March Sensory Table

This March sensory table has a lucky Irish theme! Easy to set up, this sensory table theme will charm students for hours!

Supplies for the March Sensory Table:

This sensory bin looks like million bucks but doesn’t cost nearly that much! A quick trip to the grocery store and the dollar store is all that is needed for hours of fun! Here are the ingredients:

• Dried split peas
• Dried green lentils
• River rocks (painted black)
• A white permanent marker
• Plastic “gold” coins (found at a party store or dollar store)
• Coin banks
• Party favor cauldrons

With these supplies, there are FOUR fun activities for students to explore! Every activity starts with the base of split peas and lentils – all the teacher needs to do is change the accessories!

Activity #1 – Treasure Hunt!

For this activity, place the gold coins and piggy banks in the sensory table. Encourage students to count the coins as they find them and slide them into the coin slots. For extra fine-motor practice, add spring-loaded tongs (also available at the dollar store in the party area!) for students to grip the coins. Tongs are a terrific way to practice the pincer grasp and to strengthen students’ hand muscles. 

Purchased at 5 Below, the coin banks pictured had cartoon characters on them. A little black duct tape, and they were perfect for this activity. As a bonus, they opened at the top – something that puzzled the students for nearly a week!

Activity #2 – Pots of Gold

This activity is a counting challenge! Swap out the piggy banks for the plastic cauldrons and encourage students to count and see how many pieces of gold they can fit in one pot! What way works the best? Are pots of coins heavier or lighter than pots full of peas and lentils? A fantastic way to work on learning capacity!

Activty #3 – Name Rocks

This activity requires a little bit of preparation on the teacher’s part. Paint some hand-sized river rocks black, then, when they are dry, write the letters of each student’s name on them with a white or silver permanent marker. Print and laminate cards with each student’s name and add the items to the peas and lentils. Adding some clip art or a seasonal sticker is a great way to make it feel extra special! Students work together or individually to match the rocks to the letters on the name cards. Older students can enjoy the same activity with sight words!

Activity #4 – Tabletop March Sensory Table

Sometimes, smaller sensory bins are necessary. This tabletop variation is a fantastic one-to-one correspondence activity as well as a sensory activity – a definite winner! Read all about it here!

Why are sensory tables important? NAEYC explains it here!

Here is another colorful sensory table idea!

Have fun learning and playing with your children today!

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