My Resource Box - things you can play with children

I have finally finished my Resource Box - it only took about two weeks (I was resting doing bugger all for a few of those days, though)!

My teacher was impressed, to say the least. Some of the items I made and some I bought.

Remember, toys with many purposes (can be used for many activities) is the best, and most are multipurpose.

My entire Resource Box splayed on the coffee table.
Photo taken by Tokana H . S.
Tokana's Child Care Blog 2012

I needed to collect resources for all ages from 6 weeks to 5 year olds, but I started from 6 months.
The above is the entire collection, and now I'm going to display them separately.

Homemade skirt
Photo by Tokanahs
Tokana's Child Care Blog 2012

One of my requirements was to include something homemade, so my teacher provided me with an elastic band and a few pieces of sparkly fabric to make a skirt, and we had to add to it.

I sew the ends of the elastic bands together, attached the bells to wool, and sew both the fabric and yarn to the elastic bands, to make the skirt.

It originally suited any age group, but now I would give it to the two and over age group, because of the bells, but you need to constantly supervise children with this item, because they could swallow and choke on the bells and/or wrap the yarn around their necks and strangle themselves.

You can give the three and over age group(s) chalk and add a blackboard to it so they can draw on the blackboard, or even on the concrete outside.

This activity develops their fine motor skills as well as their pincer grip.

They are exploring the texture of the chalk, the variety of colours, and their environment. They're also exploring the cause and effect.

This activity is improving their cognitive skills as well as their language (they'll usually converse to one another - and you - what they are drawing.

Plastic Hour Glass
Photo taken by Tokanahs
Tokana's Child Care Blog 2012

I don't know why this image came out sideways, because it's not that way on my computer. Oh well.

I made an hour glass with sand from the beach, two Wicked bottles and cloth camping tape.

This activity promotes cause and effect as well as sensory (touch, sight and sound), and palmer grasp.

Children are also exploring the hour glass, as well as their environment (hopefully enthusiastically), and they may be communicating their findings.

I would give this activity to 1-5 year olds.

I made this coloured water with aluminum foil for the younger age group, but my teach said that the amount of foil in there is too much, so put in less.

I bought pre-packaged coloured aluminum foil from Riot! Arts and Crafts, and used a juice (I think) bottle, as well as cloth camp tape and super glue to secure the lid.

It's good for exploration, communication (verbal and none verbal), identity (expressing joy, or maybe frustration), and good for palmer grasp.

You can shake this yourself and place it in front of a baby 1 - 6 months, they can lie on a mat, look at it and smile or gurgle at all the colours.

Children love playing in home corner and pretending to make food for themselves and other people. Set up a space in your home or centre specifically for home corner (next to the dolls, which is also apart of home corner) and add a plastic or wooden stove, oven and fridge (maybe even a sink), a shelf, table, chairs and a table cloth with menus (even if they're in another language, or ask them if they'd like to create their own) with this, and see what they'll come up with.

This is called dramatic play when they are petending to do something and be somebody.

It also depends what age they are.

If you've read my blog Types of Play, you'll know about dramatic play.

This 90 piece food container cost only $15 at Target, which was a bargain compared to other things, which only had 10 - 15 items for $9.99.

Blowing bubbles is a great activity and improves their palmer grasp and gross motor skills.
They're also exploring  their environment (Learning), and expressing their joy with the activity, as well as (hopefully) interacting with other children (community).