Several of you suggested I make a Wizard of Oz sensory tub, and since that happens to be one of my favorite movies, I was totally up for it!
I only used things I had on hand already (meaning I didn't spend any money on making this tub) and so I had to be a bit creative as a result (meaning some of things in this tub are a bit of a stretch). :)
Here's what's inside:
:: The Yellow Brick Road - yellow Lego bricks. Perfect for my Lego lovin' boy!
:: Poppies - red fabric flowers. Yes, I know these aren't what actual poppies look like. :)
:: Lion(s), Tiger(s), and Bear(s) - one each from our Toob collection.
:: Apples - I made these little knitted apples myself. They, along with the tree in the lower right hand corner, remind me of the scene where Dorothy and the Scarecrow get into a row with the apple trees.
:: OZ - two chipboard letters.
:: Emeralds from Emerald City - a few plastic "gems".
:: Over the Rainbow - colored wooden beads on a string. Surprisingly, James likes this the best! Initially, I thought about making this a lacing activity, but I knew James wouldn't really enjoy that. I spaced the beads out enough that they move a bit on the string, which makes the whole thing really nice to hold. Sort of meditative.
Things to represent Dorothy:
:: Basket - just a cute little basket I found at the thrift store.
:: Toto - a black dog. I didn't have a Terrier on hand, but this Labrador works just fine. :)
:: Farm house - a small wooden house.
:: Heart - I was excited to find this little heart in Dorothy's gingham pattern! It represents the whole "home is where the heart is" theme of the movie.
:: Ruby slippers - I couldn't believe it when I found these Barbie shoes in our toy collection. Years ago, before I had children, I was a nanny and a frequent babysitter. I bought and kept a stash of toys at my house for whenever those kiddos came over. :)
:: Hair bow - I would like to have made two gingham hair bows (one for each of Dorothy's braids) but I didn't have that sort of ribbon on hand. So, glittery red (like the ruby slippers) was the next best thing!
:: Kansas - a puzzle piece from our USA puzzle.
Things to represent the Tinman:
:: The oil can - just a tin cup with a handle. Perfect for scooping, collecting, and pouring all the little things in the tub.
:: Axe - this is from our "x" language box.
:: Heart - one of the small glass hearts used during our Valentine's Day theme.
Things to represent the Scarecrow:
:: Scarecrow - the same small scarecrow button we used in our harvest sensory tub.
:: Hay (Scarecrow's stuffing) - pieces of raffia.
:: Diploma from the Wizard - a tiny piece of paper that has THD written on it, rolled up, and tied with a teeny tiny piece of ribbon. I was racking my brain (ha!) trying to think of what I could use to represent Scarecrow's brain. I remembered the Wizard gave Scarecrow a diploma and in that scene he bestowed the degree of THD (Doctorate of Thinkology) upon him. :)
Things to represent the Lion:
:: Lion - from the lions, tigers, and bears trio as noted above
:: Medal of Courage - like I said, I had to use what I had on hand, and this one really threw me for a challenge! I used a piece of red ribbon and a little lapel pin James received from VSB camp.
Things to represent the witches:
:: Glenda's floating orb - you know, the one she floats down in when she arrives in Munchkin Land. I used a pink reusable ice cube ball thingy.
:: Star from Glenda's wand - a little silver star made of fabric.
:: Wicked Witch's Broom - another item from one of our language boxes.
:: Flying monkey - just a little monkey from our Toob collection. I thought about adding tiny wings to him, but decided against it.
James is 5 now, but he still very much enjoys sensory tubs. However, now that he is a bit older, I've been including some theme-related educational materials to accompany our tubs. For example, for this tub I gathered the Kansas magazine and map from our Which Way USA collection. I also added the Wizard of Oz book, which we've been reading nightly, and "Pet Tornado" - this thing is really cool, you swirl it around and it creates a little tornado inside the container. James loves it!
I only used things I had on hand already (meaning I didn't spend any money on making this tub) and so I had to be a bit creative as a result (meaning some of things in this tub are a bit of a stretch). :)Here's what's inside:
:: The Yellow Brick Road - yellow Lego bricks. Perfect for my Lego lovin' boy!
:: Poppies - red fabric flowers. Yes, I know these aren't what actual poppies look like. :)
:: Lion(s), Tiger(s), and Bear(s) - one each from our Toob collection.
:: Apples - I made these little knitted apples myself. They, along with the tree in the lower right hand corner, remind me of the scene where Dorothy and the Scarecrow get into a row with the apple trees.
