To add interest to this activity, or re-introduce this activity in a new way, try creating a theme around your collage. For the collage on the left, we created a winter scene by placing lace behind the contact paper. Then let the kids collage with pillow batting, cotton balls, ribbons, paper tree cut-outs, stars, snow flake shapes, etc. on top. Once the scene had been set, we pulled out some cars and toy trucks for the kids to roll across the paper, through their snowy winter scene. The kids enjoyed the sound of the cars rolling across the sticky paper! 

Here are some simple steps to getting started on your contact paper collage at home:

1. Peel back the paper off a roll of contact paper.

2. Placing the sticky side up, use masking tape, to tape the contact paper down to a table.

Tips:

Can't find contact paper? It is available at most arts and crafts supply stores. But if you can't find any, try using cupboard paper, flip it so the sticky side is up for the same effect.

Aside from the costumes and the candy, here are a few of our favorite ideas to adding some seasonal flair to your Halloween rituals!

FROZEN FLOATING HANDS

We made these creepy looking frozen hands for our sensory tables in class today, they were a hit with our little ones! After they melted, we brought them to our light tables for some more exploration and fun.

Try this at home:

Fill a rubber glove with water. Add a few drops of food coloring and tie the opening of the glove tightly. Freeze overnight. Add them to a bathtub or simply let your child explore how they melt in a sink full of water. Have some fun with it, see if you can engage your toddlers sense of humor... try "high fives" with the spooky hands, get them to "shake" the spooky hand, tickle your toddler with the wobbly, melting fingers.

JELLO WORMS? YUM!

Try serving these Jello worms as a special after-dinner treat this Halloween... not only do they look like worms, but they feel like worms too!

Make this at home:

Place bendable straws into a can. Make Jello as indicated on the box. Pour into straws, bendable side down and chill. After refrigeration, run under warm water to pop the "worms" out.

Read detailed instructions

GLOWING BATHTUB

As if bathtime wasn't fun enough?! Try adding a few glowsticks for a magical evening activity. Let your child explore the light and shadows in the water with their favorite bathtime toys.

We were inspired by the vibrant colors of summer, so we decided to bring some of those outdoor colors inside for some sensory table play.

Grouping together items of a particular color, or shade variations of a color, make a fascinating activity for explorative play. These tables are equally as fun to make as they are for your little ones to play with! Try making one at home. 

 STEPS:

1. Find a container...any plastic bin will do, but we recommend something that isn't too deep, as the point is to make these objects visible. An under-the-bed storage container is ideal. 
2. Fill container with similar shades of colored objects. Start by looking in your sewing/craft box for samples of color. Lace, ribbon, pom poms, feathers, and fabric are all great items to start with. Then check your child's toy box. Look for the color of choice in your child's cars, blocks, game pieces, balls, bowls, plastic action figures...etc. The options are limitless!

Children love looking at all the items inside the table, you will be surprised at how long this entertains them! For older children, we recommend taking photographs of each individual item before placing it in the table. Print the pictures and use them as flash cards to play a game of "I Spy" with your child. Rotate the colors of your sensory table weekly to add interest for your child. You can even try silver, gold, or rainbow themed sensory tables to add another level of challenge.

Try offering your child bowls, jars, or containers to collect materials and give tongs, spoons, scoops or measuring cups to play with the materials. If using lightweight materials, you can offer contact paper tapes to a table, kitchen appliance or floor to make a beautiful collage of the materials.

Below are close-up photos of our individual sensory tables to get a better look at the fun, diverse and colorful items we chose for our collection. We hope you find inspiration to create a unique, playful color palette from the random toys, items and materials you collect in your own home!