Sensory tables FTW

I have been wanting to make a 'sensory bin' for Bean to play with for awhile now. If we had a backyard I'd do a sandbox or a rice box with shovels and colanders and buckets.... but I SO don't want to clean either of those out of my carpet and didn't want to get 'caught' by the apartment's grounds keepers if I just swept the sand/rice out into the flower beds off my patio. I decided I would do a water sensory bin once the weather got warm enough.

I thought she would have fun doing pretend dishes, pouring water from one bin - full of water and soap bubbles, into another - empty. She does the pouring in the bathtub and I'm constantly having to remind her to keep the water in the tub, so I figured she'd love to be allowed to pour and make a mess.

And she totally dug it. I patted myself on the back for successfully giving her an opportunity to explore new sensations and experience something new and exciting.

Then she decided she needed to experience this sensory bin more up close and personal.

Haha! It took her about a minute and a half before she decided that leaning over into the bin was for the birds and got in. The water was warm, I filled it from the kitchen faucet, and the bubbles were Burts Bees.... so I can see why she felt compelled to jump in.

I don't blame her. It was such a beautiful day. If I could have joined her I would have. Instead I sat outside, snapping pictures, and grinning like a fool. 'They' don't tell you when you're pregnant that one of the best things about being a mom is getting to watch your kids experience things for the first time.

I watched as expressions of intrigue and confusion and amazement washed over her face. When something really exciting happened, like when ^^that^^ bubble popped, she would snap her head up and gasp looking at me as if she couldn't believe what she just saw and wanted to see if I saw it too.

While we were out on the patio she got to tweet at the birds at the feeder and sniff-sniff at the squirrel on the tree - all only 8 feet away from her. She buzzed at the bees and put her hand to her ear when the fire truck drove by with it's sirens on.

The sensory bin may not have gone like I had imagined it would. But I'm still giving this project an A+ and am confident that it will be brought out regularly. One of the perks of living in Colorado is that the weather is beautiful in the summer. Sure, it's warm, but it's not stifling.

So on the days that my big girl wants to cool off in the water, but her Momma doesn't want to get in a swimsuit this seems like a great compromise.

But next time I'll know that she's going to jump in and I'll be sure to put a swim diaper on her. Haha!