Donations and help please!

Hello everyone!

Our Wednesday class was another success, thank you to everyone who came! It was great seeing some regular mums and new little ones too! If you forgot your loyalty card, don't worry, just bring it with you next time to be stamped! Daisy was able to stay the whole session this week and she really enjoyed herself (especially the cake decorating table!) I'm sure it'll give her lots of confidence being around so many other children and it's lovely seeing her run off to play independently! If you come to a class and there's no-one at the door, just look out for me in my bright yellow t-shirt and come say hello! :)

Here are some of the activities we had:

'Invitation to play' playdough with dried spaghetti and cheerios (we had a lot of lovely hedgehogs at the end!)

Spice painting - Ginger, coriander, cinnamon, cumin… one little girl said it was like 'painting with poo!' haha!

 

Lime jelly with bats and rats

 

Baked beans with diggers

 

Coloured moonsand (by far the most popular… especially with the adults!)

Our first 'Taste Table'… this week was decorating fairy cakes :)

It was also Tony's first class offering mini photoshoots on the stage. Here's a photo of Daisy when she helped with a lighting test… love the expression on her face! haha

Here's a sneak peek at Harry's photoshoot… it was his first birthday and it looked like he had lots of fun! I made a special tuff spot tray for him to play with which included coloured rice, containers, scoops, flashcards and cups… I love the action shot of him with the rice!

Ellie also had a mini photoshoot. I made up a sensory basket for her to explore whilst she was having her photos done… I think it makes it more relaxed and at least then the children don't miss out on any play time! :)

If you would like something similar please don't hesitate to contact me and book a time slot :) Photography packages can be found at: www.sensorysensations.co.uk/classes

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I've been asked whether we accept any donations… definitely! I know we can make use of absolutely anything (doing sensory play with Daisy has made me more creative about things I would have usually thrown out! haha) so if anyone would like to donate anything please get in touch… things like:

- Hand towels
- Coloured or metal utensils
- Containers (and size, shape or colour)
- Shredded paper/packing peanuts/bubble wrap
- Fabrics
- Cuddly toys or books for our baby/quiet area

.. or anything similar would be greatly appreciated. We can collect or you can bring them along to a class… thank you! :)
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I was just also wondering whether there would be any volunteers who would be willing to stay on a Wednesday between 12-12:30 to help us clear up? At 34 weeks pregnant I'm finding it a struggle to clear up at the end of the class and Tony doing it by himself (bless him!) is taking 1-2 hours! You don't have to commit to every week and even if you could only spare 10 minutes it would be a massive help. No heavy lifting required, just things like:

- Washing & drying toys
- Cleaning trays
- Bagging up toys/utensils etc
- Sweeping/hoovering

Please let me know if you can spare some time (.. and of course your little one can get a little bit of extra playtime! hehe)

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Finally, don't forget there are two classes next week! The dates & times are:

Wednesday 4th March: 9-12noon
Saturday Fun Club: 2-4pm

Both at Hothfield Village Hall, suitable for 6 months to 5 years old, £5 per child and £3 per additional child. Introduce a friend and you both get £1 off :) Message me to book your place!

Thank you....

Katie xx

Big Jig Toys - Review

BIG JIG TOYS - REVIEW

We were lucky enough to be sent a lovely selection of sensory toys from Big Jig Toys who are a family run toy company based in Folkestone. We've added all these toys to our collection at our Sensory classes, so they will be used and enjoyed many, many times!

This is a 'Bell Tree' from Big Jig Toy's 'Baby & Toddler - Tactile & Sensory Toys' range. It is suitable for children aged from 3 months and can be bought for £5.99 here: http://www.bigjigstoys.co.uk/p/bell-tree. This toy features brightly coloured ribbons and shiny bells to create wonderfully asthetically pleasing sounds when shaken. This made a welcome addition to our musical instruments station at our sensory class and really stands out amongst the plastic tambourines! It's easy to grip for little ones and can help improve hand eye co-ordination and dexterity. It is a classic toy that will last for many years to come!

Daisy loved the Bell Tree. She loves making different sounds and singing and spent a while exploring the different ribbons and did a lot of shaking! We practised shaking the Bell Tree to different songs such as 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. Any toy that makes Daisy smile as much as she did is worth buying!

