Make it messy– Spark & Senses

GREEN CHIA SLIME

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chia seeds (black or white)
• 1 3/4 cups water
• Green food coloring
• 3 to 4 cups cornflour

Method

• Pour the chia seeds, water, and green food coloring into a bowl. Stir well with a spoon until the color spreads evenly.
• Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours—or overnight—until the seeds absorb the liquid and turn into a thick, gelatinous gel.
• Take the green chia gel out of the fridge. Gradually stir in the cornflour a little at a time.
• Once most of the cornflour is incorporated, use your hands to knead the mixture until it comes together into a soft, squishy, and non-sticky slime texture.

SKATING & FOAM ICEBERGS

Ingredients

Water
Blue Food Colouring
Small cups
Shaving Foam
Penguins

Method

Add a few cms of water into the bottom of some cups and place a penguin inside each cup, freeze over night.
Fill your sensory tray with a shallow layer of water. Add a small amount of blue food colouring and stir until the water becomes an icy-blue colour.
Add small amounts of shaving cream to different areas of the tray to create fluffy “icebergs”. You can build them up into different shapes and sizes for children to explore.
Add the frozen penguins to the tray and skate them around throuh the water and icebergs.

CONCRETE OOBLEK

Ingredients

2 cups cornflour
1 cup of water
2 to 3 drops of black food colouring (or coffee grinds)

Method

Pour the cornflour into the tray, mix a few drops of black food colouring (or coffee grinds) into your water until the liquid is grey,
Slowly add the conrflour to the tray and mix until combined (this takes a bit of work so stick with it!)
Add your choice of gravel, vehicles, bricks and road signs, wait for in to dry and crack it to use as cement.

MESSY TREE DECORATING

Ingredients

Shaving foam
Food colouring
Toothpick/ skewer
Christmas charms, pompoms, snowflakes, beads.

Method

Shape a Christmas tree outline into the tray using shaving foam,
Pour a few drops of food colouring across the foam,
Use a toothpick to swirl the colours together.
Use the Christmas charms, pompoms, snowflakes and beads to decorate.

GALACTIC OOBLEK

Ingredients

• 2 cups cornflour
• 1 cup water
• Food coloring (blue, purple, and pink)
• Glitter or mini stars
• Mixing bowls and spoons

Method

• Pour 2 cups cornflour and 1 cup of water into a bowl. Mixing together (this part takes some work so stick with it!)
• Separate the mixture into different bowls. Add the different food colouring to each so you end up with a number of different coloured portions.

Stir a generous amount of glitter or mini stars into the colored mixtures to create a starry space effect.
• Add the ooblek to the tray and swirl together, add astronauts, planets and glow in the dark pebbles.

OCEAN JELLY TRAY

Ingredients

3 tbs gelatine powder
2 cups hot water
2 cups cold water
blue food colouring
cornflour

Method

Disolve 3 tablespoons of gelatine powder in two cups of hot water, add 2 cups of cold water and few drop sof food colouring and pour into the tray.
Add a sprinkle of corn flour to the tray and stir (this makes it cloudy and easier for the animals to hide!)
Add marine animals, shells, pebbles and koi fish into the tray.
Let set in the fridge for a few hours.

GINGERBREAD CLOUD DOUGH

Ingredients

4 cups flour
1/4 cup cinnamon
1 Tablespoons ginger
1 Teaspoon nutmeg
1 Teaspoon allspice
1 cup oil (you can use vegetable or baby oil)

Method

Add dry ingredients to a bowl, mix
Add in the oil and stir well.
Add to your tray and get creative!

UNICORN MOON SAND

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour (or cornstarch for a silkier texture)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, canola oil, or baby oil
• Glitter (silver, pink, or iridescent)
• Food coloring (pastel pink, purple, blue, and mint)

Method

• Split the 4 cups of flour into separate bowls if you want to make multiple unicorn pastel colors (like pink, purple, and blue). Adjust your oil measurements proportionally (about 1 tablespoon of oil per 1/2 cup of flour).
• Color the oil: Mix a few drops of your chosen food coloring into the oil for each respective bowl.
• Combine ingredients: Pour the colored oil into the flour. Mix thoroughly with your hands or a fork until the oil is completely distributed and no lumps remain.
• Add the magic: Stir a generous amount of glitter into each bowl of colored sand.
• Test the texture: Squeeze a handful of the mixture. It should feel crumbly but hold its shape when pressed together. Layer the colors in a sensory tray for a magical unicorn effect. Once that is all done you can add lavender, beads, roses, pom poms, resin hearts, bows and rainbows to make it unique!

CHOC DIRT

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or any neutral cooking oil)

Method

• Spread the flour on a baking sheet and bake it at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes. Let it cool completely. Note: Raw flour is unsafe for young children to mouth, so baking it is an essential food-safety step.
• Combine the cooled flour, cocoa powder, and oil in a large bowl or sensory tray.
• Use your fingers to rub and mix the oil into the dry ingredients until it achieves a soft, crumbly, and moldable "dirt" texture.