Sensory Tub

     I've been looking for some different, fun, fine motor activities to use in my classroom.  I did some investigating and researching over the past few weeks and the sensory tub craze caught my eye.  Let's face it, kids love to play and they love all that little stuff that we love to throw away!  I found lots of sensory tub ideas on Pinterest and knew I had to make one.  Today was the test.  If it was successful, it will be a staple during my center time.  If it wasn't, time to move on and find something else!  Drum roll please.....HUGE HIT!!!!!  Now I'm probably going to live at the Target Dollar Spot and Dollar Tree.  It did take some time to put together, but it was well worth it!

This recipe is the same one that I use to dye pasta. I used a 10 pound bag of rice, you can definitely use more or less.  Mix together 1 teaspoon rubbing alcohol and 2 teaspoons of food coloring in the Ziploc bag.  Pour rice into bag and shake well.  (I divided the rice into 4 cups per Ziploc bag.)  Make sure all rice is evenly coated with the food coloring mixture.  Lay out on baking sheet or aluminum pie pan and dry out in sun for about an hour.  

You might need to add a drop or two of food coloring to make sure it is completely covered.  

I love color, so I made several bags and then mixed it all together in the tub.

This is not the best picture, but it has tons of stuff in there.  I put mirrors, candles, small diaper pens, bottles, rattles, alphabet beads,magnetic numbers,  play phones, brush combs, and some small manipulatives (house, pets, people) for them to find.

The trick was they could not pick up the items (except the mirrors) with their hands.  They had to use the large plastic
tweezers.  I was really surprised how well they did with this!   Next week they will use the All About Me Count sheet.  They will take the items out of the tub with the tweezers and write down how many items that they find on their sheet.

     This week I'm allowing them to explore and play before doing the "work" part of the activity.  Be on the look out for more upcoming sensory tubs!