Baked Cotton Ball Music Notes

Fun music inspired activity for kids that works on fine motor skills.

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This fine motor music idea has been in my head for months, but I kept putting it off because I never seemed to have enough cotton balls on hand. Well, after cleaning off the hutch in my dining room for the first time in months (yes, there may have been stuff from August and Halloween on that hutch!), I came across a bag full of cotton balls. So I decided then and there to whip up our very first batch of baked cotton balls.

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

Fine Motor Music Inspired Activity for Kids

I was inspired to do a music variation on the classical baked cotton balls because of accents found in music. I wanted to show the boys that with some extra force from the arms, music notes can have more emphasis. Hitting the note with the hammer was our way of simulating those accents found in music. When the boys would hit the baked cotton ball music notes, I would reinforce the music terminology with words like "emphasis" and "accented music notes." Also, assembling the baked cotton ball music notes was a way to reinforce what music notes look like.

What you'll need to make baked cotton ball music notes:

• Cotton Balls
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of water
• A few squirts of black acrylic paint (those are the official measurements...)
• Pipe cleaners - I wanted to use black ones, but I didn't have any on hand.

Mix flour, water, and paint together. Then dip the cotton balls in the black goopy mixture until well coated. Place the cotton balls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Then bake at 300 F for about 45 minutes.

Once the cotton balls are cool, let the kids assemble them into music notes! Pushing those pipe cleaners into the baked cotton balls is a great fine motor workout!

Now for the fun part - the smashing of the cotton balls! Or to use music terminology, it was time to put some accents on those notes! 

For this part, I highly recommend using a hard surface and a cloth or shower curtain for easy clean up. You will also need a hammer. Now, before the angry mobs start attacking me, please use your discretion. We did use a real hammer. I am confident in my children's abilities to use real life tools, but it is not for everyone and that is okay. Please note that my boys were fully supervised at all times.

Now back to regular scheduled programming...

The boys took turns hitting the baked cotton balls. I guided this process very carefully, saying it was "J's turn" or "K's turn," so that no little fingers were harmed in the process. I encouraged the boys to do a safety check before using the hammer. They were to make sure no one's hands or feet were on the board and that only one cotton ball was on the board.

My boys did amazing! They were great at sharing the hammer and taking turns. They also used positive words to encourage each other, which was really cute. 

That was it! No injured body parts and the boys were thrilled to use real tools!

Check out these other music themed posts:

Music Themed Invitation to Explore Magnets

Learning Music Theory with Cars

Spelling with Tin Can Drums

Rainbow Chickpeas {How to Dye Dried Chickpeas for Sensory Play}

So I recently claimed that rainbow shredded coconut was my favorite sensory bin filler ever. I take that back because I had not yet discovered the awesomeness that is rainbow dyed chickpeas. There are so many reasons why these rainbow chickpeas are now our new favorite sensory bin filler. First of all, they are simply gorgeous. But they are also ridiculously simple to make since there is practically zero drying time involved.

Ready to find out how to dye dried chickpeas for sensory play?

Rainbow Dyed Chickpeas Sensory Play Idea for Kids

They look like Skittles candy, don't you think? Except the orange ones. They remind me of nacho corn nuts. Oh how I love nacho corn nuts! Yum!

But these aren't edible. However, you can make them edible. Although, still don't let your kids eat them.

Let me dazzle you with a few more pictures before I spill the beans (ha!) on how to make these rainbow dyed chickpeas. As you can see, little hands could not resist touching them. First, there were two hands.

And then there were four...

Soon our sensory bin resembled a swirl of junk food goodness. Nacho Skittle corn nuts, anyone?

No? What if J offered them in a cup to you?

Still no? How about if K served up a portion for you?

Come on...if a two year old offers you something, then you take it, right? 

Ah, perfect! You're on board to try it then! I'll make sure K dished you up some that weren't touching his toes. Deal?  Good!

Rainbow Dyed Chickpeas: How to Dye Chickpeas for Sensory Play

What you'll need to dye dried chickpeas (or garbanzo beans!) for sensory play:

• Giant bag of dried chickpeas - I used a 1.8 kg bag that I purchased for $3.50. I waited for it to go on sale!

• Liquid watercolors - You could probably try food coloring, but liquid watercolors sure makes things easier and more vibrant!

• Large zipper seal plastic bags

For each color of the rainbow, I put 1.5 cups of chickpeas and about 5-8 squirts of liquid watercolors in a plastic bag. Then I let the boys shake and mix the contents until the chickpeas were well coated. You may need to add more liquid watercolors to get complete bean coverage. I highly suggest adding a few squirts at first and then adding one additional squirt at a time until they are well coated.

Now here's the magical thing about dyeing dried chickpeas. They dry almost instantly. Seriously. Within minutes, the chickpeas were dry to the touch. That means you don't have to wait for hours for them to dry. Yay!

