25 sensory Ideas 1.

Goop: You will need 2 cups of corn flour 1 cup of water Food coloring A large container or bowl Place the corn flour into a large container and place a few drops of coloring into the center, Have the water ready for your child to pour into the container. Mix the water into the corn four and coloring. It will take some time to mix together but encourage your child to play with the goop before it is mixed. Ask: What does it feel like? Ask if its a liquid or a solid. When water is added they do not dissolve in water, but they do spread themselves out. This allows the goop to act both like a solid and liquid. When you roll the mixture in your hands or apply pressure to it, the particles join together and the mixture feels solid. But if it is left to rest or is help up and allowed to dribble, the particles slide over each other and it feels like a liquid. 2...SOAPY SLIME 1 CUP OF SOAP FLAKES (YOU CAN FIND THESE AT YOUR LOCAL SUPERMARKET IN THE WASING POWDER ISLE) 3 CUPS OF WARM WATER FOOD COLORING LARGE MIXING BOWL OR CONTAINER OR TRAY ELECTRIC BEATER As you beat the water, food coloring and soap flakes the mixture multiplies, so I placed a large tray on the bottom of the bowl to catch overflow You can add scopes and funnels to play with the soapy slime, but kids seemed to prefer their hands. Give them a variety of colors to experiment on their own. Sensory play with soapy slime is a great opportunity for kids to explore and use descriptive words. Words to describe what they are experiencing, their senses and what they are feeling, slippery, slimy, soft, and squishy and heavy and what it smells like. Great idea for outside!!!! 3. RAINBOW RICE BAGS 12 Cups of Rice (2 cups per bag) (you can use Jasmine rice it will make it smell awesome) Food Coloring (alternately you can use paint to color the rice) Sandwich zip lock bags A container with a secure lid. Poor 2 cups of rice into a plastic container with a secure lid, adding a decent amount of coloring and shaking up until all the coloring is mixed through. Add more coloring if needed and put the colored rice into a zip lock bag. Then wash out the container ready for the next color and batch of rice.

Then have the children smell it, ask what it smells like. Ask what it feels like. Have them toss it in the air and see how it moves. You can order and sequence the colors to mimic that of a rainbow, use a rainbow song to help with the order. 4. Yellow Water Balloon tub Yellow balloons Water Yellow water color A tub or a large bucket, or a small shallow swimming pool Fill the balloons with water and tie them. Then put them in the water in the container that you choose. You can also add some food coloring to the water to help make it more fun. Have them squeeze and squish the water balloons into different shapes. They love this, great summer time activity. 5. Music Shaker (you can make this a certain color to learn about the color) cup of rice Food coloring Sheet of paper toweling Container with secure lid A Glass jar (like a caning jar) Stickers and Ribbon (use the color that youre using) SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE!! Listening to music and playing with (whatever color you choose) is a great way to learn about (whatever color you choose). Take cup of rice and food coloring of your choice into a secure container with a secure lid. Then give it a real good shake to cover all the rice. Then place the rice between two sheets of paper toweling and pat dry. Then put the colored rice into the Glass Jar. Then decorate the jar with stickers, ribbon, and things that are the color you pick that will go on the jar. Then download some (the color that you choose) themed songs off you tube or iTunes. For instance if you use yellow you can play the Yellow Submarine or Follow the Yellow Brick Road from the wizard of Oz. 6. YELLOW POMPOMS FINE MOTOR PLAY Pom poms, Egg Cartons, Mini tongs This is a fun hands-on activity that will encourage learning the color yellow or whatever color you decide to go with for the pom poms. You will be using your fine motor muscles and hand eye coordination at the same time. You can use whatever color egg carton that you choose to go with for the color. You can always paint the egg carton whatever color you choose to go with. The aim of the activity is to pick up the different sized yellow (your choice of color) pompoms with the mini tongs and collect them into the egg carton.

