Sensory Play: Magic Mud

We've talked about making your own homemade sensory toys before (like the bag, bottles and tube) but there are all sorts of other fun sensory play activities you can do too! Everyone in our household has been hit with a stomach bug this week, so the last few days have been pretty miserable all around with little chance of getting outside. Daddy was home from work today sick too, so we decided to have some group sensory fun this afternoon to help cheer everyone up a little bit and we made MAGIC MUD.

MAGIC MUD is so much fun to play with and although it can make a big mess it's really easy to clean up afterwards and washes out of clothes no problem. It tastes horrible, so if your little tries to stick some in their mouth they likely won't try that again! (and it won't hurt them if they do eat it)

So to make your own MAGIC MUD you'll need:

Materials:

- 2 cups of cornstarch

- 1 cup of water

- a large tray

- a tarp or newspapers (for easy cleaning)

- play clothes or a smock

- a damp rag for clean-up

Directions:

1. Lay your tarp or newspaper on the floor to cover the area you want to play in.

2. Combine cornstarch and water in your tray and let sit for a minute for the water to dissolve into the cornstarch.

3. Set the tray down on your tarp and start playing!

So, what makes MAGIC MUD so awesome you ask? The fact that you get to watch it change states right before your eyes. If you keep a pile of it moving in your hands it looks like a solid, and as soon as you stop and hold it still it seems to melt away between your fingers! You can scoop it up, melt it between your fingers, make a ball with it, squish it, draw in it with your fingers and then do it all over again! As you can tell from the photos, the boy-o had a great time and it pretty much blew his mind! Photo #2 is my favourite... he looks so intense trying to sort it all out.