This is a pair of wooden Animal Maracas from Big Jig Toy's musical instruments range. They are suitable for children aged from 12 months and come in a variety of brightly coloured designs. They are perfect for little hands to hold and, as with the Bell Tree, they encourage rhythm and allow creativity when paired with music and song. These can be bought for £4.99 per pair here: http://www.bigjigstoys.co.uk/p/animal-maracas-one-pair-designs-vary.

These maracas also made a wonderful addition to our collection of musical instruments in our weekly classes. They are well made, ideal for all ages and make a lovely inviting sound when shaken. Daisy enjoyed playing with these. As a toddler who enjoys throwing her toys around at the moment (I'm hoping this is just a phase!) it has shown how durable these maracas are, which is great as a long lasting toy to be enjoyed again and again.

 

 I set up this tray of coloured moon sand at our Sensory Class to go with Big Jig Toy's 'Assortment of Sandmoulds' and their 'Ice Cream Sandmoulds'. 

The 'Assortment of Sandmoulds' are suitable for 12 months onwards and contain four brightly coloured moulds including a fish, duck, teddy bear and a spiral that can be filled with water. They can be bought for £4.49 here:  http://www.bigjigstoys.co.uk/p/sandmould-assortment

The Ice Cream Sandsmoulds are suitable for 12 months onwards and contain four brightly coloured cones and a scoop. They can be bought for £8.49 here: http://www.bigjigstoys.co.uk/p/sandmould-ice-cream. 

These Sandmould sets are great for sand play, but also can be used as a perfect addition to different sensory tray bases such as cloud dough, rice, coloured water, lentils, 'clean mud' or any other material that can be moulded or poured.

Here's Jack playing with the Sandmoulds at our class... lots of fun and great for exploring colours, role play and cause and effect. The adults in the class had lots of fun with these too! :)

This is the 'Bruno Activity Cube' from Big Jig Toy's 'Baby - Activity and Learning' range. A colourful, multi-textured activity cube which includes a rattle, soft handle, crinkly ears, a sturdy teething ring and delightful pictures on each side. This is suitable from birth and can be bought for £9.99 here: http://www.bigjigstoys.co.uk/p/bruno-activity-cube/baby-toddler_activity-learning?pp=24. This cube provides lots of stimulation for a baby and will improve their hand eye co-ordination as well as their dexterity.

This activity cube joined our 'Baby/quiet area' at our Wednesday sensory class, it made a lovely addition and the babies loved playing with it. Even though it is a little young for Daisy, she still enjoyed shaking it and looking at the different features... 'Doggy!' she exclaimed when she found the sewn dog character. When baby number 2 comes I'm sure they will enjoy this cube a lot and will help through the teething months which is always a good thing!

This is the 'Animal Shape Lorry' from Big Jig Toy's 'Baby & Toddler - Sorting and Stacking' range, designed for children aged 18 months onwards. A beautifully made wooden shape sorter with 10 coloured animals, a tailgate feature and it can be pulled along with a red string. This lovely toy encourages fine motor skills, co-ordination, problem solving and learning animal names, sizes, colours and noises. A great toy to explore independently or with 'leading' questions to develop learning. This can be bought for £13.99 here: http://www.bigjigstoys.co.uk/p/animal-shape-lorry... money well spent on a toy that will last and grow with your child :)

This was Daisy's absolute favourite... first of all she just put all the animals in the biggest hole shape on the top of the lorry, then she figured out each animal had it's own hole shape (and discovered the hole shapes on the sides of the lorry), she showed me each animal and told me what it was (Giraffe, cow, piggy, doggy...) and when she didn't know (elephant) she said 'big', so we talked about the sizes of the animals and also what noises they made... lots of learning! When Daisy put all the animals in the lorry, I encouraged her to find out how to get them all out again, at first she tried to get them back out of the hole shapes... but then she discovered the tailgate! She then did a few laps around the living room pulling the lorry.. she absolutely loved it! 

We've had a wonderful time exploring these toys. This is only a small selection, there are so many more fantastic toys for sale at www.bigjigtoys.com ranginf from classic wooden train sets to garden toys, art & crafts to pocket money toys... there's something for everyone at all ages. I'm looking forward to exploring more toys from this company for both Daisy, our new baby, and of course introducing them to all the lovely children who come to our Sensory Classes.

