Do you want to run away to an island paradise? I know I do. I love the feel of the sea breeze on my face and the sound of the crashing waves. Not to mention, that glorious feeling you get when the warm sun hits your skin. While this might *sigh* always stay a dream, I can still indulge my imagination with this Tropical Island Small World and Sensory Bin for Kids.
Complete with palm trees, white sand, and boat trips around shark bay. This small world has it all. So turn on some wave sounds (thank you phone), sit back with a mocktail, and enjoy some island life in your own backyard.
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Materials you’ll need
- A big tub
- sandpit sand
- a cookie sheet
- a smaller Tupperware container
- toy palm trees, boats, sea creatures, and people figurines
- sensory tub equipment (cups, funnels, spoons, etc.)
- Blue food coloring (optional)
How to set up your backyard tropical paradise
Step 1: Get a large under-bed storage box, this one is the perfect size for sensory bins because it’s shallow enough for little arms to reach in, but large enough that each child has their own space to play without getting in each other’s way.
2. Place the smaller container (a normal Tupperware container works fine) into the larger one.
3. Fill both of them up with water (this ensures that the smaller one doesn’t float away.)
4. Place sandpit sand onto the bottom of the larger container to make a seafloor. Add food coloring (optional) to the water.
5. Place a cookie sheet onto the top of the smaller container.
6. Cover cookie sheet with dry sand
7. decorate with palm trees, people figurines, sea creatures, boats, shells, whatever else you think would be fun to play.
Make sure that you have some sensory tools nearby because when your kids are finished touring the island, they would love to splash in the water, scoop up the sand, and make some sandcastles.
Although I didn’t take photos (I wasn’t going to let my camera get near all the water that was flying around) in the end, we used the cookie sheet to hold our sandcastles and then poured water over them. It was lovely watching the sand melt away and get washed back into the ocean.
Out of all of the small world setups I’ve done with my kids, this one is my favorite. Check out my post 10+ Mini world play ideas to see if there are more small worlds that your kids would love to discover.
If you have younger kids, who are more interested in the sensory side of this activity, then my posts 10+ Sensory tubs for toddlers and 10+ Sensory Activities for Babies are for you. You’re just one click away from hours worth of easy, fun, and educational activities for your little ones.
Get over 80+ pages of Summer themed play based learning activities and craft templates. Perfect for preschool and kindergarten.
Are you going to make a Tropical Island Small World and Sensory Bin with your kids?
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