ARC Toy Library & Resource Centre Sensory Stories: ocean
Sensory Stories Series
Theme: Ocean
Contents:What is a social story?
Catalogue record of relevant Toy Library Resources
Themed Sensory Activities Guide
External to this booklet:Sensory Stories Ocean Theme Tub
Catalogue List of Relevant Toy Library Resources:
Generate Catalogue Reports
· By theme
· Display title, description, and class number
Themed Sensory Activities
Beach Sand Sensory Tub
Resources:
· Beach sand or kinetic sand
· Sensory tub (high sided plastic tub
· Magnifying glass, funnel, tweezers, scoops, etc
· Beach themed objects: shells, coral, seaweed, driftwood,
marine animal figurines, etc
What to do:
· Place sand and objects in tub
· FEEL: the different objects
· POUR and PLAY: with the sand
· TALK ABOUT: what you are doing
· LOOK: closely at it all
· ENJOY: the experience!
What it looks like:
Beach Discovery Bottles
Resources:
· Beach sand or kinetic sand
· Funnel, tweezers, scoops, etc
· Beach themed objects: shells, coral, seaweed, driftwood,
marine animal figurines, etc
· Plastic bottles
· Water and blue food colouring
What to do:
· Use tweezers to place shells, rocks, etc into bottle
· Use funnel to pour sand into bottle
· Use funnel, jug, or turkey baster to pour water into
bottle.
· Add a drop of colour, shake and enjoy!
What it looks like:
Ocean Sensory Ice Melt
Resources:
· Beach sand or kinetic sand
· Plastic container (margarine tub, bucket, etc)
· Beach themed objects: shells, coral, seaweed, driftwood,
marine animal figurines, etc
· Water and food colouring
· Jugs, siphons, spray bottles, droppers
What to do:
· Freeze small objects in coloured layers in containers (use
multiple small containers, or one big one
· Run warm water over upturned container to release frozen form
onto shallow tray
· Use warm water through droppers, spray bottles, siphons, jugs
to melt ice, discovering the various objects as you go.
What it looks like:
Using sand as the bottom layer will leave a beach scene when ice
is all melted:
Waves in a Bottle
Resources:
· Clear plastic jar
· Vegetable oil
· Food colouring & water
What to do:
· Pour layer of oil in jar
· Add layer of coloured water
· Firmly close lid…roll jar back and forth and watch the
waves
What it looks like:
Ocean Themed Light Panel Activities
Resources:
· Light panel
· Beach sand or kinetic sand
· Themed objects (shells, coral, driftwood, etc)
What to do:
· LOOK at the shapes, outlines, colour changes etc on the light
panel
· PUSH the sand around the light panel
· DRAW lines in the sand on the light panel
What it looks like:
Felt Board Fish Patterns
Resources:
· Felt board
· Felt Fish
What to do:
· Experiment with making patterns (can do this on the light
panel as well!)
What it looks like:
Ocean Rhythms Physical and Auditory Activity
Resources:
· Fish Net
· Fake seaweed (made from ripped rubbish bags)
· Wave Drum
· Ocean waves audio unit
What to do:
· Tie clumps of fake seaweed to the net
· Have people stand in a circle, holding the net above them
· Sway the net to the rhythm of the moving ocean, using drum and
audio unit to enhance
· Have people walk though the seaweed under the net
What it looks like:
