Light Box- Snowy fun

 I got a great idea from Play at Home Mom- put some polyfil pellets in a clear bucket, set it on the light table, and watch the fun begin!!  We started out with a shoebox sized container, because that's what I had on hand at the moment.

 With the flash on, you can see the awesomeness that is polyfil pellets!! :) If your kids hands are clean, the pellets roll right off. If they are dirty/sticky/slimy, the pellets will coat their hands. Then the sticky child will try and shake their hands to get the pellets off, spraying pellets everywhere.
You've been warned.

 Our buddy who comes to play on Wednesdays liked the tub, too. He's 22 months, and tried to eat the pellets at first, but got the idea by the end that we were playing, not snacking.

 I used too small a tub the first time I set the pellets out- Kenna seemed intent on swimming in them but could only get her elbows in, so I got a larger rubbermaid tub the second day. I also added some Christmas erasers and a couple glass jars for scooping.

 Aglow on the light table.

 So, of course, she wanted to sit in it! She explored the texture with her hands, her feet, her knees, and her bottom. She spun in circles and she tried to bury her feet. She LOVED this!

 Quinn is 6 months old now, and of course wanted a turn in the texture tub!

 She was fascinated by the texture, and did a lot of splashing in it, like the gestures she does in the tub.

Pellets were everywhere. It was awesome. (a sheet under the bin made for quick clean-up.)

 Baby fun! And she never once tried to eat them. I was surprised. Little Man (15 months) got a turn after he woke up from nap, and the first thing he did was eat a handful.  Awesome. (Yes, they are non-toxic. And yes, I strongly encouraged him not to do that again. And yes, he did it again.)

 A closeup of the erasers (From Oriental Trading) that I threw into the tub to make it merry and bright.

Kenna loved this. The beads are a smooth and soft texture, and they plink in a lovely way when they fall. The light box just makes it more fun and magical.  We love our lightbox.
We made ours for $7.00!

Linking up to:

Light Box- Autumn leaves

 Fall has taken over our piece of the world, and Kenna is in love! She loves watching leaves flutter to the ground. She stops and stares above her head as they come raining down. It is magical and wondrous that trees would suddenly release the leaves they held up for so long. 

She is collecting them by the fistful. We have them in every bag and box, pocket and purse, everywhere she can think to stuff them. She gathers them in the yard, in parking lots, and on the playground. She holds the leaves up, one by one, and declares them beautiful. She studies them, enjoying how they spin between her fingers. She drops them to watch them fall. She piles them up to see how high they can stack. Leaves are amazing in my toddler's eyes.

I found these lovely acryllic leaves and knew Kenna would love to play with them.
I drew a tree onto a piece of paper, so that she could explore with it.

 She asked me to make some lines with the leaves and then she asked me to make some letters. They were enchanting.

 We love our light box. We love Autumn leaves.
Happy Fall!

Light Box- First exploration

I finally found the time to make Kenna a Light Box. I have been dying for Bill to make me a Light Table for quite a while, but waiting for Handy Husband to create something is a test of one's patience. I finally decided that while an awesome table with inset light kit would ROCK, I would be just as happy with any flat surface that lit up.
Once I set my mind to it, it took $7 at Walmart for an opaque rubbermaid container, and five minutes rummaging around the attic for some Christmas lights. I assembled it during nap time, and set the stage with a small bowl full of translucent "gems". ($1 at Dollar Tree). She beelined for the "surprise" and was fascinated with the fact that Mommy let her turn off the lights! The Light Box works great!

Daddy and Kenna lining up gems.

See how beautifully the gems light up? (oops- need to peel off the rest of that price sticker under the lid...)

We modelled a little bit with how to place the gems, move them around, make pictures with them. Then we sat back and watched Kenna explore on her own. It was a lovely first exploration. I waited until she walked away from it to put it away, and later she asked to play with it again! I can't wait to add different elements and do lots of fun playing with our new Light Box. I have a ton of ideas ready and waiting...