Spices Sensory bin

One thing I have always loved to do is cook, and it seems I am passing that interest onto my son. When I cook he sits on our kitchen top counter & enjoys observing the process. He always asks a lot of questions about what is being cooked, what is that thing I am putting in & so on. Yesterday I was cooking Biriyani ( which is a rare instance). He replied it is smelling so good! I realized I was using different spices which I don't regularly use. I liked the fact that he noticed. Also that made me think of this specific sensory plate activity.

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Materials needed:

• Sectional serving tray

• Whole spices

• 1/4 cup of Rice

• Small Spoons

• plastic Containers

Steps:

1. Pour different kinds of whole spices in sections of a tray.

2. Provide small containers & small spoons for the child to be able to transfer the contents of the tray.

3. Encourage them to also use their hands so they feel the texture of the Spices. The Spices smell really good, so they will enjoy the smell too.

4. Let them mix & stir the rice and the spices together so they feel like they are also cooking with you.

Caution: If the kids are very young, adult's involvement is needed as they have a tendency to put everything in their mouth, & whole spices can be a choking hazard if swallowed.

This is a kind of Sensory play, where the child will use their touch to feel the texture of the spices & rice. They will use their sense of smell to smell the Spices. To be able to lift the spices or the rice & drop it in another container will require hand-eye co-ordination. So this activity will work on that skill too.

Tip: You can make the child sit on a mat for easy clean up later.

Hope you enjoy this activity as much as we did!