Kitchen Tot Sensory Basket

Having a baby four and a half years after the first I feel like a first time parent again. I have forgotten all the milestones and mainly what to do with babies. I try to play with the "B" and give him lots of freedom to crawl and explore. I read to him and sing songs, but I was still feeling like a failure and desperately trying to remember what I did with "A" for stimulation. Then I recall hearing about sensory boxes (some people call them discovery boxes). I am planning to use both terms for something else in the future, so for baby learning I will use the term sensory basket. Since baby has a drawer he likes to play with in the kitchen I thought I would have that be the first theme for the basket!

 I used a basket I got for my recent birthday and filled it with kitchen items. I really tried to pick items that would a) be safe for "B" to put in his mouth-since that is all he does, and b) have different textures and materials. Some items I chose:

• turkey baster
• potato masher
• wooden spoon
• bottle brush
• brush for basting
• cloth napkin
• potholder
• chopsticks
• large straw
• spoon with holes 
• cookie cutters
• tubberware
• measuring cups

The big thing with sensory boxes is to stand back and let the child explore however they want to. This is hard for me because of that teacher instinct. I wanted to show him all the stuff, but I stopped myself. It was interesting because I thought he would go for the bottle brush but he seemed hesitant to touch it. He would cautiously touch it and then draw away. I also though he would find his bottle cap cover, which is a favorite toy (lime green thing), but he couldn't care less. His favorite things were the potato masher and turkey baster. "B" loved banging them together and tasting them-of course! I think I will keep this basket out for a week and then move on to a different theme. I  think natural items will be next!

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