Sensory Rice

I was searching the internet (yet again) for other blogs about teaching (There's a massive collection out there) and I came across A Woven Education. (Unfortunately this blog no longer exists - 2024)  It's funny after years of teaching, you forget some of those really simple ideas and need a reminder. This is what this post was. There are some other wonderful ideas on the blog, so be sure to check them out.

The focus for Ruth from A Woven Education was to keep it simple. To have children play and experiment with rice, which worked successfully and is certainly needed in educative settings. You can however, use many different tools with rice. I have listed some below.

• Use utensils or cookware from Asian countries e.g. Japanese tea sets, rice bowls, soup spoons etc.
• Kitchen utensils e.g. spoons, bowls, pots, pans
• Bury 'treasure' (photos, toys) in the rice. You could make it match a theme e.g. Transport, Reptiles, School, Home etc
• Bury letters or numbers in the rice. Children can practice reading them when they find them. 
• Use funnels
• Bury photos (preferably laminated) of the students in the rice. You could also use laminated names so students can find their name.
• Scoops and bags of different sizes preferably material bags

The idea of using different tools with the rice, is still to encourage sensory play but also combine it with another skill, which you feel is important for your students to practice.