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May 6, 2013 | 27 Comments

Ocean Sensory Tub

ocean sensory binAnyone who thinks that sensory play is just for toddlers needs to see this post.  Since making the swamp sensory tub last year my kids have asked to do another one just like it.  I didn’t mean for so long to go by but we finally got around to it and this time made it into an ocean sensory tub with blue gelatin.  Play like this is fun and simple and perfect for summer . We leave ours out covered in our yard for a day or two and observe how the gelatin changes throughout the day. Please note that we live in the PNW in warmer climates leaving it out may not be a good option.

  1. Gather your materials. You will need a container to make the gelatin in, a large container to play in, some fun sea animals and glass pebbles, plain gelatin ( I used 5 boxes) and some blue food coloring. You will also need a little bowl, scissors, many cups of water and a pot or kettle for the boiling water.ocean sensory play for kids
  2. Start by pouring all the gelatin into a little bowl – 5boxes = 20 packets of gelatin.ocean sensory play
  3. Boil 5 cups of water . Add a few drops of blue coloring to the water.
  4. Pour 15 cups of cool water into your container.
  5. Sprinkle the gelatin on top and let rest for one minute.ocean sensory tub for kids
  6. Pour the boiling water in and stir until the gelatin is dissolved.
  7. Hide in your fridge behind yogurt. Well that’s what I did because the last thing I wanted was blue gelatin all over my kitchen . When I made the rainbow gelatin sensory tub I spilled some blue and it it forever to get that stuff off.ocean hiding behind my yogurt
  8. When the gelatin is set about 3 hours ( ours was a little under done but the kids were eager) grab the sea animals and get the table prepared.ocean sensory bin set up
  9. They explored the gelatin before putting it in the table. Touching and tasting it. ” It tastes like zero, nada, nothing .” ocean sensory bin tasting it
  10. Then we added the gelatin.ocean sensory play dgd
  11. Play!! Clearly the 6 year old was into it. Literally.ocean sensory tub with gelatin
  12. Because ours was a little under done it was stickier than normal and required more washing off – so they ran to the water in our yard and cleaned themselves off.ocean sensory clean up

Filed Under: Age Preschool, Age: Kindergarten, Age: Toddlers, Ocean Activities, Preschool Activities, Sea Animals, Sensory Activities, Sensory Tubs | 27 Comments

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27 Comments

  1. Eddie - The Usual Mayhem says

    May 6, 2013 at 4:53 am

    I love it! I’ve pinned to to my Oceans board for the next time we circle back around to it, but in the meantime I’m trying to figure out where I can include the gelatin mixture for my kids!

    to Eddie - The Usual Mayhem" aria-label='reply to this comment to Eddie - The Usual Mayhem'>reply to this comment
  2. Paula says

    May 6, 2013 at 5:04 am

    Soooooo much fun! Definitely an outside activity!

    Paula
    Learn + Play = PreK

    to Paula" aria-label='reply to this comment to Paula'>reply to this comment
  3. Louise says

    May 6, 2013 at 5:43 am

    I’ve recently just started these in activities at home! Love all of your ideas. Is your sensory table just a water table? And did the table already have water in it when you dumped the gelatin in?

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

      May 6, 2013 at 12:52 pm

      Glad to hear it ! Yes just a sand &b water table, it can be found here :Step2 Naturally Playful Sand & Water Center

      no water in first just gelatin.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  4. Georgina @ Craftulate says

    May 6, 2013 at 5:52 am

    This looks great! I haven’t set up any gelatin tubs yet. Is there a reason why you’d use powdered gelatin instead of blue Jello?

    to Georgina @ Craftulate" aria-label='reply to this comment to Georgina @ Craftulate'>reply to this comment
  5. Janice says

    May 6, 2013 at 8:25 am

    Where did you purchase your sensory table? Thanks!

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

      May 6, 2013 at 12:53 pm

      Amazon – here is the link : Step2 Naturally Playful Sand & Water Center

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  6. Azalea says

    May 6, 2013 at 8:59 am

    How many ounces is each box of gelatin?

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

      May 6, 2013 at 12:48 pm

      1 oz per box.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  7. Tara from The Magnolia Barn says

    May 6, 2013 at 10:44 am

    We have that same water/sand table and my daughter will have so much fun. Thanks for sharing!

    to Tara from The Magnolia Barn" aria-label='reply to this comment to Tara from The Magnolia Barn'>reply to this comment
  8. Whitney says

    May 6, 2013 at 1:46 pm

    Love this idea! When you say it was difficult to clean up… Because it stained or just because it was messy? I would like to try this in my PreK classroom, but would not want it to stain the floors. I’m wondering if I could use liquid watercolor (washable) instead of food coloring. Have you ever tried that?

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

      May 6, 2013 at 4:34 pm

      It didn’t stain my fridge but in a classroom I would use either very very little food coloring or none at all. Clear gelatin looks great too.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  9. Stephanie says

    May 6, 2013 at 4:28 pm

    Boy that looks soooo fun…I wanna stick my hands in there and squish it! 🙂 Thanks for hosting the link up and I love the name of your blog.

    to Stephanie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Stephanie'>reply to this comment
  10. Marie says

    July 1, 2016 at 12:25 am

    Your blog is so great! I love reading it! so much ideas… I have to try this one!
    (moreover, I improve my english 😉
    Thank you.

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

      July 1, 2016 at 5:54 am

      Your english seems fantastic to me! Si vous voulez ecrive en francais je peut comprendre mais il a été si longtemps que je l’ai écrit ou parlé en français régulièrement.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  11. Myra Hawker says

    February 18, 2017 at 10:04 am

    Hello, I am super excited to try this. However, I am wondering how long I can leave it out before it must be discarded? I am also wondering how many grams per packet were in the gelatin that you used?

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

      February 18, 2017 at 8:40 pm

      In cool weather you have a few days. In warm you have 2 at the most.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  12. Jill says

    October 9, 2017 at 9:22 am

    Where do you find all of the animal figures you use?

    to Jill" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jill'>reply to this comment

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