Sensory Scientists - Week 3

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ OCEAN ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~~~~~~
Welcome/Introduction:

Ocean/Beach Walk – Tactile (feet) & Proprioceptive:

Sea Foam Sensory Exploration Table – Tactile (hands) & Visual:

Move Your Body Like a Sea Creature – Proprioceptive & Vestibular:

Ocean Sound Exploration & Snack for Cool Down – Auditory & Gustatory:
 Sweet & Chewy Salty & Crunchy
Sensory Scientists - Week 3
OCEAN
Welcome, Introduction, Coloring, Wiggle Seats – Visual & Vestibular: (~10 minutes)
 Coloring pages – Ocean Animals/ Ocean Landscape
 Crayons
 Table set up with Wiggle Seats for each child, and seats for therapists
 Have children enter room and color pages as group waits for all participants to arrive.
 Welcome to Week 3 of Sensory Scientists Summer Group!
 Introduce Theme of the Week, Visual Schedule & Group Rules
o Introduce theme of the week, present participants with visual schedule for the day, explain the
plan & re-introduce group rules (kind words, hands to yourself, listen to leaders, and HAVE
FUN, etc.)

 Supplies:
o Coloring Pages – Ocean Animals/ Ocean Landscape
o Crayons
o Room set-up as directed above
o Visual schedule (1 for each child & therapist)
o Group Rules on Printout (1. Follow directions, 2. Be nice, 3. Hands to yourself, 4. HAVE FUN,
etc.)

Ocean/Beach Walk – Tactile (feet) & Proprioceptive: (15-20 minutes)

https://teachingmama.org/sensory-walk-exploring-the-sense-of-touch/

 Set up Ocean/Beach Walking Sensory Course outdoor on lawn prior to session

 Set up medium-sized plastic bins in a line with the following Ocean Textures:
o Dry Sand
o Wet Sand
o Water
o “Sea Foam” – shaving cream
o Jelly Beads
o Rounded stones/ beans (to simulate river rocks/smooth oceanic rocks)
(add more as desired/necessary & grade up/down to accommodate each child)

 Have group meet at the start of the course before beginning, remind of expectations, remove the kids’
shoes & socks.
  Allow each child to choose a “sea creature” (small plastic figurines of ocean animals) to help
them go through the Ocean/Beach Sensory Walk
 i.e. grading down the activity to allow them to move their sea creature through
the various textures if child is uncomfortable walking barefoot through the bins.
Encourage them to touch each bin with different parts of their bodies – building
up a familiarity/comfort with each texture until they are ready to walk through the
bins, imagining they are taking a walk on the beach.
 Have Kids Take Turns walking through the Ocean Bins
 Grade up/down as necessary
 Have multiple bins of water or towels between especially messy bins
 Consider lining up bins with lower tactile-defensive textures first, and more challenging
textures towards the end
 Repeat Course as necessary/desired.

 Supplies:
o Small plastic figurines of ocean animals
 (have enough for each child and teacher to have one – take these figurines to be
used in the next activity.)
o Bath Towels (to dry off between textures if necessary) – bring extra
o 5+ plastic bins, each filled with different ocean textures
 Dry Sand
 Wet Sand
 Water
 “Sea Foam” – shaving cream
 Jelly Beads
 Rounded stones/ beans (to simulate river rocks/smooth oceanic rocks)

Sea Foam Sensory Exploration Table – Tactile (hands) & Visual: (5-10 minutes)

http://newswithnaylors.blogspot.com/2017/03/ocean-foam-sensory-play.html

 Set up Ocean Foam Sensory Table prior to session

 Ingredients & Supplies:
 2/3 C. Water
 2/3 C. Dawn Dish Soap
 2 TBs Cornstarch
 A few Squirts of Liquid Water Colors (these are washable – food coloring or kool-aid
works as well, but I don’t recommend – watch out for staining!)
 Ocean Animals, Shells, and other Ocean Stuff, etc.

1. Add water, dish soap, cornstarch and liquid water colors into a large bowl – Mix on High
(electric hand mixer) for 1-2 minutes. Pour Foam into container of choice. (CONSIDER
MAKING THIS AHEAD TO DECIDE IF RECIPE NEEDS TO BE MULTIPLIED!!!)
2. Repeat recipe for additional colors – (i.e. 1 batch Blue, 1 batch Green, 1 batch White, etc.)
3. Add in Ocean animals/ objects/ etc. to enhance play
  Supplies:
 Plastic Ocean Animals, Shells & other Ocean Goodies
 Ingredients in “Sea Foam” recipe listed above
 Sensory Table
 Towels

Move Your Body Like a Sea Creature – Proprioceptive & Vestibular: (5-10 minutes)

 Print, cut out, and then Laminate these Movement Cards prior to session.

 Get some Movements and Wiggles out with a “Move Your Body Like a Sea Creature” game
 Can also use this for transitioning between activities if not wanting to spend time making this
an entire activity.
 Supplies:
o Print these movement Cards – then cut them out and laminate them.

Ocean Sound Exploration & Snack for Cool Down – Auditory & Gustatory: (5-10 minutes)

…
 Set up Sensory Room prior to session:
o Speaker/ Computer to listen to ocean animal noises.
o Print out Ocean Animal Pictures – & hang them on the wall.
o Snack Cups with Swedish fish (sweet & chewy), and Gold Fish Crackers (salty & crunchy) –
 1 snack cup for each child
o If possible, turn on some type of visual to resemble being under water – don’t do this if it will be
too distracting for listening.

 Have Kids Sit Down in Sensory Room

o Once sitting calmly, let them munch on their snack (if still able to have good listening ears)
o Calm-Down activity of listening to Ocean Sounds and having kids guess which animal (from
pictures hung on wall) is making the noise.

 Supplies:
o Animal Pictures Printed
o Snack
  Cups
 Swedish fish
 Gold Fish Crackers
o Something to play Calming Ocean Noises on (speaker, computer, etc.)
o Possibly something visual and calming (but not overly distracting) to give appearance of being
under water)

Possible Ocean Animal Sound Recordings/ Ocean Sounds:

(Try to choose Calming Noises)

 Humpback Whale’s Song:

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WabT1L-nN-E
 ~2:57
o Humpback Whale Songs are passed down over generations and evolve in a similar
fashion to the verbally transmitted tribal lore of Australian Aboriginal Culture from
where the term Songlines is derived.
 Songlines of the Whales Playlist:
 https://soundcloud.com/iwhales/sets
o Second Video - cool video shots of the whales
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsMuvyZdUAk

 Beautiful Whale Sounds:

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfOAn5iApPA

 Dolphin Noises:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpXuMLSaB9o

 Ocean Waves:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f77SKdyn-1Y

 Polar Bear Noises: (maybe skip.. These are kinda scary)

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhAHU1hwnj0
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiE7GNkr9Uo
 Purring noises @1:43

 Sea Lion (barking)/Seals:

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gURGmFEd0i4
 (phone recorded.. Laughing in background)
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1haAWHO8aCo
 (recorded - lots of sounds)

 Sperm Whale Greeting (clicking):

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyr1Y8OqwiY

 Sea Otter:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxCD0Y5o_w0

 Sea Mammal Sounds - boring

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz3UytMUrfE
 Listens to all of them first, then guesses after.

 Another Kid-Friendly Ocean Animals (near or in) sounds

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0icxShITBXY
ANIMAL MOVEMENT CARDS:
ANIMAL PICTURES:

Humpback Whale:

Dolphin:
Sea Otter:

Ocean Waves:
Polar Bear:

Sea Lion:
Sperm Whale Greeting (clicking):