I love coming up with new small world play ideas! This summer sensory garden play is great to combine both a sensory and imaginative experience. There are so many educational benefits to this type of play and is also a great opportunity to talk about what you might find out in the garden in summer.
With summer coming to an end, I wanted to create one last summer themed play set up! My little one enjoyed feeling the ‘grass’ and hiding the bugs underneath. She also enjoyed playing with the small world characters and pretending to be a frog jumping into the pond. Open-ended play opportunities like this are fab for little one’s creativity and imagination – letting the play take them where they choose.
Summer Sensory Garden Resources:
I used:
- Green tissue paper for garden base
- Dyed green rice for grass
- Foil and stones for a pond
- Wooden log slices for a cobbled path
- Craft flowers
- Butterfly sequins
- Bugs – These are a set from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Realistic-Children-Education-Halloween-Birthday/dp/B0BZS3BPZP/ref=sr_1_5?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kTD0VFy8aABRtLCNeRZw4RbwiAIwCkq3A09T_qr-lEFed1pYbO2DRd1mJ8HAHHGJNNGL2oPPoXeq0LJD-nv_SPs1OmEocVm_UVLI5nZCduBMw5DzKGtUHgY3AOfr6j0ZTrXKjEaEProdkEBRwQQRdkMa8t9s_U51522JJnNcS5OYLAA8AkSnfGLbxrBliEES3AhmLvjersHC3k36BF_KDXGdqQRZRr_LBBZe8jO0_VA.dvSJmI8sY33JdMj44QePxrW4eUQL–gFVzIFJncttfs&dib_tag=se&keywords=plastic%2Bbugs&qid=1725104866&sr=8-5&th=1
- Rainbow arches for bridges
- HappyLand people
How this activity supports development:
Physical – I provided a sensory filler to allow for a multi-sensory experience. I added some paint to white rice, shook in a bag and left to dry.
Communication and language – Small world play allows for lots of language use when the children role play stories through the characters and bugs.
Expressive arts and design – Small world play allow for children to create their own story and narratives in an imaginative way
Understanding the world – This set up is representative of real life and encourages learning about summer time, gardens and what you might be able to spot at this time of year
If your little one enjoys small world play, you might like to have a look at this seaside themed tuff tray https://theeducatormum.co.uk/seaside-themed-tuff-tray-for-early-years/
I hope you enjoy the last few weeks of summer before everything becomes autumnal!