Beach sensory tub

The best thing about living in Florida is the year round sunshine and ability to spend days at the beach in February! The constant sunshine and warmth is easy to take for granted, and today was one of those days. We have been enjoying such beautiful weather lately that I woke up this morning ready for a beach trip with my sweet bee only to be greeted by thunderstorms upon leaving our home. Should have checked the weather channel!

Luckily, I have some rainy day activities stored in my bookmarks folder and was able to bring the beach to us - and you can, too! I have been meaning to try this wonderful "cloud dough" recipe for quite some time and the dreary weather gave us the perfect excuse.

Sweet hands agree - this stuff is completely fabulous! I used wheat flour to give it a more sandy color, and the texture was absolutely perfect. It feels and behaves exactly like wet beach sand! It can be scooped, poured, molded, and made into sand castles! There could not have been a better way to spend a rainy day.

               

               

The artist at work

'Nothing which cannot be art is true'

The last thing we're afraid of at Brightly Living headquarters is a mess, so tonight we rolled up our sleeves and experimented with some non toxic, edible finger paint. You can try this, too! It's a phenomenal tactile experience which stimulates the senses and helps to develop coordination and fine motor skills! To make this wonderful squishy paint, you'll need the following: 

• 1 cup of all purpose flour 
• 1/4 cups of cold water
• 1 and 1/4 cups of boiling water
• Food coloring 

Mix your flour and cold water, you will get a sort of dough. Once the boiling water is nice and bubbling, slowly add that to your dough while mixing. It will begin to blend together and you'll be left with a fantastic squishy consistency. Separate into containers, add your food coloring, and that's that! Easy peasy. 

First, we have a spill - which was a great introduction between bee and our finger paint. 

Next, the fun begins! 

Deep in thought and hard at work! 

So proud of herself!

 Finally, we were left with this wonderful work of art!