play based learning Archives - Mimi's Lake Life

September 27, 2022September 27, 2022

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!

June 3, 2022June 3, 2022

Toddler Apron and Oven Mitt: Sewing Project

Inspire your little ones to get creative in the kitchen with their very own toddler apron and oven mitt. This easy sewing project will enhance your toddler’s pretend play as a master chef or griller.

Our Mr. Man loves to play with his KidKraft kitchen set and Step 2 Grill. So naturally, for Christmas last year, Mimi had to make him an apron and matching oven mitt for each. This is a super easy sewing project.

Find some fun patterned fabric. I used a hamburger and hot dog print for the grilling apron, and a fun breakfast foods print for the kitchen apron. To coordinate, I picked blue and red solid fabric and red quilted fabric for the oven mitts. I trimmed the oven mitts with the coordinating print.

Now, Mr. Man helps mommy in the big kitchen too. For messy projects, this apron will make the jump to the real kitchen just as well. See Toddlers in the Kitchen: learning through cooking for more great sensory learning experiences.

Supplies You Will Need

1/2 yard of fun print cotton fabric
3/4 yard of solid cotton fabric in a coordinating color
1/2 yard of medium weight fusible interfacing
coordinating thread
A 2-3 inch piece of Velcro fastener
Printable pattern here

The How To For the Apron

Following the instructions on the pattern, cut all of the needed pieces.
Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the patterned material following the manufacturer’s directions.

Pockets

Turn under a 1/2 inch hem on the top of the Pocket. Press and stitch to finish the top.
Place the Pocket on the printed apron front, matching bottom edges with right sides facing up. Pin in place.
If using the optional top pocket, turn under a 1/2 inch hem on the top of the Top Pocket. Press and stitch to finish the top. Press under a 1/4 inch on each side. Pin to right side of Apron Front in the desired location. Stitch around the sides and bottom edges of the Top Pocket. Note: If personalizing the Top Pocket, be sure to do so before stitching to the Apron Top.

Neck Straps and Waist Ties

Fold under 1/4 inch on the long sides of each strap and tie piece. Fold in half, press, and stitch close to the edge the length of each strap and tie piece. Press flat.
Pin one raw edge of each neck strap piece to the right side of the print fabric at the upper corners leaving just enough room from the side edge so that the strap will not get caught in the side seam (about 5/8 inch).
Pin one end of each waist tie to the right side of the printed front at the apron side approximately 5/8 inch down from the side corner. Pin in place.
Gather the straps and ties to the middle of apron to avoid getting them caught in the side seams when stitching.

Put it All Together

Place solid apron back, right sides together, on top of front, pocket, and ties. The pocket, neck straps, and ties will now be inside the two apron pieces. Pin the two apron pieces together.
Stitch around the apron in a 1/2 inch seam allowance leaving an opening at the bottom for turning.
Turn the aprons right side out. Press all edges. Stitch around the apron again close to the edge to finish and close the opening.
Finish the ends of the neck straps and waist ties by folding under a 1/4 inch hem and stitching.
Add Velcro to the last 2-3 inches of the neck strap pieces to make it adjustable.

How To For the Mitt

Place the two Oven Mitt pieces right sides together. Pin to secure.
Stitch around the Oven Mitt in a 1/2 inch seam allowance leaving the bottom open.
Press under 1/4 inch on each long edge of the binding piece. Fold the binding in half lengthwise and press.
Beginning at one of the seams, pin the binding to the lower edge of the Oven Mitt placing the raw edge of the Mitt inside the fold of the binding.
Overlap the unfinished edge of the binding slightly at the seam folding under 1/4 inch, trim if necessary, to cover the unfinished edge of the binding.
Stitch the binding to the Oven Mitt close to the edge of the binding, making sure to catch both inside and outside edges.

Final Thoughts

This is a project that you can be super creative with and have a ton of fun! I was able to use the embroidery section of my machine to personalize Mr. Man’s kitchen apron with his name. This will also help when Mini Man is old enough to have his own apron. There won’t be any arguments when they each have their own.

For the grilling apron, I was able to download and use a cute charcoal grill design from embroidery.com. A baking apron with a personalized rolling pin, or other kitchen utensils would also be adorable. I think it is time to make some more. Mini Man will be big enough before I know it!

I would love to hear your comments and ideas for aprons for your little ones!

Explore other projects in My Sewing Passion, find great sensory ideas with You’re Only Young Once, or just relax with Lake Life posts.

May 14, 2022May 16, 2022

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…

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.

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…

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.

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

May 10, 2022May 11, 2022

Infant Sensory Mat Sewing Project

An infant sensory mat is a fun way for babies to stay focused during tummy time to build core, neck, and arm muscles while also making neural connections through stimulating visual and tactile experiences.

The joy of sewing for my grandsons is that it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be fun and functional. NO STRESS, only joy! I love that these projects allow me to be creative. There was no pattern or directions for this mat. I saw something similar on Pinterest and I wanted to take it up a notch. Based on how much Mini Man loves this mat, I think I nailed it…and you can too!

I decided to set my mat up in sections to look similar to a quilt pattern. But you could set yours up any way you want. A round mat may be just as functional as a rectangular mat!

Now comes the fun part! When creating an infant sensory mat, think about a wide variety of fabric textures and colors: soft, rough, bumpy, smooth, stretchy, beaded, etc. Be sure to incorporate different shapes to provide visual stimulation, but also vocabulary development as baby grows!

Next, I planned out the other sections of the mat. This is a great time to dig into your trims and accessories drawer(s), and of course, button boxes (yes, I have multiple boxes/containers of buttons 🙂 ).

Remember those old patches we used to put on our jeans? OK maybe you are not as old as I am! I had a cute sequin heart patch and a dinosaur patch that I just had to include.

I also found some soccer ball beads that I had from another project. Placed under some clear vinyl with enough room that a patting hand would make the beads move is tons of fun!

Mini Man Exploring How the Soccer Balls Move

I also have an eyelet kit. So I put a line of metal eyelets on a piece of teal cotton fabric for a colorful, textured strip. The idea is to be creative!

Finally, I just had to have the sequin flip fabric on one section. This is so much fun! If you rub the sequins in one direction, they are colorful. But if you rub them in the other direction, they change to a solid color. This piece was rainbow and silver. What great visual and tactile stimulation! It just had to be included!!

As I was finding all of these fun things to include, I was laying them out on my mat. I’ll be honest, my layout changed several times and that is OK! I pinned things on and moved them around until I liked the way it looked and it fit with the binding that I was putting on at the end. There is no pattern for this project because the idea is to release your own creativity. But the infographic below shows the steps to create a fun sensory mat for your little one.

For more information on sensory play ideas, visit the yoyoclub page on our site. Click here.

May 10, 2022May 11, 2022

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!

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.

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!

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.

May 9, 2022May 10, 2022

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!

May 5, 2022

Yo-yo club launch!

May 5, 2022May 17, 2022

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.

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!!