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May 15, 2012 | 36 Comments

Swamp Sensory Tub

It’s gooey , it’s gross and it’s green! It’s a swamp and this sensory play idea was a huge hit with both my 5 year old and my toddler. It was surprisingly easy to make and a great way to spend some chill time outside. Sensory play is so much more than squishing things it’s about discovering with all your senses and pretend play as well. My kids spent a good about of time simply making sounds with the goo, sounds like glurp, goop, glug, squish , slip , slurp. It was fun to see how they both narrated their experience and the giggles were amazing too.

  1. Gather your materials. You will need some gelatin ( I used plain because I had it on hand and added kool-aid for color but plain jello without the sugar should work too). You will also need a large container,  pool noodle, some plastic swamp creatures, water and a large tub or water table to play in.sensory fun for kids
  2. My daughter helped me make the gelatin. I followed the directions on the back for fruit jellies doubling the recipe.fun things for kids
  3. I love that by using kool-aid the gelatin smells awesome and is so tart even if kids do taste it , they spit it out. Also I used this old animal cracker container because it was a perfect fit for a space I had in my fridge. And it had a lid which was important since it was at kid level too. We let the gelatin set overnight in the fridge even though ours was ready to go in about 3 hours.
  4. We cleaned the water table ( it had dirt and rocks in it from our last play adventure) – this was an activity all on it’s own.
  5. Then the next morning after the gelatin was nice and set I filled one side with the gelatin and the other with water – added sliced pieces of pool noodle for lily pads and just enough creatures to invite play.
  6. And play they did.sensory tub ideas
  7. My son loved flopping the gelatin into the water side and it was neat to see how it would sink  to the bottom.sensory tub with jello
  8. My daughter loved squishing and squishing and squishing . I just kept taking pictures and soaking up the giggles. Did I mention it smelled amazing too, much better than a real swamp.jello sensory bin
  9. In the afternoon the sun melted the gelatin and my kids were bummed but we covered it and sure enough the next morning it was all congealed again and they had an absolute blast pulling the creatures out of the goo,sensory ideas for toddlers and we noticed the imprints they made too.  gelatin sensory bin We’ll see how many days we can keep it going!

Filed Under: Age Preschool, Age: Toddlers, Frogs, Preschool Activities, Sense of Touch, Sensory Activities, Sensory Tubs, Snakes, Swamp | 36 Comments

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36 Comments

  1. Amanda @ Not Just Cute says

    May 15, 2012 at 7:48 am

    This looks absolutely awesome! My boys would love it! I’ll have to share it in my link ups this weekend. Thanks for sharing a great idea!

    to Amanda @ Not Just Cute" aria-label='reply to this comment to Amanda @ Not Just Cute'>reply to this comment
  2. Helen says

    May 15, 2012 at 8:06 am

    Oh, this is so cool. Pleased to see your big kid liked it too, I know my 5 years olds will squeal with delight!

    to Helen" aria-label='reply to this comment to Helen'>reply to this comment
  3. Eric VanRaepenbusch says

    May 15, 2012 at 8:12 am

    This is awesome. I am pinning this one!

    to Eric VanRaepenbusch" aria-label='reply to this comment to Eric VanRaepenbusch'>reply to this comment
  4. Rachel says

    May 15, 2012 at 8:53 am

    This is fantastic. I think I would play with this just as much as my daughter!

    I’d love it if you’d link up to my Teaching Time for Toddlers post!

    http://philwife.blogspot.com/2012/05/teaching-time-for-toddlers-play-doh.html

    to Rachel" aria-label='reply to this comment to Rachel'>reply to this comment
  5. Sleeping Should Be Easy says

    May 15, 2012 at 10:02 am

    I love this! I don’t have gelatin but you just gave me an idea I could improvise. I think I’ll take my toddler’s old bathtub out to our patio and fill it with water and sponges. He’ll totally love that today since it’s so hot!

    to Sleeping Should Be Easy" aria-label='reply to this comment to Sleeping Should Be Easy'>reply to this comment
    • Anna maria says

      September 28, 2020 at 2:18 am

      Thank you for helping me to continue to make learning fun! My 3 year olds loved it!

      to Anna maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Anna maria'>reply to this comment
  6. crystal@growingajeweledrose says

    May 15, 2012 at 12:06 pm

    I love this! Jello is one of our favorite sensory materials.

    to crystal@growingajeweledrose" aria-label='reply to this comment to crystal@growingajeweledrose'>reply to this comment
  7. evelyn says

    May 15, 2012 at 4:48 pm

    I love this! I am going to do a pond theme soon and this is perfect! Thank again for the inspiration.

    to evelyn" aria-label='reply to this comment to evelyn'>reply to this comment
  8. Sooz says

    May 16, 2012 at 9:49 pm

    Love this idea!!! Just one question-it may be obvious, but just
    want to be clear…did you chill the gelatin/kool-aid mixture overnight?
    Thanks!

    to Sooz" aria-label='reply to this comment to Sooz'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      May 16, 2012 at 11:08 pm

      I did and because you asked that let me go make it more clear in the post. However since putting it into our water table it melts every afternoon and re-congeals by morning. Albeit we are in the Seattle area and it gets cool at night still. I think tomorrow will be it’s last day though it’s getting a little ew.

