In The Sky Sensory Bin

Roo loves waking up to find a new sensory bin waiting on him! I love making something fun for him and knowing he will happily play with this new bin for a few hours. I got a great deal on a Toob from Safari LTD and I couldn't wait to make the In the Sky Sensory Bin.

I started with a base of Easter paper grass stuff and a few cotton balls.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

I pulled the cotton balls apart slightly to fluff them up a bit.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

Gently pull your cotton ball apart until it looks like a fluffy cloud.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

Next add a handful of planes and balloons- or a toob (In the Sky).

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

And you have a neat sensory bin for kids that incorporates fun with their senses. The paper Easter grass and the cotton ball clouds offer different textures to feel. The paper grass engages the sense of hearing as it crinkles when touched. The colorful blue base engages the sense of sight with a visually appealing color. The planes open the doors to imaginative play.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

Roo liked this sensory bin. He was amazed at the planes inside and he caught on quickly that the bin was the sky. He excitedly showed me all of the clouds, several planes and the paper grass which he thought was pretty neat stuff. After about an hour of playing planes he smiled and picked out a few dudes and told me it was bubble bath time! The In the Sky Sensory Bin can double as a bubble bath sensory bin in the imagination of a child.

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear about your favorite sensory bin ideas.

Nuts About Cookies Bark

When you have a very busy child underfoot and an infant to contend with the chances of baking a cake from scratch are slim to none. Too often dinner comes from the freezer or sadly it comes home in a brown bag and Styrofoam containers. Dessert? Think stale cake from the bakery. Plastic wrapped cookies. Yeah. I never claimed to be the perfect wife or mother. I seriously lack in the cooking department if you are seeking home cooking or from scratch cooking. Instead of beating myself up about not being June Clever, I realized that I don't have to make everything from scratch. This inspired me so I started playing around with ingredients I had on hand and I came up with a yummy dessert that took less than 5 minutes to create.

I came up with Nuts for Cookies Bark. It was nothing short of awesome! To create Nuts for Cookies Bark you will need:

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

10-18 crushed oreo cookies (I broke mine into chunks)
1/2 cup od pecans, crushed
1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips


Spray a microwave safe bowl with cooking spray. Pour chocolate chips into the bowl and microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until the chips are melted and can be stirred smooth.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

While the chocolate chips are melting, place half of the cookies and nuts into the bottom of a container, you could use a baking dish or a cookie sheet. Pour the melted chocolate over the base. Top with the remaining cookies and nuts.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

Allow to cool at room temperature for about an hour. Then cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours so that the bark will set and harden properly.

Before serving, allow to set at room temperature for a few moments. Break into chunks and serve.

Find more yummy desserts here:

Homemade rice pudding

Easy dipped shortbread cookies