I have used a lot of things in sensory tables and tubs before but I had never used coffee grinds until today. To say it was a big hit is a big understatement. At first he did the standard scooping but soon our patio turned a coffee shop , and sensory play turned into dramatic play! Also the grinds are great for your garden so don’t forget to add them to your dirt after you are done.
- Gather your materials. I saved up 3 days worth of used coffee grinds from my trusty and much used coffee maker. You will also need a tub, some coffee scoops ( any thing will do) and some mugs. I believe the cups were the trick to connect the coffee grinds to the dramatic play that came about 10 minutes into the exploration. I am so glad I grabbed them.
- Explore! There is no wrong way to do this. My son did a lot of filling and dumping to start with.
- Explore how the grinds feel , my son exclaimed ” cold and softy Mama!”
- Next we played coffee shop, this was completely directed by my son, and here he is handing me my “banana coffee” not my usual soy cappuccino, but I happily took it!
- After our exploration we fed our garden with the coffee grinds.
21 Responses to “Earth Friendly Sensory Tub”
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Wish we had a coffee machine now, even though I’m more a tea-type gal.
What a great way to use your coffee grinds!! Fun dramatic play there, too!
Jen
Creative and Curious Kids!
We can get free coffee grounds already packaged up at Starbucks. I think lots of coffee shops will give them to you if you ask.
Brilliant! We usually dump ours into the garden, but I’ll be letting DS play with it first now
. Thanks!
Another fantastic Idea – sometimes I just need some fun activities to keep him busy while outside, this is perfect.
Thank you!!
I just stumbled upon your blog entirely by accident, but I’m so glad I did! I love all of your book recommendations, and would love for you to participate in the Children’s Spring Book Parade that I’m hosting at
http://the6oclockstitch.blogspot.com
Yeah the really amazing and significant thing was how it turned into dramatic play. He was very particular about how he served me coffee , and asked me for my money!
Also the clean up was not bad at all- it shook right off him,we washed out hands and were ready for dinner.
I am heading over to 6′oclock stich now
I love how one activity leads to another like that. Kuddos to you for letting your son take the lead!
Valerie
http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com
I actually just read a study about how to make the block center in a classroom into dramatic play, using books during story time. Anyway it was still fresh when I got to witness first hand many of the same things with my son, very exciting to me.
What a great idea!! I love new sensory suggestions.
[...] it up and spill the grounds all over the place! You could also make something like this amazing coffee grounds sensory tub, which I found on the always awesome No Time For Flash Cards [...]
mmm, banana coffee! What a great activity in reuse. Coffee grounds are perfect for your garden, which helps me feel a little better about all we drink in this house.
.-= . tiny twist creative . ´s last blog ..this moment | planting seeds =-.
I love this idea!
Love your blog! And your Balmers coffee mug! I live in Interlaken!
No way you are so lucky I love Interlaken. I have fond memories of Balmers in my 20′s I stayed there 3 different times. Once for a week . Oh it takes me back.
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can we ground the coffee with the grinder/bottle to make dough? will it be the same?
It won’t be the smae but you could grind it into dough if you want.
I’m giggling because I really do order banana syrup in my coffee.
Should I try it ? I am intrigued now.