When I was going through my early
childhood coursework we didn't learn much about using sensory tables other than
having sand and water in the classroom were nice additions. When I landed
my first teaching job in a preschool classroom I had two sensory tables.
I was fortunate to have a fairly large table that was initially filled
with sand...it was metal and had wheels on one end so it was easy to move when
filled. My water table was a clear plastic tub in a metal frame...it had
a drain spigot but I found it easier to carefully carry the whole tub to the
classroom bathroom and dump in the toilet (the sink drain was not fast enough
to handle that volume of water). When dumping the water tub the metal
frame was left unattended and was often occupied by a preschooler using like a
walker for the elderly. In the beginning I was not very adventurous when
it came to the sensory options in my classroom...you could play in the sand or
the water...and the water might have bubbles in it. This post is devoted
to remembering the some of the favorite materials I have used over the years in
my sensory tables...for some I will indicate the overall theme of the
classroom.
| Not my sensory table but the propped up lid is familiar. |
- Snow--real snow (or crushed ice) to be enjoyed with gloves and mittens
- Styrofoam peanuts (simulated snow)
- Cotton balls--snow and with doctor theme
- Plastic Easter grass--with plastic bugs or jungle animals
- Uncooked Oatmeal with plastic spiders--nursery rhymes
- Dried beans/seeds--beware--damp kid hands + dried beans/seeds = sprouts
- Flour--bakery theme...this was a great idea in my head...not a good idea for a carpeted classroom...and with slightly dampened children they ended up looking like little ghosts
- Dirt with plastic veggies and silk flowers--gardening theme
- Pumpkins--with the "lids" cut out
- Water with live fish--this didn't last long
- Mud--the kids transformed dirt to different consistencies of mud
- Colored rice--my old apartment probably still has remnants of the first 20 pound bag I colored
- Bubbles, baby dolls, and wash cloths
- Cooked spaghetti with a little oil
- Ribbons, cardboard tubes, yarn, masking tape, & scissors
- Fall leaves, pine cones, twigs, sticks,
- Rocks, pebbles, aquarium gravel
- Ice blocks, water, and polar animals
- Sod, water spray bottles, scissors, plastic animals
- Pseudo moon sand--flour and baby oil
- Clean mud--toilet paper, grated ivory soap,and water
- Paper hole punches
I usually kept a small whisk broom
and dust pan near my sensory table for the kids to clean up...some kids enjoyed
the broom action better than the materials in the tubs. I tried not to
annoy our custodians, so I spent quite a bit of time cleaning things up as much
as possible...but I have heard numerous custodians grumble about sand clogging
the vacuum cleaners and other gripes. I did make a few logistical
mistakes with my sensory tables...do not place a sand table too close to the
computer work station or a sink. The computers took on a lot of flying
sand in every nook and cranny. The sink issue at first became a problem
because of the kids adding too much water to the sand table...a little water
added a new dimension to the play...but too much and it was a soupy mess.
The second sink issues was caused by the kids adding sand to the sink
which clogged the drain...three different times...I learned several things from
that experience...when kids do weird things with the materials it is time for a
change and after the first call to the physical plant to unclog the drain it
was easier to just shop vac out the sand in my own.
