water play

Teacup And Peony Sensory Tray

July 7, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This teacup and peony sensory tray is bound to wow the little charges in your care. The chance to cut gigantic flowers and use teacups in waterplay are sure to be tactile activities they want to try.

The flower-themed sensory tray is an afterthought of a project I originally wanted to do. A few years back I shopped for low, wide teacups to set peonies in as a gift for Mother’s Day or year-end. But I couldn’t find teacups in the shape I wanted. I decided to table the idea for the future, determined to pair peonies and teacups in some way.

We have a peony plant in our yard, so that makes an activity with the spotlight-grabbing flowers economical to do. This year peonies were late bloomers due to our extremely looooong winter! Mine didn’t bloom in time for Mother’s Day or our last day of preschool in June, so I decided on plan B: to feature peonies and teacups in a summer sensory tray!

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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An easy-to-set-up flower-themed sensory tray that features teacups and show-stopping peony flowers.

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Ten Peony Facts

Peonies are large, layered flowers that look like many-petalled roses.
The stunning flowers can measure up to 10 inches wide.
The blooms come in many colors, such as white, pink, red, coral, maroon, or yellow.
Many kinds of peonies are fragrant. Their smell varies from sweet, citrusy, or slightly spicy.
There are early, midseason, and late blooming varieties.
Peony plants are hardy to zone 3 and embrace cold winters.
The striking plants can live up to 100 years.
Ants are attracted to peonies, eating the sugary sucrose the buds secrete before they open.
Peonies make an excellent cut flower.
Popular throughout history, peonies symbolize romance and love. In China and Japan, peonies represent bravery, honor, respect, good fortune, and prosperity.

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Sensory Tray Supplies To Collect

An easy-to-set-up flower-themed sensory tray that features show-stopping peony flowers.

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For this easy-to-set-up sensory tray, gather the following:

large tray or bin
tea cups and saucers
cut peony flowers and leaf stems
peony bud sprays
bowls
cake stand
small plant pots and watering cans
ant and fly figurines
large tablespoons
scissors

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The Teacup And Peony Sensory Tray

In a large sensory bin or active world tray, set up stations with a teacup and saucer, large spoon, and pair of scissors.

Note: My featured tray includes china teacups and saucers. Use unbreakable ones as an alternative if you are more comfortable with that. No matter which kind of cups and saucers you choose, this sensory activity should be supervised closely.

Set plant pots, bowls, and water-filled spray bottles and watering cans around the teacup stations.

Cut peonies leaving two inches of stem, and set one in each teacup.

Position three large peonies cut right to the flower base on a cake stand in the middle of the play tray for an eye-catching centerpiece.

Three flowers on a cake stand make a stunning centerpiece in a peony and teacup sensory tray play invitation.

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Spread peony leaf stems and bud sprays around the bin, and top them with ant and fly figurines.

Invite your little learners to explore the dainty sensory tray.

Set up this peony flower sensory play invitation your little learners will absolutely love in just minutes!

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Note: Before going ahead with the activity, I researched whether peonies are safe to use with children. Some websites say they are toxic if consumed in large quantities but not harmful to the skin if touched.

Since my students do not have a habit of putting things in their mouths, I decided these flowers were a go for a sensory tray. Aside from the tactile experience, I felt it would be a good opportunity to discuss plant-tasting and possible toxins/poisons.

If the children in your care like to explore by putting things in their mouths, choose an edible flower for this activity

Tip: To stave off ants, it’s best to snip buds before the flowers bloom, and use them once they open. But since we only have one peony plant in our yard, I decided to wait until bloom time so my family could enjoy the flowers first!

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Benefits Of The Teacup And Peony Play Tray

Developing eye-hand coordination, practicing using scissors, exploring fluffy peony flowers, and getting the opportunity to use teacups are just some of the benefits of this gorgeous sensory invitation.

Early learners get plenty of practice with scissor skills and eye-hand coordination in this peony flower sensory play invitation.

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Blogposts About Peony Flowers

Interested in learning more about peony plants? Here are two great blog posts about them:

“The Magic Of Peonies” by salisburygreenhouse.com.
“How To Grow Peonies” by thespruce.com.

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This beautiful peony and teacup sensory tray allows for practice with scissors skills and eye-hand coordination. Peony facts are included.