 We were sent a selection of Big Jig Toys for the purpose of this review.

Saturday Fun Club

Some quick news!

We have been given great feedback regarding our idea to introduce Saturday afternoon classes, most mums have said it would be nice to take their children somewhere they can  bring dads too so they don't miss out on all the fun during the week... so far we have one date and we're calling it our 'Sensory Sensations Saturday Fun Club'! As with our other classes there will be a variety of sensory and messy play activities. £5 per child, £3 per additional child. These are aimed for children from 6 months to 5 years old, I'm afraid we wont be able to accept any children/siblings older than 5 as we want the little ones to be able to access all the different stations. 

Here's the date for your diary:

Saturday 7th March - 2-4pm

We'll gauge reaction for this Saturday class and if a success we will add more dates... watch this space! :)

Katie xx

Chinese New Year...

Hey everyone! :)

On Wednesday we had a wonderful time at our second themed class... all activities based around 'Chinese New Year', here are a few photos:

 

All set up :) Can you spot our daughter Daisy?

 

Spaghetti and rice trays

 Daisy and daddy having some playdough fun!

 

Tissue paper strips and Chinese fans

 

Red & yellow playdough with gold & red glitter

 

Blue waterbeads and dragons

 

Some wonderful artwork! Cherry Blossom Trees and a dragon! :)

We gave out our brand new loyalty cards (please remember to bring them each time you come!) and the biscuits and juice went down a treat! (As well as the prawn crackers, although I think I must have eaten most of them! haha)

Our next class (Weds 25th) won't be themed, but will still be filled with messy and sensory fun! Our next themed class will be EASTER themed on Weds 1st April.

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It's been an exciting post week so far! :)

We're thrilled to have been given the opportunity to review some sensory toys from the lovely people at BigJig Toys who are based in Folkestone. They sell a variety of bright and colourful toys for babies and toddlers ranging from wooden train sets to outdoor games, party bag fillers to things for children's bedrooms, all at great prices. Please go check out their website: http://www.bigjigstoys.co.uk

 For the purpose of our review we were kindly given the following:
- Belltree
- Animal Maracas
- Bruno Activity Cube
- Ice cream sandmould (x5 pieces)
- Assorted sandmoulds (x4 pieces)
- Animal Shape Lorry

As well as introducing these to our daughter Daisy, I will also be bringing them along to our sensory class next week for other babies and toddlers to play with them and tell me what they think :) I will write a dedicated blog post about this next week (watch this space!) and I will also be featured on Big Jig Toys 'Big Blog' (http://blog.bigjigstoys.co.uk) where I will be writing about the importance of sensory play... a link will follow shortly!

Also this week...

My super bright 'Sensory Sensations' t-shirt came... you won't miss me coming now! :) I had to order an X-Large, which still is a bit snug with my bump, haha, so I'm hoping when baby is here it will fit abit better!

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Our last piece of news is that we are now able to offer mini professional photoshoots for your little ones in our classes from now on. My husband Tony is a filmmaker/photographer and has over 20 years experience making and editing videos and photos. He will spend 20 minutes with you & your child for a minimum of 5 professional photos (they will be colour graded, suitable for framing). This will cost just £20 as an introductory offer. If you would like to have some professional photos taken of you & your child whilst at our class, you will need to book a time slot inbetween 9:00am-11:30am, to avoid disappointment. Your mini photo shoot will take place on the stage, so away from all the messy play! The photos will then be emailed to you same day. :)

Please contact me to book a slot by email: sensorysensations@hotmail.com or through our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/sensorysensationsclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Phew! It's all go! 'Zoom zoom zoom we're going to the moon... we'll get there very sooooon!'


Katie xx

Loyalty Cards :)

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to start by saying a big thank you to everyone who is being very patient whilst we finalise times etc for classes. We're trying to cater for everyone so hoping that the new idea of having a Sensory Sensations morning (9-12noon) where you can come whatever time and stay however long you like will appeal to local mums :) I know that sometimes half the stress in the morning is trying to get everyone ready to get somewhere on time so hoping this will help a bit by being more relaxed!

Here's a brand new poster that we're hoping to post all over Ashford very soon, what do you think? Any suggestions of good places to put them up?

