How to make sensory dirt {with stuff you probably already have}
I am always looking for new sensory material for the kids to play with. We have played in all sort of things and hope to continue to find new textures to explore in the future.
I had an idea for a sensory play activity and needed a sensory dirt. I was going to use pudding and then said to myself no, then I was going to use plain leftover coffee grounds and then said to myself no. After talking with a blogging Buddie she shared Growing a Jeweled Rose’s recipe for sensory dirt I started thinking of how I could make one but still use my coffee grounds.
Here is what I came up with.
*1 [16 oz] box of baking soda
*1/4 cup cocoa powder( you can use more or less- I used it to help change the color of the baking soda)
*2 keurig k-cups(these are little cups filled with coffee grounds from our coffee machine) of leftover coffee grounds (about a half cup). They were still moist so I didn’t add any water. If you use dry coffee I would start by adding 1 TBS of water and go from there.
*put all of it in a bowl and mix.
*Now you have sensory dirt.
Depending on how much dirt you want to make you can add more coffee, baking soda, and coco powder. I just started with my one box of baking soda and added the rest to it. What I added above gave me enough dirt to use in our play that day. If you do not have coffee I would just add more cocoa to the mix.
My kids loved the consistency of it and the smell was lovely. When they were playing the room smelled like we had a mocha candle burning. I can see us playing in this new sensory dirt often.
We love to find new sensory substances to play in. Do you have a favorite one to share with us today?
How we played with our sensory dirt
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More play ideas you may like:
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About The Author
Jaime
Hi! I am Jaime, mama to three high energy boys. With three boys, life never slows down, but I wouldn't have it any other way! We love creating, learning, and crafting together and we can turn anything into an adventure.
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Love it, Jaime!
What size box of baking soda did you use?
What size box of baking soda did you use?
hi, i used a 16 oz box.
Thanks! We put it in a rubbermaid container and added some rocks and fake moss and made a jungle!
Thanks! We put it in a plastic tub and added some rocks and some fake moss from the dollar tree and made a jungle!
thats such a cool idea! so glad you all could have some fun with this! and thanks for taking the time to tell me! It means a lot:-)
That looks great. Baking soda has such a lovely consistency doesn’t it? Thanks for joining #ChallengeandDiscover with Science Sparks
I made this with some older students in a school with severe learning disabilities in order to practise thinking skills – prediction, remembering (the instructions), problem solving and evaluation. We then gave the sensory dirt to the early years class to play with. It worked really well as an activity for both groups.