Monster Swamp Sensory Bin

First, make a few frozen hands! Fill as many rubber gloves as you'd like with water (but leave a little room for the water to expand). Add drops of red or blue food coloring to the water in the gloves if you want to. Tie the open end of the glove in a knot like a balloon. Lay the glove on a plate or a pan and freeze for 4 to 6 hours.

While the frozen hands are in the freezer, make the "brains!" Fill a pot with water and add a few drops of green food coloring to it. Bring the water to a boil and add the noodles. Cook for 10 minutes and drain. Add a little olive oil or butter to keep the noodles from sticking. Place the noodles in a large container with a lid and put the container in the fridge until you are ready to play.

Create more sensory objects! Peel grapes to create "eyeballs." Raisins can be used as creepy bugs. Mini hot dogs might be "fingers."

When the rubber gloves are frozen, rinse them under cool water. Carefully remove the rubber gloves so that you have frozen hands!

When you are ready to play, make your monster swamp! Take the spaghetti noodles out of the fridge. Add the frozen hands, peeled grapes, raisins, and mini hot dogs to the container and lightly toss to mix. You can also add small Halloween toys, like plastic spiders, bats, or frogs.

Invite your child to feel the objects in the sensory bin. First, ask them to close their eyes and put their hand in the monster swamp — if they dare! Then, ask them to guess what they are touching! Have your child open their eyes after a few minutes and encourage them to continue playing. Ask your child to describe what each object feels like. Are they slimy or cold? Squishy or bumpy? How many Halloween words can you and your child use to describe the objects?