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[Read more…]

Ocean Sensory Activities

March 31, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Three fun ocean-themed sensory activities to captivate your little learner. An aquatic rice bin, water tub, and playdough tray are featured.

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Ocean sensory activities are among the most attractive and calming play invitations one could offer. The serene blue water, neutral sand, crisp shells, and fish that add pops of color are eye-appealing and offer many tactile opportunities.

The inspiration for the sensory activities featured in this post is aquatic Easter eggs, repurposed for three learning through play invitations. I was excited to spot the eggs at a local dollar store.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Ocean Sensory Activity Supplies

The following supplies will work well in all three sensory activities.

rocks in various sizes
shells
marbles
set of miniature ocean creature figures
set of aquatic plastic Easter eggs

If it is difficult to find ocean creatures or aquatic plastic eggs, using just one of these ocean sets is fine too. An economical alternative to offer is creatures from toy fishing or dive toy sets. Paper fish could also be substituted.

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Ocean Rice Bin

Set up this easy and fun rice-based ocean sensory bin. Aquatic Easter eggs are the highlight of the play invitation.

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The base for this ocean bin is white glutinous rice. Its light neutral color is a good contrast for loose parts, so it’s often my go-to choice for a rice bin. The bin for this activity is a round serving tray.

Spread the rice in the bin, and set in the rocks, shells, marbles, ocean creatures, and aquatic eggs.

Little learners will enjoy scooping up and pouring the rice, and putting marble “eggs” and mini ocean creatures inside the eggs. They may discover that the fillable eggs become shakers that make soft sounds when rice is added, or loud sounds when marbles or small rocks are inserted.

Take the opportunity to discuss the names of the ocean creatures, and model them in speech.

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Ocean Water Tub

Set up this easy and fun water-based ocean sensory tub. Aquatic Easter eggs are the highlight of the play invitation.

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The bin for this activity is a kitchen tub, commonly used in the foodservice industry. I keep a stack of them around for organizing my current theme supplies, and for sensory activities. When offering a sensory invitation for two or three children to explore at the same time, a bin this size works well.

Water with blue food coloring added is the base. But little learners would be more than happy to explore the supplies in clear water.

Add the same supplies to the tub as used in the rice bin. I added marbles here, but also could have included them in the rice.

This water-based activity offers the same learning through play opportunities as the rice bin does, and little learners can experiment with floating and sinking objects.

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Ocean Playdough Tray

Your little learners will love this inviting ocean-themed playdough tray. Good playdough recipes are included in the post.

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For another sensory opportunity, the ocean-themed loose parts can be offered in a playdough tray. Set them out in a large party tray, along with turquoise, marbled or plain dough. Add a few ocean-themed cookie cutters and the playdough invitation is ready to go.

Your little learners will love this inviting ocean-themed playdough tray. Aquatic Easter eggs are the highlight of the tray.

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Playdough Recipes

The marbled playdough was repurposed from a winter playdough recipe,

A scented jello playdough recipe makes lovely turquoise dough.

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The aquatic Easter eggs are the latest addition to my plastic egg collection. If you spot them, you may want to purchase two sets – one for ocean sensory activities, and another to fill with Easter treats.

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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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Turtle Pond Sensory Bin

November 4, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Easy to sert up nature-based tutle pond sensory bin.

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Why debut a turtle pond sensory bin, eggs included, in fall? Because although we generally associate spring as the time for baby animals to be born, many turtle hatchlings peck out of their shells in autumn.

And…because I have a light-up “toss and dive” turtle set that I’ve longed to use for over two years! I never stored it in a permanent spot because I was always planning to do a pond activity “very soon.” But with so many fantastic curriculum ideas to choose from every week, “soon” never came.

So this September as I was reorganizing storage areas, I noticed the colorful turtles once again. I googled “turtles in fall” to see how I could use them alongside typical fall themes such as leaves, pumpkins, bats, and spiders. Finding that turtle eggs and hatchlings are part of the fall season motivated me to include the diving turtles in a sensory activity at this time.

