I got everything set up before the classroom door opened. We read our first gingerbread book before opening centers time. Boxes with lids, shaped like gingerbread people. Without hesitation, I put them in my cart and clicked ORDER. My mind starting spinning with the possibilities. What about painting them and using them as gift boxes? Or, using them as a 1:1 correspondence activity? They’d be a great color sorting activity if I painted each one a different color. They’d be loved in the block corner, too! After allowing my mind to come up with lots of possibilities, I knew just how I wanted to use them. In the sensory bin! I fell in love immediately. Our preschoolers love any containers with lids. But gingerbread men? I had never seen these before. I got all giddy, just like when I found the pumpkin jingle bells. Fellow teachers, please tell me I’m not alone here! And so then I knew we needed little gingerbread men bendables to put inside the gingerbread containers. (The original little gingerbread men are no longer available but these should work.) My mind was spinning, I tell you! When my purchases arrived over Thanksgiving break, I was in the kitchen dying rice red and green. While the turkey was defrosting and I needed to get the table cleared and set for guests. Just being real here! But, I did have some restraint. I did NOT go into my classroom during the break. I actually waited until that Monday morning before the preschoolers arrived. When it was centers time, this Christmas gingerbread sensory play activity was an immediate hit. First they wanted to fill the gingerbread house with rice. And then they started playing with the little gingerbread figures.
Grab a gallon sized plastic baggie that can be sealed. Pour about a cup of rice inside the bag. Add about a teaspoon of white vinegar. Add as much coloring as desired. (I love using Wilton icing color!) Seal the bag and shake until the rice is coated well. Open the bag and dump the rice onto a paper towel, spreading it out so it’s a very thin layer. Allow to dry thoroughly.
If you want to have different colors of rice, do the above procedure for each color and then, when dry, mix the colors. Once you have your rice, just add desired accessories to the sensory bin and you are ready to go! If you want more inspiration, check out these other dyed rice sensory bins we’ve loved: Rice and Funnels Fine Motor Sensory Play Rice and Apples Sensory Bin Star Sensory Table Spider Sensory Play Alphabet Flower Sensory Bin They decided to see if they could fit all 12 in one of the gingerbread man boxes. They counted them as they placed them inside. They couldn’t all fit inside, so then they placed one gingerbread boy figure inside each cardboard gingerbread boy box. 1:1 correspondence! Then I noticed the preschoolers lining them up along the edge of the sensory bin. More counting and figuring out that they all weren’t completely the same. You can see a video of our preschoolers actually playing with this on Instagram. We will expand on this activity with some gingerbread man cookie baking tomorrow!
Gingerbread Theme Activities
We love starting the Christmas season with a gingerbread theme! There are so many fun activities out there, just perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. See more here: How to Put Together a Gingerbread Theme
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