{Baby Learning} Sense of Taste

It has been almost 4 months since I wrote a Baby Learning post.  I had started posting about the five senses, but only got to the sense of sight and the sense of touch.  Today I am going to jump back in and talk about the sense of taste.

Why do babies put everything in their mouths?  Well, a baby's tongue has more nerve endings than any other part of their body.  Putting something in his or her mouth is the best way they know to find out more about an objet.

It might seem like everything goes straight into a baby's mouth, and it probably does.  My baby girl (who was only 7 months old in this picture) is no exception.  Read books?  No, she would rather eat them.  :)

I truly believe that allowing babies to have safe things that they can put in their mouths is a great way for them to learn.  If you have something lying around that you don't want your baby to put in his or her mouth, then move it.  Otherwise, embrace this phase and know that it will eventually end.  

While babies do their fair share of taste testing any object within reach, once they are closer to 6 months of age they are also learning about food.  When my baby girl was 5 1/2 months old she had her first taste of rice cereal.  It has been funny that a baby who puts everything else in her mouth isn't overly excited about food.

Have you ever given your baby a new food and had them spit it right back out at you?  This is perfectly normal due to the highly sensitive nature of a baby's tongue as I mentioned earlier.  It often takes multiple exposures to a food before a baby will willingly eat it.

Babies continue to use their mouths as a way of learning throughout the first year and into the second.  Safety should always be a main priority when a baby is in this stage.  My older children are pretty good about keeping their toys out of their little sister's reach.  However, you can never be too careful.

So, while we have lots of chewed up board books lying around, I am pretty confident that Janna won't always do that.  :)  Do you have a baby that likes to put everything in his or her mouth?

{Baby Learning} Sense of Taste

Heart Wreath Made with Beans

Yesterday my little guy and I made this heart wreath out of beans. Today it was dry and he was happy to see that I hung it up in our kitchen.  Want to know how we made the wreath?  Here are the details.

The materials we used were Mod Podge (1 Tablespoon), Great Northern Beans (1 Cup), waxed paper and a paper plate.

I drew a heart on the paper plate and then placed a piece of waxed paper over it.  I taped the waxed paper to the table so it wouldn't slip around.

We measured 1 cup of beans into a bowl and added 1 tablespoon of Mod Podge.  My son stirred it all together.

Next, we dumped the mixture onto the waxed paper and started moving it around into the shape of the heart.

Once we had the beans situated the way we wanted them I untaped the waxed paper and moved everything to a safe place to dry.

This morning our heart wreath was dry.  I tied a red ribbon to it and hung it up in our kitchen.  I think I may just leave it up past Valentine's Day.

This method could be used for any shape, not just a heart.  Also, any type of dry beans could be used to give it an entirely different look.

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Heart Wreath Made with Beans

Valentine's Day Sensory Bin

I made up a very simple sensory bin for my son this afternoon.  It consisted of white beans and foam hearts in a rectangular container.  The beans were what was left after we did a craft project that I plan to share with you tomorrow.  The hearts were purchased last year on clearance.  

I have said it before, but I will say it again.  Sensory bins don't require you to go out and purchase all sorts of supplies.  Your child won't know that you saw a really cool sensory bin on someone's blog and wanted to make it just like theirs.  They will be happy with whatever you give them.  

My son has been enjoying playing with the beans and hearts.  Right now he is putting the beans in a small wooden dump truck and pretending they are rocks he is hauling.  :)

Before he got out the dump truck, my son used tongs to transfer the hearts from the bean container to a bowl. 

Then, he used tweezers to do the same thing.  As you can see he used his other hand a few times to help.  Both the tongs and tweezers are good for strengthening little hands and thus help with fine motor control.

Did you make a Valentine's sensory bin this year?  What is in yours?

Valentine's Day Sensory Bin

Homemade Valentine's Crayons

A couple of years ago my kids and I made homemade crayons using old broken crayons.  Since we didn't have a heart muffin tin, we made them into circles and I created the card pictured above to go with them.  

If you would like the details of how to make your own crayons as well as access to the free printable, please click here.  

Have you ever made homemade crayons?

Homemade Valentine's Crayons

Toilet Paper Tube Heart Stamps

When I saw an idea on Pinterest for using toilet paper tubes as heart stamps for painting I quickly pinned the idea.  The idea came from Rust and Sunshine and my 4 year old had fun testing it out.

To turn a toilet paper tube into a heart stamp simply crease a heart shape into the end of the tube and put a piece of tape on it to keep it in place.

Let your child dip the tube into some paint and use it as a stamp.

Your child may enjoy stamping hearts so much that he can't stop making them.  :)

Toilet Paper Tube Heart Stamps