The Chaos and the Clutter

Sensory

Christmas Tree Sensory Bottle

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The holidays can be a challenging time for kids. They are off schedule and the excitement can be too much for some kids. Enter the simple calm down bottle. This easy Christmas tree sensory bottle can be an effective calm down tool for kids.

bottle filled with clear liquid and floating red and green tree confetti and glitter with green pine near and text that reads "Christmas Tree Sensory Bottle"You can include this sensory bottle in your child’s Christmas Calm Down Kit. As the glitter and confetti fall slowly through the bottle, watching it creates a calming effect. Adding more glue slows the rate at which it falls.

Christmas Tree Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

  • plastic sensory bottle or empty water bottle
  • 5 oz. bottle clear Elmer’s school glue (or more if you want the glitter and confetti to fall more slowly)
  • warm water
  • 1 Tbsp. glitter and Christmas tree confetti
  • optional: hot glue and/or holiday duct tape

Directions:

  1. Empty the bottle of glue into the plastic bottle.
  2. Fill the empty glue bottle about half full with warm water and place the lid back on. Shake well to combine the remaining glue with the water.
  3. Pour into the sensory bottle, place the lid on that and shake to combine.
  4. Add the glitter in the colour of your choice and holiday confetti into the glue mixture.
  5. Reseal the jar and shake well. If the glitter or confetti does not move easily, add more warm water. If the glitter or confetti moves through the liquid too quickly, add additional glue. To create a calm down effect, you’ll want it to move slowly through the bottle.
  6. If younger kids will be playing with it, secure the lid with hot glue.
  7. If desired, cover the lid with seasonal duct tape.

Adult supervision should be used with this or any other sensory play activity.

You will also be interested in checking these out:

Christmas Calm Down Kit for Kids

Nativity Sensory Bottle

Melted Snowman Sensory Bottle

I-Spy Christmas Sensory Bag

21 Frozen Sensory Activities

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What child doesn’t love the movie Frozen? With the new one, there’s even more reason to get ideas for Frozen inspired sensory play. When you’re stuck inside on cold days, these ‘icy’ sensory activities are the perfect solution to the winter doldrums.

a collage of kids' play ideas based on the movie with text that reads "Frozen Sensory Activities"Allowing kids to engage in sensory play related to a beloved movie allows them to fully immerse themselves in the imaginative experience. It also helps develop their communication skills, fine motor, and coordination. And of course, provides important sensory input.

These activities inspired by the movie and its characters such as Olaf, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Hans are perfect for cold days when kids are stuck indoors.

Frozen Sensory Activities:

  1. This Frozen Sensory Bin is a great one for preschoolers.
  2. This Elsa homemade playdough is made in the microwave.
  3. Our Frozen Inspired Elsa Slime is nice and crunchy with great textures for sensory play.
  4. Frozen Preschool Sensory Activities: Sensory Bin from Learning 2 Walk
  5. Frozen Sensory Bin from Happy Hooligans
  6. Frozen Inspired Sensory Bin from Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes
  7. Frozen-Inspired Sensory Play with Shaving Cream and Ice from There’s Just One Mommy – The play of the soft shaving cream against the cold, hard ice is a unique sensory experience.
  8. Frozen Theme Winter Easy Slime from Little Bins for Little Hands
  9. Queen Elsa’s Frozen Snow World from Modern Preschool 
  10. Elsa’s Frozen Castle Ice Melting Experiment from Little Bins for Little Hands
  11. Frozen Clean Mud from Study at Home Mama 
  12. Frozen-Themed Play Dough Kit from Mama.Papa.Bubba
  13. Frozen-Inspired Olaf’s Summer Dream Portable Sensory Bin from Epic Fun for Kids
  14. Frozen Snow Dough from The Pleasantest Thing
  15. Frozen Sensory Play from Treading on Lego
  16. Frozen Sensory Play from Clare’s Little Tots
  17. ‘Frozen’ Erupting Snow from Paging Fun Mums!
  18. Frozen Sensory Tub from Nurture Store
  19. Frozen Shaving Cream Sensory Play from Learn.Play.Imagine
  20. The Snow Dough Small World at Preschool Inspirations encourages story telling and imaginative play using the characters and scenery from the movie.
  21. Get those little hands right in on the action with the Frozen Sensory Snow Dough from The OT Toolbox.

17 Fun Sensory Activities that are Frozen-inspired!For more sensory activities, join our free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities and get our Sensory System Behaviours Easy Reference Cards.

Googly Eye Monster Slime

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I was attempting to create a Halloween slime, but I’m not very good at scary things, so in the end, I decided that a Monster Slime was about as scary as it was going to get. Apparently, it doesn’t look like a very scary monster at that because one of my daughters took to calling it the Mike Wazowski Slime!

So ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I present to you, Mike Wazowski Monster Slime!plop of green slime with googly eyes on polka dot table with text that reads "Googly Eyed Monster Slime"

How to Make Monster Slime:

Supplies needed:

  • 5 oz. bottle Elmer’s clear school glue
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 Tbsp. contact solution
  • lime green acrylic paint – you could use another colour if you prefer
  • green fine glitter
  • googly eyes

Wiggle Eyes Multi-PackWiggle Eyes Multi-PackWiggle Eyes Multi-PackElmer's Clear School Glue, 5 oz.Elmer’s Clear School Glue, 5 oz.Elmer's Clear School Glue, 5 oz.Equate Saline SolutionEquate Saline SolutionEquate Saline SolutionAcrylic Paint Lime GreenAcrylic Paint Lime GreenAcrylic Paint Lime Green

Directions:

  1. Pour the entire 5 oz. bottle of clear glue in a bowl.
  2. Add in ½ cup of water.
  3. Add in ½ tsp. of baking soda and stir.
  4. Squirt in some acrylic paint until you achieve the shade of your liking. Stir well.
  5. Sprinkle in some green glitter and stir.
  6. Add in lots of googly eyes. You can use a variety of sizes.
  7. Mix in 1 Tbsp. of contact solution. The slime will instantly begin to form.
  8. At this point, it will be sticky. Don’t worry. Just keep stirring the solution in the bowl until it starts to form.
  9. Knead the slime until it is no longer sticky.
  10. Store it in an airtight container when you’re not playing with it.

This monster slime is cute for using at Halloween parties or even giving as a party favour. You can change the colour by changing the colour of the paint used. Using coloured googly eyes will also change the look of it, so there are many possibilities.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

Mixing and kneading this slime while making the recipe provides proprioceptive sensory feedback.

The tactile, visual, and proprioceptive sensory systems are all engaged while playing with this Monster Slime. Pulling, pressing, stretching, squeezing, and shaping the slime also helps develop coordination and motor skills.

Check out some of these other Halloween slimes:

Halloween Striped Slime

Creepy Spider Web Slime

Halloween Sensory Game

Frozen Inspired Elsa Microwave Playdough

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When I first started making playdough for my kids (because we all know that homemade playdough is so much better than store bought!), my arm would get sore from all that stirring on the stovetop. Things have come a long way since then. I now make most of my playdough using my KitchenAid mixer, so no more sore arms. But I recently discovered microwave playdough. This could be a game changer. light blue dough pressed down with white, silver, and blue sprinkles and text reads "Elsa microwave playdough"This quick and easy taste safe microwave playdough recipe includes a variation in case you want to make it without cream of tartar. With all the buzz about the new Frozen movie, we’ve been on a bit of an Elsa kick when it comes to our sensory play like our Frozen Inspired Elsa Slime or our cool Frozen Inspired Sensory Bin.

Homemade Microwave Playdough Recipe:

Microwave Playdough Ingredients:

This Frozen Inspired Elsa Playdough recipe can be doubled if you’re making this for preschool, a classroom, or a large group. Directions:

    1. Start by adding your flour, salt, oil, cream of tarter OR lemon juice, and water to a large, microwave safe mixing bowl.
    2. Stir until it is well combined.
    3. Microwave for one minute and stir really well.
    4. Repeat two more times, microwaving one minute each time.
    5. Allow to cool.
    6. Add in food colouring until you get your desired colour. Knead dough well.
    7. Add in the edible sprinkles. Knead again.
    8. Let the kids play!

When you’re not playing with this dough, be sure to store it in an airtight container.

If you’re more of a visual learner, I’ve included a microwave playdough video below.

Note: Even though this recipe is taste safe, it is not safe for children to consume large quantities of salt at one time. Adult supervision is required.

Sensory Play and Learning Opportunities:

Have your child help with the stirring and kneading when making the playdough. This provides visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory feedback.

Stretching and rolling and squeezing and squishing and pinching and pressing all are great sensory play actions. Playing with playdough engages not only your child’s senses, but also their imagination. This type of preschool play is also good for developing fine motor skills and coordination.

Are you looking for other easy sensory play recipes? Join us for a free five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out some of our most popular playdough recipes:

Peppermint Scented Playdough

Snow PlaydoughSnow Playdough and invitation to play

Calming Lavender Scented Playdough

Textured Butter Slime

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There are so many types of slime. Every time I think we’ve tried them all, we discover another type to make! This textured butter slime was a cool experiment that turned out so well. little hands squeezing blue dough and yellow dough with blue foam bits are visible underneath. The text reads "Textured Butter Slime"This sensory play activity engages the tactile, visual, and proprioception sensory systems.

