Sticky Feet {Guest Post}

I am thrilled to have Vicky from Mess for Less guest posting today.  Vicky's blog shares wonderful ideas for hands-on, engaging activities for young children.  As a teacher, I truly believe that children learn best through process and the type of activities Vicky suggests are perfect for preschool-aged children.  Hop on over to Mess for Less and check out her incredible ideas!

Hello readers of This Mom's Happy Life! I am so excited to be guest posting here! My name is Vicky and at my blog, Mess For Less, I share fun learning experiences I have had with my kids (3 year old twins and a 20 month old). I was a teacher before having my kids and taught a bunch of different grades: Pre-k, Kindergarten, First and Fourth. I love saving money, so most of my ideas and activities are budget friendly. Here is one of my cheaper and easier ideas.

Sticky Feet

I love contact paper. There, I've admitted it. When I was teaching I would buy roll upon roll of the stuff and cover all of the paperback books in my classroom. It made them so much sturdier and the covers were so easy to clean. As a mom, I still love contact paper. I have used it in the past for art activities. You can find it at the dollar store which makes me love it even more!

Today, I am using it to provide a sensory experience for little ones. So if you are reading this and not the least bit crafty, fear not! This requires absolutely no skill and minimal effort, yet it will entertain the kids for a long time. You will need clear contact paper and masking tape. I unrolled some contact paper (maybe 2 feet long, but you can experiment with lengths) peeled off the backing and placed it on the floor with masking tape. Then I let my kids run amok. That's all there is to it! I will say that peeling the backing off the contact paper is the most challenging part for me. Maybe some of you are more dexterous. I usually end up with the contact paper stuck on me and folded over on itself.

Here you can see how I stuck it on the floor.

My kids loved running through the contact paper and hearing the noises as their feet stuck and unstuck. But that was not all. Soon, the twins had set up a picnic on the sticky feet mat. They liked how they could place their plates and toy bottles on the contact paper and have them stick. If you'll notice, one of the girls is using the backing I peeled off the contact paper as a picnic blanket. I was going to throw it out (bad mama!) and she rescued it.

 

Well, it wasn't long before little sister joined the party. Party crasher!

What I love about this simple activity is that it went in a direction I could have never predicted. I had simply intended for the kids to have a fun tactile experience, and they ended up using the contact paper for imaginative play as well. So you never know where something seemingly simple might lead.

 Exhausted after playing, they pretend to nap on the contact paper.

 

For many more ideas and activities please come visit Mess For Less. Hope to see you there!