Thursday, June 28, 2012

Popcorn (Sensory) Tub. No Butter Necessary.

The husband and I are both movie theater concession stand alumni, so popcorn is a pretty popular subject in our house. While we don't let L indulge just yet, you can imagine my excitement when I found some awesome popcorn snack cups in the dollar bin at Target. Now, what to do with these rad plastic works of art (other than snarf popcorn out of them)?  Use them in a sensory tub, of course!





Along with the fabulous snack containers, I added one bag each of white and yellow unpopped kernels.  And as luck would have it, I had recently been cleaning out a section in the garage and found a box full of fluffy white Styrofoam packing peanuts, which gave the excellent illusion of popped corn.

Now admittedly, L doesn't really understand what popcorn is or what it's all about, as her experience has been limited by my necessity to not let her choke.  All the same, the sensory aspect made her lack of knowledge on the topic completely moot. The nice fluff of the packing peanuts complimented the hard little kernels, which made an excellent plinking sound in the plastic containers.  L learned a new word, pronounced "pa-cone" and really stayed engaged in this tub for quite a while.






A word of wisdom from those with experience: if you are planning to do this activity outdoors, make sure it isn't a windy day.  In the midst of all our fun, we spent a good deal of time chasing rogue packing peanuts all over the yard as they were carried away by the gusty wind.  Other than that little snaffoo, I have to say we haven't had this much fun in while!



11 comments:

  1. I love your sensory bin. It makes me want to pop some corn and gobble it up!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a cute sensory bin...tried to follow you on FB, but wouldn't let me. Found you from Train up a child..... (Momma's Fun World)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I appreciate you trying to follow on FB. I'm not sure why you weren't able to make it happen, but I'm trying to get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, I would love it if you would search my page via facebook proper. You can find me at Play Through the Day. Thanks!

      Delete
  3. Way too cool! We are big fans of popcorn around here. My little guys would love a popcorn sensory tub! Thanks for linking up to The Sunday Showcase. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a fun idea! Great addition to a family movie night! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. So cute. I love the popcorn theme. Sensory bins are so fun.

    ReplyDelete
  6. OH, how fun!! I love popcorn and what a great sensory bin. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Such a great sensory bin. I know my boys would love it. Thank you for sharing with us on Saturday Show and Tell. I hope you'll join us again this week!
    -Mackenzie
    http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. My friend shared your link with me and I just bought my supplies tonight! I can't wait to make this with my daughter and let her play! My husband runs a movie theater, so this is a perfect activity for our family!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My movie theater job was just about the most fun job I've ever had. Except being a mama, of course! Hope you have a blast!

      Delete