Corn Flour
Corn flour when added to water creates ‘gloop’, you can add food colouring to change the colour, this helps children’s creativity from mixing different colours and experimenting to make their own. With the gloop you can also add different scents such as vanilla, lavender or coconut, this supports children’s sensory play. Gloop is a fun activity for children aged between 2.5-years-old and 6-years-old. Corn flour could be spread on a plate or other flat surface for children to do mark making or practice their writing. Perfect for children aged 4-8 years old.
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Ice
Ice is a good way to explore different states of matter, watching the ice melt and change temperature and consistency. It is completely safe for babies and if you wanted to make it more sensory you could add food colouring to the ice to create different colours. Babies may hold the ice, hit it against objects to see what it does, stir it using a spoon or taste the ice. Before freezing the ice cubes, you could put animals or fossils into the tray, then once they are frozen your child can explore the animals and fossils emerging and pretend that they are an archaeologist. Ice could be added to a water try to represent the ice in an ocean among the sea animals. This can support children’s imaginative play as they have the base idea that they can then play with. You can also set up an ice painting activity. All you need is lollipop sticks, water, ice cube tray, paper and food colouring, pour some water into ice cube trays or pots (depending on the size of ‘brush’ you want), place a lollipop stick in each to act as the handle, place in the freezer. Once frozen enjoy coloured water painting. A fun different way of painting, perfect for 2-5-year-olds.
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Shreddies
Shreddies can be broken up and used in small world play, they can create a farmyard floor for your children to play with their animals. Perfect for 1-3-year olds. Shreddies could be used to make your own cakes. By breaking them up and adding them to melted chocolate, then leave in the fridge to set, once set enjoy eating your own shreddies nest.
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Rice
Rice can be added to food coloring, it will soak up the food coloring and chance color. This can be used to create a picture, explore different colors or just simply be a sensory activity for babies. Rice can also be used to create a shaker using either a pot or make your own tube from cardboard. Perfect for 2-6-year olds. Another way that rice can be used is through a sensory mark making base, children can use their fingers, a brush, stick, spoon or any other tool to draw a picture in the rice. If you wish you can also add food coloring to the rice to help bring to life the picture. This is a good activity for children aged 4-8 years old.
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Potato
Potatoes (or other foods such as carrots or apples) can be used a stamp for painting, just cut the potato in half then draw/ outline the desired pattern/shape/picture then cut it out for your child to press into paint and create marks on a paper, card or fabric. This is good for developing their palmar grasp and improve fine motor skills. Use cut up potatoes as building blocks for construction. The potato can be cut into any shape or size that suits the design.
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