7. BALLOON FLIP 12 balloons (whatever color you decide to go with) we will use blue as an example 1 single bed sheet Balloon flip is a game where you lay a single sheet on the ground and pile the balloons on top. Then each person playing takes a corner to anticipation to flip the sheet up into the air. Then count 1 balloon, 2 balloon, 3 balloon, and flip throwing all the balloons into the air. 8. Sorting Blue Blocks Blocks that are different colors Mats that match the colors of the blocks or different colors of construction paper that match the colors of the blocks Empty a box of colored blocks all over the floor and together separate all the blue ones. When a different color is picked up, say this is a green block, lets find more blue ones. Hold up a blue one to show and encourage. Lay out the construction papers that match the blocks so they can put the blocks on the constructions sheets that match the colors. You can also use mats that are the colors of the blocks. 9. WHATS IN THE JELLO Packets of Jell-O Assortment of plastic containers and large trays or container to put all the jelly mess in for playtime You can hide just about anything in the Jell-O, plastic numbers, toys, animals, colored beads. Anything that will wash up well and be able to be reused. When preparing the jelly to set place the plastic numbers, toys, animals, and colored beads into the mix. Try to put the yellow items in the yellow jell and the blue items in the blue Jell-O and so on to help disguise them a bit. Then let them feel through the Jell-O and find what is hiding. 10. Homemade play dough 1 cup plain flour 1 tbsp. oil 1 cup water cup salt 2 tsp cream of tarter 2 tsp food coloring Pour all the ingredients together in a saucepan Add oil and combine food coloring to water, then add to dry ingredients I use a rubber spatula, it works well Cook over med. Heat constantly stirring until it becomes a thick blob. Then turn out onto a clean surface and knead into a smooth blob. When cool, store in a zip lock bag to keep it from drying out.

11. Easter Sensory Play Table You will need empty egg cartons, Tongs or tweezers, A range of colored pompoms in all different shapes and sizes Plastic eggs This sensory table can have even more objects that fit Easter Playing with a sensory play table encourages many great learning experiences like: Promotes imaginative play- provides opportunities for children to identify with the adult world. Practice and role play their understanding and interpretation Strengthening fine motor- exercising fine motor muscles through manipulation of props. Hand and eye coordination- trial and error, repeating actions to achieve an outcome. Spatial perception and exploration Problem solving- provides an opportunity to practice working out problems and strategies to overcome challenges. Self Esteem: Overcoming the challenges promotes a sense of pride and achievement. 12. Rainbow Rice and Bottle Tops Rice Different food colorings Bottle tops Large container Paper toweling A container with a tightly sealed lid First we need to color our rice take 1 cup of rice and put in the sealed container and add a few drops of food coloring. Do each color one at a time so they dont combine colors. You must also wipe out the container after each color and then put one color at a time on the paper toweling and pat them dry then add them to the large container. Then add the bottle tops to the container of different colored rice. 13. ICE WORLD Containers all different sizes, Sea theme plastic animals, A large tub, Food coloring and water Over a period of a few weeks recycle a number of empty containers, fill them with water and put them into the freezer. Try to use containers that have different shapes, patterns and sizes to help make ice more interesting. Yoghurt containers, empty biscuit trays, large bowls, small bowls, tall and short containers and ice cube trays. When you are ready to use the frozen ice set them out onto the bench for about 5-10 minutes to allow the ice to melt a little which made it much easier to remove. You can also take a few drops of blue food coloring into a small jug of water and pour it over the ice to create the blue ice affect that you see in the Antarctica and Artic. This sensory play opens the opportunity to talk about and use describing words to communicate what is being experienced. How the ice felt on your hands, cold, freezing cold, if you leave your hand on it for too long it hurts because it is too cold.

