When it comes to spelling words, most kids dread having to practice them each day.  But practicing those spelling words doesn’t have to be boring.

Avoid the eye-rolling and heavy sighing as they write spelling words over and over.   Water beads make practicing those spelling words fun, and there are added benefits to those slippery beads, too!

To prepare this fun spelling word practice, I gathered the letter tiles necessary to form each of the words on the list.  (I used the letter tiles from our Bananagrams game.  Have younger kids?  Here’s another way to use those letter tiles.)

I scattered the letters on the bottom of a baking pan, flipping some upside down and leaving some facing up.  And then I covered them with water beads.

Both of my students had fun digging through the water beads, finding the letters necessary to form the words on their spelling list.

Remember when I said that practicing spelling with water beads had added benefits?

While they are digging through those colorful, squishy beads they are getting tons of sensory input.

Picking up those letter tiles buried beneath those  slippery gems adds in some fine motor practice.

Have a child that gets anxious when it comes to spelling quizzes/having to memorize the spelling?  Water beads can be very calming.

Making spelling word practice fun, and having added benefits?  I call that a win.  (But I especially like not hearing those big sighs when I ask my 7 year-old to practice those spelling words once again.)

More fun learning activities to try at home:

• Spelling Practice with Kinetic Sand Castles
• Spelling in Snow
• 15 Ways to Practice Sight Words at Home
• Simple Way to Keep Them Entertained and Learning at the Grocery Store

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Anxious to get playing, my daughter quickly finished her cheeseburger before stashing her shoes in the little red cubby.  I watched as she raced another little girl up the steps to the tunnel slide.  My son watched with me, having finished his food a little bit ago.  He sat as close as he could to me, practically in my lap.

A couple boys joined the play, and now there were four kids climbing the mini rock wall, zipping down the tunnel slide, laughing and enjoying the indoor play area.

My son continued to watch, inching ever closer to me.  He loves slides, especially tunnel slides, but still he sat, frozen on my lap, all because there were other children playing there.

It’s not just when we are in those enclosed play areas, the same thing happens at outdoor playgrounds.

If I suggest going to the park, he’ll ask if we can go to his “favorite one,” a small community park we have actually NEVER seen anyone else at.

And it isn’t just at play areas.

I’ve taken him to the library for story time since he was six months old.   When he started toddler time there, and all the other kids were jumping and giggling together, he stayed on my lap.

It took five years before he would sit on the brightly colored story rug, and then he sat as far away from the other kids as he could get.

He spent an entire year going to the preschool group at church on Sunday mornings, and NEVER spoke a word to another child there, nor did he participate in any of the singing activities they did.  Not once.

It isn’t easy to be a parent and watch your child in those situations.  And finding answers as to why he is so anxious around other children, when he can easily talk an adult’s ear off at the drop of a hat?   We are still trying to unravel that one. (Related Post: Trusting My Instincts Got My Son Diagnosed.)

Easing Social Anxiety in Kids

Here are some of the ways that work for us when it comes to helping a child with social anxiety.

Prep him before the trip:  Before we go somewhere we talk about where we are going and who we might see there. Having that time to prepare himself with whom we might see and talk to (like meeting friends on a homeschool field trip) really helps.  Of course I can’t give him names of everyone who will be at the park, but I CAN let him know who we are meeting and planning to interact with.

Vestibular Input:  Before we leave the house I also try to work in some type of vestibular input for him.  Spinning in circles and swinging on the tire swing we have set up in the basement are two of his favorites.

Noise Cancelling Headphones:  Noise Cancelling Headphones have been a big help.  We have taken them to homeschool field trips, Vocation Bible School, and lots and lots of other places.  I usually just let him know I have them and let him decide if/when he wears them.  I have noticed it’s not always the loudest moments that he chooses to wear them, and that when we have plenty of vestibular input before hand he doesn’t seem to need them as much.

Crunchy Snacks/Gum:  The past year or so I have noticed a growing tendency to chew/bite on toys or even the string from the waist of his sweatpants when we go places.  The chewing seems to help him, so I have started to offer him a variety of crunchy snacks and even chewing gum in certain situations.

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Did you know that October is Sensory Processing Awareness month?  This post is part of the Decoding Everyday Kid Behaviors series hosted by Lemon Lime Adventures.  In honor of Sensory Processing Awareness month, bloggers are sharing their favorite tips that can help ALL children.  Be sure to hop over to read all of this month’s awesome sensory-related posts!

And, with the goal of supporting the sensory systems of ALL children, be sure to check out the Sensory Fix Toolkit, which was created as a complete sensory processing kit in a backpack, including 15 tools to help manage auditory distractions, restlessness, and more!  (I love the idea of having it all in one place, ready to grab as you go out the door!)

You may also want to check out one of the best sensory processing books available, Sensory Processing 101: The Complete Guide.

Related Posts:

• Trusting My Instincts Got My Son Diagnosed
• Using the Playground Swing to Increase Your Child’s Core Strength

The post Social Anxiety on the Playground first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Along with reading plenty of fun apple picture books, we’ve enjoyed a variety of apple activities for kids, including plenty of fun math and science.  

After a recent trip to the grocer we headed home for a bit of delicious apple tasting activity.

We all agreed, this fun apple sensory activity was the most delicious one yet.  

Apple Tasting Activity 

To do your own apple tasting activity, you will want a variety of fresh apples.   Try Honey Crisp, Gala, Granny Smith, and Red Delicious, to name just a few.  

Start by looking at the different varieties and discussing their different colors and sizes.  