The other reason why rainbow dyed chickpeas are simply the best sensory bin filler: their weight. Since chickpeas are heavier than dyed oats or salt or rice or coconut, they offer a lot more tactile input to sensory seeking kids. That means they are also a lot more noisy than other sensory bin fillers, but my noisy boys enjoyed that part too!

Other Things You'll Love

Edible Sludge Sensory Play

Rainbow Dyed Oats

Rainbow Dyed Rice Noodles

Rainbow Dyed Coconut

Ultimate Guide to Dyeing Sensory Materials

Rainbow Dyed Puffed Wheat

Water Fine Motor Activity for Kids Using Colorful Cups

Looking for scooping and pouring activities for toddlers and preschoolers? Then try this simple water fine motor activity using colorful cups.

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There's just something super calming about playing with water. My kids just love it and it's also like the easiest sensory activity ever to set up.

But make it a water activity that involves scooping and pouring and I've got an even bigger hit in the eyes of my kids. Especially if you add some cool tools like turkey basters or big spoons right from the kitchen. 

Seriously, my kids could scoop and pour water for days and be super happy. As would most toddlers and preschoolers, I bet.

Well, this water fine motor activity for kids combines it all. Water sensory play, check. Scooping and pouring, check. Kitchen tools, check. Happy preoccupied kids? Super big checkmark there!

What You'll Need for this Water Fine Motor Activity for Kids

This fun activity requires basically zero prep. Just grab some materials and you're good to go for this water activity. Here's what we used:

• Container of water - I actually used two small containers, one for each of my boys. You could even try using colored water if you wanted.

• Colorful translucent plastic cups - I used colored plastic shot glasses from Dollar Tree and translucent tube shots from Dollarama.

• Turkey baster - You could also use eye droppers if you have some on hand. Basically, anything to work on fine motor skills and help the kids transfer water will work great.

I set up this fine motor water activity on the bottom of a large plastic sensory bin container (see the photo below). I wanted it to be more like a table for the kids. Since our container has a little lip around the edges, it does contain the water a bit. However, you could set this up inside the bin to really contain the water.

This Fun Fine Motor Activity is Perfect for Summer!

The boys first gravitated towards the turkey basters. They'd squeeze them to pick up some water and then use that water to fill up the various cups. It's such a great fine motor workout for the kids!

Scooping and pouring is like the ultimate preschool activity, no? Same goes for toddlers. They just love it! So, unsurprisingly, my boys did some scooping and pouring with the cups and water. In particular, they'd use the little shot glasses to pour water into the tube shots. Who knows...maybe your kids will even pretend to make potions and turn this activity into a fun pretend play activity too.

While they scooped and poured, my kids noticed that the tube shots could hold a lot more water than the shot glasses. So they started pouring the water from the tall skinny cups into the small cups and into the bigger containers that originally held the water. Talk about sneaky math learning! They are exploring measurement and volume here.

Water ended up everywhere on their little makeshift tabletop. But the kids had a blast splashing in the water that collected there as well. Overall, this water fine motor activity was a hit. It's also perfect for a hot summer day.

Other Play Activities for Kids You'll Love

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Easy Water Play Activities for Kids

Muffin Tin Geoboard Fine Motor Skills Activity

How to Encourage Kids to Practice Piano

How to encourage your kids to practice piano. Tips from a piano teacher!

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One of the most difficult things about being a piano teacher is encouraging students to continue practicing piano over breaks. Whether it is a break around Christmas time or a break during the summer, I know that my students are likely not practicing as much as they need or as much as I would like. And honestly, as a kid growing up, I remember rarely touching the piano during the summer months. So I get it. However, lack of practice during this time can really affect progress.

So how can you encourage your kids to practice piano (or any instrument really!) during school breaks?

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. I received a copy of 101 Piano Practice Tips in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced by the free product.

Piano Practice Tips for Kids

The book 101 Piano Practice Tips by Tracy Capps Selle offers lots of amazing practice ideas. It's a valuable guide for parents to keep on hand in order to find the right practice suggestions for your child. There were even plenty of fun ideas that I had never heard of before! And the chapter filled with tips from kids is completely adorable. I also particularly enjoyed how the book reinforced three key ideas about practicing piano:

• It should be fun.
• It should be part of a daily routine.
• Not all piano practice needs to occur at the piano.

Tip 1: Make Practicing Piano Fun!

