will be used inside the bin, this time making adorable egg carton characters and animals.

Catholic Icing shares their Playmobil Nativity Sensory Bin which has the cutest little stone walking paths and uses blocks to create the buildings.

Happy Hooligans Nativity Sensory Bin for Toddlers and Preschoolers uses any store bought nativity set that you already have so it can be thrown together in a flash.

Children can get in on the story telling with this Nativity Scene Small World Play from The Imagination Tree.

You might also be interested in checking out:

Nativity Chalk Silhouette

Nativity Crafts for ChildrenNativity Crafts and Activities to celebrate the season of Christmas

Deconstructed Christmas Tree Sensory Bottle

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I am so in love with this Deconstructed Christmas Tree Sensory Bottle! It’s really simple and yet, it’s got this kind of whimsical quality to it that reminds me of something Dr. Seuss would have created. little hands hold a bottle full of green pompoms, tiny ornaments, and a star with text that reads "Deconstructed Christmas Tree Sensory Bottle"This is a great quiet activity for kids in amongst the hubbub of the holidays. Every year, I make several seasonal inspired sensory bottles for the kids like our Melted Snowman, Christmas Tree, and Nativity Sensory Bottles. They are small enough that kids can take it with them wherever they go.

Deconstructed Christmas Tree Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

Directions:

  1. Fill the bottle about a quarter of the way with clear dish soap.
  2. Add the pompoms.
  3. Drop in the mini lights, ornaments, garland, and lastly, top it off with the Christmas star.
  4. If there is any space left in the bottle, fill to the top with water.
  5. Replace the lid. If you’re using this with younger kids, hot glue the lid in place to secure.

You can find the supplies to fill this at the Dollar Store, Hobby Lobby, or on Amazon. Of course as with any sensory activity, adult supervision should be used at all times even if the lid is secured in place.

This really does look like a deconstructed Christmas tree in a bottle. It has all the decorations that would be on a tree, right down to the star topper. It even seems to almost look like it’s lit up when you hold it up to the light. It’s so cool!

Sensory and Learning Opportunities for Kids:

If preschoolers are playing with this, you can have them practise colours and counting but asking questions such as, “how many red Christmas lights can you find?” or “Can you count how many silver ornaments there are?”

Exploring with this sensory bottle engages the visual, tactile, and proprioception sensory systems. Sensory play is an important part of learning and development.

Check out these Christmas Sensory Bottles:

Nativity Sensory BottleMelted Snowman Sensory Bottle

Christmas Counting I-Spy Sensory Bottle

Nativity Sensory Bottle Snow Globe

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Is it weird to call a sensory bottle “beautiful”?! Because I really think this one is. The soft colours combined with the calming falling snow make this Nativity Sensory Bottle Snow Globe so pretty.

Sometimes parents can assume that the holidays are a time when kids don’t need as much sensory input because there are so many other things going on, but the opposite is actually true. With the change in routine and all the hubbub, children actually need more regular and varied sensory play to help them manage emotions and mitigate stress. We also use our Christmas Calm Down Kit for this purpose. clear bottle filled with clear liquid, falling snow, and the nativity icons with text that reads "Nativity Sensory Bottle"

I love this Nativity Sensory Bottle as a holiday activity. It highlights the reason for the season. It also creates kind of a snow globe effect because of the snowflakes and glitter. And watching that fall helps kids (or adults) to regulate their breathing and feel more calm.

Nativity Sensory Bottle Snow Globe:

Supplies needed:

Directions:

  1. Fill a plastic bottle about halfway with clear dish soap.
  2. Drop in some glitter.
  3. Add some of the snowflake buttons.
  4. Drop in all the people (buttons) that belong in the nativity scene.
  5. Fill the remaining space with water and screw on the lid.
  6. I suggest that you super glue the lid in place to prevent kids from opening the bottle.

Even if the lid is glued in place, determined kids can get it off and this contains small parts, so adult supervision is required when kids are playing with this.

Sensory Opportunities:

This sensory activity engages both the tactile, visual, and proprioceptive sensory systems. Sensory play is important for development, regulating emotions and behaviour, language development, and so much more.You can also play a game where as you tell or read the Christmas story, your child can find each character in the story as they are talked about. This is a great way to increase their interest and attention to the story. It allows them to participate and engage.

You may also be interested in these Christmas activities:

O Holy Night Nativity Sensory Bin

Nativity Chalk Silhouette

Time Capsule Family Ornament