Scensory Tables

[kcnjason]

I have a small home daycare, 6 children ages 18m-4 years old. I have been open for 5 years and have not used a scensory table with my children. I will be honest, I have been avoiding the large mess. Can I get tips on using scensory tables in a small home daycare? How do other home daycares use a scensory table? tips? hints?

[momofsix]

At this exact moment my kiddos are playing with colored dinosaurs in colored macaroni noodles:) They love it!
I just use a large rubbermaid type tub with about 6" high sides (3'l x 16"w) for my tub. It was $9 at Target. I don't have room for a "real" tub and this works great. I can change it up and put in something different very easily. We've had feathers, colored water, oatmeal, colored rice, leaves & acorns, pom pom balls, "goop", sand, snow...and many more things. If we're doing something really messy, I'll put an extra large beach towel underneath it-keeps the floor clean.
When we're not using it it's easy to pack it up to store in my storage room!

[mismatchedsocks]

I have 2 rubbermaid tubs too. One always has sand in it, then have a little bag of sand toys for inside play. I also have a tub that I use for dry food, and water ( not at same time LOL) I love the tubs, because i can store them so easy.

[AnythingsPossible]

I have a large under the bed type container that I have rice in. When I let them play with it, I put a sheet on the floor and let 3 to 4 use it at a time. If they start throwing rice, they have to leave the tub.

I also bought a bunch of square containers with lids from the dollar store and in one i have a mixture of dry beans with some spoons and containers. I have one that has colorful beads and silk flowers in it with things for scooping them. They are one person tubs, they sit at the table and do them.

I do not do water play very often, but when i do, we use dish tubs and 1 to 2 kids per tub. They do them in the kitchen. I have also in the past let 1 or 2 just play in the kitchen sink, but it has been years since I have done that!!

I get alot of ideas from here http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/search/label/Sensory%20Tubs
And also herehttp://www.ourworldwideclassroom.blogspot.com/
Though when I tried the world wide classroom this morning, nothing was popping up, but they do have a whole section for sensory tubs when their site is working.

[SilverSabre25]

I'm another one who uses large plastic boxes (not quite as long as the underbed ones, but about the same height and width). I'm getting ready to make our fall sensory box with corn kernals, silk leaves, scoopy things, a funnel...I don't know what else yet. I need to go look around . Late October I have some Halloweenish things that will get added--some stretchy mice, wooden candy corn from a $1 bracelet at Jo-Anns, some other "spooky" stuff.

Over the summer we had sand, with a little shovel and pail, sea critters from one of those "Toobs" you can find at Jo-Anns, and real seashells.

[sharlan]

Funny to see this post. I just set up rice and beans, not together.

I use the throw away aluminum pans on a large cookie sheet. I set them up at the kitchen table, one per child. Today rice is alphabet, beans are numbers.

The rice pan has flash cards, magnetic I, i, U, and u, card puzzles with I, i, U, and u pieces. Along with pictures and little iguanas, indians, ice cubes, umbrellas, underwear, and uncle.

The bean pan has card puzzles with 1's and 2's, and magnetic 1's and 2's.

I also have scoopers and cups in both.

My 4 yo has a lot of Autistic tendencies, a lot of texture issues, and the rice and beans have really helped.

When we were working on colors, I would dye rice that color and add that color items. Now the rice is all mixed together.

In the backyard, I have two cement mixing pans - cheap at Home Depot - that sit on a low table. Both have sand, but one has some water in it. I use old laundry soap containers with the push buttons for water. When the pan gets too much water in in, I just pour some of the water out. Sometimes they use the sand toys, other times I find cars and trains in them.

I also have a water table that is full of boats and tiny pourers.

[melskids]

i use a cement mixing tub too...my hubby actually built a table for it.

but as far as the mess.... i would start them out slow. dont fill it all the way at first and only give them a few things to use in it. be sure to show them how they are to play with it. and then, show them again....lol

we use our table everyday.

the kiddos know if they chuck anything on purpose, they are done with it for the rest of the day.

accidental spills will happen. i keep a small dust pan and hand broom nearby, and all my kiddos (even the 18 month old) can sweep up their messes. (the best they can)

[daycare]

Funny to see this post. I just set up rice and beans, not together.

I use the throw away aluminum pans on a large cookie sheet. I set them up at the kitchen table, one per child. Today rice is alphabet, beans are numbers.