It also advertises our new LOYALTY CARDS... you'll be given one the first class you attend which will be stamped each time you attend... your fourth and eighth class will then be half price (£2.50) and your twelfth class will be FREE (if you attended the first Valentine's Day class you will get two stamps as we didn't have the cards in time!) What do you think?

From now on we will also be providing juice and biscuits for little ones (and parents) throughout the morning.

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In other news I've just finished this light and sound sensory bin for a little boy's first birthday... it includes a lentil shaker, tambourine, jingle bells, mini hand held drum, push light, glow sticks, fibre optic light and a spiky light up ball, all 'hidden' in shredded paper! If you would like something similar, check out our main Sensory Sensations page at www.facebook.com/sensorysensationsuk to see some more examples :)

Hope everyone has a fab week!

Katie xx

Valentine's Day Classes :)

Hello again everyone! :)

Our first Sensory Sensations classes were a success! A big thank you to everyone who came, it was lovely to see some friends and new faces...

Here's a little video of us setting up! If only we could move this fast in real life ;)

 

As well as a ball pool, musical instuments, water beads and a baby area we had the following Valentine's Day themed activities:

Shaving foam and rose petals

Bubble Wrap and Heart Balloons

Scented playdough and 'make your own chocolates' station

Rice, kidney beans and lentils

'Valentine's Soup' - Scented water and foam shapes

 'LOVE' painting

Here's a couple of photos we took (with permission) of the children. If you have any photos you'd like to add to our website or Facebook page please message us :)

 

We left the village hall very happy and very tired! (What a mammoth clean up session it was! haha!) We hope all the parents and children enjoyed the classes as much as we did, already looking forward to and planning the next few weeks classes! We would love to keep improving, so if you came to a class and have any feedback, we'd love to hear it :)

The times of classes from now on are 9-10am and 11-12noon, please contact me to book a place for either class... next week is half term and is going to be CHINESE NEW YEAR themed... exciting!

We are also thinking of adding a class on a Saturday morning every other week.. would there be any interest? I know that when my husband is working during the weekend, I would love somewhere to take Daisy that isn't Imagine or Tumbletime, so I'm hoping there are other mums out there that want to take their little one to something different? Or it might be nice to involve dads too who don't get to go to groups during the week? :)

Let me know!

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I've also been busy finishing up some sensory bins... here are a couple of orders going to their new home very soon for a little boy's 1st birthday :)

Is your little one's birthday coming up? Why not get them something a bit different.. prices start from £20... more information on our website: www.sensorysensations.co.uk

Thanks everyone, 

Katie xxx

Our first party!

Hello everyone!

On Saturday we did our first 'Sensory Sensations' party! It was for a lovely 1 year old little girl and her group of friends at Egerton Village Hall, Ashford. A beautiful venue and wonderful people! Here's the selection of activities we provided:

                                                   Musical Instruments

                                                  Balloons & Bubble Wrap

            Homemade Playdough (chocolate, rose, strawberry and lemon scented) & Tools

                                                         Ball pool & Balls

                                               Shredded Paper & Foam Shapes

                                          Sensory Bottles: Corks & Pasta
                                                                   Lentils
                                                                   Waterbeads
                                                                   Beads
                                                                   Flower petals
                                                                   Cotton buds
                                                                   Clear gems
                                                                   Oatmeal
                       

                             Foil painting & Coloured Spaghetti with Sea Creatures

It made me feel so proud to watch all the little ones get stuck into our activities, the smiles, laughs and mess were exactly what we wanted to achieve, I think everyone enjoyed themselves and I hope we are able to do many more parties! :) 

Here is Juliette's Testimonial for this party:
 Katie of Sensory sensations was very helpful with ideas for our daughter's party and set it all up in our village hall. The children loved it and so did the parents because their children had lots to entertain them. Thoroughly recommend it. 

We've updated our party packages to give you a bit more of an idea of what is offered, including photography and videography... please visit www.sensorysensations.co.uk/parties for more details :)

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I'll leave you with this wonderful video my husband made to show off a bit of what we do (Click the link below)... I LOVE the song! How cute! :)

***Promotional Video***

Our next blog post will be all about our first Sensory Sensations class... watch this space!

Katie xx