This small world sensory tub came to life after I took my own advice! Last week when we were talking about loose parts free play I mentioned my idea of using a Magic Three – three items from our super loose parts list {click through to print your own copy} – when you need a little spark of something new. Here’s what happened when we combined rice, shells and cotton wool!

Sleepy bunnies small world sensory tub

My girls adore playing with Sylvanian characters and their current favourites are these three little bunnies. Because they play with the same characters time and time again, it gives them the chance to really develop storylines. The rabbits each have their own names, defined personalities, and family relationships, and it’s so interesting to watch the girls play, both co-operating with unspoken rules about how the characters will react in any imagined situation. Having said that, I like to introduce new items to their play, to keep the sensory environment rich and to just bring in new, fun materials.

Today I set out a towel {to catch any escaped materials and make tidy up super easy} and offered some loose parts to go with their bunnies:: lavender dyed rice, shells and cotton wool.

You never know how the play will go but, perhaps sparked by the softness of the cotton wool, or because we’ve used the rice in a bedtime sensory tub before, L decided this was going to be a land where the bunnies could go to sleep.

She made chairs for mum and dad to sit in.

And the softest bed for Fluff to sleep in.

She also used the cotton wool to fashion some warm clothes for the rabbits to wear – it gets rather chilly up in the bedtime clouds!

The lavender rice smells so lovely and is a great sensory material to try.

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Super Sensory Invitations to Play

Ready for a whole year of exploring through the senses? Super Sensory Invitations to Play is a delightful resource that encourages your children to explore the five senses through the year, using a wide variety of sensory materials. It includes 52 invitations to play, linked to the festivals and seasons of the year, and including water, ice, dough, rice, paints, sand, sensory tubs, and more.

They are easy, simple, and fun ideas that you can use right now to give a multi-sensory boost to your play and learning. It comes with a printable recipe book featuring all our favourite recipes for play. Come and see more here.