Did you know there are 8 sense systems? (tactile, vestibular, proprioception, auditory, visual, gustatory, olfactory and inner senses) Most of us only know 5. I’m going to blog each of these systems, and provide you with some activities for stimulating (stimulation is a good thing in this context!) and calming these senses.

The tactile system, or our sense of touch, is the largest sense system. It helps us to identify properties of objects and gives us information about our environment. The tactile sense has two parts – the protective system that has the body automatically withdraw from touch that is perceived as being harmful. (Like from something poky or sharp.) The second part – the discriminatory system gives information regarding the texture, size, and shape of objects. (Like round, smooth, and tiny.)

Tactile play is often messy, but totally fun! I bought a “splat mat” long ago, and it’s perfect for these kinds of activities. I found a great company that sells laminated cotton so you can make your own.  You can look up local stores that sell it, and I’m thinking that no sewing is required. The CUTEST patterns, too! I’ve contacted a local mom and have asked for sewing instructions, so stay tuned.    

You’ll also want a tray (try a cat litter tray) cookie sheet, shallow bowl or dishpan.

Here’s a list of tactile activities to try. Remember to play with your child. You’ll have lots of fun, and you’ll be modeling ways to experiment. Please share your ideas with us, too.

Put any one of these on your tray (on a splat mat, of course!): cooked pasta or spaghetti, jello, canned kidney beans, or mashed potatoes, and let your child squish, move it around, fill small containers, or anything that comes to mind.

On a tray (or my favorite to easy-to-clean-up place – the shower wall), put pudding, shaving cream, or finger paints, and make shapes, squirls, and pictures with your child.

In a dishpan or plastic tub, pour any of these: sand, dried pasta, water, dried lentils (orange lentils are pretty to look at), or bird seed, and provide your child with spoons, scoops, funnels, small containers to fill and pour.

Sink or float: fill a dishpan with objects that sink or float (or both!). Cups, sponges, small toys, rocks, wooden spoons, plastic lids or bottles. Put in some bubbles and colored bath tablets for fun. Let them play and experiment.

Mix a 1 lb box of cornstarch and about 1 2/3 cups of water. You can pour it, pick it up, bounce it, roll it into a ball, step in it (tactile play isn’t just for hands), and play!

Fill a box with toys that have a variety of textures – textured and smooth blocks, a knobby Gertie ball, snap beads, and items from around the house: wooden spoons, egg shakers, rolling pins, whisks, sand blocks, most anything child safe from your utensil drawer.

Put small objects in a bowl of rice or sand and play “hide and seek” with your hands. Push small objects into a ball of playdough and have your child pull the clay off in piece with their fingertips to uncover the objects. Note: This a great activity to develop a pincer-grasp, a necessary precursor to grasping a pencil properly.

Play, play, play with playdough! Tomorrow I’ll blog some great playdough recipes.

-posted by Miss Analiisa, whose children played sink or float for hours!

We have a lot of families in our studios that speak a second or even third language at home. Miss Allison once told me that she was taught if a child grows up hearing a second language, but not necessarily speaking that language, the neural pathways for that language are not pruned, but go dormant, so to speak. And then, if child later in life decides to speak that language, he or she will have a much easier time learning and speaking (without an accent) that language, than someone hearing the language for the first time.

As many of you know, Miss Allison keeps all sorts of useful information (and sometimes not so useful, but interesting nevertheless) in her head. But she couldn’t remember when or how she learned it. So I turned to my new favorite neuroscientist, Kenneth Wesson, and asked him to confirm and clarify for me. Here is what he said:

In such a case, a child grows up hearing what would constitute a second language rather than a foreign language. At that stage that early the developing young brain can accommodate the production of neural pathways for any language. Yes, it is true that those neural networks for language that are generated in the first 20 months of life are highly resistant to the pruning process. In the subsequent years, it is indeed likely that this “second language” proficiency may be reconnected easier than it will be to learn a completely new (third) language.

So, those of you who speak two languages at home, keep it up, even if your children only hear it, rather than speak it with you. Be sure not to neglect the music of your culture. Songs almost always contain authentic, natural language. Songs are almost always directed to the native-speaking population, so they usually contain contemporary vocabulary and idioms. Watch this  fabulous video for more information on the connection between language and music.

For those of us who speak just English, here are some suggestions for using music to help develop the neural pathways for a second language:

Those of you who speak a second language at home…I’m totally envious! Please, tell us what other ways you introduce a second language into your home using music.

-posted by Miss Analiisa, who despite being raised in San Diego when her language neural pathways were forming, speaks Spanish like the Finnish girl she is.

Your Brain on Music, Part 1
Your Brain on Music, Part 2