Fun at Home with Kids

Exploring Sound with Homemade Egg Shakers

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

I apologize in advance for the insane number of pictures in this post, but our rainbow rice bin was just SO pretty, I couldn't stop myself....  :)

You can read about how we made this rainbow rice here.


I wanted to think of an activity that would be appropriate for both X and S that involved plastic Easter eggs, since it's always nice to give those things a second life after the egg hunt is over.  I wanted S to experiment with different combinations and amounts of rice and pompoms and hypothesize about whether or not they'd make sound, and how much sound she thought they'd make.  I started the activity by setting up our rice in rainbow order and dumping a ton of pompoms on the ground.  I asked S to sort  the pompoms into the rainbow (she loves to sort!).


Once they were all in place, I brought out the plastic eggs and told her my idea.  I asked her for her hypotheses.  (She always starts by saying I have a hypothesis, which is the cutest thing ever) "I have a hypothesis - that the pompom eggs will be quietest and the rice eggs will be the loudest...and that the eggs with the most rice in them will be the loudest."

Before testing her hypotheses, she wanted to play in the rice.  :)


X reallllly wanted to play too.  He had a hard time resisting the temptation of sampling the rainbow rice.  Though it is non-toxic, it is not something I'd want a baby eating, so I had to watch him very carefully.


He spent quite a while investigating the plastic eggs.


Here's S making him one of several egg shakers (this was the one she was sure was going to be the loudest!).


S desperately wanted to sit in the rice.


Then she had a great time smooshing her feet around in it.


So of course X needed to try it, too.


Just a baby hanging out in a giant bin of rainbow rice.  :)


Exploring the rice some more.


S later decided she needed to take a quick "rice nap".


Did I mention that it's SO PRETTY?!?!?  :)


X loves his rice egg shakers.  He spins them around slowly and likes to watch the rice grains move.  He also loves music, so enjoys the different sounds they make.


Here's a sampling of what big sister made for him.  She was pleased to see that she was correct in her guess that the pompoms alone wouldn't make noise.  She was, however, shocked to find that the full-to-the-brim egg shaker was nearly silent!  She loves to show everyone who has come to visit since that "it's SO QUIET!!!"  It was a fun little experiment, and X now has some fun new musical toys to explore.

I'm not sure if you can see below, but I did seal the eggs with a piece of clear tape because they easily pop back open without it!



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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children.  As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family.  I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision.  Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies).  Observe caution and safety at all times.  The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.




20 comments:

  1. I'm mesmerized by all the beautiful colors in your photos and I'm glad that you provided what you consider an "insane" amount of photos, ha. Another amazing project. Seriously all your projects are awesome and very inspiring. Also love that you have a little scientist on your hands.

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    1. Hi Sam! You have to try the liquid watercolor rice! And then take too many pictures, too (I may have taken more than 100 in total...hahaha). It's SO bright. Thank you so much for your compliments, as always! She says "hypothesis" like "hypofesis". It's really cute. :)

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  2. Beautiful activity & photos!! Quick question...what size bin do you use for most of your sensory activities?? Devoted reader!! :)

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    1. Hi Crystal! Here we're using an underbed storage container. I got it at Fred Meyer (a store like Target) for maybe $10? It's long and shallow. I think the brand is Sterilite! :)

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    2. Thanks! I live in PDX so I'll check out Fred Meyer! Thanks again!!

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    3. Oooh. You have good food in your city. Jealous! Yay for having a Fred Meyer in town. If it helps, the bin has a white lid it comes with. It's the only big shallow-type one my FM had.

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  3. It is SO PRETTY!!! and it looks like your kids had a blast. Thanks so much for linking up and sharing with us.

    Warmly,
    Pink and Green Mama
    MaryLea

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    1. Thank you, MaryLea! It was so beautiful. We were mesmerized!!! Thank YOU for hosting another link up! :)

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  4. Oh, I LOVE this one!! And I enjoyed every single photo so don't apologize for so many photos. :) I made a rainbow sensory activity a while back (http://mylittlehappies.blogspot.com/2011/07/15-months-dirty-play-dates.html) but really like your addition of the poms and eggs! I am definitely going to try this.

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    1. Thank you! :) Oh, man, that was an AWESOME playdate. S had a "super messy 2nd birthday party", but I think your playdate was even cooler! We wish we could have come!!!!! :)

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  5. So fun! I would like to think Charlie and Owen may have inspired the fuzz balls in sensory table? I still feel bad about that... ;)

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    1. Hahahaha! Don't! We do add them to lots of things (as you can see), it's just that it's hard to get the sand out of them. If it makes you feel any better, our little guest the next day did the same thing! They were just too tempting sitting right there. I don't blame anyone for wanting to add more rainbows to things. I totally get it. :)

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  6. "I have a hypothesis" - for sure the cutest thing ever!

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    1. Right? Gotta love little kids and big words. :) :)

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  7. Wahou !!! Les photos sont superbes, et les couleurs... wahou !!!

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  8. So pretty - love the pictures and the ideas. I bet everyone would be happier after a rainbow rice nap. :)

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    1. Isn't that the truth? Rainbows make everything better! :) And thank you!!!

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  9. I just found your blog, and I've been making my way through your archive. So many great ideas - I can't wait to try many of them out with my 6 month old! Fast question on this gorgeous rainbow rice: do you make new when all the colors have gotten mixed together? Do you do anything specific with the old mixed stuff?

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    1. We use it for years for sensory play and art, etc. I usually only make a new batch when we're writing a new post with a different color scheme or whatnot. As long as you keep it try it will keep forever and kiddos have just as much fun playing with mixed colors as separated. Thank you so much! :)

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