Basket of Treasures

I have just finished creating this basket of treasures for my baby. I got the idea from How to Raise An Amazing Child, by Tim Seldin. The idea is to fill a basket or bowl with interesting household objects or things from nature to provide a sensory experience for your baby.

What do you put in the treasure basket?

Obviously, you need to keep your baby's safety in mind when creating the basket - things should be free of sharp edges, large enough not to be swallowed and safe to be touched and mouthed by your child.

Other than that, you should choose a variety of objects which give different sensory experiences, that is, different shapes, colours, textures, sounds or smells. Seldin offers the following suggestions for objects - a wallet, a pine cone, a brush, a smooth stone, a plug and chain, sponge, shell, wooden spoon, ball of wool, silk scarf, beans in a shaker bottle, lavender sachet.

You can see that, for now, I've put a metal mug, a rice shaker, a small silver goblet, a fish-shaped bell, an silk bag, a pair of socks, a bottle stopper, a round stone, a square of jade, a nailbrush and a leather bookmark in my bowl.

What do I do with the basket?
When you baby is happy and rested, place the basket in front of them. Then, model what to do, select an object, carefully examine it and put it back in the basket. Sit with your baby, but allow them to decide what to do.