The rice pan has flash cards, magnetic I, i, U, and u, card puzzles with I, i, U, and u pieces. Along with pictures and little iguanas, indians, ice cubes, umbrellas, underwear, and uncle.

The bean pan has card puzzles with 1's and 2's, and magnetic 1's and 2's.

I also have scoopers and cups in both.

My 4 yo has a lot of Autistic tendencies, a lot of texture issues, and the rice and beans have really helped.

When we were working on colors, I would dye rice that color and add that color items. Now the rice is all mixed together.

In the backyard, I have two cement mixing pans - cheap at Home Depot - that sit on a low table. Both have sand, but one has some water in it. I use old laundry soap containers with the push buttons for water. When the pan gets too much water in in, I just pour some of the water out. Sometimes they use the sand toys, other times I find cars and trains in them.

I also have a water table that is full of boats and tiny pourers.
Can you tell me how to dye rice? I tired it once and boy did I make a mess...lol

[daycare]

I have a small home daycare, 6 children ages 18m-4 years old. I have been open for 5 years and have not used a scensory table with my children. I will be honest, I have been avoiding the large mess. Can I get tips on using scensory tables in a small home daycare? How do other home daycares use a scensory table? tips? hints?
i got a shower liner from the dollar store and I place this under the tables. I just got a sand and water table from costco for $50.00 and we bring it in during the cold weather and out druing the hot.

Sometimes I have to place a dry sheet ontop of the plastic shower curatin liner so that the kids wont slip and fall....water on plastic liner is a slip and fall waiting to happen

[snbauser]

Can you tell me how to dye rice? I tired it once and boy did I make a mess...lol

I use rice, food coloring, and rubbing alcohol. About 3/4 cup of rice and 2 tsp of rubbing alchol and as much food coloring as you want for the shade of color you are making. I usually triple or quadruple it and put it all in a gallon size ziploc bag. Shake it up until thoroughly mixed and then spread it out on wax paper to let it dry. After that I just store it in sealed bins to use whenever we need it.

[Blackcat31]

Here is a good list of things to put in a sensory table and ideas for use
http://decal.ga.gov/documents/attachments/SensoryTableIdeas.pdf


Be careful about dry beans, I think there is something hazardous about them. (?) Besides choking. I think only certain kinds though...
http://www.foodreference.com/html/artredkidneybeanpoisoning.html

[sharlan]

daycare, I pour some rice into a bag, add a splash of rubbing alcohol and mix up the rice, then add a lot of food coloring and mix it really well. After it's all mixed, I pour it into a cookie sheet and set it out into the sun. My daughter puts it in a warmed oven.

My littles are 3 and 4, pretty good about not putting things in their mouths, but if I get a younger child, the beans will go.

[sharlan]

Here is a good list of things to put in a sensory table and ideas for use
http://decal.ga.gov/documents/attachments/SensoryTableIdeas.pdf


Be careful about dry beans, I think there is something hazardous about them. (?) Besides choking. I think only certain kinds though...
http://www.foodreference.com/html/artredkidneybeanpoisoning.html

Thanks for the info on the beans. Right now I have pinto beans, but was planning on adding some kidney beans.

[AfterSchoolMom]

I know this site is brought up often, but I can't think of sensory play without thinking of this:

http://http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/search/label/Sensory%20Tubs

[sharlan]

I prefer all water play stay outside.

[daycare]

I prefer all water play stay outside.
same here, but what do you do when it rains for days on end? Even in southern cali it can rain for days and days....The song lies .......it never rains in southern california....haha

I live in northern cali and I just cant stand the days that it rains for weeks and weeks, it seems like forever...

My DCK can play water buckets for hours and hours... they love it and so do I

[sharlan]

I have a very large covered patio. If it's not -50*, they can still play out for a bit.

[daycare]

true, the weather is usually warm when its raining......Unless it snowing... I wish my coverd paito was actually rain proof. I think its time for the hubby to make a new one. The rain seems to find its way in.....

[melskids]

my kiddos love water play!

we do it in the kitchen so i can easily mop. sometimes i fill the sink and they stand on a stool and play right there!:ouch:

[jokalima]

I just use them outside, my space is really small and when I tried to use the water table inside it was just to messy so I decided to use them only outside.