When baby girl was 2 months old we did this smelling activity. Now that she is older and getting into everything, I wanted to put together these smelling jars. This activity allows her to experience a variety of smells to continue to support the development of her olfactory system and expand her sense of smell. For this activity, I used items found at home to put the jars together. Supplies: baby food jars, duck tape, and a variety of items with distinct and strong smells. I used coffee, oregano, lime juice (on a cotton ball), vanilla extract (on a cotton ball), and cinnamon. You could use a variety of herbs, spices, or citrus smells. Baby girl…

A few people have asked how we put our light box together. I thought there might be more questions out there, so I put together this how-to for our light box for baby. This activity was inspired by Pinterest, so you can also do a Pinterest search for variations on this light box. Supplies: Clear plastic container (a 32 Qt container that fits under the bed is pictured) and Christmas lights. Spread the Christmas lights at the bottom of the container. Pull the end of the Christmas lights out at one corner. Put the lid back on (it will fit over the lights). Plug it in and you are good to…

At two-months-old, baby girl had so much fun gazing at her star box . However, by the time she was four-months-old, she started rolling about and quickly outgrew her star box. She continued to enjoy watching the lights, but she needed something to do with her hands. I wanted to provide her with an activity that encouraged her to reach, grab, and pull (something other than my hair!). I modified her star box and came up with this pulling box for baby. See below for information on how to build your own! Supplies: A cardboard box, Christmas lights, a knife, packing tape, and a variety of different textured items found around the house…

The first accumulating snow has fallen in Columbus and with that comes all of the snow related activities. Read on for 10 ways to say-n-play in the snow! Snow related vocabulary: snow, ice, slippery, white, cold, melt, freeze, wet Activities: Build a snowman: Do you want to build a snowman? Of course! Have fun building a snowman or a family of snow people with your child. Use snowman related vocabulary (descriptive words/body parts/clothing) and snowman related concepts (spatial/size/sequencing) while building in the snow. Make a snow angel: Describe how to make a snow angel. Then, get down in the snow with your child and make snow angels together. Snow Paint: There are many ways to…

Do you remember making salt dough ornaments when you were a kid? I have fond memories of making these ornaments in grade school during the holidays. This week, Say-n-Play Columbus got back together with Annette Ferraro Photography to carry on this holiday tradition by making salt dough ornaments with our little ones. Salt Dough Recipe 1 cup flour 1 cup salt 1/2 cup or warm water Mix the flour and salt together. Add warm water. Begin kneading the ingredients together until you reach the desired consistency. The smoother, the better. Roll the dough out or press the dough flat with your hands and begin making your ornaments.          …