Today on The Modern Homeschool Podcast, I’m chatting all about sensory play for littles. We absolutely had a blast with this idea paired with nature play and art when my kiddos were younger. Today on the Pod I am discussing some of my favorite sensory activities but I’ll also share a few follow up ideas and links here.
Sensory and nature play as well as art activities are so beneficial to young children. They encourage outdoor activity, thinking, imagination, problem solving, creativity, fine motor skills, they encourage long periods of calm, focused play without screens.
Best Sensory activities for ages 2-10:
Water play (gather containers like this!) of Ocean set up like so: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEQJgH_B4o_/?img_index=1 Consider inviting your younger kids to paint the sidewalk with water, melt ice cubes (with trinkets inside), wash their bikes or tend to the garden for you!
Make your own Playdough & Sensory Rice: Playdough Recipe, Sensory Rice Recipe
Check the highlights (circles) for all of my favorite sensory play here: https://www.instagram.com/amysarttable/
Favorite themes of sensory & nature play in the past have been: rainforest, fairy garden, ocean, water, dinosaurs, ice melting, garden, birds, butterflies, insects, nature homes, city, house, winter, snow, beach, spring, farm, animals, small world, pumpkin.
Dollar Tree Resources: fairies, cars, dinosaurs, plants, flowers, small letters, pom poms, clothes pins, shave cream, slime ingredients, playdough ingredients, wooden containers, ice trays, large trays
Thrift Store Finds: Books (picture, coffee table, encyclopedia style, themed), large metal or wood trays, cake pans, muffin tins, rolling pins, cookie cutters, ice trays, mason jars, wood or metal small scoops, measuring spoons, wooden spoons, rocks, shells, seasonal items, holiday play, small world play, trinkets, garden trinkets, fairy lights, planters, spray bottles, wood bowls, glass jars
Free Resources for Homeschooling:
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The Modern Homeschool Website for Free Homeschooling Resources:
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Link to my episode: A Literature Based Approach to Homeschooling:
https://themodernhomeschool.com/podcast/a-literature-based-approach-to-homeschooling/
Link to my planning printables:
https://themodernhomeschool.com/homeschool-planning/
More on how I plan here:
Did you know that homeschooling is currently the fastest growing form of education?
With nearly five million homeschoolers in America today, I hope that my listeners will gain inspiration, research and new ways to implement education with their children in natural and intentional ways. I want to offer solutions to the many challenging problems our youth faces today. I want to unify home educators and parents from around the world.
Here is the link to my brand new book on Amazon. You can find more of The Modern Homeschool on Instagram, my website and you can download my freebies here Thrifting Living Books Planning
My Episode: Build Your Own Literature Studies in 5 Easy Steps
My Episode: Plan your Homeschool Year in 4 Easy Steps
My Episode: Choosing Curriculum, 4 Things to Consider
My Episode: 5 Perks of Homeschooling
My Episode: A Day in the Life of a Homeschool Family