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  9. Kelly at Little Wonders' Days says

    May 20, 2012 at 4:59 am

    This has to be one of my favorite sensory tubs posted yet! So cool. I will have to try this for my kiddos.

    to Kelly at Little Wonders' Days" aria-label='reply to this comment to Kelly at Little Wonders' Days'>reply to this comment
  10. Carey C says

    June 14, 2012 at 8:17 am

    Hey, I have a couple questions. This is a great idea but mine didn’t turn out like yours. Can you plz give me the exact recipe for the mixture you made? My gelatin packets did not have a recipe for ‘fruit jellies’ on them so I guess I didn’t do it right. Do I need to add juice or what ingredients to the mixture?

    Also, how did you cut the pool noodles to look like flowers? Was it a big or small pool noodle?

    I would appreciate any details of the instructions you can give. Thanks so much!!

    to Carey C" aria-label='reply to this comment to Carey C'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      June 14, 2012 at 6:13 pm

      This is the recipe : Sprinkle 2 packets of unflavored gelatine over 1 cup (250 mL) cold water( I added koolaid in cold ) ; let stand 1 minute. Add 3 cups (750 mL) water , heated to boiling and stir until gelatine is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Sweeten to taste, then chill and serve as above.

      I doubled this ( 4 packets total)

      I hope that helps!

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  11. Cheryl says

    July 9, 2012 at 12:53 pm

    We did this today 🙂 The kids really enjoyed it – thanks for sharing. Wish I had noticed you posted the recipe before now – but it worked out 🙂 Even my ten-year-old had a lot of fun.

    to Cheryl" aria-label='reply to this comment to Cheryl'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      July 9, 2012 at 2:09 pm

      So happy it worked and that’s rad that even your ten your old was into it!

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  12. Emma says

    August 27, 2012 at 8:53 am

    Just wondering if Jelly (I am from England so not jam type jelly) would work as well? I may try this, during the week – am debating combining this and the ice shapes I have seen on some other sites. Many thanks for the lovely ideas

    to Emma" aria-label='reply to this comment to Emma'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      August 27, 2012 at 9:12 am

      Yes – jelly is gelatin right? I think it will absolutely work! I will double check with a friend who is from the UK and edit if it’s not.

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
      • Hey9irlie says

        June 19, 2014 at 5:31 am

        I would like to know if the Jelly worked well and if Emma mixed the jelly with anything else? I am also in the UK. Is this recipe sticky? I imagine that Jelly is very very sticky……

        My daughter is a sensitive child like I was so I want the texture only.

        Thanks

        to Hey9irlie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Hey9irlie'>reply to this comment
        • Allison McDonald says

          June 19, 2014 at 8:13 am

          The jelly wasn’t very sticky at all because no sugar was added.

          to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  13. amber says

    May 21, 2013 at 2:10 pm

    OMG I love this I’m going to pin it to my summer list. Thanks for the great idea.

    to amber" aria-label='reply to this comment to amber'>reply to this comment
  14. Julie Moxon says

    June 5, 2015 at 3:39 pm

    Love this idea. Just wondering what kool aid and pool noodle are? I am from the UK. Thank

    to Julie Moxon" aria-label='reply to this comment to Julie Moxon'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      July 9, 2015 at 1:41 am

      Goodness this is late, pool noodles are the long foam floats you find at pools and Koolaid is a powdered drink mix with great artificial colors and flavors… not sure you can call it food though.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  15. Matthew Taylor says

    January 8, 2016 at 10:17 am

    I love this idea and will definitely be trying this with my Prekindergarten class next week! If you don’t mind me asking, where did you get that sensory table? I love it!

    to Matthew Taylor" aria-label='reply to this comment to Matthew Taylor'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      January 10, 2016 at 6:28 pm

      Yes I can tell you where I got it and even give you an affiliate link -> http://amzn.to/1kYUQSZ

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  16. Valerie says

    May 17, 2016 at 8:37 pm

    I want to do this for my 3 yr old granddaughters birthday party but my daughter thinks it will be too messy for a party. Does the green in the kool aid stain the kids hands or clothes, and how easy is it to clean up. Does it totally dissolve or leave something funky in the grass. Thank you for your help.

    to Valerie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Valerie'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      May 18, 2016 at 12:21 pm

      It didn’t stain our hands or clothes at all, it’s just regular jello – but we wiped them immediately after playing which is easier with two kids vs. a party. It will leave something funky in the grass if it’s hot out for sure. I threw the bulk of the goo away ( into our yard waste bin actually) and then let the kids help me clean it.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  17. christa bass says

    March 24, 2018 at 7:54 pm

    Question: Could this be made into a sensory bag? I teach one year olds. I dont really have a sensory table but love this idea.

    to christa bass" aria-label='reply to this comment to christa bass'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      March 26, 2018 at 10:17 am

      Absolutely!

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment

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