If your toddler is anything like mine then you probably hear "I do it!" or "me do it" quite a bit. By using Montessori principles in my house, I'm able to reply "sure" a lot more often. It's not about giving Henry free reign, but it's about letting him exercise his independence by making a few small adjustments.
While I strive to do this as much as I can, I don't generally give him freedom with his sensory bins. I choose the contents, the setting, and any tools. While the play is open ended, the setting is not. Until now.
This week, Henry has an "I Do It" sensory bin with a little more freedom. He gets to pick the medium {water, water beads, shells, or glass bead} to make the bin exactly how he wants it. I also provided as basket of different tools and some ocean themed Toobs animals to add to the fun.
With this system Henry has an empty bin that he can truly make his own as we learn about the ocean and the letter O at tot school this week. I'm excited to see all the possibilities that he comes up with!
Have you ever tried a more open ended sensory bin? How did it go? I'll share Henry's reaction in this week's tot school post!
