Maria, from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, made her own “sand”. Let’s take a look…
What did you do?
Sensory Plays are my absolute favourite! Not only they boost creativity and problem solving skills but also help in developing hand eye coordination, improving fine motor skills and encouraging scientific thinking in children. So I decided to start from scratch and create my own resources! It started with a discussion on textures and colours of sands and if we can make it ourselves! So We did!!
Just 2 ingredients; Salt + Liquid Food Colour. We mixed them together and let dry in sunlight for 15 minutes. Voila our sand was ready!
Once done, my son played with it for hours. Scooping, measuring, transferring and finally ended up making amazing sand art by extending his sensory play to pretend play. We played together pretending to be on the beach with refreshing drinks and frozen snacks! It was such fun!
Since the activity is so simple everything worked. Just that, it was a bit of a mess to clean up as after hours of play sand was all over the room but we cleaned it up together.
Do you have any other projects planned?
We are planning to read all our favourite authors and recreate the scenes from the stories in our home.
Tell the Housebound With Kids community a bit about yourself…
I am Maria, a qualified Early Years Educator residing in Abu Dhabi. Currently, I am a stay at home Mum of 2 boys who are 5 and 1 year old. I love to teach through play-based sensory activities as they are extremely stimulating, boost children’s natural curiosity and they learn at their own pace according to their interests.
@glitters.798
How are you finding being housebound so far?
Being housebound has its own challenges as children miss socialising with their friends and their outdoor play the most. So I make sure they get to spend some time out on their bikes and have access to their friends via virtual means. We spend quality time playing sensory games indoors and read lots of books that my son has interest in. Also, platforms like housebound with kids provide a lot of ideas to keep children engaged and happy in these testing times.
Do you have any tips for other parents?
Children love to explore and ask questions. These are very challenging times where they are stuck indoors away from their friends and teachers. It’s best to provide them with quality time and age-appropriate activities according to their interest so they enjoy their time at home. It’s hard and there may be a meltdown or two but its okay. This is very new for them and they are adjusting like us!
Has this website and community helped you?
It’s an awesome forum where educators, parents and carers get excellent ideas to help in supporting not just children but themselves too during these challenging times.
