Author: Nichole Young

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Messy play: gardening with littles!

I have to admit…I have had strong ambitions to garden. The execution however was definitely lacking this year. Even though we didn’t get any fruit from our labor, the engagement in the process was very full.

How have you engaged your littles in gardening? Afraid of things getting messy, losing seeds, dirt getting EVERYWHERE? Yeah.. me too. So we went outside, even in the cold spring air. We set boundaries around safe exploration with the dirt and seeds and Mr. Man was able to safely help me plant the seeds. After the task I let him do what he wanted with the left over dirt and pots, and I got out of the way… I wasn’t in the mood to get dirty that day. AND THAT IS OK! But I wasn’t going to stop him from getting dirty if he wanted to.

As things started warming up, here, in Minnesota we were able to get outside again and try our best to replant our seedlings and sprouts in the hopes of growing a fuller plant. We decided to do a deck garden in individual pots for ease of accessing the plants… Well it didn’t quite work out, but that didn’t stop us from trying! Mr. Man was very excited to put in the “vegetable food” and move our little sprouts.

He even went and grabbed his little watering can from his water table to water each pot. He may have drowned a few plants, but I wasn’t going to stop him from trying and helping… I didn’t want to discourage him, but looking back I probably should have put down some watering boundaries…

However, He was so proud of himself and I wasn’t going to stop his from building that pride even more. He even showed responsibility and independently watered them almost every day. Which, again, makes me think we probably drowned our poor little garden.

We did not get any vegetables this year, but we learned a lot. Stay tuned for the next growing season where we set limits around watering, use bigger pots, and start the seeds later in the season….

Stop over at our Instagram to see play and sensory ideas. Click on the instagram link or search our handle @yoyoclubmn. Check out and save this idea on Pinterest or search our page yoyoclubmn. Lastly check out other sensory play posts. We look forward to engaging in all things sensory, frugal, outdoor, and educational play with you. See you soon!

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Sensory Bin: Reptiles & Amphibians

Getting creative with sensory bins is so overwhelming. Honestly, we mom’s don’t have the time to plan out extravagant sensory bins or trinket trays. I will say it over and over again. Sensory play is, can, and should be simple!

Life has been crazy busy so I went back to basics! A simple Rice bin with miniature amphibians and reptiles.

Everything in this bin we got from the Dollar Tree: rice, bin and even the reptile/amphibian miniatures. Sensory play can not only be simple, It can be frugal too! Total cost of this bin was $3, the hours of play… Priceless.

I purchased double the items at the time of this photo to help build up my sensory items for future bins. You definitely don’t need double!!

Mr. Man is definitely much younger in this photo, but that didn’t stop him from engaging with the dry sensory bin! I think at the time this was taken, he was not quite 2 years old…

He and I were looking at photographs and stumbled across this one. He remembered playing with this rice bin and asked if he could play with it again! I said yes and brought out all the materials. Not only did it give us an hour of play over a year ago, It gave us and hour or more of play again!! I’d say it has been very worth the $3!!

Stop over at our Instagram to see this bin and many more. Click on the instagram link or search our handle @yoyoclubmn. Check out and save this idea on Pinterest or search our page yoyoclubmn. Lastly check out other sensory play posts. We look forward to engaging in all things sensory, frugal, outdoor, and educational play with you. See you soon!

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Toddlers in the kitchen: learning through cooking

Let your littles be in the kitchen!! Mr. Man always wants to help cook and I always try and find something for him to do… I’ll be honest I’ve been PETRIFIED to let him near the stove or oven… but I pulled up my mom jeans and said it was time…

Sensory exploration: laying out bacon. Our toddler tower is so useful when it comes to him helping in the kitchen.

I took the time to lay the ground rules. We talked about hot and cold. I put warm water in a mug and cold water in a mug. He touch both to learn the difference. I showed him what the burner looks like when it is on (ours turns bright red so it’s easy to see). We talked about our safety messages like “stop”, “pause”, and “hands up”. I’ll be honest I probably went overboard but I knew as a mom, I needed this for my own comfort…

Cooking skills: rolling crescents

Mr. Man was in cooking euphoria. He was SO happy to be helping mommy cook the chicken. Even though he just sprinkled in the seasonings and while I stired. He followed all the rules and when his toddler impulses started to kick in he listened to the safety messages we had talked about before starting.

