Donut Shop Sensory Play + Love to Learn Linky #8

This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We decided to have a pajama party at our house.  Just a little play date where The Babe and all her friends could wear their jammies.  And maybe the mamas too…  For a little fun, I laid out some Donut Shop Sensory Play for everybody.  Play dough donuts and a coffee sensory bin for the kiddos and yummy coffee for the adults.

Keep reading all the way to the end for some more fun activities from this week’s installment of the Love to Learn Linky.

Donut Shop Sensory Play Left Brain Craft Brain

Play Dough Donut Shop

First up was the play dough donut bakery.  I got one of those donut baking pans {affiliate} and laid out a couple of colors of homemade play dough, one for the donuts and one for the frosting.  Then I added bowls of beads and confetti for the sprinkles.  That’s all you need!  My chocolate play dough made for tasty smelling donuts (recipe below) or you can find my basic play dough recipe here.

play dough donut shop supplies left brain craft brain

donut sensory play sparkles left brain craft brain

Chocolate Play Dough Recipe

2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/4 cups salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons cream of tartar
2 1/2 cups water
5 Tablespoons vegetable oil

  1. Combine dry ingredients in a large pot and stir until well mixed.
  2. Stir in water and oil until combined.
  3. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until dough is thick.
  4. Remove play dough from the pot and place on a plate or cookie sheet to cool.  Cover with a paper towel or dish cloth so it won’t dry out.
  5. Once dough is cool enough to handle, knead dough until smooth.
  6. Once dough reaches room temperature, store in an air tight container or zipper bag.

donut shop play dough bakery teamwork left brain craft brain

Donut Shop Coffee Sensory Bin

You know how half the experience at a donut shop seems to be the coffee these days?  I thought it would be fun for the kiddos to have a new sensory bin experience.  So they played coffee shop in the donut shop :)  At first the smell of the coffee was intriguingly (is that a word? is that spelled right?) icky.  The Babe even said there is “NO WAY my friends will want to play with this”.  But she was so wrong!  Before long she and her friends were scooping and serving coffee cups to everyone.  I even looked over to find some little kid heads in the bin sniffing this new experience.  Definitely a success seeing the kids trying something new and loving it.

coffee sensory bin left brain craft brain

Here’s what I included in The Babe’s coffee sensory bin:

  • 2 lbs. whole coffee beans
  • several tea bags
  • spoons (or stirrers)
  • paper coffee cups and lids
  • cotton balls as sugar
  • cotton pads as creamer
  • coffee filters

I would recommend going with decaf coffee beans just in case one of the kiddos decides to chew a bean or two.  Or just don’t do this activity right before bedtime :)  Vanilla or other flavored coffee would be a nice sensorial experience, too.

Coffee!!

I was inspired to write this post by my brand new Keurig 2.0 coffee maker Keurig 2.0 coffee maker.  I love me a cup of their Donut Shop coffee and they were kind enough to send me the newest model to try out.  It was wonderful to have for our PJ party, because once the kiddos got to playing, the moms got to sit back and drink a cup of coffee.  Good thing you can make a pot of coffee in the 2.0, not just a single cup like the older models!  It’s super easy and the coffee is consistently easy and good every time.  (This is coming from a coffee-making challenged girl!  Apparently it takes more than an engineering degree to make a decent cup…)

keurig coffee donut shop sensory play left brain craft brain

Need More Sensory Play?

Here are a few more unique sensory bins from the Love to Learn Linky.

Love to Learn Linky Sensory Bins

Community Helpers Recycling Sensory Bin

Sunflower Sensory Bin from Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes

Underwater Glitter Sand from In the Playroom

Or check out my Dinosaur Dig Bin for more sensory play.

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Love to Learn Linky

Love to Learn Linky

Be sure to check out the other features this week.

14+ DIY Gifts for Grandparents Day from One Time Through

10 Easy Way to Entertain Kids with Stuff Found Around the House from A Little Pinch of Perfect

Fall Play Dough Mats and Other Fall Activities from Totschooling

Now it’s time for some more links!  I hope you’ll join me and a few of my friends for a fun and educational linky party.

Bloggers, share your posts every Thursday and watch as we round them up and share them all over the place.  Almost anything goes, we’re just hoping your activities teach kids (or us!) something (science, art, cooking, behavior, crafting, parenting etc…).

The Love to Learn Linky is hosted by:

Left Brain Craft Brain


Left Brain Craft Brain (leftbraincraftbrain.com):
  Anne is an ex-engineer, current stay-at-home mama writing about crafty ways to encourage creativity (and brain power!) in our kids.  Each of her projects gives kids the chance to learn about a new subject and do something crafty at the same time.

 

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Totschooling (totschooling.net): Viviana is a blogging mom to a toddler and a preschooler, sharing ideas and resources for early education. She specializes in unique, hands-on printable activities that are educational, fun and inspire creativity in young minds.

 

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A Little Pinch of Perfect (alittlepinchofperfect.com):  
Katie combines creativity, play, and learning for the perfect mishmash of fun activities that keep kiddos entertained throughout the day. She wholeheartedly believes in the power of play and feels that all activities naturally provide a fun way to learn.

 

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One Time Through (onetimethrough.com): Sue is an Elementary School Teacher currently on leave to be at home with her preschooler son.  She shares ideas for connecting and learning with kids through meaningful, play-based activities that nurture curiosity and creativity.

 

Love to Learn Linky Etiquette:

Link up and grab a button!

Love to Learn Linky

Love to Learn Linky

FYI, I received a free coffee maker in exchange for writing this review.  Although this post is sponsored, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Donut Shop Sensory Play Left Brain Craft Brain FB

4 thoughts on “Donut Shop Sensory Play + Love to Learn Linky #8”

  1. I love play doh kits because they allow children to have fun while pretending they are serving donuts, cookies, or other creations. My youngest has the cookies play doh kit and loves playing with it too. Prentend play is fun and kids enjoy it. I didn’t think about all of the sensory benefits of pretend play either. Thank you for sharing, the donuts look tasty.

    1. leftbraincraftbrain

      So glad you liked it! I always get sucked into play dough play with my daughter because I find it really relaxing…

  2. Pingback: D is for Donut ⋆ Study at Home Mama

  3. Pingback: Donuts are Delicious! | Science in Storytime

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