# Beach Small World Play
> Bring the beach inside: build a blue play dough shoreline in a flat tub, with sand on one side and blue water and shaving cream 'sea foam' on the other. Then add little people and shells for story play.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-beach-small-world-play/
- Ages: 4–8 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: high
- Time: prep 15 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group · one batch serves about 2 kids
- Skills: imaginative-play, storytelling, sensory-exploration, fine-motor
- Cautions: wheat-gluten, food-dye, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 1 piece Flat tub or shallow storage bin (household)
- Blue play dough
- Clean play sand
- Blue colored water (household)
- Shaving cream
- Little toys (little people, a teeny tiny chair) (household)
- Shells
- 1 piece Muffin liner and toothpick (for a beach umbrella) (optional) (household)

## Safety
- Shaving cream is not taste-safe. Keep it away from eyes and mouths, and wash hands after play.
- Always supervise water play, even in a shallow tub.
- Shells, little toys and the toothpick umbrella are small or pointy parts. Not suitable for kids who still mouth things.
- Set the tub up exactly where the kids will play so you are not carrying a sloshing tub of water.

## Before you start
- Gather or make a big lump of blue play dough.
- Color a container of water blue.

## Steps
1. Put the flat tub exactly where the kids will play.
2. Shape a big lump of blue play dough into a shoreline across the tub. Make it a high, thick wall.
3. Add clean play sand on one side of the shoreline.
4. Pour blue colored water on the other side and check the play dough wall holds it back.
5. Squirt a bit of shaving cream on the water for sea foam and waves.
6. Set a few little people, a tiny chair and shells on the sand.
7. Stick a muffin liner on a toothpick for a beach umbrella.
8. Send the little people for a swim, maybe in a muffin-liner 'circle boat'.
9. When the stories are done, knock down the wall and mix the sand, water and play dough.

## Tips
- Make the shoreline more like a wall to prevent water seeping through. The higher and thicker the wall, the better.
- Set up the sensory activity exactly where the kids will be playing. You don't want to be moving the tub around, sloshing water all over.
- My 4 year old loves it best when there are fewer elements. The fewer items in the sensory activity, the greater the imagination.
- Close-up shots make small world play look complicated, but the whole setup is really simple.
- This one suits older kids. If my toddler were around, the ocean and beach would have been mixed up in a few seconds.
- Don't like to waste the play dough? Let the soaked play dough dry for a while, then try the dried play dough and water idea from Learn with Play at Home.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013)

Sensory activity suitable for kids 4 years and above who love to play and create stories with small worlds.

- Sand
- Blue Colored water
- Blue play dough
- Shaving Cream
- Little toys, shells

Summer is upon us and let's bring the beach inside. Small world play is a wonderful experience for the kids - they get to be the puppeteer of sorts. This beach/ocean sensory activity one was easy to set up. I took a big lump of blue play dough and fashioned a shoreline in a flat tub. I recommend you make the "shoreline" more like a wall to prevent seepage of water. The higher and thicker the wall is, better it is. Note: Remember to set up the sensory activity exactly at the place the kids will be playing. You don't want to be moving around the tub sloshing water all over. I added clean play sand on one side of the shoreline. On the other side I added blue colored water first. Once I made sure that the play dough was holding off the water I squirted bit of shaving cream to simulate sea foam and waves.

 After this basic idea, everything else was embellishments. How elaborate or how simple you want the sensory activity to be is based on you and your child. My 4 year loves it best when there are fewer elements. With fewer items in the **[sensory activity](https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-desert-sensory-bin/)**, greater the imagination.

 We added a few toys on the sand side - little people, teeny tiny chair. Since I didn't have one of those drinks umbrellas, attached a muffin liner to a toothpick and called it an umbrella. My 4 year old thought it was hilarious! The little people were taking a swim..



Apparently in a "circle boat"

 Somehow close up shots of small world play make them look super complicated and then you think "I don't have the time to put together an elaborate play scene" But this shot will show you how simple it actually is.

 After all that creative play with story lines, full-on sensory play mode kicked it. First came down the play dough wall and all the ocean water gushed in with the sand. We mixed up the sand, water and play dough and that again was such an enjoyable sensory experience.

 This was clearly one of older child's sensory activity ideas. If my toddler were around, the ocean and beach would have been mixed up in a few seconds. Tip: Don't like to waste the play dough? Let the soaked play dough dry for a while. Then try this wonderful **[play dough play idea](http://www.learnwithplayathome.com/2012/07/dried-play-dough-water-invitation-to.html)** from Learn with play at home.

### [**Visit our small world category page.**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/small-world/)

### [**Visit our sensory bins category page**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/sensory-bins/)

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