If you are looking to dip your toe into sensory trays, I would say this is the perfect one to start with. It is a relatively neat mess and it is an activity that can be reused over and over again.
Recipe
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1 box of dry pasta noodles (I used fusilli noodles, but you are welcome to use other types of pasta that you have on hand. I would recommend sticking with a medium sized pasta-something baby can easily grab and safely manipulate.)
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Plastic bags (you need as many plastic bags as colors you plan to dye the pasta-I did 6 colors)
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Vinegar (some recipes say vegetable oil, but I prefer the vinegar over the oil)
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Food coloring
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Parchment paper
Preparing the Bags
Pick the colors you are going to use to dye your pasta noodles. I used red, pink, orange, green, blue, and purple. Divide the pasta as evenly as possible among the plastic bags. You need one plastic bag per color of food coloring. Add food coloring to each bag. The more food coloring you add, the darker the color. Next, add a splash of vinegar to each bag. Seal the bags and shake. Be sure to really spread the color around so that it gets all the pasta. For older children, shaking the pasta bag could be their job. Spread parchment paper out on the counter or table. Once all the pasta has been colored in each bag, pour the it out onto the parchment paper to dry. Be sure to spread it out as a single layer. Give the it a couple hours to dry. I prepared my pasta the night before and let it dry overnight. Once the pasta is dry, I recommend storing the pasta in a sealed container or plastic bag.
Setting up for the activity
For all sensory experiences, I recommend putting a mat down. I always use a large plastic table cloth folded in half. It makes clean up so much easier in my opinion. I also recommend taping the table cloth down with painters’ tape. I have learned that the table cloth is just as fun as the sensory tray. Riley will pull up the cloth, causing the mess to spill out on the floor. For the sensory tray, I used a 12 x 17” jelly roll pan. Any type of shallow container will work though. The container needs to hold the contents, and allow for baby to be able to reach and explore the material. Since this isn’t a liquid activity, I didn’t use the heavy Pyrex container. If she chooses to flip this large tray, that is fine (a bigger mess for mama bear to clean up, but fine). Offer tools and toys along with the sensory tray. I usually offer kitchen utensils such as wooden spoons, spatulas, and ladles because Riley loves to play with those.
Riley's experience
Riley loved it! The pasta started out sorted by color, but by the end of it the colors were all mixed together. (This was clearly the only time the pasta will be sorted by color) She loved grabbing the pasta and taking it out of the container. This is usually her go to move- remove as much from the tray as possible. She did also throw the pasta back in the tray when she had a pile of it around her. Riley loved tasting the pasta. Daddy even tried a bite of pasta with her and said it tasted awful, but she kept wanting to eat more of it. I didn’t want her eating the pasta so I would encourage her to interact with it in other ways such as offering her the wooden spoon to stir.
I keep this activity stored in a plastic bag to be pulled out at any time. We have used it a few times and each time Riley continues to enjoy it.
Age range
Sensory trays are fun for children of all ages. For older children, this activity can be moved into a tub or a sensory table rather than on the floor. I wouldn’t recommend this activity for children younger than seven months because of small pieces. With that said, this is definitely an activity that needs to be closely supervised for babies. For young babies, this activity can be placed inside a plastic bottle to be used as a shaker for a safer option.
Benefits
- Physical development: Riley is working her arm, hand, and finger muscles as she lifts, grabs, moves, throws, drops, and picks up the materials.
- Language development: Riley is being exposed to new vocabulary as I narrate what she is experiencing and doing. Riley heard words such as bumpy, stir, mix, red, purple, blue, green, orange, pink, tastes sour, ladle, spoon, spatula.
- Cognitive development: Sensory play promotes new neural connections to be formed as more senses are involved.
Links to materials
