I enjoy doing sensory play activities with my kids–play doh, kinetic sand, making slime–so here are a few ideas for a rainy day!
Play-Doh
Play-Doh is a classic, fun sensory activity. My kids love doing play doh, and we got this fun play oven set for Christmas that they both love. You can also make homemade play doh, and there are a lot of great tutorials online, like this one!
Dinosaur Eggs and Fossil Digs
Who doesn’t love dinosaurs? Our favorite is this fossil egg kit. You soak the egg in water, and then use a digging tool that comes with each egg, to excavate a mini dinosaur. The kit even comes with a guide to identify what type of dinosaur is inside the egg. We also love these fossil dig kits; they come with excavating tools, and contain different types of fossils. You can also make your own dinosaur eggs, and fossil digs, using a tutorial like this one!
Kinetic Sand
My kids love kinetic sand, and use different trucks and digging tools with it. (You can find it here on Amazon.) I like to keep it in a plastic tray to minimize the mess. You can also try making it yourself! I haven’t tried it yet, but I found this great tutorial.
Sensory Calming Bottles
These bottles remind me of shaking a snow globe. First, you need a sturdy, plastic water bottle (I used an empty Vitamin Water bottle). Rinse the bottle, take the label off, and then you’ll need:
- a tube of glitter glue;
- glitter, small pom poms, or whatever else you want to float in the bottle;
- hot water;
- a few drops of food coloring; and
- a hot glue gun or super glue.
First, squeeze the entire tube of glitter glue into the bottle. Then, add hot water until the bottle is 2/3 full. Next, add a small amount of glitter, poms, or other floating things. After that, add a few drops of food coloring. Then, add a little more water so the bottle is nearly full. Finally, put the cap on the bottle, and use either hot glue or super glue to seal it closed. Here is a video of the finished product! IMG_6100