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Ten Turtle Reproduction Facts

Although turtles spend a lot of time in water, nearly all lay their eggs on land.
Many turtles lay a clutch of eggs in about 3 – 6 weeks after mating.
Mother turtles dig a nest in sandy or wet dirt with their hind legs. They cover the eggs laid in the nest with soil and plants.
Depending on turtle size and species, there can be from 5 to 100 eggs in a clutch.
Most turtles don’t guard their nests, leaving right afterwards.
It takes the baby turtles two to three months to hatch.
Most hatch in autumn, pecking their way out with an egg tooth.
These fall babies often stay in the nest through winter and emerge the following spring.
They survive their first winter by not eating and living on their own fat reserves. Some can handle cold temperatures and may even produce a sort of antifreeze.
Only a few turtles survive to adulthood. Turtle eggs and hatchlings have many predators.

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Turtle Pond Supplies To Collect

Loose parts for a turtle-themed sensory bin.

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A turtle-themed sensory bin can be set up very quickly with the following supplies:

kitchen supply bus bin
turtle figurines
rocks of varying sizes
small logs or twigs
gemstone slices
real or artificial leaves
marbles
small disposable food container with a ridge
a large piece of brown craft foam

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Making The Turtle Pond Sensory Bin

Nature[ based, easy to set up turtle pond sensory bin.

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Pour a layer of water into the bin. I used a kitchen bus bin for this activity.

Add rocks, logs, and gemstone slices.

Cut a few curves around the edge of the foam, and a hole in the middle just big enough to fit the disposable container. Float the foam in the water.

Set the disposable container in the hole to represent a turtle nest.

Add marble “eggs” to it. I used blue marbles because they were handy, but real turtle eggs are white or cream-colored.

This turtle pond sensory bin includes a sunken nest with "eggs."

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Surround the “nest” with a few craft or real leaves for covering the eggs up.

Add turtle figurines. Three light-up “toss and dive” turtles are the stars of this sensory bin, but any turtle figurines would be heartily welcomed by early learners.

Three "toss and dive" turtles are the stars of this pond sensory bin.

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[Read more…]

Valentine’s Day Sensory Tubes

February 6, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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With so many Valentine’s Day bits and baubles available to purchase or collect, it is easy to gather little pieces for sensory tubes. And Valentine’s Day sensory tubes are fun to put together.

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Sensory Tube Loose Parts

Valentine's day loose parts tray with pieces for sensory tubes.

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Here’s a few supplies that would work well in the sensory tubes:

X and O game pieces
rainbow and heart erasers
heart and jewel-shaped gems
small buttons
heart garland strips
bead garland strips
rubber hearts
foam hearts

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Assembling The Valentine’s Day Sensory Tubes

Pick a few things from the loose parts list to drop in wide-mouthed water bottles with lids that secure on tightly. Then add water to each one. Set the tubes out on a table for little learners to investigate.

Valentine's Day sensory tubes with red, pink, and purple loose parts.

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Float and sink experimenting works well with these sensory tubes. In the one on the left, X and O game pieces float to the top. Foam hearts float and erasers and gems sink in the middle tube. And in the one on the right, heart-shaped gems sink to the bottom.

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Sensory tubes with Valentine's Day themed loose parts.

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Skeleton And Eyeball Waterplay

November 10, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Your early learners will be oh, so excited to explore skeleton and eyeball waterplay activities with skulls, eyeballs, and bones. The supplies to collect are low cost: skeleton parts can be found at dollar stores and local party stores, especially in autumn.

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Skeleton And Eyeball Soup

Collect:

plastic eyeballs
squishy eyeballs
plastic skulls
ice cube skulls
bones
extra large wiggly eyes
skeleton models
clear plastic cups
red and blue food coloring
water pitcher
spray shaving foam
ladles
clear cups
tulip shaped punch bowl

Skeleton and eyeball loose parts ready for sensory play.

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A tulip-shaped punch bowl makes a handy container to fit 3-4 children around. But use whatever you have available…a container of any size or shape will have play possibilities.

Use a pitcher to pour water into the punch bowl. Mix in red and blue food coloring to turn the liquid purple. Drop-in clear plastic cups, ladles, eyeballs, wiggly eyes, skulls, bones, and skeleton models.

Skeleton and eyeball water play in a tulip-shaped punch bowl with eyeballs, wiggly eyes, skulls, bones, and skeletons.

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To extend play possibilities, spray shaving foam on top of the water first, and then lay on the loose parts.

Eyeballs, wiggly eyes, skulls, bones, and skeletons float on shaving foam topped purple water in a tulip-shaped punch bowl.

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After a short while, the shaving foam shrinks, and the water becomes a milky purple.

