I have been saving up our toilet roll tubes recently to make a little ball run for Isabelle, and today was the day. I came home from work and saw them all sitting, and decided to put together this little activity to fill that horrible space just before dinner. I am also making a conscious effort to do more activities with her, as we have lapsed since I went back to work, and so this is #1 in my aim to reach 50 activities before Christmas!As you can see, it's pretty rough and ready (like everything we do!). I simply sellotaped the toilet roll tubes to our patio door, making sure that each one lined up with the one before so that when the ball dropped, it continued on it's journey. I cut some notches out of the ones which ran diagonally, so the ball could easily fall in, and even opened some up into a 'half drain pipe' effect so Isabelle could see the ball as it traveled.
After we liberated lots more pom poms from her old sensory bottle, Simon then cut the top of it open to make a funnel to put at the very start of the run.
I showed Isabelle how to use it, and she had a little play - but she was far more interested in the pom poms themselves. She adores the little balls (as she calls them) and can often be seen wandering round the house, clutching them in her hands. She has loved playing with them for months now, and we've lost a lot along the way, so this new influx of pom poms was far more appealing to her - especially as some were shiny!
So, instead, she sat on the floor and relocated the pom poms for about 20 minutes. She loaded them into her special 'ball cup', and then poured them out. Loaded them into the bottom half of the bottle they had been in (I sellotaped the edge to make it smooth) and poured them out. She poured from one container into the next, and had a great time. The pom pom ball run didn't get another look from her - so I'm glad it only took 5 minutes to set up!
Any play with these little balls is great for Isabelle's fine motor skills, and the different textures of the balls adds a lovely sensory element to the activity as well - especially as some were still damp from their dip in the bath!
I think she'll be much more intrigued with this little activity in future, and I will be able to create a masterpiece for her then, using some kitchen roll tubes as well!
Isabelle was 17.5months
