sensory play

Pot of Gold St. Patrick’s Day Themed Oobleck

March 17, 2019 By sensoryplay Leave a Comment

This pot of gold St. Patrick’s Day themed oobleck is perfect for young children to engage in play-based learning. The gold rocks and pots of gold add a fun dimension to a classic oobleck recipe.

Yesterday, my kids had a sensory play-filled day. First, we went out and played in the forest. They threw rocks, stomped in mud puddles, and splashed in the river.

Then, we made St. Patrick’s Day themed oobleck. And finished off and cleaned up by making soap foam.

The St. Patrick’s Day themed oobleck had them squealing with joy and playing for over an hour.

This morning, my two-year-old headed outside to play with the oobleck again.

We love this St. Patrick’s Day themed oobleck because it:

prompts scientific discovery,
is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day,
has all the benefits of sensory play,
is soothing to play with,
is taste-safe for one-year-olds,
can have essential oils (like peppermint) added to it.

What you need for St. Patrick’s Day themed oobleck

4 cups of cornstarch
2 cups of water
Green food colouring
Small rocks
Terracotta pots
Black acrylic paint
Gold acrylic paint

How to Make St. Patrick’s Day themed oobleck

Paint rocks 1-2 coats of gold paint on rocks.
Let paint fully dry.
Paint terracotta pots black.
Mix water and food colouring.
Add coloured water to cornstarch.
Mix well.
Add gold rocks and pots.
Have fun!

Store oobleck in an airtight container. Add water if it has started to harden. It can be kept in a fridge and reused for months.

When we made this, I had a warm bowl of water and a towel nearby. The clean up was easy.

Other awesome St. Patrick’s themed activities

Find out how to make the best glitter slime recipe. It’s fail-proof and such fun sensory play. Plus there’s a fun add-on for St. Patrick’s Day. Click here to see more.

This digging for gold edible sensory play set up is perfect as a St. Patrick’s Day activity for kids. Baby-safe edible play is so much fun! Click here to learn more.

This shamrock slime uses a gold slime base with an addition of green glitter. Adjust the recipe to make the slime moldable and kids can make shamrock shapes. Click here.

We hope you enjoy these St. Patrick’s Day themed activities as much as we did.

The Best Glitter Slime Recipe – Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day

March 5, 2019 By sensoryplay Leave a Comment

Find out how to make the best glitter slime recipe. It’s fail-proof and such fun sensory play. Plus there’s a fun add-on for St. Patrick’s Day.

My daughter loves all things glittery and gold. So when she came home after school, I had an idea.

One of our favourite ways to unwind and avoid after-school meltdowns is through sensory play. After all three of my kids played with foaming soap, we decided to try our hand at making gold glitter slime.

My daughter was so excited to make something beautiful.

The only problem?

We encountered two slime fails before perfecting the recipe.

First, I tried making gold slime using this vibrant gold acrylic paint we have. Because white school glue is less temperamental than clear glue when making slime, I tried combining white glue and gold paint.

The result? Dripping, gross tan looking slop.

Take two, I tried clear glue with acrylic paint and it just looked weird.

Take three was… well perfect. My daughter said this is the best slime we’ve ever made. And, it’s gorgeous.

This is the best glitter slime recipe because it’s:

stunning,
fail-proof,
stretchy,
gooey, and
slimy.

(if ever you’ve made clear slime before, you know how easily it can go wrong).

To avoid a slime fail, make sure to:

Use equal parts water to clear glue.
Mix the glitter before adding the activator.
Add the activator very sparingly.

In honour of St. Patricks Day, we made a pot of gold for the slime. We purchased three terracotta pots at the dollar store and painted them with acrylic black paint.

Materials make the best glitter slime

1/2 cup clear school glue
1/2 cup water
Glitter
1/2 tsp Borax
1 cup warm water

Instructions to make the best glitter slime recipe

Mix equal parts water and clear school glue. The more slime you want to make the more you will need of both.
Combine as much glitter as you would like. Mix well.
In a separate glass or container, mix 1/2 a tsp of Borax into warm water. The hotter the water, the faster the Borax will dissolve. This makes the activator. If you don’t have Borax, follow this recipe.
Slowly add the activator to the glue-glitter mixture. We added 1 tbs at a time until we reached desired consistency. Unlike white glue slime, if you add too much activator to clear slime, it won’t be stretchy.
Remove from bowl, add to the pot of gold and enjoy!
Store in an airtight container for future use.

My daughter gave this recipe two thumbs up!

If you’re worried about slime clean up, click here.

For more great slime recipes, check these out:

Fail-Proof Valentine’s Day Clear Slime

February 12, 2019 By sensoryplay Leave a Comment

Find out how to make fail-proof clear slime for Valentine’s Day. And, also find out how to troubleshoot clear slime fails.

How to make clear slime for Valentine's and how to troubleshoot clear slime fails. #sensoryplayforkids #sensoryplay #slime #slimerecipe #kidsactivities #STEM #science

My kids are on a major slime kick.