Life skills: cooking on the stove

He learned impulse control, following instructions, cooking and kitchen safety, hot vs cold, and stop/go. Most importantly, I showed him trust. It was such a valuable lesson I’m disappointed I didn’t do it sooner…. Bring on the mom guilt…

Memories made: cooking with Mimi

So my advice to you momma, get them in the kitchen. Let them cook with you. Teach them and trust them. Know that it will be valuable time that you share. Memories made for a lifetime.

Then they can also clean up 😉

Enjoy other sensory ideas with You’re Only Young Once, relax with Lake Life posts, or start a new hobby with a Sewing project.

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Water Table Sensory Play

Water play is VITAL for child development, and Mr. Man doesn’t shy away from an opportunity to get wet and messy… This week is perfect for us to get outside and play at the water table!

Playing with water while our new water table is being put together.

Early on we exposed him to water play in the bathtub and again with a simple bucket. That exposure quickly grew into splash pads, sprinklers, pools, lakes, and, of course, a water table!

sprinkler
water table
lake

Scooping, dumping, pouring, sea life, pond life, and lake life all get explored with water play. His new favorite is a watering can. This is great since this summer we will be planting a garden; he can practice his watering skills at the water table.

“Look, mom, I made a shower!”

We love our Pump & Splash Shady Oasis (exclusive with Costco; This one is only available in-store. Click here for a smaller one). It has already given us hours of exploration and fun and I know it will serve us well all summer long.

Infant water play

Mini-Man is still a bit too little… and unbalanced… to sit or stand at the water table. So we improvised a bit. He has to be included in the fun!

Infant Sensory Play with a water tray
Mini-Man really enjoyed splashing and grabbing his rings from the water

It was easy to put him in his little seat, fill his tray with water, and add teething rings to grab. He had the same opportunities to splash and find things, just in a safer and more controlled space… Not to mention, CONTAINED. I didn’t have to keep my eyes on him every second. Give this momma a break!

What are your favorite summertime, water-based, play activities? Leave a comment and share your ideas!

Enjoy other sensory ideas with You’re Only Young Once, relax with Lake Life posts, or start a new hobby with a Sewing project.

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Sensory Bin for Spring: Birds

Spring has FINALLY made its arrival here at the club and what a better way to celebrate that than with fun spring-themed sensory bins! This sensory bin was so easy to make and provided hours of fun.

Mr. Man loves to watch birds. He will sit in a chair, on your lap, stand on the couch, etc. all to be able to see more birds. This provides an amazing opportunity to talk about our ecosystem, migration, types of birds, and all things nature. He asks so many great questions and makes adorable comparisons between himself and the birds. 😊

So to foster further learning, I decided to lean into his interests and develop a sensory bin with a bird theme perfect for spring.

To say it was a hit may just be an understatement… he was so engaged it was hard to clean up and be all done at the end of the night! He engaged in pretend play by having the birds eat the seeds, color identification and sorting, size identification and sorting, and generally messy, sensory exploration.

Sensory bin with birdseed. Mr. Man pretending that the birds are eating the seed.

Don’t worry, Mini Man got in on the action. He did some tummy time with the sensory material in a bag. This allows him to safely explore sensory stimuli while also working on his back, neck, and arm muscles. He’s a hoot making all his faces and slapping/grabbing the bag.

Although he did want to play more with big brother’s sensory bin…. Soon enough buddy… soon enough.

This bin was so easy to make and I have lots of materials left over to make many more bins. See below for the “recipe” and developmental learning card. Head over to Pinterest and Instagram to see more sensory bin ideas!

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Welcome to the club!!

Welcome to the club! the YoYo club that is… here we acknowledge that you’re only young once (yoyo) but play and fun are ageless! I am a working mom who is constantly learning how to balance mom life and work-life while optimizing my kids’ learning and play opportunities.

Me! The leader of this club 😊

Mimi is my mom, and we (my young boys, myself, and my husband) are her muses for all things sewing and fun. She has built this lake life and I made it an exclusive club for moms and dads of littles. By day I’m a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with a specialty in child and adolescent mental health. I aim to bring my knowledge of development to all parents.

Mr. Man learning to fish 🎣 outdoor play is vital to overall learning outcomes.

Join our club to find all things sensory and play-based from my littles (Mr. Man and Mini Man). We make fun sensory bins and share budget-friendly ideas. Explore how these play ideas are supporting your child’s development. Hop over to Instagram @yoyoclubmn to see all the ways we learn through play and accompany me in the fun and adventure!!

Mini Man playing on his sensory mat