I have been dreaming of taking a trip to the beach. We plan to make a trip to the beach as soon as we are able and I really wanted to get Ruby (11 months) a sandbox so she could get used to playing in the sand without eating it, but I have not done that yet.
She still puts EVERYTHING in her mouth so all of the sensory play we do is edible or at least taste safe. To get the sand feel without the eating of actual sand, I had seen several variations of blending oats, crackers, or cereal. I decided to go with Cheerios because I had an abundance of them already at home.
This is how I made the sand for our sensory beach play:
- I put about 1 cup of Cheerios into a blender.
- Blended until it was a sand like consistency (mixing chunks as I went).
- Then I added about 1 cup more of Cheerios and repeated the blending process
Note: 2 cups of Cheerios made about 1 cup of sand. So, if you would like a lot of sand for sand play you might need a whole box of Cheerios.
This is how I made the ocean for our sensory beach play:
- I made gelatin according to the box instructions and added blue food coloring to the hot water.
- I did not add any sugar or juice (although I have made juice jelly before)
- Then I poured the liquid gelatin into a muffin tin.
- I added little sea creatures to the tin.
- Then, I put it in the fridge to cool overnight (it sets in just a few hours if you have less time).
I was so excited to put this sensory bin together. I’ll admit it took a lot more work than I usually put into a play setup, especially for a young toddler/baby. I think in the end it was worth it though.
This is how I put together the beach scene:
- I put the “sand” on one side of the bin.
- I added shells and a mini bucket and shovel I had from a beach themed party.
- I cut the ocean gelatin out of the muffin tin and put it on the other side of the bin.
I put it outside and Ruby went straight for it. I thought for sure she would go for the ocean gelatin first, but she went for the sand and the bucket first.
She explored the sand and the shells for a while before going for the gelatin. I think since it was not flavored she didn’t get as into it as previous jello play. Once she did get into it she of course explored using her mouth. She did poke and prod at the animals, so I was glad I added those for some extra fine motor work. She spent about 15 whole minutes with this activity. I saved the sand for next time too.
My review of this activity
Overall, I think this activity was a winner. There are some pros and cons to consider.
Pros
- Edible
- Multi-sensory
- Gives sand texture without actual sand
- Kept interest for an extended period of time
- Lots of components to explore
- No sugar in gelatin, so probably a lot less sticky than Jello and healthier.
- Sand is reusable
Cons
- Not super fast to set up
- Messier than I expected, the sand got everywhere and when it gets a little wet it creates a paste like texture. Gelatin is fairly sticky even without sugar.
- Takes a lot of Cheerios to make a good amount of sand
- Jello is not reusable
I hope you have enjoyed reading our experience with this activity. Follow us on social media to see daily play inspiration. Let me know if you try this activity out with your little one.
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