There is a girl in our Guides unit with ADHD. She’s a sweetheart and cute as a button, but she does have trouble sitting, especially when we are doing a series of crafts – she is not a big crafter. I did some looking around online for an alternate activity for her and came across the idea of making a sensory bin. It’s just a shoebox-sized tupperware container of mixed dry beans – I used five different kinds for colour. The kid can bury their hands in the beans and feel them, or you can include small cups so they can sort or pour the beans, or you can hide buttons or small toys in the mix for them to find.

I’d love to tell you how it went, but so far I haven’t used it at Guides, because Little Miss Sunshine is obsessed with it. She’s been playing with it constantly since I made it a week ago. I guess I’ll have to get another box of beans.

TL;DR – Bean Box Win.

Today I am heading out for Black Friday shopping for the first time ever. Usually I’m completely done my Christmas shopping by now and I’m just planning baking and our activities for December and humming little Christmas songs. This year I have left everything to what feels like the last minute; in fact I just don’t seem to be in the spirit at all. I see houses with their lights up already and I’m like, isn’t Christmas three or four months away still?

I haven’t even gotten out the Christmas CDs yet. Call the Men in Black, I have been replaced by an alien replica!

Anyway, I still have several people on my list to shop for so I figured I’d do a Black Friday wander about the toy and electronic stores and knock this stuff out. My son recommends bringing pepper spray, because all he knows of Black Friday is crazy videos on YouTube of Americans trampling over each other at 6 a.m. to get a cheap TV. But it’s not really like that here in Canada, is it?

I guess we’ll find out. Better break out the Christmas music to get me through!