Chances are if you follow along my instagram than you would have possibly seen my colourful and creative afternoon with one of my oldest childhood friends Joanne Babalis in her beautiful creative studio and learning centre.  Joanne built this incredible space you see in her home and offers a variety of programs and classes included parent and child creative play!

You maybe remember her incredible kindergarten classroom which blew me again, her creative studio was no different.  It’s so wonderful to see someone so passionate about early childhood education and creativity do what they love for a living.  This space was created through Joanne’s creativity – you feel the love as soon as you walk into this magical space.

Ko and I had such a wonderful afternoon playing in this space and also learned how easy it is to make fun activities at home for your kids.  When we first walked in she had an adorable table set up for the boys.  J was not shy at getting comfortable right away and started inspecting and touching everything.

Keep scrolling to see how she created a fun sensory activity for the kids!

You guys know my virgo heart was swooning at all the colour organized crafts! I could have started at this for HOURS.

EASY TODDLER ACTIVITIES

What You’ll Need:

• Sugar + Brown Sugar
• Round Plastic Tray or Dish
• Paint Brushes and Scoops
• Pizzza Dough
• Herbs
• Pilsbury Cookie Dough

You simply set these items up on a table in different bowls and plates and let the kids start exploring (see image above).  As you can see through the images the boys were so intrigued with these different items.  They played here for such a long time – touching, feeling and experimenting with each item.  Ko and I were floored at how simple this was and how much J enjoyed it (and kept him occupied).  I loved how accessible Joanne made everything for us and was so happy to share how we could do easy things like this at home.

I think what I took away most of all was how relaxed Joanne was in this environment.  When J started to make a mess I wanted to clean it up right away but she told me not to and to just let him explore and play.  It was so refreshing.  As kids, I’d look up to Joanne – she had this incredible art table where we would do arts and crafts together.  As adults its not different, I love everything she’s done with this space and she inspires me to be more creative with my kids.

If you want to visit and explore Joanne’s space for yourself CLICK HERE for more information.

Visit Joanne on Instagram | Follow along her blog (so many great tips)