Hi folks!
I know it's been really long since my last post. I have a perfectly good reason for it. I was working on my biggest project so far.
This time I was working on a sensory book. There are so many benefits to a sensory book including improving skills such as problem solving, fine motor skills etc.
The picture above shows the overall book from various angles. For the pages I have used foam sheets of a desired size which I have covered in cloth. My stitching skills are sub par in some areas but I still love the final outcome.
On the top surface I have spelt out my niece's name with self cut foam letters. I have made two flaps which close the book with buttons. I have stuck felt flowers on the side of the book and a foam paper logo of my page on the back side.
Page 1 and 2
The first two sides of the book have the following elements- a window with movable curtain showing day and night, a end table which has the soft toys I made for the girl on top of which there is a night lamp, a openable cupboard for the clothes, a bed with the girl under the blanket and a flap which changes between good morning and night.
The idea on this page for the flap to be changed from good morning or night according to the situation, curtain also moved accordingly, girl to be removed from under the blanket, her soft toy kept in the drawer and change of clothes from the cupboard. I have used foam and felt paper of different colours to cut out each component. I used an old empty pen refill covered with washi tape as the curtain rod. I stuck this to some twine in order to stick it to the back and yet allow the curtain to be movable.
I made two soft toys. For the same I used ready felt animals and stuck it on some foam paper and cut out the shape so the toy would have a little bit of bulk.
Page 3 and 4
On these pages I have the face of the girl with a openable mouth flap stuck with velcro, toothbrush and comb in a pouch, a bathtub with a towel close-by.
The idea is for the teeth which are the velcro pieces to be brushed, hair to be combed and ribbons tied. The girl can then get into the bathtub which is a pouch and be wiped with the towel.
In addition to the foam and felt paper for each component, I have used aluminium foil for the shower taps and a piece of cloth with edges cut into small strips for the towel. The reason for attaching the ribbons to the comb and brush is that they were falling out of the pouch easily.
Page 5 and 6
Here I have made a washing machine where the felt clothes can be kept inside, a line with clothespins for hanging the washed clothes, a basket for the dried clothes to be kept, an ironing board for the clothes to be ironed and then kept in the cupboard. I have also made a dressing table with mirror. I made this last minute more to fill the empty space on the page.
Initially I used the paper clips you get at regular stationery shops as clothes. But since I wasn't so happy with the results I specially ordered miniature clothespins and stitched them in. The clothesline is a simple piece of twine stitched at either end of the page. I have used the same twine as power cords for both the iron and washing machine. The basket was the toughest to make on this page as I specifically weaved strips of felt paper to give it a proper feel.
The child can keep the clothes already on the clothesline into the basket, clothes from the washing machine on the clothesline, iron the clothes from the basket and either make the girl wear them or put them in the cupboard and also put any 'used' clothes in the washing machine.
Page 7 and 8
It's now meal time for the girl. Here there is an openable microwave, cabinet which is not openable, a counter with drawer which has a frying pan, a gas stove and exhaust. On the right there is a brown pouch. When the girl is placed in the pouch it appears as if she is sitting at the table. On the table is a tablecloth, plate and other cutlery.
The fridge to the side is openable and contains various food items which can be stuck on top of the plate with velcro. In the freezer I also have some ice cream candy in two flavours!
The child can choose what she wants from the fridge and stick it to the plate. There are two eggs in the fridge, one which is cracked and has an omelette inside. The frying pan can be placed on the stove and the omelette cooked on top of this and then stuck on the plate. The muffin can be heated in the microwave and then placed on the plate. I have not used any velcro for the ice cream candy since that is not something one normally eats in a plate. Page 9 and 10
Now the girl is off to school. The shoelaces on this page can be tied and untied.
On the right hand side the button can be opened on one side and the one on the other side can be pulled to move the car such that it appears as if it is moving towards school.
Page 11, 12, 13 and 14
The following pages are some activities for her which she maybe learning at school. To be frank I was not sure what she is learning at school and tried to include few different activities ranging in difficulty level.
The activities include jumbled letters which form words picturised on the right hand side, matching senses with what they sense, counting and matching with the right number and some simple addition and subtraction. The idea of the hands with the foldable fingers are to signify how we're taught in school.
Page 15 and 16
On the left side is a clock with movable hands. She can move the hands and learn to tell time with this.
On the right side it's a similar activity as earlier where the car moves toward home.
Pages 17 and 18
The last two pages signify play time. My niece enjoys puzzles and so I included two puzzles, the aim of which was that she had to assemble two squares with the adjacent pieces provided.
The second play activity I decided to include from the ideas I researched online was assembling a Mr. Potato head with various accessories. I included two hair accessories, 2 eyes, 2 noses, one mouth and two different shoes.
To get more clarity on how things work do check out my complete video https://youtu.be/FzLSDXEp-Rg.
