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Valentine’s Sensory Tub – Important Safety Update!!

 Valentine's Sensory Tub

I wasn’t going to post this for another week but my little man loves this Valentine’s sensory tub so much that I couldn’t help but be excited to share.  Sensory tubs are a fun way to include holiday themes in your house without putting up a million decorations. I like using natural things in sensory tubs if possible and the combination of the two beans is perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Edited to add: I just discovered that there have been issues with dried kidney beans being toxic. As few as 4-5 beans ingested could cause stomach upset and more. Therefore, it is important to replace the red kidney beans in this sensory tub with red lentils.

As always, watch your children carefully. Even older kids you think may be past the “mouthing” stage may still put things in their mouths.

Valentine’s Sensory Tub

  1. Gather your materials. You will need a large pan, plastic tub, or Tupperware (FYI I bought a cute red one from Walmart for $1.43 but liked how the beans looked in this better so I returned it but had to share how low cost it can be!). You will also need some dried red lentils, dried navy beans, some heart glitter, and foam hearts.Valentine's Sensory Tub
  2. Add the beans and lentils to the pan. Next, let your little one play for a bit. Then ask if they want to make it even cooler?! Valentine's Sensory Tub
  3. Next, add the sparkly hearts and foam to make it a true Valentine’s sensory tub. Valentine's Sensory Tub
  4. Finally, dig in and play! Valentine's Sensory Tub

Remember that sensory tables and tubs are messy when you use them. Of course, using the dustbuster or broom a lot is typical. Our rule is that ooops spills are accidents (and we have a lot of those!)  and you don’t get in trouble for accidents. If you spill on purpose, you get one warning then the Valentine’s sensory tub is put away until tomorrow when we will try again.  It’s worked for us and kept both of us from getting too hung up on messes and focusing instead on the activity at hand.

Books!

Check out these reader favorites, sent in last year. Do you have a favorite Valentine book? Be sure to leave the title in the comments when you’re finished!

Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane deGroat. This book was one of my favorite stories to read for Valentine’s Day when I was an elementary librarian. In deGroat’s story, a class of assorted animals write Valentine poems for all of their classmates. One student, previously picked on by some of his classmates, uses the Valentine card-exchange to send rude messages to the bullies. Ultimately, the classmates apologize and then rewrite their poems, reminding readers of the value of kind expression.

Sent in by Amber @ Librarianism Chronicles

Dinosaur Valentine by Liza Donnelly is a hit every year. It is a very delightful story about a little dinosaur enthusiast who makes dinosaur valentines with his dog. They deliver their valentines and as they are walking through the woods, they receive a mysterious valentine with an invitation to a party. Things take a turn from realist fiction as they spot an Othnielia in the dog catchers truck! The race is on to save her. They save her after a few close calls and find out she is the one who invited them to a party – a dinosaur party!

Sent in by Amanda@ Going Green In Gainsville

 


Gossie by Olivier Dunrea. This a wonderful story about a sweet little gosling and her favorite red boots. Simple, You and your little one will enjoy following Gossie on her adventures. She shares with you all the ways she loves to wear her red boots until one day she can’t find them. Gossie’s experiences along the way with her boots will help teach your toddler about the notions of backward, forward, uphill, downhill, etc. As if that isn’t enough, this little gem ends with a terrific example of sharing and friendship when she finds them on her friend Gertie. My almost two-year-old daughter loves it and I love it as well. Sent in by Chris @ Momtonic

I Love You This Much by Lynn Hodges. This story between parent and child is about how the parent loves the child throughout the day. The same way God loves his children throughout the day. The lullaby tells just how much the parent loves the child. It makes me cry every time I read the book to my girls.

Sent in by Andi @ Memories Are The Scraps Of Life

A Circle Is Not a Valentine by H. Werner Zimmerman. It is a humorous little story about Alphonse, who wants to paint a valentine for his mouse friend. It is a great story that promotes participation from the kids, and then helps them to identify different shapes. My girls love to read it over and over again!

Sent in by Karen @ Growing With The Girls

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26 Comments

  1. Sela says

    Thanks! I was struggling with what to put in my sensory bin next. We just finished playing with two boxes of noodles that I made rainbow-colored using food coloring and vinegar, but we’ve had those since the beginning of December in our bin and need something different. Off to the dollar store to see what hearts I can find there!
    .-= Sela´s last blog ..Mommy Monday – Teething =-.

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  4. My Boaz's Ruth says

    How big is the bin you use for this? is it left out all the time, or only when in use?

    I’ve been thinking about putting something together like this, but not as an “all the time” but as a “Put everything in to use tonight and maybe tomorrow, then clean it up” again. And obviously, for this, it’s kind of kept me from using it!
    .-= My Boaz’s Ruth´s last blog ..Toys I really played with: Dollhouse =-.

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