Frog Pond Sensory Play (With Slime Or Play Dough)

This frog pond sensory play activity is something we’ve done many times in my daughter’s five years and it just never seems to get old.

I love setting it up as an invitation to play/create, then stepping back to see what my little one comes up with.

It’s an open-ended activity and it’s something she can do completely independently, which is perfect for those lovely spring evenings when I’ve pushed making dinner way too late in order to soak up a few more moments of outdoor play in the sun.

We love slime and it’s truly perfect for this activity. Here's an easy recipe for slime: you'll need glue, Borax, food colouring and glitter.

You could also replace the slime with play dough if you prefer. Play dough is easy to make or pick up at the store and safer for little ones who still have a tendency to put sensory play items in their mouths. Here's our very favourite no-cook play dough recipe.

To create your own frog pond sensory play kit, you will need:

• blue/green slime or play dough
• plastic frogs (you can find these at dollar stores)
• glass gems
• aquarium seaweed
• green craft foam
• trays or plates (to use as a work surface)
• scissors

Instructions:

The prep for this activity is so easy. Simply use your scissors to snip some individual strands of seaweed and cut out some small lily pads using the craft foam.

Now place all of your goodies out on a work surface or in a tray (we love divided trays from the dollar store) and invite your little one to play.

You'll Also Love: How To Make Sparkle Slime

Give your little one a plate or tray to create on and then simply let him or her go for it.  There really are no rules here!

These little frog ponds can be taken apart and recreated again and again and you’ll find that the slime comes off of all of the loose parts cleanly, with the exception of the craft foam lily pads.

When you’re done, clean everything quickly and easily by soaking them in a little bowl of vinegar and they’ll be good as new.

Pro tip: Vinegar is magical when it comes to slime clean up and you’ll find that it dissolves it almost instantly!

When you’re done playing for the day, simply seal up your slime in an air-tight container and store your loose parts somewhere nearby.  The slime will last for months like this and your little ones are bound to come back to this play invitation time and time again.