This is a very simple sensory that will provide days of fun for your child. We prepare it at our CEFA Early Learning schools for the week surrounding Canada Day. Sensory play is essential in young children, and so much fun!
Best Ages for This Activity
One to five
How to Make It
You Will Need
- White shaving cream – you may need more than one, depending on the size of your sensory bin
- Red water beads (if you do not have red water beads, you can use any red objects, like red frozen paint cubes, red pom poms, red toys, red regular beads, etc.)
- A sensory bin. Use anything you might already have at home. I like the ones with lids because they are easy to store and put away when you need (under the bed is the perfect place). We use these bins for so many different sensory activities in the classrooms. If you don’t have something to use around the house, you can purchase one here.
You May Also Want
Let’s Get Started!
- Set up the sensory bin in an area that is easy to clean (in other words, not on your Persian rug)
- Add the shaving cream
- Add the red and white beads (or just red beads)
- Invite your child to play!
- After they played for a while, or even after a day or two, you can add containers or spoons, or anything they can scoop and pour with.
Learning Opportunities
This sensory bin is specifically designed to offer your child a great opportunity for sensory learning. Children can feel the beads and the shaving cream between their fingers, roll the breads, describe the textures they feel, while using their sense of touch. They will also use their sense of smell by smelling the shaving cream, and see the colours of the Canadian flag, using their sense of sight.
Sensory learning is especially important for writing. While you play with your child, use vocabulary to describe:
- How the beads and the foam feel
- How the foam smells
- What colours they are
Don’t forget to use math vocabulary such as colours and counting (if they count the beads).
Describing while using vocabulary is one of the most important learning outcomes at this age. It teaches them reading and mathematics.
This activity also teaches your child about the colours of Canadian flag and while you play you’re your child, you can teach them a little more about Canada. Such as how old the country is, what animals live in Canada, what different weather we can observe, what foods we eat and where Canada is in the map. This will teach your child about Canadian culture and geography.
Extended Learning Opportunities
- Using a laminator, laminate a printed copy of the Canadian flag. Add it to the side of the sensory bin and invite your child to use the pincer grip (thumb and index finger) to take the red slippery beads from the bin and cover the red parts of the flag with them. Then the white beads until the whole flag is covered. This is a fantastic activity to teach your child fine motor skills and spatial awareness.
CEFA WARNING: This experiment requires adult supervision at all times. Make sure you stay close to your child so they do not ingest the beads or shaving foam as they can be toxic.
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