Note: This post was first written for my old blog. You will notice that my son is about 2 in these pictures. I have edited this post so that I can share the idea with you. I have also added updated links to help you find the items that I used in this sensory box.
This morning I needed something to keep Matthew busy so that I could get some dishes done. I’ve been saving this archeology sensory box for a just the right day!
This activity brought out some get vocabulary. Some of the words that we talked about were: archeologist, bones, fossils, ribs, and skeleton
I picked up these dinosaur skeletons a couple months ago. The black beans were leftover from the Halloween Party sensory table. Everything else came from toys that Matthew already had laying around: toy pliers, small shovel, paintbrush, plastic hammer, and eyeglasses.
He loved using his “Special Tools” to pick up everything.
And don’t you just love his “scientific” glasses? He did!
He found this rogue bean mixed in with everything else. We called it the dinosaur egg. He LOVED that! For him though, eggs are for eating. So, all of the dinosaurs took turns eating the egg.
I started off by showing him how to find the fossils with his brush and shovel. Then I hid them again and let him find them on his own. After I knew that he was engaged, I moved over to the sink and started the dishes. He played with this box for an hour. When he was finished, he took the dinosaurs into his playroom and played with them some more!
I would call that a win.
Warning: Black beans or any other kind of small material could be a choking hazard. Adult supervision is suggested.