Shaving foam-topped water play in a tulip-shaped punch bowl with eyeballs, wiggly eyes, skulls, bones, and skeletons.

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Eyeball Soup

You don’t need all of the above items for your little learners to enjoy skeleton and eyeball waterplay. Just add eyeballs and a ladle to a large bowl of colored water set in a tub. Spray in a little shaving foam if you have it available. Your early learners will love scooping the “soup” into bowls.

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Sprinkle purple glitter on the liquid mixture, and offer eyedroppers, a baster, and pouring containers for more play.

Eyeball soup water play with eyedroppers, a ladle, a baster, and pouring containers.

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Eyeball Sensory Tube

Load eyeballs into a clear, narrow plastic bottle with a lid. Add neon yellow water. Set the sensory tube on a table for your little ones to view and touch.

Plastic eyeballs and neon yellow water in a sensory tube.

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Which activity do you like best? Share in a comment below.

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Sea Star Activities And Facts

August 3, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Sea star theme activities for early learners. Art, sensory, and math activities featured. Sea star facts and links to resources included.

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Sea stars have no trouble taking the spotlight along the sea edge or in an aquarium. They are stunning ocean creatures and come in a huge array of colors. And these sea star activities for early learners? They deliver.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more activities.

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Ten Fast Facts About Sea Stars

Many sea stars live in shallow water; all live on the ocean floor.
Five-armed sea stars are common, but some have 10, 20, or even 40 arms.
Just like octopuses, sea stars can grow back a lost arm.
Sea star eyes are at the end of their arms and look like red spots.
Up to thirty-five years is how long sea stars can live.
Sea water gets pumped through sea star bodies instead of blood.
Hundreds of tube feet on the underside of their bodies help sea stars move, hang on to rocks, and pull away.
Sea stars have soft bellies and tough spiny or leathery skin on their backs.
Clams, oysters, and snails are foods these carnivorous creatures eat.
Their bright colors allow sea stars to blend in with their surroundings, and help scare off attackers.

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Sea Star Activities

Sea Star Sensory Tray

Sea stars purchased at a craft store, and seashells, smooth rocks, and gems arranged in blue-hued water make an inviting sensory tray for early learners to explore.

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Sea star sensory tray with different sized sea stars and rocks, shells, and gems. The base for the sensory tray is blue water.

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Sea Star Counting

Colorful sea star counters and a ten frame give little learners hands-on counting practice. Download the ten frame here.

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Taste Safe Playdough And Sea Stars

This no-cook, easy-to-make playdough recipe is taste safe. Anyone with a sweet tooth will love it.

You will need:

1 cup store-bought vanilla frosting
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup icing sugar
yellow and red food coloring

Mix and knead the frosting, cornstarch, and icing sugar in a bowl. This should make a moldable dough. If the playdough is a little sticky, knead in a bit more cornstarch. If the dough is dry, add a spoon or two of frosting.

Divide the dough into a large and small lump. In the smaller lump, knead in a little yellow and red food coloring. Place the playdough pieces on a tray along with sea stars, sea star molds, shells, stars, and chocolate chips. (Read on to find out why chocolate chips are on the tray.) Any ocean-themed loose parts you have handy will work.

Invite your early learner to explore the playdough and loose parts.

Sea star sensory play invitation using taste safe playdough.

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The recipe makes enough playdough for one or two children to use. Multiply the ingredients if more little learners are participating in the activity.

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Playdough Chocolate Chip Sea Star

Yes, there are starfish named “chocolate chip sea stars!” These sea stars come in a variety of colors but always have dark brown spots on top. They grow up to 15 inches / 38 centimeters in size and make good pets.

Invite your little learner to mold a five-armed chocolate chip sea star with the vanilla playdough. Then encourage adding little dots of orange-red playdough to the top of the starfish, and pressing in chocolate chips. This will complete the sea star.

Chocolate chip sea star made with taste safe playdough.

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This sea star is featured in the engaging picture book “I See Sea Food: Sea Creatures That Look Like Food” by Jenna Grodzicki.

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Sea Star Art

Taste safe painted sea star inspired by the pink short-spined sea star.

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The two-ingredient paint recipe used in this art activity has previously been featured in my Octopus Theme Activities blog post. It works well in sea star art too. This project is inspired by the pink short-spined sea star. Click the link below for a video tutorial.