:: OZ - two chipboard letters.
:: Emeralds from Emerald City - a few plastic "gems".
:: Over the Rainbow - colored wooden beads on a string. Surprisingly, James likes this the best! Initially, I thought about making this a lacing activity, but I knew James wouldn't really enjoy that. I spaced the beads out enough that they move a bit on the string, which makes the whole thing really nice to hold. Sort of meditative.
Things to represent Dorothy:
:: Basket - just a cute little basket I found at the thrift store.
:: Toto - a black dog. I didn't have a Terrier on hand, but this Labrador works just fine. :)
:: Farm house - a small wooden house.
:: Heart - I was excited to find this little heart in Dorothy's gingham pattern! It represents the whole "home is where the heart is" theme of the movie.
:: Ruby slippers - I couldn't believe it when I found these Barbie shoes in our toy collection. Years ago, before I had children, I was a nanny and a frequent babysitter. I bought and kept a stash of toys at my house for whenever those kiddos came over. :)
:: Hair bow - I would like to have made two gingham hair bows (one for each of Dorothy's braids) but I didn't have that sort of ribbon on hand. So, glittery red (like the ruby slippers) was the next best thing!
:: Kansas - a puzzle piece from our USA puzzle.
Things to represent the Tinman:
:: The oil can - just a tin cup with a handle. Perfect for scooping, collecting, and pouring all the little things in the tub.
:: Axe - this is from our "x" language box.
:: Heart - one of the small glass hearts used during our Valentine's Day theme.
Things to represent the Scarecrow:
:: Scarecrow - the same small scarecrow button we used in our harvest sensory tub.
:: Hay (Scarecrow's stuffing) - pieces of raffia.
:: Diploma from the Wizard - a tiny piece of paper that has THD written on it, rolled up, and tied with a teeny tiny piece of ribbon. I was racking my brain (ha!) trying to think of what I could use to represent Scarecrow's brain. I remembered the Wizard gave Scarecrow a diploma and in that scene he bestowed the degree of THD (Doctorate of Thinkology) upon him. :)
Things to represent the Lion:
:: Lion - from the lions, tigers, and bears trio as noted above
:: Medal of Courage - like I said, I had to use what I had on hand, and this one really threw me for a challenge! I used a piece of red ribbon and a little lapel pin James received from VSB camp.
Things to represent the witches:
:: Glenda's floating orb - you know, the one she floats down in when she arrives in Munchkin Land. I used a pink reusable ice cube ball thingy.
:: Star from Glenda's wand - a little silver star made of fabric.
:: Wicked Witch's Broom - another item from one of our language boxes.
:: Flying monkey - just a little monkey from our Toob collection. I thought about adding tiny wings to him, but decided against it.
James is 5 now, but he still very much enjoys sensory tubs. However, now that he is a bit older, I've been including some theme-related educational materials to accompany our tubs. For example, for this tub I gathered the Kansas magazine and map from our Which Way USA collection. I also added the Wizard of Oz book, which we've been reading nightly, and "Pet Tornado" - this thing is really cool, you swirl it around and it creates a little tornado inside the container. James loves it!~Thank you for your comments!~
9 comments:
Very creative! We read The Wizard of Oz and K loved it! After seeing her older friend perform the play, she reenacted the whole thing which was fun to watch. The sensory tub would lend itself well to it. Love the yellow bricks!
I love it! I am very impressed with your representations of very difficult items. My older children love sensory table as well...and I am happy to see the "big kid theme" represented so expertly. We also use those Which Way USA lessons, and the Spy Packs by the same company. Glad to know great minds think alike!
brilliant, again! I LOVE the Wizard of Oz!
Love it! I'm adding this to my collection of ideas to use for that book.
Hi Mari-Ann,very creative. I love the fact that you used items you already had at home! Love love the yellow bricks and the little house oh and the basket.
Love this - I'm linking to you in tomorrow's post!
This is one of my favorite sensory boxes ever! Love it!!!
I think I've died and gone to Oz-heaven. Would you mind terribly if I utilized this to make a similar tub for my kiddos since my classroom is Oz-themed?
Sarah
There's No Place Like Second Grade
Great Idea!!! Is it weird that I want to play with this??? Haha. I cannot wait until my son is old enough for a sensory tub. We are almost there- but he still shoves things into his mouth way too quickly for my comfort- even if I am sitting right there with him. We are still on Treasure Baskets.
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