Cindy Chua
Arctic Animals Sensory Exploration
Today, we explored the icy world of the Arctic with a fun sensory ice activity designed to promote learning through play! The children had the opportunity to discover Arctic animals while engaging their senses and developing fine motor skills.
Materials Needed:
Small plastic Arctic animal figurines (polar bears, penguins, seals, etc.)
Ice cube trays or muffin tins
Water
Blue food coloring (optional)
Salt
Child-safe tools for breaking ice (spoons, wooden mallets)
Sensory bin or large tray
Instructions:
Freeze the Animals: Place Arctic animal figurines into the ice cube trays or muffin tins. Fill with water and add a drop of blue food coloring for an "icy ocean" effect. Freeze overnight.
Set Up the Sensory Bin: Place the frozen animal cubes into a large sensory bin or tray.
Explore and Release: Provide tools like spoons and salt for children to explore melting the ice and freeing the animals. Encourage them to describe the sensations (cold, slippery, smooth) and predict how long it will take for the ice to melt.
Extend the Learning: Discuss how Arctic animals stay warm, introducing concepts like blubber and insulation.
Learning Benefits:
Fine motor skill development
Sensory exploration
Language development (describing textures and actions)
Science concepts (melting, freezing, states of matter)
Imaginative play
Check out the photos below of our children enjoying this activity!
I would love to receive the printable forms for the "Happy Tooth" and "Sad Tooth" activities. Thank you!
