Do you know that sensory play is not only for sensory stimulation and fine motor skills?
I like to use a sensory play to make an opportunity to be creative and make a story. Today, I’m gonna introduce a coloured oats sensory play.
This play can be set up after reading the book “A House for Every Bird” by Megan Maynor.
Book “A House for Every Bird” by Megan Maynor
It’s about a girl solving a problem with her birds and their houses that she made.
After reading the book, or while reading the book, I encourage you to ask questions to your child because this book brings some points to think about.
Questions to ask
What was the girl’s feeling at the beginning of the story?
Why was she feeling like that?
What was the girl’s problem?
Who suggested a solution to the girl?
What did she try to solve the problem?
Was the problem solved?
Do you think it was a good way to solve the problem?
Is there something new that you learned from this story? What is it?
Here are some lessons that you can teach your child with this book.
Lessons from this book
– Don’t assume other people’s taste.
⁃ We should not judge people by appearance.
– Everybody thinks differently and feel differently.
– Know that we can be wrong sometimes.
– Be creative.
– If you don’t know something, ask. (→ GROWTH MIND)
– We can solve problems. (→ GROWTH MIND)
Now let’s move to the play part.
Coloured Oats Sensory Play
Materials (To make coloured oats)
- Oats
- Plastic container / ziplock bag
- Liquid watercolours / food colourings
- Baking pan / flat tray
How To
In a plastic container or a ziplock bag, put some oats.
I used instant oats because that’s what was available in my house and they worked fine.
In a small cup or any container, put a little bit of water and add a few drops of liquid watercolours or food colouring. You can adjust the amount of liquid watercolours, depending on the colours that you want to have.
Pour the coloured water over the oats.
Close the container and shake it.
If all the oats are coloured, dry them on a baking pan or a flat tray.
Materials (To set up the play table)
- Sensory play tray
- Regular oats
- Coloured oats
- Colourful birds
- Cups/bowls in different sizes
- Craft feathers
- Twigs/leaves (any stuff from nature)
- (optional: toilet paper roll wrapped with yarn)
How To
Add regular oats and coloured oats to your sensory play tray.
Add props (cups, craft feathers, leaves etc.)
Let your child cut the birds out from the template.
Add paper birds to the tray.
Different props can make children try different actions, so if you have some random items that can be added to the sensory table, do not hesitate and try!
Learning Goals
✦ Being imaginative
✦ Making up a story around birds
✦ Reviewing the lessons from the book
Happy learning and quality time!
Teacher Gela 👩🏻🎀