14. Play Dough-Bottle Tops and Straws Bottle tops Straws Play dough Rolling pin Cut the straws into different lengths. They can be creative with this, using the bottle tops as cookie cutters, they can try balancing a bottle top on a straw sticking in the play dough. They can also join the straws together to help make there project more stable. This helps them learn Self-expression, Imagination and creativity, build and strengthen fine motor skills, eye hand coordination, and problem solving. 15. Homemade street traffic theme bath sponges Sharp scissors Sponge cloths very thin and flat ones are easiest to cut Printable bath street traffic sponge template Bath Tub or Large Plastic bin or Even Flannel Board Cut out all the pictures from the template and use them as a guide for making these shapes in the sponge. You can cut out as many as you want 3 of everything and many people work well When wet, the sponges stick of suction slightly to the sides of the bath tiles, making it a great canvas for creating endless ideas. They also work great with a flannel board. The sponges make a great tool for storytelling. 16. Sand Paper Alphabet Print out Alphabet Play Dough Mats (download then Print) http://dgz04v7rs4hsx.cloudfront.net/wpcontent/uploads/2011/10/Printable-Play-Dough-Letter-Mats-Modern-Cursive.pdf Glue Sand Applying the glue over the alphabet letters, sprinkling over with sand and then waiting for it to dry. You can get the sand from the beach or the store. Then shake off the left over sand. Then after it is dry have they touch to feel the sandy shape of the letters. 17. Name Collage Glue Pompoms or anything bright, and colorful, and great for little fingers Large sheet of craft paper Pencil Eraser Write the childs name on the construction paper. Have a practice run using the glue before actually applying it along the lines of the letters. Then have them stick the pompoms or buttons on the letters of their name. If the child likes to write their name have them write it below their Name Collage. Then display their work

18. Tissue Paper Window Collage Red and pink tissue paper Sticky tape and clear contact Fold the tissue paper several times to create numerous hearts from one cutting. Lay the tissue paper out in separate containers and put the contact onto the window with sticky tape, with the sticky side face outward. Once their done finishing the collage cut out a similar size piece of contact, remove the backing and place the sticky side down on top of the tissue paper. The next few are basically the same idea with different materials (I love these as do my kids) 19. Building a Farm Scenery Box A large clear bin that is somewhat shallow so they can reach in and play 3-4 large bags of Split Peas Some toys, fences, wheel barrows, buckets, hay bales, plastic veggies, plow, tractor, animals (Basically anything that goes into a farm) all these things can be picked up at a local dollar store. No need for all your pieces to be scale, this is not a science of exactness, use your imagination. 20. Dinosaur Dig in a Box A Large clear bin that is somewhat shallow so they can reach in and play 2 bags of split peas and a bag of mixed beans, and 4-900g. Bags of barley. Some dried whole-wheat spaghetti broken into pieces. Then add some dinosaurs and skeletons of dinos, and some mini garden rakes for digging up bones. The beans become the eggs and then the egg stealers steal the eggs, and then the cranky mamma comes along. 21. Outer Space in a Box For this one you need four bags of black beans, 2 bags of glow in the dark stars from the dollar store, A couple bags of sparkly pompoms for Meteors, A tube of plastic planets, And a yellow bouncy ball for the sun Then add a tube of astronauts and satellites, rockets, moon buggies, and space shuttles. This is a great idea for learning there planets, and its even fun with the lights off because your star glows. 22. Construction Zone in a Box Dried Chick Peas, Green Lentils, Wheat, A bag of mixed beans A bag of shiny brown rocks from the aquarium section 2 bags of wooden blocks from the craft section of the dollar store A mini cat machines at Walmart there about $5

23. Spring Sensory Activity 2 packages of 99 cent Easter grass different colors (use the paper kind, less messy/static) Some silk flowers from dollar store and pull the petals off to use for baby animal beds, or bird nests Some bird eggs from the craft section or plastic eggs from Easter section Some small birds and chicks from the craft section Small cups for the chicks to nest in or just for the kids to get creative with If the kids would like to add something that they feel is springy, let them. 24. A Calming Lavender Water Play Activity A large bin, or a water table if you have one 20 drops of doTerra lavender essential oil (which is safe if ingested) into the water Blue and red food coloring, add to water till water turns purple Plastic containers, clear Some scoops A jar of dried lavender blooms (also safe to eat) Assorted purple toys, blocks, etc. Squares of purple cellophane All the lavender makes the room a soothing experience for everyone with its calming power! 25. Imagination Bowl for Babies Since most of my activities are for older children I decided to do one for babies A large bowl or bin (a heavier enamel bowl works best, less easy to tip) A box of Cream of Wheat A plastic table cloth under this activity is a good idea Add some sand box toys appropriate for a baby, trucks, scoops, large Legos, wood blocks. This is a great activity for them, put the bowl between their legs on a mat on the floor, take their socks of and let them play.