Flower Garden Sensory Bin

Flowers are so much fun for little hands! Harper loves to pick them, plant them and even pull the weeds. I made a fun flower garden sensory bin for her and this super simple bin has not disappointed Harp at all!

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Supplies:

Dried black beans

Artificial flowers

Small terracotta pots

Sand toys

A clip case box

Instructions:
Pour the dried black beans into the container.
Add Terracotta Pots and artificial flowers.

Offer a variety of tools to explore the beans with. Plastic serving tongs, sand toys
like shovels and rakes, kitchen spoons and small gardening spades are all fun options for

small hands. I chose items that would fit into the container with the lid for easy clean up and storage.

This is a sensory bin your little ones will want to play with many more times.

With supervision allow your child to explore the beans, the tools and plant the flowers.

This bin was so simple. But, the best things in life usually are.

As I put the bin out, Harp was ready to start gardening right away. Rolf heard the beans being poured into a pot and he exclaimed "I love these bins!"

He naturally wanted to play too. Harper was more than happy to share her flower garden with Rolf.

The kids loved the sound the beans made when poured into the pots. They also like the smoothness of the beans.

To make it even more realistic, I later added a drop of rose to a few flowers and jasmine to a few others to add the fun of fragrance to the bin.

Wen playtime was over it was simple to lay everything in the box and snap the lid on for easy storage. 

We will definitely be playing with this again! 

You might also like this In the Sky Sensory Bin.
Find all of my sensory bin ideas here

Find more flower crafts for kids here.

Cupcake Liner Sun Craft

Preschoolers will love this easy sun craft. It is perfect for spring days! All you need is a few supplies and a little imagination.

Harp is my crafty girl.She loves to make makeup, is a renowned perfume mixer, and is always drawing something! We had made these lovely perfumes to share that smelled like spring days so we thought we needed to make a few pictures to go with them. 

Samples were provided for inclusion in this post.

The perfume kit, you will want to check out independently! This is aimed at older kids, but with close supervision and assistance it was something Harper was well suited for. We got the STMT DIY Signature Scent Kit from the Horizon Group and LOVED it!

I gathered some easy supplies that you will probably already have at home.

Supplies

Yellow cupcake liners

White cupcake liners

Markers

Glue

Blue Construction Paper

Directions

Glue one yellow cupcake liner on a sheet of blue paper.

Using an orange marker give the yellow cupcake liner rays like the sun.

Using a white cupcake liner, cut out several puffy cloud shapes.

Have your preschooler do all of these steps independently. The cutting is good practice!

 Finally give the sun a happy face to welcome spring!

You can find all of our spring crafts here.
3D Paper TulipsBird Activities

Chocolate Cherry Floats

I have a recipe for a Chocolate Cherry Float that is so good that even on the coldest fall day, it will appeal to your taste buds!

I love to serve ice cream floats to friends and family. They are easy to make and while it seems like a pretty simple thing, an ice cream float can be as complex and creative as you desire. The combinations for yum are endless.

In this Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream Float recipe, you will find I went with basic ingredients you might already have in the kitchen. If you have them, get ready to dash in and make one of these!

You will need:

Dr. Pepper

Chocolate Ice Cream

Chocolate Syrup

Maraschino Cherries

Begin by drizzling chocolate syrup around the inner rim of your glass so that it dribbles down the sides.

Next, add 2 scoops of chocolate ice cream into the glass

Top with Dr. Pepper.

Drop a cherry in and drizzle with chocolate syrup.

This is completely delicious. If you like chocolate and cherry, this is one easy yet delicious float recipe you won't want to miss.

You might also enjoy this Lazy Affogato Recipe.

Blackberry Cheesecake Floats are a reader favorite you will love too!

Find all of my favorite ice cream floats here

7 Rainbow Crafts to Make with the Kids

Spring is here and that means we have been seeing our share of showers, and rainbows! Let's embrace the weather and savor the beautiful sights to be seen after the storm and make a few cute crafts while we are at it!

These ideas are so cute yet so simple! They are perfect for kids of a variety of ages and are worth bookmarking for those rainy spring days spent indoors with the kids!

I am going to try making the rainbow necklaces sometime this spring, and I think my kids would love to try the layered felt magnets. I can't wait to hear which of these rainbow crafts you want to make with the kids first!

Easy Streamer Rainbows
Layered Felt Rainbow Magnet
Paper Plate Rainbow Craft
Rainbow Mobile
Rainbow Necklaces
Rainbow Jars
DIY Rainbow Bracelet

Find more rainbow  crafts here

Sock Roses for Teacher Appreciation Week

If you are looking for a cute way to give an inexpensive token of appreciation to a special teacher this year, this sock rose craft is the perfect way to gift something fun and functional in a unique way.

This project is so easy! It comes together in matter of moments and really adds a lot to the presentation of a simple pair of socks! All you need is:

 a pair of socks

 a rubber band

 a 9" section of ribbon 

 and a wooden dowel rod or maybe a pencil for the stem

Begin by stacking your socks together and folding up the toe section.

Next, begin rolling from the top. Roll tightly! 

As you get to the folded top section, keep rolling in, this will be your outer petal.

As the socks are tightly rolled, secure them with your rubber band. I knotted it, then knotted it again, on the other side for a really snug hold.

Remove the rubberband.

Gently insert the pencil or wooden dowel into the "bottom" of the sock roses.

Make a single sock rose, or a dozen for a fun way to gift a special teacher something different this year as school comes to a close. 

I added some leftover Easter grass to a mason jar to make the presentation even sweeter!

These easy DIY photo puzzles are also a great homemade gift idea.