Buttons!

I am always on the hunt for new things to entice the children into sensorial experiences. My goal is always to find things that are beautiful, open ended and offer a variety of sensory experiences. This happens during meal times when we meet new foods, during our times outside and more recently I have been offering sensory trays.

Our favorite these last few weeks was a jar of buttons I found at a local thrift store. I was personally first drawn to the large clear jar, so I knew when i offered it to the children the would love it was well. 

There was a rainbow of colors, materials, sizes and shapes. At first of wanted to separate out then biggest buttons, but after playing with them myself for a while, I realized that the variety was part of the appeal to me. I knew that it was possible for my children could try to eat them, so I began by bringing out the large jar, some small bowls and a flat tray.

Watching the buttons tumble out on to the tray was satisfying for everyone. There were handfuls grabbed and many scooped into bowls. Individual pieces were carefully chosen and held no it for all to see with an "oooh!" Or "wow!"