My daughter has made her own versions of glow in the dark slime, soft pink Valentine’s slime, and orange slime.

We have tried our hand at clear slime before and sadly, it was a miss. The composition is a bit different and therefore it reacts quicker to the activator making it not-so-slime-y. It was almost brittle.

However, with our second snow day this week, I decided to give Valentine’s Day Clear Slime a try.

The first thing we did, was watch this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2kX3VtuXlw

Key tips for fail-proof clear slime:

Use equal parts water to clear glue – you may even want more water than glue.
Add your activator very slowly – less is more.

Everything you need to make clear slime for Valentine's Day

What you need for Valentine’s Day Clear Slime

1 bottle of clear school glue
Equal amount of water as glue
1 cup hot tap water
1/2 tsp borax
Heart confetti
2-3 drops cinnamon essential oil (optional)

If you want to know more about the safety of Borax, watch the video here.

Dissolve Borax then set it aside — Fully dissolve Borax, then set it aside.

How to Make Valentine’s Day Clear Slime

Dissolve Borax into 1 cup of hot water (this is your activator solution). Then, set this mixture aside.
Empty one bottle of clear slime into a seperate bowl.
Fill empty bottle of glue with water. Shake the bottle well to remove excess glue.
Pour into bowl.
Add Valentine’s confetti.
Mix.
Using a tablespoon, slowly add activator solution until slime starts to form.
Then, enjoy!
Store in an airtight container for future use.

Note: The slime will be a little sticky at first. This is okay. If it’s no longer sticky there is too much activator. To correct this, break up the slime into small pieces. This will be easy as it will almost be brittle. Add a half cup of water and let the slime sit for about 30 mins. Repeat as many time as necessary until the desired clear slime consistency is reached.

Don’t have Borax? Use 1.5 tsp baking soda and 3 tbs of contact solution containing Boric Acid. This will create the same activating solution.

Looking for more great slime recipes and more ways to play with slime?

Check these out!

Lavender Oobleck Recipe: The Perfect Calm Down Activity for Kids

February 6, 2019 By sensoryplay Leave a Comment

This lavender oobleck recipe is the perfect way to teach kids about science, promote the benefits of sensory play and help kids calm down. This screen-free kids activity is perfect for one-year-olds, preschoolers, and grade school kids alike.

After school can be very touch-and-go in our household. Either my kindergartener bursts out of the school doors and jumps into my arms happy. Or, he is so bone tired he acts as though carrying his backpack is too much to do.

Because of this, I have two plans of attack to avoid after school meltdowns:

We head to a park with lots of snacks and blow off steam there.
I set up a sensory play activity to promote calmness.

This week, I decided to whip up one of my kids’ favourite sensory play activities – oobleck.

This lavender oobleck recipe is awesome because it’s:

inexpensive,
easy to whip up,
a great way to teach kids about science (check out why here),
promotes all the benefits of sensory play,
smells amazing,
taste-safe,
perfect for one-year-olds, and
calming.

Because oobleck can get messy, here are our favourite clean up tips:

Make your lavender oobleck recipe outside, on top of a disposable table cloth or old sheet.
Have a bowl of warm water beside your set up to easily wash hands.
Only use toys and utensils inside the lavender oobleck that are easy to wash and don’t have small crevices.
Store lavender oobleck in an airtight container and refrigerate.
Use soapy water to clean up any remaining oobleck.
Dried oobleck scrapes off easily. Use a butter knife to remove any excess, then wash with soapy water.

Lavender Oobleck Recipe | What You Need:

2 cups corn starch
1 cup water
plastic bin
Lavender essential oil
Food colouring (optional)

How to make the Lavender Oobleck Recipe:

Dump 2 cups of corn starch into a bin,
In a separate container combine approximately three drops of lavender essential oil, water and food colouring. You can add each ingredient into the oobleck recipe separately. However, we have found it is easier to disperse the oil when it’s already in the water.
Mix with a wooden spoon, kitchen utensil of your choice or your hands.
Enjoy!
To enjoy this lavender oobleck again, store in an airtight container in the fridge. You may want to add a little more water to get desired consistency. The mixture should last in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

This lavender oobleck recipe is perfect for after school or as a calming activity for young kids. Kids procure all the benefits of sensory play, it's cheap and easy to set up.
#sensoryplay #oobleck #kidsactivities #playbasedlearning #learningthroughplay #toddlers

Lavender has calming effects including:

Reducing stress,
Increasing positive affect,
Increasing relaxation.

My kids came home from school and my almost two-year-old joined in. They played outside on our deck for almost an hour. As the sun went down, I was pleased. Not only had they enjoyed screen-free time, but they were also quiet, played calmly, and there were no after-school meltdowns.

For more great oobleck recipes, check out:

A list of oobleck activities for sensory play with kids. From glow in the dark oobleck to fun crafts with oobleck, there is something for everyone. — 20 Oobleck Recipes for Sensory Play

20 Oobleck Activities for Sensory Play

January 15, 2019 By sensoryplay Leave a Comment

Oobleck activities are such a fun way to engage in sensory play as it has a squishy, goopy texture but also provides wonderful opportunities for learning. As a non-Newtonian fluid, it has the properties of a liquid and a solid, which has inherently encourages scientific exploration.