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View a Sea Star Art video tutorial.

Video tutorial featuring a taste safe painted starfish inspired by the pink short-spined sea star. This is an all-ages art activity.

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Fun Fact: Pink short-spined sea stars don’t mind getting dirty. They can be spotted in sand or mud, or on rocks and coral.

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Sea Star Sorting

A purchased package of sea stars provides an opportunity to order these star-shaped creatures from largest to smallest, or vice versa. The gigantic sea star included below is a garage sale find.

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Invitation to order sea stars from largest to smallest.

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Sea Star Observation

Although it is tempting to pick up sea stars, they should not be touched, poked, moved, or taken out of the water. It is best to observe them in an aquarium or while snorkeling.

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If you live near the ocean, there are likely many opportunities to see sea stars up close. But whether you do or don’t, the blog post “19 Bizarre And Beautiful Starfish Species” is a good read. It is packed with fascinating sea star facts and photos. Viewing the article is a good follow-up to the hands-on sea star activities featured in my post.

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[Read more…]

0ctopus Theme Activities

April 20, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky 2 Comments

This post has been updated to include a free downloadable octopus template.

The octopus is a fascinating creature with no shortage of unique characteristics. The sea animals make a cheery topic for early learning activities. And after learning a few surprising facts about them, your family may even choose one for a pet!

Octopus theme facts, crafts, and small world play. The stunning feature art activity uses kitchen supplies. Art and science fun with learning for all ages.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more activities.

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Ten Fast Octopus Facts

Octopuses have 8 long arms with hundreds of tiny suction cups on them called suckers. Octopuses can feel, smell, and grab food and objects with them. They grow back an arm if they lose one.
Octopuses are very smart. They can solve simple puzzles and mazes. They take things apart. They have good memories.
Many octopuses prefer living on the ocean floor in deep waters. A few live in shallow waters.

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Octopuses live alone in dens they make or in shells they squeeze into and pull over themselves. They have no bones in their bodies, so they can fit into small spots.
Two large bulging eyes help octopuses see very well.
Having blue blood helps octopuses keep warm in colder water.
Crawling is the easiest way for octopuses to get around. Their hearts stop beating when they swim, which is much more tiring. They can also crawl on land.
Most octopuses are shy and solitary. An exception is the California two-spot octopus, which is not as afraid of people.
Octopuses squirt out a blackish, poisonous ink at animals that want to eat them. The ink makes the water dark and irritates the predators’ eyes. It also hurts their sense of smell and taste.
Camouflage is their specialty. Octopuses can change color and texture quickly so they look like the plants and rocks around them. They also use color to stand out or communicate with other octopuses. Some hues they can transform into are grey, brown, pink, blue, or green.

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California Two-Spot Octopus

Because of its striking eyespots underneath its real eyes, the California two-spot octopus is a standout. In a neutral surrounding, this octopus can look greyish with yellow spots. The false eyes range from lighter to darker shades of blue.

The California two-spot lives in shallow waters, so many people have seen one. This crustacean is friendlier than other octopuses and can make a good pet.

Click here for pictures and an informative article about this well-known octopus.

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California Two-Spot Octopus Art

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You will need:

cardstock paper octopus
yellow, blue, and metallic grey dot paint dabbers
black permanent felt pen

Trace and cut out a cardstock octopus. Feel free to download the template below to use for the project.

Download this free octopus template for art and craft projects.

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Octopus PrintableDownload

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Invite your early learner to draw eyes and a smile on the octopus with the felt pen. Ask your little one to decorate the octopus to look like the California two-spot using dot paint dabbers.

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Textured Octopus Craft

This painted, shiny pink and yellow octopus has neutral Toasted O’s suction cups.

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Octopus art activity using supplies easily found in the kitchen. An all-ages art activity.

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Your early learner can decorate a similar one with an easy-to-make, taste-safe paint using kitchen supplies.

Supplies To Collect:

white corn syrup
food coloring
Toasted O’s cereal
baby food jars
paintbrushes
spoons
cardstock paper octopus
black permanent felt pen

Invitation to paint an octopus with taste safe paint. An all=ages activity.

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Cut out an octopus pattern and ask your early learner to draw on a smile with the felt pen. (The downloadable octopus printable will work well for this craft too.)

Help your early learner mix a squirt or two of food coloring into a little white corn syrup poured into baby food jars.

