Sensory Play Tubs: Here's a Budget-friendly Sensory Activity Kids Love! by Teacher Karen

Teaching preschool – or having young children at home – means doing things efficiently and with an eye to costs. One type of activity young children enjoy, and need, are sensory activities. Creating sensory tubs insures your kids will be engaged in play!

There are many types of materials that can be used in sensory tubs – beans, flour, sand, water and rice. Rice is a good option because another sensory component can easily be added to it! Here's an easy and budget-friendly way to make colored rice.

You’ll need:

• 5-pound bag white rice
• 8 ounces washable, liquid watercolor
• 1 gallon-size plastic zipper bag(s)
• cookie sheet

Here’s how to make it:

1. Scoop several cups of rice into the plastic bag.
2. Squirt several drops of liquid watercolor into bag. Seal bag.
3. Thoroughly mix watercolor and rice until all the rice is cover. Add more color, as needed, for desired color.
4. Empty bag contents onto cookie sheet, spreading rice into thin layer. Let the rice dry overnight.
5. Fill sensory tub with colored rice and add accessories like funnels, scoops, cups, seasonal items, tubes and ice cube trays.