How to make butter slime

Well, first of all, I guess we should start with “what is butter slime?” Contrary to what it sounds like, butter slime doesn’t actually use butter as an ingredient. It gets its name from the buttery texture. Most butter slimes have a non-toxic clay such as Model Magic clay in the recipe. This type of slime moulds well, but it’s not very stretchy.

How to make butter slime without clay

While most butter slime recipes, call for using clay, you can make it without clay. In fact, in our recipe, we didn’t use clay at all. We instead used playdough that had seen better days. If you’re a family or school that uses playdough regularly, chances are, you’ve got some that’s seen better days and needs to be thrown out. The great thing about this recipe is that instead of throwing that dried out playdough out, you can repurpose it into slime!

You can also make butter slime without clay by mixing cornstarch and shampoo. Or it can be made by adding about 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch into a typical liquid starch slime recipe.

Textured Butter Slime Recipe:

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Pour about 2 Tablespoons of dish soap into a 3 oz. container of old playdough. If you’ve thrown out the container or are using homemade playdough, do this in a bowl.
  2. Begin mixing. The texture will determine your next step.
  3. If the dough is getting softer and is not at all sticky, you can add an additional Tablespoon of dish soap and continue mixing. If the dough takes on a sticky texture, a sprinkling of cornstarch can be added.
  4. Next, add as many foam beads as you like. This will be what adds the texture.
  5. Mix the beads and the dough together well.

Invite your children to play, stretch and mold the textured doh. The dough can now be stretched, moulded, and played with. It is soft and can also be cut with a craft stick or plastic knife, just like butter.

Play-Doh 24-Pack Case of Colors, 3 oz. CansPlay-Doh 24-Pack Case of Colors, 3 oz. CansPlay-Doh 24-Pack Case of Colors, 3 oz. CansStyrofoam Balls for SlimeStyrofoam Balls for SlimeStyrofoam Balls for SlimeDishwashing LiquidDishwashing LiquidDishwashing Liquid

Adding the foam beads offers a great twist on the texture. This provides additional tactile sensory feedback.

Are you looking for more easy sensory play recipes? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Other popular slime recipes:

Unicorn Fluffy Slime

Minnie Mouse SlimeOn a black background sits a swirly clump of glittery red slime with white balls that look like polka dots.

Glow in the Dark Slime

Frozen Inspired Elsa Slime

How to Make Slime – A Comprehensive Guide

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Have you ever wondered how to make slime or are you looking for new ways to make it? Making slime is one of my kids’ favourite things to do. They could sit at the table for hours and play with it. If you think there is just one way to make slime, you’re wrong. There are multiple ways to make it and just as many ways to play with it! a collage of slimes with the text "The Complete Guide to How to Make Slime"

How to Make Slime Not Sticky

Once you’ve made your slime, you don’t want it to be sticky. You don’t want it sticking to your table, hands, and everything else. Once slime sticks, it certainly is hard to unstick!

Knead the Slime

One way to get rid of the stickiness is to knead it. Think about flour and how when you knead it, it makes it less sticky. The same thing goes with slime.

Small Amount of Baby Oil

If you’re looking to unstick the slime, then a tiny bit of baby oil will do the trick. You don’t want it slime to get super oily though. Keep this in mind as you add the baby oil to the slime. One drop at a time.

Drop or two of Contact Solution

If you’re using a recipe that uses contact solution and it’s still too sticky, you can add a drop or two more of contact solution.

How to Make Slime Stretchy

Has your slime become a blob that just sits there and doesn’t do anything? Slime is a lot more fun when it’s stretchy! If you’re wondering how to make your slime stretchy again, it’s time to follow these tips.

Hot top water

When it comes to making slime stretchy, hot tap water can do the trick. Just soak the slime in the hot tap water if it’s become too hard. This will breathe new life into it. 

Small amount of lotion

Have hard slime that doesn’t stretch? Consider a small amount of lotion in the slime. A really small amount of lotion does the trick, so don’t add much more than that.

Take the time to move it around and see if it stretches.

How to Ensure Your Slime is Not Runny

If your slime is runny, that is no fun! There are actually ways in which you can make slime not so runny. One of those tips is to add in a thickening agent.

For example, runny slime may need liquid glue to be added to it or a small amount of borax. Depending on what slime recipe you used, this will determine what you add to it to make it not runny.

Also, keep in mind that it does take some trial and error. Start with small amounts to see if this helps.

Classic Slime Recipe

What is considered a classic slime recipe is one that uses borax and glue. There are many ways to make the recipes more exciting by adding in glitter, confetti, or like the instant snow in the unique recipe below.

Slime Without Borax

Don’t have borax on hand? No worries! You can totally make slime without borax, you just need to know how. Borax is a thickening agent. So in order to create a slime without it, you’ll need to use another thickening agent. 

