Guest Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 Has anyone NOT got a sand or water tray in their classroom- through choice? I just look around our classroom and am so pleased with it- the layout, the organisation, the clear photographic labels etc etc but then I get to the 2 trays and feel bored. am considering filling them with alternatives (not sure what just yet mind you!), my thinking is that as long as there are plenty of opportunities to develop the same skills as sand and water would develop then does it matter? would be interested in other's ideas/thought about this and any suggestions for appropriate alternatives?
AnonyMouse_13453 Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 We had dry fusilli pasta in one of ours last year and it was great fun! Good pouring, filling and emptying - and much easier to tidy up!
Guest Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 We don't have either in our classroom both are available outside. Instead i have small trays filled with various things as the feeling takes us!! It may be water, foam, pasta, paper, beads ......... Classroom is just not big enough to have large trays in and we have a brill outdoor sandpit of the get in it type and a water tray as well as various other water facilities such as pipes, guttering, baby bath etc.
AnonyMouse_1027 Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 there is no where that it states it has to be sand and water - as long as there are tactile sensory experiences available
AnonyMouse_79 Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 You do not have to have these available every day as long as they are available at times!
Guest Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 You do not have to have these available every day as long as they are available at times! that is fine and understandable with water, but sand is not so easy to fill up and empty- where do you store it in between times?
Guest Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 rice is another good one to have in a tray - my new sand hadn't arrived one term so I used this for weeks, kids loved it.
AnonyMouse_11396 Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 As above posts + conkers, pebbles,shells,spaghetti and soil. Is there any room in your outside area for your sand and water trays with covers.
AnonyMouse_8282 Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 We put a selection of sensory things in ours. This week we had dry loose tea (due to a mishap in buying staff tea-bags) - the children loved it.
AnonyMouse_1469 Posted September 20, 2010 Posted September 20, 2010 Porridge oats are great, too. I managed to get hold of a huge sack from a wholesaler for next to nothing, because they were almost at the sell by date. Leaves are nice too, try hiding different things, such as shells, pebbles , small world creatures etc in there
Guest Posted September 20, 2010 Posted September 20, 2010 Shredded paper from the secretary.....kids love it, wall paper paste aswell, but it does need to be the anti fungus one xx
Guest jenpercy Posted September 20, 2010 Posted September 20, 2010 Shredded paper from the secretary.....kids love it, wall paper paste aswell, but it does need to be the anti fungus one xx Anti-fungus walllparer paste is keep away from children. children must use craft paste which DOES NOT have anti-fungus. just throw it away at the end of the day. what about cornflour gloop!!
AnonyMouse_75 Posted September 20, 2010 Posted September 20, 2010 shaving foam, cooked pasta, jelly any traditionally "messy" activities work well in the sand/water tray and are easier to contain
Guest Posted September 21, 2010 Posted September 21, 2010 Popcorn made up was a big favourite of my class and pots and sieves. Compost, sawdust, bird seed. When we were investigating chocolate one year we put cocoa powder in the tray and drinking chocolate and told the children it would make them poorly if they ate it , the smell in the class was lovely
AnonyMouse_665 Posted September 21, 2010 Posted September 21, 2010 rice is another good one to have in a tray - my new sand hadn't arrived one term so I used this for weeks, kids loved it. have you tried coloured rice looks great. just add food colouring give it a mix and hey presto. we did different colours looked like hundreds and thousands. buttercup
Guest SamG Posted September 21, 2010 Posted September 21, 2010 I work in a nursery, but we often use Gelli-Baff instead of water. It's available in B&Q I think. It is supposed to be used in the bath. Put your water in and add the coloured powder (blue or pink) and it turns to gelli. When you have finished add the other powder and it turns back to water and can be poured down the drain. Worth looking into our children love it. Last winter we also used the artificial snow that you add to water. Looks like the real stuff and feels cold too.
Guest Posted September 22, 2010 Posted September 22, 2010 (edited) I saw some of that gelli-baff (or similar products of a different brand) in Tesco and in Asda recently so it's easy to pick up with your shopping! Edited September 22, 2010 by Guest
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