Quick and Simple Sensory Stations You May Already Have
I’ve previously posted other sensory stations I used before for Zoey’s birthday party. These were:
- Cleaning Deck Toys
- Sink or Float Water Play Sensory Bin
- Dinosaur Footprints Sensory Bin
- All Terrain Vehicle Zoom Sensory Bin
I figured I’d continue on from the previous posts to go over some quick and simple sensory stations I set up on the deck with, mostly, items I had on hand. These stations were the simple ones that aren’t big enough for their own post but arestill worth mentioning. You may even have these items on hand already (so no last minute buying).
Put my shovels to use
While cleaning up the excess toys before the birthday party I made a point of leaving out the shovels and some of the smaller buckets. I don’t have a green thumb so I had given most of a single planter to the kids to dig in. Before the birthday I pulled most of the plants in the remaining areas as they weren’t producing and/or were out of control. I left the shovels enticely shoved into the dirt with the buckets beside them. I then labelled the area in case any parents were worried about whether the dirt digging was allowed.
Miscellanious chalk, bubbles, and outdoor puzzles
I love how open ended our puzzle set could be so I didn’t want to hide it away for the party. I also left the bubbles and chalk out to play with. This year I had bought a bottle of bubble mixture for each child at the Dollar Tree so I brought it out when the kids went outside. For the setup of the party itself I wanted the Fubble Bubbles out since I had them already even though it was missing a wand. The bubbles didn’t seem large enough for it’s own space so I grouped the chalk, bubbles, and puzzle together and labelled them with a simple “Design”. Looking back I could see doing something more creative like “Imagine and Create”. At one point in the party one of the kids found a bean bag that came with the chalk so I quickly sketched out a 4 square hopscotch with a circle at the end for the bean bag to get thrown into.
Playable water spout
I mentioned it in the earlier posts but I filled up all three of the emptied laundry detergent bottles I had in rotation with water so the kids could wash their hands or, more likely, pour water and cart it around to dump. It was a hot day so you could never go wrong with more water. They’re a favorite on the deck. When Ada was really little I had to turn them on for her. Now Zoey is slowly learning and Ada can easily turn it on or if she isn’t patient take the lid off and pour it all out at once.
I hope these simple ideas were helpful. Let me know if you used them and how it went in the comments below, on my Facebook page, or through Instagram. Hope your activity goes amazingly!