Thickening agents out there are things that contain boric acid, sodium borate, or borax. Some of these products are liquid starch and eye drops! You’ll need to check the ingredient list to be sure they have one of those materials listed. They both work great for helping to make slime.

Other ways to make slime without borax include making it with shampoo or making edible slime.

Making Slime with Shampoo

If you have shampoo on hand, it can be the magic ingredient. Here are the steps for making slime with shampoo:

  • You will need a ½ cup of shampoo and a ¼ of a cup of cornstarch in a bowl.
  • You will want to mix this mixture up very well.
  • From there, you’ll add a teaspoon of water and stir. Slowly add in five more teaspoons of water.
  • To make the slime usable, you’ll want to knead the slime for about 5 minutes.

If the slime is too hard, you’ll want to add a little bit of water. If it’s too runny, you’ll want to add a little more cornstarch.

Making Slime with Contact Solution

Do you have contact solution on hand? It can be a perfect ingredient in making slime. You can look at contact solution as a slime activator.

To make contact solution slime, you’ll need a bottle of Elmer’s glue, baking soda, and contact solution, plus water if you like the slime a little stretcher. You can find an exact recipe for it here.

Not everyone wants to use their contact solution for this, but if you do, this recipe works great.

How to Make Fluffy Slime

Making your own fluffy slime isn’t as hard as it may seem. Who doesn’t love playing with beautiful and big fluffy slime?! The secret?

FOAM SHAVING CREAM!

YUP. I love that shaving cream is so cheap too! You can easily add foam shaving cream to the recipe and from there you can have some fun slime on your hands. I pick mine up from the dollar store. You can buy it in different scents which then results in a scented slime.

Making it scented is a great way to incorporate the olfactory sense into this sensory play.

Edible Slime

One of the latest trends is slime that is taste safe or edible. This Edible Shark Fluffy Slime is our favourite. There are many other edible slime recipes you can make that use ingredients such as pudding, candy, marshmallow fluff, icing, and Jello.

Ensuring that Slime is Safe

When you’re making sensory play recipes with your kids, you need to make sure that they are safe. One of the rules to making slime safe is to make sure your kids don’t eat it.

There are ingredients in typical slime that don’t make it safe to eat. Kids who have sensitive skin can also react to it when it comes in contact with their skin. You can instead use an edible recipe which will be safer for the skin and takes away the worry of toxicity. 

If your kids have sensitive skin, they can also wear clothes and gloves while they make it and play with it.

You can read more important safety tips here.

Slime Ingredients

There are many different ingredients that can be used to make slime. These are some of the most common:

Styrofoam Balls for SlimeStyrofoam Balls for SlimeStyrofoam Balls for SlimeLiquid StarchLiquid StarchLiquid StarchElmer's Liquid School Glue, ClearElmer’s Liquid School Glue, ClearElmer's Liquid School Glue, ClearElmer's Liquid School Glue, WhiteElmer’s Liquid School Glue, WhiteElmer's Liquid School Glue, WhiteSaline SolutionSaline SolutionSaline SolutionShaving CreamShaving CreamShaving CreamHolographic Chunky Glitter SequinsHolographic Chunky Glitter SequinsHolographic Chunky Glitter Sequins

Why make slime?

Not only is slime a cool science lesson in chemistry, it is great for providing sensory input and it is good as a calming tool. For kids (or adults) who are struggling with anxiety, it provides a stress reducing effect. It can be used like a stress ball, but that’s not the only way that it is calming.

Slime engages both the visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems. Proprioception (also sometimes called heavy work) is very effective in calming as it provides much needed feedback to the body.

Depending on the type of recipe you use, there may also be other sensory systems such as olfactory (smell) engaged with this type of sensory play as well. You can find some fun ways to play with your slime here.

Our Favourite Slime Recipes

Bug Slime without Borax
Chocolate Milk SlimeMilky Slime Recipe
Christmas Nativity Slime
Spider Slime Recipe: Just Like A Spider Web
Dino-riffic Dinosaur Slime
Edible Shark Fluffy Slime
Fall Leaves Slime
Frozen Inspired Elsa Slime
Glow in the Dark Slime with Glitter
Googly Eye Monster Slime
Hallowe’en Sensory Game
Holiday Scented Christmas Tree Slime
Mardi Gras Slime
Minnie Mouse Slime
Peppermint Scented Slime Recipe
Rainbow Confetti Party Slime
Santa Slime Christmas Gift Idea
Simple Hallowe’en Slime
Stretchy Butterfly Slime
an almost opaque white slime with red round confetti and bright green tree shaped confetti is seen held in a hand with only the thumb visibleHow To Make Stretchy Slime
Textured Butter Slime
Timon Inspired Lion King Slime
Unicorn Fluffy Slime

Do you enjoy making slime? What’s your favourite thing about it?

Looking for more great sensory play recipes? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.