Outdoor sensory fun

By Stacie Gaetz

Love the benefits of sensory play but hate the clean up? You are not alone!
Sensory play for children offers a range of positive results including:

• Encouraging the development of gross motor skills
• Allowing for independent play
• Supporting language development
• Helping to build creative thinking and problem-solving skills
• Building nerve connections in the brain’s pathways
• Enhancing memory
• Calming an anxious or frustrated child

Now that it is (finally!) getting warmer out, there is no reason your little mess maker can’t take the fun outside.
In fact, bringing the bin outside allows for more room to play and its own sensory input such as the smells from barbecues, the sounds of birds, the touch of the grass and the taste of a freshly unwrapped popsicle.

The car wash
I call this the car wash but it can really be done with any small toys. Simply use a large rectangular storage bin and fill it with dirt. Then put a small (usually square) tub filled with soap, water and small brushes in one side of the larger bin.
Voila! You’ve got a centre where they can get their toys down and dirty and then clean them up in a jiffy.

Wet and wild
This may seem like an obvious one, but kids love to play in water. A large bin with water and almost anything else will do the trick. Use bath or beach toys or simply grab your measuring spoons and cups from the kitchen for hours of fun. Throw in some outdoor water toys like water guns and water balloons for older kiddos.
Add in a toy boat you already have or make one from recycling or tinfoil and see how many coins it takes to sink your battleship.

One with nature
Collect twigs, rocks, pine cones, leaves, flowers and anything else you can find outside and put it in a bin.
Give your child a magnifying glass and some grabbers to let them explore the textures. You can even throw in some unsuspecting bugs if you can find them. This one has the added benefit of the collection process being part of the fun.

Sun and sand
If you have ever made the mistake of creating an indoor sand sensory bin, you know what a pain it is to clean up. (How does that stuff seem to get into absolutely everything?)
That’s why this is the perfect idea for an outdoor bin. Whether you buy the safe sand from a hardware store or use kinetic sand, this can keep your kiddos entertained independently for a long time.
Feel free to use your beach toys or measuring spoons and cups for this one as well. Don’t forget to add in a few small toys to become buried treasure.

Permission to paint
Paint is another thing that we end up wiping up for days on end inside. But outdoors, the possibilities are endless when clean up involves a hose.
Let your child use their body parts, natural elements like leaves and twigs, brushes or anything else you can think of to get creative.
I also love the idea of creating paint that is either natural or edible with things like mud, different flavored yogurt, freezies/popsicles or colored ice.

Slime and goo
Do you have a kiddo who loves to get gooey? Let them go nuts!
With thousands of easy-to-make recipes for different versions of slime out there, take your pick and get gross.
Flubber, Oobleck, rainbow fluff, jelly, whatever you call it, if your kid is into it, they are going to love playing with it outside.

Whichever sensory experience you choose (or if you decide to try them all!), it’s good to remember to let your child run this kind of play. Let them take the reins and show you how things work for once.

Also, make sure that your bin is age/ability appropriate and contains items that are not a choking hazard.

Always keep an eye on your child while they are engaging in sensory play. Even children that are old enough to know not to put certain things in their mouths (or ears or noses) get curious when sensory bins come out so make sure to be involved in this kind of play and never leave a child unattended with a sensory bin.

And remember to have fun!