Explore the Senses with a Sensory Table!

It's a place designed for squishing, sifting, sorting, digging and pouring, where children can get messy, discover, and play freely. It's a sensory table. And almost every preschool has one. Now you can duplicate this sensory stimulation device at home, too!

What You Need:

• Large, shallow, plastic tub
• Table
• Bath towel
• Rags
• Handheld brush and dustpan
• Sensory tools outlined below

The following are some great fillers with which to begin:

Water

• Add soap to wash plastic dolls or dishes
• Add food coloring to experiment with color mixing
• Add assorted items to experiment with floating and sinking
• Add small plastic or rubber fish and a handheld net

Food

• Jell-O
• Noodles
• Dry instant mashed potatoes
• Cornmeal (makes a great sand substitute)

Easter grass with plastic insects and butterflies

Grains

• Birdseed
• Rice
• Cereal
• Oatmeal

Office Extras

• Shredded paper
• Foam packing peanuts
• Colored paper clips

 Assorted leaves, twigs, grass, and magnifying glasses 

Household Items

• Cotton balls, buttons
• Shaving cream (In winter, add trucks to plow snowy roads in the table!) If your child's learning the alphabet, help her  trace letters in the shaving cream.

Magnets with a random assortment of metal objects to "catch"