Last year, Will and I did a fun activity on sensory learning called a stereognostic bag. We just called it a "mystery bag", though. I've been wanting to do one with Sophie for some time now. Basically, it changes up the sensory pathways to the brain and teaches the child to think in a different way. Little babies learn so much about their world through touch and sound. But the older they get, the more they depend on their eyes to teach them about their world. I wanted to show Sophie how to explore the physical properties of something she couldn't see.
I used the cloth bag that came with our block set because it is (mostly) opaque and just the right size. I put two objects in the bag and two of the exact same objects on a tray for her to see. I then let her touch the objects on the tray and we talked about their shape. Then I asked her to reach inside the bag and pull out the object I requested.
The first bag was the easiest, just for her to grasp the concept. I put an empty sippy cup and an empty plastic bowl into the bag (not pictured). I asked her to reach in and find the cup. At first she pulled out the bowl right away, probably because that was what she touched first. But we just put it back in the bag and I asked her again to reach in and find the cup. She did it! We then put the cup back in and I asked her to grab the bowl this time. Again, a success!
So we moved on to new objects:
a bangle bracelet and a hair comb
Will always loves whatever activities I present to Sophie, because usually they're something he knows he can easily master. So he anxiously waited in anticipation, finding it very hard to keep quiet and let her work. So I gave him the job of holding the bag and told him he needed to let her do it by herself. She was very good about not looking in the bag. She either closed her eyes or looked at me. And can I just say: I absolutely adore the faces of my children when they're thinking? Well, I adore them always, of course. But there is something so fulfilling about seeing their wondrous little minds at work. :)
Next up: 3 objects. A block, a green coin, and a little figurine from her Dora book and play mat. Mami was on the tray and she knew that it was Papi that was in the bag. 
Finally, we put one of every object in the bag (except the sippy cup) and she did very well with this too.
And, of course, big brother cheered on each of her successes. :)
All the matches!
The next day, I made a bag just for Will, since he enjoyed this so much. His was a little trickier with just a variety of different textures. In it, I put a cotton ball, a scrap of sandpaper, a scrap of felt, a ball of foil, a ball of crumpled tissue paper, and a small wad of the fuzz that comes stuffed inside a new pair of SKR shoes. :) The fuzz is sort of like cotton but with a looser, courser fiber.
He did this all by himself while I just watched. I had him tell me in advance which texture he was going to find next.
Oh, and this cutie got a haircut the night before, so he's totally clean cut now! We LOVE his hair short like this. And he sits soooo well for Craig now during haircuts. I usually just read to him during them and hold his head still when Craig has to clean up the edges.
All the matches!
Will told me several times how much he liked this. It'd be fun to do another one of these with other fabrics like fleece, silk, satin, etc. 
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