A Sensory Experience
Originally published on www.clearasmud.blog on July 21, 2020.
I’ve been “blessed.” Most of our children have high sensory needs :). It’s challenging for me, because I don’t have a lot of patience for hands-on, messy, very-involved activities. So once again, I was forced to get out of my “box,” my comfort zone, and figure out a way to meet my children’s needs without inflicting misery upon myself. Over the years, I’ve collected quite a few ideas. I’m sure some of them won’t be that original, but you never know — maybe one of them will be new to you and helpful to your family 🙂.
When Chaya was about two, I noticed that the typical sensory activities you do while sitting at the table weren’t cutting it for her. She needed a full-body sensory experience. At the time, we were working with an awesome therapist, Sarah Webb, and she gave me the most amazing idea, which remains my favorite to this very day. (Actually, as I’m writing this, I’m thinking: I have to bring this back for Chana Laya… she would love it!!)
Ok, so after this long introduction, here it is: all you need is a large plastic storage container (like the kind you would use to store clothing) and a huge bag of beans from Costco. That’s it! Pour the beans into the container, put your kid inside, and you have a full-body sensory experience. You can add some beach toys, buckets, or shovels if you want, but you don’t even need to. The goal is to have their entire body immersed in the beans. Let me tell you, it’s awesome and totally calming for emotionally heightened children.
Big Storage Container
Big Bag of Beans (you might need more than one)
Another easy idea: fill up your kitchen sink with dish soap. Be generous; the more bubbles the better! Add some bath toys, like little rubber fish, and let them go fishing. It’s fun, simple, and chances are you won’t need to buy anything new.
Taking a break from the practical ideas for a minute… I’m pretty new to the whole blogging thing. It’s quite the process to brainstorm a topic that feels right, write about it, find pictures, add links, and actually post it. Sometimes the writing process happens over a couple of days. This post definitely fits into that category. Over the weekend, my almost-three-year-old, Chana Laya, really gave me a run for my money. She’s officially learned how to climb out of her crib and oh boy, is it a nightmare. Long story short, she got into my cosmetic bag while we were at my sister’s house, emptied hundreds of dollars’ worth of skincare and makeup, and smeared it all over everything and herself. This is not the first time she’s done something like this, and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last. In fact, she does this all the time (not usually with so much financial loss). If she’s out of my sight for a minute, you can be sure she is smearing something, somewhere. I was exasperated and somehow managed to stay calm, which was a complete miracle.
It just feels so ironic that as I’m working on a sensory post for my blog, I’m still at a loss about how to fill her sensory needs. The things that worked for Chaya and Menny don’t seem to be working for her. I hope writing this will help me brainstorm for ideas that fit her unique needs, which definitely lean toward rubbing and smearing things on her body (or anywhere within reach, for that matter).
Okay! Back to sensory ideas:
This one is most practical during the summer and being outdoors, though I’ll have to figure out how to adapt it for frigid Montana winters:
Set up a water table outside, ideally near a hose so you can rinse them off afterward. Each morning, fill the water table with a different substance that lets them get down and dirty. Some examples are shaving cream, finger paint, or even shampoo and conditioner, since those seem to be some of Chana Laya’s favorite things to get her hands on. This gives them a controlled environment to explore without destroying your house or getting into things with real monetary value.
Playdough is the last idea I have for now, and it’s the one that inspired this whole post. It’s not revolutionary, but I’m proposing playdough with a twist. A friend of mine gave me the idea of adding doTerra essential oils to the playdough, and surprisingly, it elevated the whole experience and brought a new sensory layer to the forefront. Let me be clear: adding scent was a game changer. It was so fun to match the color to the scent. I used lavender for purple, peppermint for blue, tangerine for orange, harvest spice for red. There are endless options and combinations. Have fun playing around! Those of you who know me know how big a role essential oils play in my life (a more in-depth post about that coming soon), and I love this unique way of incorporating them into the kids’ play. I found that this simple twist even engaged my older girls. Chaya loves lavender, and she ended up using the playdough while taking a recent test. It was a great sensory stress-reliever, and the added smell took it to a whole new level.
Here’s the recipe I used. It’s super easy and the texture is amazing.
1 cup flour
1 cup water
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup salt
1 tbsp oil
Food coloring
15 to 20 drops essential oil of your choice
Love this recipe because you can add all the ingredients at once
Cook over low or medium heat, stirring until the mixture thickens and gathers around the spoon. Once the dough is no longer wet, remove it and place on wax paper to cool.
Knead the playdough for a few seconds. Play!
Store in an airtight container, it should last a while, and repeat this recipe for as many colors as you want.
I know there are so many sources for sensory ideas, and most of them are probably way more creative and original than mine, but I wanted to create a post for the moms like me, who hate arts and crafts and don’t have lots of patience for intricate multi-step activities. When I go looking for ideas, I usually come away feeling overwhelmed and inadequate, feeling like I’m not a good mom, because I have no interest in doing these things. So I’ve learned to adapt ideas and make it work for me and my style. I know that I’m not the only one :). I hope you enjoy these super simple, yet effective ideas.
From one imperfect mom to another.
Love,
Chavie