The activity I am sharing with you today, happened completely out of the blue. I'd put the twins to bed, Neve had just come downstairs after writing letters to all her best friends at school. We stood in the kitchen having a chat and BAM this idea popped into my mind and as always Neve couldn't wait to get stuck in.
Today's activity is all about Sensory Oobleck. Oh and spiders! Perfect to tie into Nursery Rhymes, Stories, an interest in spiders in general or like we did today - for Halloween.
Keep scrolling to see how the activity unfolded, and for the recipe so you can have a go at doing this activity yourself.
We have a super quick and easy method to creating the perfect Oobleck. You can find the recipe below. Its really child friendly and they will be able to complete all steps safely, under the guidance of an adult.
I recently purchased some biodegradable glitter. Across the top of the Oobleck we sprinkled glitter and confetti. As you can see we stuck to purple and silver. It was already looking really inviting.
The spiders were added. I picked these up from Home Bargains. They were a couple of pounds and the different textures, size and colours worked well together in this set up. I did think the slimy oobleck would perhaps spoil the orange spiders, but a quick swill under the tap and they look brand new again which is good as I'm sure there will be lots of other activities I can use them in.
You can also see the spiders here -
Lets see the Spider Sensory Oobleck in Action:
We used this to colour the Oobleck. -
We use this for all of our activities and although I've had the 6 pots for well over a year now and used them countless times - they're all still full! The smallest bit goes such a long way. I feel annoyed that I have spent so many pounds on the bottles in the supermarkets that usually only last one time and the colours are usually not very vibrant.
With the food colouring above I often only have to dip the tip of a cocktail stick into the colouring to achieve the desired results.
You wont be able to set this activity up for the children without having a go yourself. Its a calming, mesmerising activity with the most peculiar texture. It captivates, it focuses. I find activities like this a great opportunity for bonding time with the children.
They're lost in an activity but they share their thoughts and they welcome you to be apart of that.
But how do you make it?
You will need:
A Deep Tray
Cornflour
Water
Spoon
Confetti
The tray we used is a drinking tray carrier that we picked up in Home Bargains as part of their BBQ range this summer. It is perfect for containing activities like this. I picked up 3. As my children get a bit older I shall be able to set activities up for each of them in their own tray.
I used a packet and a half of cornflour for this activity. Pour it with caution as the powder is so light it can create a dust in the air if you put it into the tray too quickly.
The key to creating the perfect consistency with cornflour is to add water little and often. Initially I start stirring with a spoon, but as I can see the powder coming together as it should do, I get stuck in with my hands. That gives you a true reflection on whether or not you need to add any more water. It is very easy to misjudge and once you have put too much water in - there is no going back.
I added some food colouring at this point and opted to go for purple. It took a while to work the colour through and using my hands to do this probably wasn't the best idea as the colour stained my fingers a little. It was find once it was all worked through the cornflour but when the colour was at its intensity it can leave a colour on your skin. Something to keep in mind if you plan on adding a colur to your mixture.
The final step is to add your spiders or whatever else you please. The possibilities are endless.
Looking for some more ideas? Here are some that are suitable all year round:
So much fun! Give it a go, take some pictures of your set up and head on over to our Facebook Group (link below) to share with thousands on like minded people. Inspiring others is so rewarding. Give it a go and come and feedback how you get on.
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