Looking for a really easy-to-put-together sensory science (and maybe a little math too!) activity for Halloween this year? I’ve got a creepy crawly sensory tray that takes less than 10 minutes to set up – and will keep the kiddos busy (and learning!) for hours.
It’s perfect for a Halloween party, a preschool or Kindergarten sensory area, or for just something FUN that the kids can do at home while you’re making dinner! Check it out!
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Supplies for the Creepy Crawly Bin
- Plain white rice, a couple tablespoons of white vinegar, and black food colouring (I use Wilton’s Black Food Coloring
) - A bunch of black plastic creepy crawlies (I found mine at the dollar store for maybe $3 in total) including flies, spiders, bugs, mice, bats, etc.
- A magnifying glass
- A couple containers to sort the crawlies after they’ve been found
- Optional: A little pair of forceps or tongs for an added fine motor workout
)Creepy Crawly Prep
To make the rice, all I did was spread it out on a cookie tray and thoroughly sprayed it with some white vinegar (easier than pouring). Then I added maybe a teaspoon of the food colouring and stirred it with a spoon until the colour was evenly spread.
The rice takes maybe an hour to dry – then it’s ready.
Add in your black creepy crawlies, and a couple of containers to sort into.
Priming the Kids
I did this activity with Onetime last year when he was 3. I handed him the magnifying glass and challenged him to find as many creepy crawlies as he could and to put them into the two containers.
Larger creepy crawlies went into the pumpkin, and ants and flies were put into the glass jar.
He had a blast playing creepy crawly detective!
It was a great sorting activity and fine-motor workout in one. If you want to get some math in – when your child is done sorting, have them count how many of each kind of creepy crawly they find.
Making It Even MORE Educational!
We’re going to do this activity again this year, but I’ll be adding in some extra educational dimensions. This time, we’re going to sort into 4 containers: insects, arachnids, other bugs, and mammals.
Hey – wait a minute! Aren’t spiders insects? Well, technically NO! They’re arachnids – a different class of animal. But after this lesson, both you and your kids will be creepy crawly classification experts!
To begin, get your FREE copy of my free downloadable Creepy Crawly Classification Sheet. Click on the picture below to download!
I think I’ll probably have Onetime search and sort first, then look at the classifications sheet together, and then compare how biologists sort these animals – to how he has sorted. But you can use it however you like!
Have fun and I hope your kids enjoy this activity! Let me know how it goes – I’d love to hear – leave me a comment!
Today’s post is a part of an awesomely creepy and educational halloween STEAM blog hop! Click on any of the links below to find some other fun activities for the kids! (links will be updated as posts go live)
Magic Potions Glow in the Dark Density Tower | Babble Dabble Do
Halloween Pumpkin Brush Bots | Left Brain Craft Brain
Halloween Ghost Pumpkin Science Activity | Little Bins for Little Hands
Shrunken Apple Heads | Pink Stripey Socks
Find even more hands-on Halloween activities for young children on our Pinterest board:
Follow One Time Through’s board Halloween Fun on Pinterest.
Oh my goodness this is really creepy but so hard to resist! Love the set-up!
Thanks for dropping by Ana! Yes – we avoided using pretend cockroaches because I can’t bear the fake ones – but spiders and ants and centipedes we can handle! LOL
Love this! The black on black is so cool for a seek and find and totally different than kids usually experience. Love the bug education too.
Thanks Anne – it was a favourite! I have tons of pictures of Onetime giggling while picking out the centipedes – there just wasn’t room for them. Thanks for dropping by!
🙂 This looks like such a fun activity. My preschooler would love it!
Thanks for dropping by Leslie. If he/she likes bugs – they’ll love this!