Invite your little one to paint the octopus.

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Afterward, your early learner can push craft eyes and Toasted O’s suction cups into the tacky paint to complete the project.

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View a video tutorial for the Octopus Craft.

Octopus craft using taste safe ingredients.

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Octopus Sensory Tub

Your little one can help design and play in this simple sensory tub. The tub is a repurposed flying saucer sled.

Invitation to add cheerios cereal to a painted octopus. All supplies for this craft are easily found in the kitchen. An all-ages art activity.

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The sensory tub includes:

rocks, shells, and marine plants
an octopus figurine
other sea creatures such as a sea turtle, crab, and stingray fish
transparent gems

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Although shy and mysterious in the wild, octopuses have heaps of talent and spunky personalities. Would you consider having one for a pet?

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Easter Sensory Tub

April 6, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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With so many craft supplies and basket fillers available to purchase, a colorful Easter sensory tub is easy to put together. Easter bunnies have taken over this water-based sensory table. I hope they get back to work soon to finish delivering their Easter eggs!

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Easter sensory items in the water table:

plastic eggs (various sizes)
egg holders
egg-shaped gems
salad tweezers/clamps
Easter-themed erasers and cookie cutters
bendable bunnies (various sizes)
plastic bunny candy cups
Easter baskets
food coloring of choice

Neon green food coloring is used in this activity. I’ve used pink, purple or yellow food coloring in the past.

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Do you have a suggestion for something I could add to this Easter sensory tub? I’d love to hear about it.

For more activities, check my Pinterest Board Easter.

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St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Tub

March 3, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

St. Patrick's Day sensory table inspired by the city of Chicago, USA. Green and shamrock themed loose parts invite sensory play opportunities.

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This St. Patrick’s Day water play sensory table is inspired by the city of Chicago’s tradition of turning the river water green as part of their St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

The tradition of coloring the water vibrant green in Chicago became an annual event in 1962, but the origins of this practice started much earlier. A green substance was used to test the river water for pollution in the early 1900s and continued in the following years. People liked seeing the change in color, and in 1962 the practice was implemented for St. Patrick’s Day. In 1966 the powder used became a more environmentally friendly vegetable dye.

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How The Water Turns Green

Chicago Journeyman Plumbers Union 130 members turn the water bright green. The recipe is secret: an orange powder is spread on the water and mysteriously turns green when mixed in. The river water becomes fluorescent green for a stretch in the center of the city. Plumbers using a few boats carry out the procedure. One or more boats spread the powder on the water. Another boat mixes the powder in.

Bottles of orange powder, clear water and green water. It is a mystery how Chicago Journeyman Plumbers Union 130 use orange powder to turn the water green at the annual St. Patrick's Day festivities..

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Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Activities

The river water in Chicago is turned green to coincide with a large St. Patrick’s Day parade that is held on the Saturday closest to the holiday. Irish dancers and kilted musicians playing bagpipes are feature performers in the parade. Many spectators gather around the shore or on one of the downtown bridges to watch the parade and view the brilliant green water.

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Other events held in Chicago to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day:

Iconic buildings, monuments, and streets are lit in green.
Cruises are offered near the green river water.
Irish bands give performances.
Events are held featuring Irish music, dance, and storytelling.
Irish refreshments are served.
Chicago celebrates St. Patrick’s Day as an opportunity for people to get together to have a good time and to recognize what the Irish have done for their city.

For current St. Patrick’s Day activities in Chicago, click here.

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St. Patrick’s Day Water Table

Water table filled with green and gold St. Patrick's Day-themed loose parts.

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This St. Patrick’s Day-themed water table has plenty of green items and a few gold ones and will offer your early learner a variety of sensory and sorting experiences.

Items in the sensory table include:

green and gold coins
marbles and buttons
ping pong balls
large plastic shamrocks
foam shamrocks
ice cube shamrocks
bracelets
small drinking glasses
leprechaun hats
cut necklace pieces
foam dice
storage containers
trays
scoops

Some of the above items can be exchanged for sailors and boats.

Toy boats on green water filled with St. Patrick's Day-themed loose parts offer a rich sensory play experience.

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As an alternative, skip the green food coloring and add bubbles for your early learner to experience some foamy play.

St. Patrick's day themed water table featuring green and gold items with bubbles added.

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