This originally ran as a guest post at Creative Playhouse!
I decided to get a little creative with our simple sensory plays and create a dirt and worms sensory bin for little X and S to explore. The whole bin is edible (though babies should be discouraged from actively eating - this is just to say a few accidental tastes won't harm them), so still baby friendly. There are two unique textures and babies can even practice their fine motor skills by picking up "worms"!
X and S wasted no time and immediately began exploring.
S loved the "little wormies!" and honestly, with the "dirt" on them, they did look pretty realistic. Especially from a short distance!
X found the dirt texture fascinating
He also enjoyed poking the worm with one finger. Hahahaha! It was very cute.
X inspected several worms and several handfuls of dirt while S began sorting the worms into a pile and making a giant mountain of dirt.
Soon thereafter, as is his habit, X decided to get into the bin. He enjoyed watching S, who had declared that she was now creating "worm art".
And that she did! Here is her finished art product.
Making your own Dirt and Worms sensory bin is simple! Boil some pasta (we used linguine noodles) according to the directions on the box. Once it's cooked, pat it dry with paper towels. For our dirt we used dried used coffee grounds. I have a system where I air dry the used grounds on a baking sheet over a 24 hour period before moving them to an open container (open to prevent mold growth). If you want to ensure that your grounds are dry, you can cook them on low in an oven for 30 minutes.
This post is part of a series of posts entitled "Super Easy Sensory Play". Activities included in the series all contain two or fewer ingredients and are items that are generally found in any house, so no need to run to the store for specialty items. They are also appropriate for all ages. I hope that you will give them all a try! You can read the other posts in the series here:
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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.
Lovely post! I was already planning on doing a coffee ground garden sensory box for next week and I love the idea of using spaghetti as worms. Thanks for the great idea!
ReplyDeleteJessica - Awesome! Yes, they worked so well as worms - stretchy, wiggly, and once they had a little dirt on them I thought they were perfect. Sounds like it will be a fun sensory box! :)
Deleteoh i love love love this idea!! So fun!!
ReplyDeleteEeeek! Thank you, Jessie! I love everything you do, so this is a BIG compliment! Thanks for visiting my little blog. :)
DeleteHow do u get x from not putting everything in his mouth???
ReplyDeleteWe've worked with him on not mouthing during sensory plays since he was around 5 months old. If he gets frustrated, we offer him a teether and a chance to play with baby toys. Often I'd sit him in my lap so I could keep his hands from going in his mouth. As he got older he'd go longer and longer and by the time he was around 10 months he'd rarely (but still sometimes!) try to mouth sensory play items. By the time he was 14 months old, he basically never mouths things (though we still supervise - I don't trust a 14 month old's judgement - ha!). We did the same with S, but she learned more quickly and was no longer mouthing things by 10 months old. For both of them, it was very important to teach them (by modeling) other ways to play with the items. Squishing, swishing, dumping, spreading, etc. Babies generally just think to put things in their mouths to play with them initially - but if you teach them other ways to interact with items, I've found that they are less focused on mouthing. Hope that helps! :)
DeleteYou can probably get free coffee grounds from a local coffee shop (if you don't consume it at home). I've gotten free coffee grounds from Starbucks before.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Melissa! I think you'd just need to bake them to make sure they were nice and dry to prevent mold. But it's a good way to get a ton all at once! :)
DeleteAnother awesome sensory activity!! Thank you so much for sharing your creativity! I can't wait to share this with our Creative Tots preschoolers! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you! :) :) :)
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