Fun Ways to Play with Oobleck

Oobleck is quick and easy to make at home by mixing cornstarch and water (see full oobleck recipe here) and can be colored with food coloring or liquid watercolors for an added bit of fun.

Below are some fun ways to play with oobleck so that kids can explore this material over and over again!

Oobleck Activities for Kids

Oobleck is so simple to make, but can be ‘upgraded’ to create fun thematic setups for kids. Check out the list below for fun ways to play with oobleck, including making it glow in the dark, taking it outside for paint on the sidewalk, or making it fluffy!

Oobleck Drip Painting on the Sidewalk // Views From a Step Stool

Lavender Oobleck Recipe // Sensory Play for Kids

Dinosaur Small World // Messy Little Monster

Fluffy Oobleck Slime Recipe // Fantastic Fun and Learning

How to Make Oobleck Out of Potatoes // STEAM Powered Family

Frozen Oobleck Sensory Play // Messy Little Monster

Bartholomew and the Oobleck STEM Activity // STEAM Powered Family

Magic Color Changing Oobleck Science Experiment // STEAM Powered Family

Creative Painting with Oobleck // Twitchetts

Glow in the Dark Oobleck // Schooling a Monkey

Frozen Oobleck // Inspiration Laboratories

Glowing Oobleck // Inspiration Laboratories

How to Make Oobleck with Baby Powder // STEAM Powered Family

Gingerbread Oobleck // My Bored Toddler

Oobleck and Leaves // Happy Toddler Playtime

Rainbow Oobleck // Busy Toddler

Watermelon Oobleck // Gift of Curiosity

Marbled Oobleck: Science, Art and Sensory Play // Little Bins for Little Hands

Easy Sensory Activity: Blocks and Gak // Busy Toddler

Rainbow Oobleck and Pig Play // Fun Littles

Earth Day Goop // Little Bins for Little Hands

We hope you find a fun way to play on this list of obbleck activities for kids!

Don’t forget to check out the recipe for oobleck on our sensory play recipes page!

What is Sensory Play?

January 11, 2019 By sensoryplay Leave a Comment

Sensory play is full of terms that can seem like a foreign language. This is your go-to resource for many of the terms in sensory play that you will come across on this site.

Sensory play is full of activities that encourage touch, taste, smell, sound and hearing; and includes activities that stimulate movement and balance.

A resource for sensory play terms and benefits. Understand why sensory play is great for children and how to apply it at home or in the classroom.

Why is sensory play important?

Sensory play is important for many reasons:

children use their 5 senses to explore the world around them
it is a natural way for babies and children to learn
it encourages scientific exploration and investigation
builds neural pathways in the brain
supports language development
builds gross and fine motor skills
involves problem solving and critical thinking
calms stress and anxiety
and more!

Set up a sensory table in your classroom or your home to reap all of these benefits of sensory play. See 8 sensory table benefits here.

What are some common sensory play terms?

Materials:

Oobleck: This is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning it mimics the substance of a liquid and a solid. Made of cornstarch and water. See recipe here.

Play dough: A modeling compound similar to clay, but easy to use for kids. Can be purchase in stores, or make at home. See recipe here.

Slime: A gooey, squishy substance made by mixing water and sodium borate. It has a thick, glue-like texture and can make at home. See recipe here.

Water beads: Water absorbing polymers that absorb water and expand exponentially. Grow the beads, then dehydrate to use again. Fun for scooping and pouring.

Goop: Another name for oobleck as shown above, which is made of cornstarch and water.

Soap Foam: A thick, foamy, soapy mixture to blend and turn into stiff peaks of bubbly foam. Great for outdoor play. See recipe here.

Moon Sand: A sand that is squishy and sticks together, which makes it more moldable and shapable than traditional sand. See recipe here.

Cloud Dough: Similar to mood sand, a combination of flour and oil that is shapable and moldable as well.

Colored Rice: Dry, uncooked rice that has been dyed and colored with paint or food coloring.

Activities:

Sensory Bin: A bin or container that is filled with materials that are specifically chosen to stimulate the senses. Typically include a sensory base with some thematic tools and toys.

Sensory Bottle: A bottle that to secure and contain contents inside. When moved or shaken, the contents typically move about the bottle, stimulating the senses. A great sensory tool for babies.

Sensory Bag: Similar to a sensory bottle, where the contents are contained within a plastic bag, allowing for squishing and exploring the contents while secured. A great sensory tool for babies.

Messy Play: Play that encourages hands-on exploration and creativity. It allows children to play in an unrestricted way, encouraging imagination and exploration. Children can learn to think messy by playing messy.

Mess-Free Sensory Play: This is play that contains the materials inside a container, such as a sensory bottle or sensory bag, so that choking hazards and large messes are avoided. This is great sensory play for babies as well.

Sensory Table: A designated space where children are encouraged to explore the materials presented to them with all of their senses.