During the summer, kids want to just play. As a result, they view practicing piano as a chore or as work. So you may have to look for creative ways to make practicing piano fun. Here are some ways to make practicing piano fun:

• Host a teddy bear concert. In 101 Piano Practice Tips, Tracy mentions this adorable idea of having your child playing a concert for their favorite stuffed animals. Encouraging a child to perform for their stuffed animals will not only make practicing piano more fun, but it will help them develop the confidence needed to participate in performances. So it helps them prepare for piano recitals too!
• Come up with games to encourage practice. Another fun idea from Tracy's book is the game called "Penny Practice." It involves moving pennies from one side of the piano to the other each time a child plays a difficult section correctly. Play it wrong and a penny moves back to the original side. Once all the pennies move to the other side, the child not only wins the game, but they get to keep the pennies (or candies or whatever else you may substitute).
• Record you child playing the piano. They will love watching the video afterwards!
• Encourage your child to play their favorite songs as they will be more likely to want to practice if it's songs that they enjoy.

Tip 2: Make Practicing Piano Part of the Daily Routine

You may have to remind your child to brush their teeth or wash their hands. That means you may have to remind them to practice piano as well. 

It may be helpful to find a time of day that is designated to practicing piano. When I was a teenager, I used to wake up at 6 AM so that I could practice piano. It worked perfect for our family, even for my two brothers who would sleep through it all. So find a time that works for your child and stick to it!

Tip 3: Not All Piano Practice Needs to Occur at the Piano

Piano is more than just playing notes at the piano. Important skills such as working on rhythms or practicing note reading can be done away from the piano keyboard. 

In 101 Piano Practice Tips, Tracy suggests many wonderful apps and websites for practicing music theory, including some that are free. However, I prefer to encourage music theory learning with hands on activities. Here are some creative ways to practice piano without actually practicing at the piano. Just click on the link above the photo to read more about it.

Practice Note Reading with Cars

Play Music Theory Games using Chalk

Create Rhythms with DIY Music Rocks

Explore Tempo with Drum Games

Music Note Sorting Game for Kids

Practice Note Reading with DIY Grand Staff Game

Music Note Matching on the Light Table

Want More Piano Practice Tips?

I highly recommend downloading 101 Piano Practice Tips as it offers lots of creative ideas for encouraging piano practice. I particularly enjoyed the chapter with the tips from kids because, let's face it, kids say some pretty awesome (and hilarious) things. I also loved the section on music apps because I frequently have parents asking for suggestions. Now I have a great resource to suggest to them. I also love that the book is easy to read, making it a great book to reference, especially if you need a fresh new practicing strategy for your child.

101 Piano Practice Tips is available for Kindle. And don't worry if you don't have a Kindle! You can read this book on your computer or on mobile devices using the free Kindle app.

For more information on the book, please check it out on Amazon or browse Tracy's website.

Other Ideas You'll Love

8 Signs Your Child is Ready for Piano Lessons

11 Ways to Encourage a Love for Music in Kids

50+ Music Activities for Kids

Muffin Tin Geoboard Fine Motor Activity

Looking for fine motor geoboard activities for toddlers or preschoolers? How about some muffin tin activities? Well, try this fun and unique twist on the classic rubber band geoboard by using muffin tins!

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Setting up an activity for your child doesn't need to be complex or elaborate, by any means. And you certainly don't have to go out and buy anything special. Oftentimes, the best activities are ones that make use of the materials you already have on hand.

And that's the case for this muffin tin geoboard activity.

This quick and easy DIY geoboard makes for a simple fine motor activity for toddlers and preschoolers. There's zero prep for you, but tons of fun for the kids. And you likely already have everything you need right in your home.

What You Need for this Muffin Tin & Rubber Band Geoboard

I came up with this idea while brushing my hair and I'm still not really sure what sparked the idea. However, it turned out awesome. Plus, it only uses two materials! We used:

• Muffin tins - I used two regular 6 cup tins (one for each kid) and one 24 mini muffin tin. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

• Rubber bands in various sizes and colors

Then I set out everything on a short table (ahem...I flipped our plastic sensory bin container upside down to create the table) for my boys. Like so:

This Muffin Tin Geoboard is Great for Working on Fine Motor Skills

This geoboard activity ended up being perfect for four year old J. He easily managed to put the rubber bands onto the bottom of the muffin tins.

On the other hand, two year old K needed assistance with this part. He found it really tricky to hold the rubber bands open while sliding it onto the muffin tin.

However, K did find the 24 mini muffin tin easier than the 6 cup muffin tin. So be sure to experiment and see what works best for your kids.

After a bit of independent exploration, both boys worked together to turn the big muffin tin into a geoboard, creating patterns, shapes, and even some letters (of course because #hyperlexia) with the rubber bands.

This activity required literally no prep on my part, but it turned out to be a fantastic fine motor exercise for both of my boys. Talk about simple play for the win! YAY!

This muffin tin geoboard activity is part of the Everyday Fine Motor Materials from A to Z series hosted by Still Playing School. You can see other posts in this series here.