Real Snow in our Christmas Sensory Bin.
Yes you read it correctly. We made real snow in Australia for a Christmas Sensory Bin. It wasn’t fake snow or insta-snow, it wasn’t made from any type of sensory material that could potentially be dangerous either. It was made right in our freezer and contains only one thing… Water! This Christmas Sensory Bin is full of ice shavings, crystallised water and chunky pieces of ice so it looks and feels just like real snow. it is probably waiting in your freezer right now.
How to make real snow for your Christmas Sensory Bin.
All you need to do is put on your domestic goddess crown, open up the freezer, temporarily move out some shelves and give it a good clean out. Using a plastic scraper or wooden spoon, you can shave off and break off the ice that builds up inside your freezer walls and collect it all in a plastic play tub. It took about 5 minutes and now my freezer doesn’t need a complete defrost and Miss T got to have some Festive fun pretending to play with real snow.
Play in a real snow Christmas Sensory bin.
What you need:
- Red and green Food colour in water.
- A large plastic tub to put the snow into. Find one here: Lrg Sensory Tub for Water/sand play. Now discounted
- Your “Snow” straight from the freezer wall.
- Some optional glitter makes it look more Christmassy. Find our fine silver here: Fine Glitter 1 lb Bulk Silver $14.86
- A dash of peppermint essence, so it smells grand.
- Plastic liquid droppers of different sizes.
- A baster or any utensils that require fine motor skills.
- Kids tongs work fantastic. Find on Amazon here- Cute Hand Tongs For kids. Only $7.99
- Christmas decorations.
What we learn by Playing in a Christmas Sensory Bin.
-Sensory learning; using all our senses to discover how the ice feels, the temperature and texture, visual differences in ice crystals and ice blocks, the smell of the essence and all of this combined.
-Fine Motor Skills; using our chosen tools, droppers and utensils to strengthen fine motor skills and coordination.
-Hands on learning; being involved and actively playing on their own in a ‘free play’ style encourages curiosity and their ability to test hypothesis and predict cause and effect scenario’s.
-Cause and effect; sensory bins and hands on play teach cause and effect concepts. For instance, does the ice soak up the red? do the colours mix? what happens if I squirt some on the decorations? What happens if I keep squirting on this one piece of ice?
-Attention span and Independent play; great sensory bins that make children curious are ones that capture their attention for longer periods, which enhances their focus and ability to play independently and learn independently.
Parenting opportunities.
Sensory bins give parents lots of opportunities to get involved and help develop their child’s vocabulary. By using descriptive language you can build on their vocabulary and help them explain what they are doing, feeling, seeing or trying to do. This Christmas Sensory bin further gives you opportunities to discuss your Christmas traditions and what your families beliefs are.
You may notice them struggling to use some of the tools, which may lead to an opportunity to help develop their grip and fine motor coordination skills. By joining in and connecting through play you can show your child you are interested in being a part of their play experience and that you are present and listening to them. Pay attention to their lead and go with it, they will enjoy your company 🙂
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See you again soon, Nae xx
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Danya says
Fun! Snow at Christmas would be such a novelty for us Aussies. 🙂
Kate says
This looks like so much fun. Easy too.
Kelly says
This is SO fun. My kids love playing with ice.
Kelly says
What a great idea! Good fun 🙂
Kate @ the craft train says
This looks cool! My daughter would love it.
Lydia C. Lee says
Great idea! And you defrost the fridge at the same time!