loose parts

St. Patrick’s Light Table Tray

March 15, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

A cheeky leprechaun is the highlight of this low-maintenance, easy-to put together St. Patrick's Day light table tray.

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St. Patrick’s Day accessories lend themselves so well to sensory activities and can be used in many different ways. Keeping an eye out for transparent supplies is the key to making this easy, mess-free St. Patrick’s light table tray.

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Supplies To Collect

Transparent gems, gems, and more gems work well for this tray. Select them in different sizes in the colors green, yellow, and brownish gold.

Other supplies to gather are shamrock reusable ice cubes, shamrocks cut from wall decorations, a black pot, a leprechaun figurine, and mini green tongs and drinking cups.

Dot markers and a piece of transparency copy paper come in handy for creating a rainbow.

A clear compartment tray works wonderfully for the bin.

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The St. Patrick’s Light Table Tray

How to put together a St. Patrick's Day sensory tray for the light table.

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First, select a clear compartment tray for the sensory activity.

Next, use dot markers to create a large rainbow on a piece of transparency copy paper. The ink dries rapidly and doesn’t smudge at all. Or draw a rainbow with felt pens on regular copy paper. Afterward, cut the rainbow out and tape it to one end of the tray.

Then add a variety of acrylic gems to the tray.

Set in the shamrock ice cubes and wall decoration pieces.

Lastly, add the drinking cups, salad tongs, pot, and leprechaun. Then set the sensory tray on a light table or light box for early learners to discover.

Children will be excited to sort and rearrange the loose parts in the tray and may spread them all over the lighted surface.

Note: This St. Patrick’s light table tray is low maintenance. It is mess-free and doesn’t require a base ingredient. It works well as an activity on or off the light table.

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Related:

Leprechaun Sensory Jar

Leprechaun Sensory Play

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Pirate Treasure Sensory Bin

March 11, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This sparkling pirate treasure sensory bin has loose parts your little mateys will be eager to explore. The low-maintenance bin will spark meaningful discussions and inspire endless creativity. Learning opportunities will naturally happen while children sort through the contents of the bin.

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Supplies To Collect

A treasure trove of loose parts for a pirate theme sesnory bin.

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This treasure-filled bin features the following items:

large blue, red, and clear acrylic diamond gems
round gems
ornamental gold buttons
gold medal and coins
metallic silver and gold round bead necklace strips
large egg-shaped storage containers
miniature treasure chests
skull shovels

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The Pirate Treasure Sensory Bin

The chosen bin for this activity is a red saucer sled, which is inexpensive to buy. It accommodates three or four children at a time.

A gold and gem-filled pirate treasure sensory bin your little mateys will be eager to explore.

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The skull shovels are part of sand playsets. And the “treasure eggs” are toy storage containers repurposed for this activity.

Loaded into the bin are glistening buttons, coins, metallic bead garland strips, a medal, mini treasure chests, and round and diamond acrylic gems. The loose parts fill the tub, so no sensory base is required.

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Benefits Of This Sensory Bin

It’s always exciting to introduce loose parts to children, and the ones in this pirate treasure sensory bin offer a host of learning opportunities:

Describing loose parts (language development)
Sorting and counting pieces (math)
Placing treasures in eggs and chests (eye-hand coordination, fine motor control)
Picking favorite treasures (making choices, noticing beauty)
Discussing heavy and light treasure chests and containers (math)
Guessing “What’s inside the egg?” (making predictions, show and tell)

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The Pirate Treasure Bin In My Classroom

This treasure-filled bin is currently in my preschool classroom, and every day the childrens’ interest in it grows. The red diamonds are imagined as “fire gems”, and the blue ones as “water gems.” The container eggs are described as “power balls”, and the skull shovels are occasionally used as walkie-talkies. Bead garland strips are formed into a heart shape, and a domed button is reimagined as a “snow globe.”

Some children collect a variety of loose parts, and others choose just the coins so they can be rich and buy lots of things!

At times pieces get taken to other play centers, offering additional opportunities for creative thinking.

After a few days of exploring the bin, it is now on the light table, offering “enlightened” opportunities for exploring and sorting.

This pirate treasure sensory bin makes a statement on the light table and inspires many learning opportunities.

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“Arrrrrr” you ready to make this pirate treasure sensory bin? I highly recommend it.

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Related: New Year’s Eve Sensory Tray

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St. Patrick’s Day Woodland Bin

March 6, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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It’s as much fun setting up a sensory bin as watching young children eagerly explore one. And this St. Patrick’s Day woodland bin is no exception! The bin is one of my favorites created so far.

Leprechauns are mythical creatures thought to live in remote, woodland areas. They make shoes and enjoy playing music. The little tricksters especially love gold and hide their treasure in pots in the woods or at the end of the rainbow.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

A few, easy to find items can be gathered for this bin. Included are:

brown lentils
gold play coins
green acrylic gems
wood slices
yellow and green crinkle paper
kraft crinkle paper
wooden tree and tiny forest creatures
green pot, tongs and spoon
gold bells
leprechaun leg decoration
white cardstock
dot markers
scissors
sensory tub

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The St. Patrick’s Day Woodland Bin

First, cut a rainbow shape from a piece of white cardstock. Use dot markers to create a bright, colorful rainbow.