Have your child make a hypothesis about which apple will be the sweetest, the most tart, and which will be the crunchiest.  If you want to get serious, have your child write down their guesses so you can compare them later to your results.  

Next, carefully use a knife to slice into your first apple.  Place your apple pieces into a bowl and use a small notecard to label the bowl so you know which apple variety it is.  

Do this with each of your apples.  

Now for the fun part… Time to sample all the apples!

As you taste each apple, ask your child to describe it.  

• What color is it?  Red?  Light green?  Pink? 
• Is it sweet?  Tart?
• Is it very crunchy?  A little soft?  
• How does it smell?  

While your child describes the apples, write down their answers.  (For older children you can have them record the results all on their own.)

You can stop there, and see how close your child’s earlier hypothesis was about which would be the crunchiest, sweetest, etc.  

Or, take your apple sensory activity a bit further and choose two to compare in a Venn diagram.  

Simply draw two large circles that overlap on paper or a white board.  You can also find pre-made Venn diagrams online you can print out.

Choose two apples to compare, and label each circle with one type of apple.  

Then write down words that describe each apple in the correct circle.  Things the apples have in common go in the middle.

We compared Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples.   My first grader was able to use our descriptions we had written down earlier to fill in her chart.  

We had so much fun with this simple apple tasting activity.  It’s definitely one of our favorite fall sensory activities.  

More apple activities:

• Apple Stamping Craft
• Apple-Themed CVC/Sight Word Game
• Baking with Kids: Apple Pie Recipe

The post Apple Tasting first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Pop!  Pop!  Pop!

Hear that?  That’s the sound of this month’s Project: Recycle & Create’s topic — bubble wrap!

There are so many ways you can get creative with bubble wrap!  We’ve used it in a Sight Word Game, painted with it, and this week the kids decided to make their own bubble wrap shoes!

I love when they come up with their own creative ideas with the materials on hand!

When my 6 year-old found the bubble wrap sheets in the kitchen, she immediately started to walk on them.  It didn’t take long for her to go from walking on the sheets to folding them around her feet…

Of course little brother had to do the same thing…. He was bouncing in no time!

It was a quick and easy bubble wrap sensory activity that provided plenty of giggles!

Have your kids gotten creative with bubble wrap?

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Check out the other great ideas using bubble wrap from the co-hosts of Project: Recycle & Create!

• P is for Preschooler
• Powerful Mothering
• Afterschool for Smarty Pants
• Still Playing School
• Lemon Lime Adventures
• Creative World of Varya
• Mama Miss
• There’s Just One Mommy
• Little Bins for Little Hands
• Peakle Pie
• Sugar Aunts
• Teach Me Mommy
• Danya Banya
• ALLterNATIVElearning
• Widsom Knowledge Joy
• Preschoolers Day by Day
• Playtivities

The post Bubble Wrap Sensory Play and Link-Up first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Sometimes kids need help calming down.  A calm down jar/bottle is a simple way to help them take the time needed to take a few deep breaths and calm down.

We made two colorful calm down bottles a couple weeks ago, and  they have been a huge help, plus they are just fun to look at!

I wanted to share how to make a calm down bottle of your own.

For a fun twist, you might also like our floating star sensory bottle directions.

This calm down bottle is great for helping toddlers and preschoolers as they start to learn to manage their emotions.  It is also a great sensory tool.

Affiliate links have been used below.  See my full disclosure for more details.

Materials Needed:

• Clear Bottle with Lid  (I recycled these drink bottles.)
• Glitter Glue
• Glitter
• Liquid Food Coloring (optional)
• Hot Water
• Large Bowl
• Whisk
• Funnel
• Superglue

I have seen these done with glass bottles, but I don’t like the idea of giving something glass to a child that is upset because they have a tendency to throw things.  I chose to recycle these clear drink bottles because the plastic is stronger than most water bottles and they have nice smooth sides so the glitter doesn’t get stuck.

How to Make a Calm Down Bottle

Pour approximately 4-5 oz. of glitter glue into your large bowl.   (That’s 3/4 of the Elmer’s glitter glue bottle.)

Fill your clear plastic bottle half way with hot water.

Add this hot water to the bowl of glitter glue.  Using hot water instead of room temperature water will keep your mixture from clumping as much.

Use your whisk to thoroughly mix the glitter glue and water together.

Many directions say to shake it all together in the sensory bottle you will be using, but I found that ours kept clumping when I did that.  Using the whisk worked much better.

Once it is all mixed, use a funnel to pour it all into your bottle.

If desired, add a few drops of food coloring.  Since I used silver glitter glue for our first calm down bottle, we added a few drops of green food coloring to it.

For our second bottle I used pink glitter glue, and the color was perfect just the way it was!

Add more glitter.  (I added an entire vial like this one.)

Add more water as needed, leaving enough space for shaking (about an inch).

Then screw on the cap and give it a good shake!

If the glitter falls faster than you’d like, add a bit more glitter.  I tried to make it so it takes 4-5 minutes for all the glitter to settle in our bottles.

Once you are happy with the results, use a bit of super glue to secure the lid in place.

These are great to use for time outs or when things are getting too heated between siblings and they just need to calm down for a bit.

Now that you know how to make a calm down bottle you can make several of your own and personalize them for your child.

More Sensory Ideas:

• How to Make Bubble Dough
• Taste-Safe Cloud Dough
• Frozen-Inspired Sensory Play
• Simple Listening Game

The post How to Make a Calm Down Bottle first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.