I know it's been really long since my last post. I have a perfectly good reason for it. I was working on my biggest project so far.
This time I was working on a sensory book. There are so many benefits to a sensory book including improving skills such as problem solving, fine motor skills etc.
The picture above shows the overall book from various angles. For the pages I have used foam sheets of a desired size which I have covered in cloth. My stitching skills are sub par in some areas but I still love the final outcome.
On the top surface I have spelt out my niece's name with self cut foam letters. I have made two flaps which close the book with buttons. I have stuck felt flowers on the side of the book and a foam paper logo of my page on the back side.
Page 1 and 2
The first two sides of the book have the following elements- a window with movable curtain showing day and night, a end table which has the soft toys I made for the girl on top of which there is a night lamp, a openable cupboard for the clothes, a bed with the girl under the blanket and a flap which changes between good morning and night.
The idea on this page for the flap to be changed from good morning or night according to the situation, curtain also moved accordingly, girl to be removed from under the blanket, her soft toy kept in the drawer and change of clothes from the cupboard. I have used foam and felt paper of different colours to cut out each component. I used an old empty pen refill covered with washi tape as the curtain rod. I stuck this to some twine in order to stick it to the back and yet allow the curtain to be movable.
I made two soft toys. For the same I used ready felt animals and stuck it on some foam paper and cut out the shape so the toy would have a little bit of bulk.
Page 3 and 4
On these pages I have the face of the girl with a openable mouth flap stuck with velcro, toothbrush and comb in a pouch, a bathtub with a towel close-by.
The idea is for the teeth which are the velcro pieces to be brushed, hair to be combed and ribbons tied. The girl can then get into the bathtub which is a pouch and be wiped with the towel.
In addition to the foam and felt paper for each component, I have used aluminium foil for the shower taps and a piece of cloth with edges cut into small strips for the towel. The reason for attaching the ribbons to the comb and brush is that they were falling out of the pouch easily.
Page 5 and 6
Here I have made a washing machine where the felt clothes can be kept inside, a line with clothespins for hanging the washed clothes, a basket for the dried clothes to be kept, an ironing board for the clothes to be ironed and then kept in the cupboard. I have also made a dressing table with mirror. I made this last minute more to fill the empty space on the page.
Initially I used the paper clips you get at regular stationery shops as clothes. But since I wasn't so happy with the results I specially ordered miniature clothespins and stitched them in. The clothesline is a simple piece of twine stitched at either end of the page. I have used the same twine as power cords for both the iron and washing machine. The basket was the toughest to make on this page as I specifically weaved strips of felt paper to give it a proper feel.
The child can keep the clothes already on the clothesline into the basket, clothes from the washing machine on the clothesline, iron the clothes from the basket and either make the girl wear them or put them in the cupboard and also put any 'used' clothes in the washing machine.
Page 7 and 8
It's now meal time for the girl. Here there is an openable microwave, cabinet which is not openable, a counter with drawer which has a frying pan, a gas stove and exhaust. On the right there is a brown pouch. When the girl is placed in the pouch it appears as if she is sitting at the table. On the table is a tablecloth, plate and other cutlery.
The fridge to the side is openable and contains various food items which can be stuck on top of the plate with velcro. In the freezer I also have some ice cream candy in two flavours!
The child can choose what she wants from the fridge and stick it to the plate. There are two eggs in the fridge, one which is cracked and has an omelette inside. The frying pan can be placed on the stove and the omelette cooked on top of this and then stuck on the plate. The muffin can be heated in the microwave and then placed on the plate. I have not used any velcro for the ice cream candy since that is not something one normally eats in a plate. Page 9 and 10
Now the girl is off to school. The shoelaces on this page can be tied and untied.
On the right hand side the button can be opened on one side and the one on the other side can be pulled to move the car such that it appears as if it is moving towards school.
Page 11, 12, 13 and 14
The following pages are some activities for her which she maybe learning at school. To be frank I was not sure what she is learning at school and tried to include few different activities ranging in difficulty level.
The activities include jumbled letters which form words picturised on the right hand side, matching senses with what they sense, counting and matching with the right number and some simple addition and subtraction. The idea of the hands with the foldable fingers are to signify how we're taught in school.
Page 15 and 16
On the left side is a clock with movable hands. She can move the hands and learn to tell time with this.
On the right side it's a similar activity as earlier where the car moves toward home.
Pages 17 and 18
The last two pages signify play time. My niece enjoys puzzles and so I included two puzzles, the aim of which was that she had to assemble two squares with the adjacent pieces provided.
The second play activity I decided to include from the ideas I researched online was assembling a Mr. Potato head with various accessories. I included two hair accessories, 2 eyes, 2 noses, one mouth and two different shoes.
To get more clarity on how things work do check out my complete video https://youtu.be/FzLSDXEp-Rg.
