Baby Bags Slime Exploration

Lesson Plan:

Activity:

Lesson plan developed by Ms. Erika Geelhoed, BA Ed

Age Group:

Mobile Infants

* Lesson plan objective and assessment can be adapted to use this activity with toddlers or preschoolers.

Objectives:

Children will:

experience new sensory activity.

CDA Competency Standard:

II.4.3a

Activities and materials encourage children to develop their senses
- a) Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch experiences are encouraged through a variety of developmentally appropriate materials and activities

Baby Bags Slime Exploration

Materials:

large ziplock bag
¼ teaspoon water beads
slime (we recommend the Sparkly Slime)
duct Tape

Sparkly Slime Recipe

Mix equal parts clear school glue, water and liquid starch along with several drops of food coloring and a few shakes of glitter.
Combine well until it turns into slime.

Slime Recipes

Procedure:

Use the Sparkly Slime recipe to create slime, but this time omit the food coloring and glitter.
Hydrate the water beads the night before.
Combine the slime and water beads in the ziplock bag, press the air out of the bag and zip it shut.
Next, use the duct tape to seal all four sides of the bag.
Invite the children to experience the squish and the feel of the slime with the water beads.
Encourage the comparison of feeling the slime by itself and some slime with water beads.

Assessment:

Observe and record the children’s experience with the materials. Did the child have a preference when comparing? How did the children react to the feel of the material?

Caution:
This sensory bag should be provided with supervision. Do not place the bag in a crib, or playpen.
Check the back for tears, or leaks each time before allowing the children to touch the bag. Don't allow the children to bite the bag.

Online Early Childhood Education

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Play Dough Recipes

Goo REcipes

Oobleck Recipes

Infants Can Play with Playdough

Yes, you read that correctly: infants can play with playdough!
There are some accommodations and considerations to be made, of course, but playdough is a very viable play material for infants. The first rule of any play material consideration for any age group is safety considerations. For infants this is especially important because of their tendency to put things in their mouth and their lack of motor control. The best thing to do is to know the children in your care and their habits and tendencies. For example some infants may rarely put objects in their mouths while others may continue to well into the toddler years.

Accommodations
Infants can play with playdough with some simple accommodations. Young infants may enjoy exploring playdough under close supervision and with help from an adult. The best playdough for young infants to explore as-is is one with a thicker consistency that isn’t easily crumbled too slimy. An adult should be carefully watching the infant explore this material in a safe environment. Choose different colored doughs for the infant to press, squish and pinch.

For slimy, goopy or crumbly textured doughs there are many ways to adapt the play for infants:

Make a sensory bag by putting playdough in a large ziplock bag and securing all sides
Put a sheet of secured plastic wrap over the dough
Cover the dough with fabric
Sit child in a high chair with close supervision