This little sensory fairy mark making activity was cobbled together using a few bits and pieces we already had at home, during one of those moments where we really needed to find something new and interesting to do on a freezing snowy day in the Easter hols!

The dry cornflower has the added benefit of acting a little bit like snow when pressed together and I think Arthur thought I’d been outside to collect some at first!

Naturally, this activity took its own turn and swiftly moved on from a sensory mark making tray to a builder’s tray. After watching a man lay the screed and floor in our extension, Arthur pretended that the cornflour was the cement and rolled it out onto the tray ‘floor’ and filled in the gaps using a spoon. He used the lollipop stick as a floorboard.

To set this activity up, you will need:

Sensory Fairy Mark Making Tray

A tray, box or tub (we used the plastic sink from Arthur’s play kitchen)

Coloured paper - I used an A5 sheet which fitted perfectly

Blutac

Cornflower (or another dry product such as sand if you prefer)

Jewels, sequins, glitter and any other embellishments you have to hand

Plastic wand - for mark making and role play

Lollipop stick - for mark making

Roller - optional extra for smoothing the cornflower

Silver spoon - optional extra for sensory play

sensory fairy mark making tray you will need

How to:

Cut the paper to size if needed and stick this to the base of your tray using blutac or double sided tape.

Fill the base of the tray with your chosen dry sensory product - this could be sand, rice, pasta, couscous, glitter, flour. I used cornflour for its lovely sensory properties and how it feels and behaves when squashed and moved around.

Add in your glitter, jewels, sequins etc to the tray and any mark making materials you can find to make marks in the cornflour such as a paintbrush, sticks, wands, straws etc

This is a great activity to leave your child to explore independently - but don’t forget to scaffold their learning at the start by modelling how to use the activity and giving appropriate language such as:

This cornflour feels very soft...
I wonder what happens if I press the cornflour down...
I wonder what happens if I roll the cornflour....
The cornflour is very smooth....
The cornflour feels silky...
I can make a circle using the lollipop stick ...
What colour is hiding underneath the cornflour...
I can make a curved line...
I can make a straight line....
How many sequins can I find....
I can scoop up the cornflour using this spoon...

For more info on appropriate use of questioning during sensory play, have a look at my blog post Sensory Activities to Develop Speaking and Listening here.