Wordless Wednesday ~ Shaving Cream Bath Paint

Guidecraft Educator Review #6 ~ Multi Match Sensory Discs & Balance Base

Happy New Year! What a great way to start the year - with a review of some awesome Guidecraft products. This month's products are Multi Match Sensory Discs & Balance Base.

I gave Lydia (age 2) the box of Multi Match Sensory Discs so we could play with them together This set of discs comes with an activity guide with great ideas, but we decided instead to make up our own games.

First, we counted the shapes on the large discs and lined them all up in order.

Next, we worked on one-to-one correspondence. This is a really great skill to target when working with 2 to 3-year old children. We placed one object on each shape on each disc. The objects were small animal and people toys.

We then cleaned up the small objects and worked on number identification. We placed the correct number of discs on each disc. For example, we placed three small number 3 discs on the big disc with three triangles. The only problem with this activity was that there are only four small discs of each number/color, so we had to leave one empty spot when we got to number five.  

Then, we talked about the colors, shapes, and sizes. Lydia enjoyed telling me which discs were big and which were small. We matched the small discs to the large discs according to shape. 

We played lots of other games with the discs, too!  Lydia and I built a tower, and of course she knocked it down. 

She counted each disc as she walked across them. 

And we even worked on patterns.

I gave the Balance Base to my nephews (ages 5 and 7), and they came up with some great active play ideas, too! They experimented with standing on both sides of the base. They played with it barefoot, with shoes, in the house on tile, on a rug, and in the garage. They tried kicking a ball while standing on it, playing catch with one ball, and playing catch with two balls. They actually carried it around the house all night New Year's Eve. Clearly, this was a hit! They both play on youth soccer teams - this Balance Base seems like a good way to work on some of the skills necessary to play soccer well.

Both the Multi Match Sensory Discs and Balance Base would be great for pre-k and elementary school physical education programs, for children who are typically-developing and children with special needs.

BUY IT! You can purchase the Multi Match Sensory Discs (RV $70) and Balance Base (RV $60)

WIN IT! What's great about this Guidecraft Educator group is that each month, one of us will be hosting a giveaway of the product that we have all reviewed. Visit Mamanista! for a chance to win a set of Multi Match Sensory Discs & Balance Base for a special child in your life. This contest is open to the US and Canada. 

* I received the aforementioned product for free to review. The opinions expressed are honest and provided without monetary compensation.

Tissue Paper Sensory Fun!

by Carrie Wells, Ed.D.
I tend to be a hoarder when it comes to gift bags and tissue paper. Each gift bag costs $2 or $3 and a pack of tissue paper is $2 or $3, so you can literally spend $5 just wrapping a gift (not to mention the cost of a store-bought greeting card - another $3+ each). This weekend, I could no longer deal with the mess in my garage, so I started by organizing all of my 'recycled' gift wrap. I found some bags that really weren't usable, and I sorted my tissue paper by useable and garbage.

So what do you repurpose tissue paper before throwing it out? Play with it, of course! We threw it all over the floor and let Lydia dive in.

She loved all of the different colors. 

She liked crinkling it all up. 

And then she balled up a blue and a green and put them in her stroller. She walked her "baby" around the house.

She's so imaginative! 

Guidecraft Tactile Bars Giveaway - Ends 5/7

This is a very special review and giveaway, one that is close to my heart :-)  This giveaway allows me to share an important part of my life with my readers.

I work for a non-profit organization for children with moderate to severe disabilities - Abi's Place. We provide intense, one-to-one educational and therapeutic services to our children. As a grass-roots non-profit, we host several local fundraising events each year and we submit several grants each month. Every so often, someone does something really amazing for the children at Abi's Place. Guidecraft Toys donated brand-new furniture and toys to our children. They also gave me the opportunity to post a review/giveaway for one of the toys we were given.

We got to review the Guidecraft Tactile Bars. Although these are not specifically designed for children with disabilities, we found them to be very appropriate for our student population. Many children with disabilities (such as autism, cognitive impairments, and physical impairments) have sensory integration difficulties. One common issue we encounter is tactile defensiveness. This is when children are unable to tolerate different textures. They may get upset and/or avoid touching certain things. These children need to be given opportunities to explore different textures in a comfortable, trusting, non-threatening environment. By making it a fun part of play without setting any rules or having specific expectations, children will begin to feel more comfortable engaging in sensory activities. We use the same techniques when encouraging children to engage in other sensory experiences, such as eating a variety of textures, brushing their teeth, and washing their hands.

We wanted to try this item with a child who we felt would benefit from tactile exploration. Caitlyn began at Abi's Place last school year and rarely used her hands to explore items. This school year, she has made amazing progress. She enjoyed the experience of touching each of the textures, soft and rough.

Do you have a child who would benefit from a set of tactile bars (RV $90)? The set comes with two tactile bars, each with 9 textures. It also comes with an activity guide with suggested activities to engage children in sensory exploration. Each texture block can be removed from the bar to be used on its own so that you can introduce one at a time. Textures include a soft cotton, fine sandpaper, cold metal, and bristle brush.

BUY IT! You can find some amazing children's furniture and toys at Guidecraft. They use sturdy wood to construct many of their pieces. Assembly is simple with easy-to-follow directions.

WIN IT! One lucky reader will win a set of two Tactile Bars for a special child!

Mandatory Entry: Why would you want to win the tactile bars?

For additional entries, you can do any of the following (one entry each):
1. Become a follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect.
2. Become a fan of Guidecraft on Facebook.
3. Follow Guidecraft on Twitter.
4. Follow me on Twitter.
5. Become a fan of Abi's Place (the non-profit organization where I work) on Facebook.
6. Grab my beautiful new button, and tell me where I can find it!

Be sure to include your email address with each entry so that I know how to find you. This giveaway will end on 5/7 at 11:59 pm EST. If you are the winner, you will have 48 hours to respond before I choose another winner. Good luck!

**Congratulations to Dina! Thank you to all who participated.