A bright dot marker rainbow to add to a sensory bin,

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Next, bunch up Kraft crinkle paper and add it to one section of the sensory bin of choice. In this post, I feature a white food and tableware storage tub.

Add the yellow and green crinkle paper to another part of the bin.

Tip: Crinkle paper is an economical filler, and can be used again in another sensory activity.

Then pour in a layer of brown lentils to generously cover the rest of the bottom of the bin.

Add the wooden tree and forest creatures.

Then sprinkle in gold coins and bells, wood slices, and green gems.

Drop in the pot, spoon, and tongs.

Finally, set in the leprechaun legs and paper rainbow.

Now the St. Patrick’s Day woodland bin is ready for your little learners to explore!

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Note:

Most of the supplies in this bin come from Dollar stores, so are economical finds. They get repurposed for other sensory bins, so are worth the investment.
The wooden leprechaun legs were taken from a wall plaque. Colored cardstock legs would make an excellent substitution.

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Leprechaun Sensory Jar

March 4, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Leprechauns are notoriously hard to catch, but your little learner will be up to the task by making this leprechaun sensory jar. It has all the loose parts leprechauns love-especially gold!

Leprechauns are small, bearded legendary creatures who live in forests and woodlands. If you capture one of these sneaky, solitary men, he must grant three wishes to be let go again. For more leprechaun facts, visit my blog post “Leprechaun Sensory Play.”

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

To make this leprechaun sensory jar, gather the following loose parts:

wide-mouth plastic jar
green and yellow crinkle paper
rust and green necklaces
green beads cut from garland
foil shamrocks and pots of gold
shamrock, leprechaun hat, rainbow, and pot of gold erasers
small gold coins
jute twine string
leprechaun figurine

A tiny leprechaun is the highlight of this ready-to explore St. Patrick's Day loose parts tray.

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The jar I feature is a container saved from an acrylic gem purchase. A plastic mason jar would work well too.

The leprechaun figurine may take a little time to find (just like legendary ones!) Mine is a plant poke topper. If procuring one is difficult, a leprechaun sticker glued to a popsicle stick will do fine.

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Making The Leprechaun Sensory Jar

Gotcha! The mini trickster is caught in this leprechaun sensory jar.

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Set a clear plastic jar on a table, along with a tray of loose parts.

Invite your little learner to layer loose parts in the jar, saving the leprechaun for last.

Then have your little one tuck the leprechaun in the middle of the jar. Or leave the jar out overnight and secretly add the leprechaun later.

Screw on the lid and wrap jute string around the neck.

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This St. Patrick’s Day sensory jar can be made over and over again. The loose parts can be sorted back into the tray, and then layered back into the jar. Or when complete, the jar can be part of a tablescape and will make a great conversation starter.

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Related: St. Patrick’s Day Activities

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[Read more…]

Valentine’s Day Water Play

February 7, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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A Valentine’s Day water play activity is quick and easy to set up, and supplies are low cost. The activity helps create a festive ambiance on a party day or any day!

The weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day are a good time to visit stores to collect Valentine-themed supplies for all kinds of learning opportunities, including water play. No store is off-limits for gathering hands-on materials.

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Supplies To Collect

Here’s a list of supplies that work well in a Valentine-themed water table or tub. Pick the ones you have handy, or can easily and economically find in a store.

alphabet letters that spell the word “LOVE”
heart ice cube trays
red and pink buttons
heart-shaped gems
bendy heart people
red and pink ducklings
valentine erasers
pink and red rainbow erasers
styrofoam hearts
cut striped red and white straws
red coins
wiggly eye rings
heart-shaped measuring cups
treat baskets and boxes

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The Valentine’s Day Water Play Activity

Add warm water to a large water table for group sharing, or set out a small white washtub with water for each child. Throw in Valentine’s Day loose parts that you have available.

The tub below has clear water, and the colors and shapes of the supplies can be easily seen and admired in the white bin.

Valentine's Day loose parts that work well in a water play activity, or a tub with a rice or chickpea base.

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After a little while, you could add red food coloring to the water to extend interest.

A fun and friendly Valentine's Day water play activity your early learners will love to participate in. A quick and easy sensory bin to set up.

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Or you could add dish detergent to create bubbles, so fitting for Valentine’s Day activity.

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Benefits Of Water Play

Here are some benefits of this water play activity:

sorting shapes (math – set making; language development – color recognition)
counting shapes (math – counting)
comparing shapes to those of other children (language development; paying attention to detail)
filling and emptying treat boxes (eye-hand coordination; math/language development – empty/full)
noticing how some shapes stick to others (science)
recognizing letters of the alphabet (language development – letter recognition)
discovering beautiful themed items (creativity)

Water play is an embraced activity any day. For another time, the Valentine-themed supplies could be included in a rice or chickpea sensory tub.

Can you think of supplies to add to my list? Share in a comment below.

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