Split Pea Sensory: Perfect for St. Patrick's Day and Spring!

 

Split peas are a great medium for sensory play!  They are perfect for scooping, pouring, and transferring.  When I purchased my split peas I bought them in bulk and was able to buy both green and yellow (inspired by No Time for Flash Cards Green and Gold Sensory Tub).  I loved the colors mixed together!  Reminds me of a leprechauns pot of gold.  I put this sensory bin together with spring in mind, but now that I look at it, with a few small additions, it would be perfect for St. Patrick's Day!  Here is how my son enjoyed it and at the end I'll list a few ideas for turning it into the perfect St. Patrick's sensory bin.    

 Michael loves pretend cooking.  He thought he better taste his "soup" before getting started.

 Funnels are great for kids!  They love to watch items pour through them, especially if you have see-through cups.

 Michael decided I needed to "eat" too so he transferred some peas to my plate as well.

A lot of sensory play teaches children how to judge amounts of an item.  Michael poured an entire cup of peas onto his plate realizing it was too much!

Funnels are always fun at the sensory table!  

What I loved about this sensory bin is the versatility.  We had it for months but simply changed some of the items we'd added for variety.  Here are some ideas:

St. Patricks Day:

• Plastic, gold coins
• Green flowers
• Green and/or gold rocks, gems, floral stones, or aquarium gravel
• Use a green or black cauldron to house the split peas
• Green and/or gold tinsel, ribbon, or any other shiny material 

Spring:

• Plastic snakes, bugs, lizards and/or frogs
• Plastic flowers
• Fairies
• Add some dried red beans
• Miniature and small sized flower pots for scooping and/or "planting"  
• Decorative birds and/or butterflies  
• Add some soil for a different sensory experience