# Sound Soup
> Drop lots of small jingle bells into a shiny metal bowl of scented, colored water. Kids stir, scoop and serve the noisy "soup" with tongs. It's a Christmas sensory bin that adds sound to the usual touch and sight.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-for-kids-sound-soup/
- Ages: 3–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium
- Time: prep 10 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 1 kids
- Skills: sensory-exploration, auditory, fine-motor, sink-and-float, pretend-play, sorting
- Cautions: food-dye, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 3 pack Small jingle bells, mixed colors (red, green, gold, silver)
- Large snowflake cutout jingle bells
- 1 piece Tongs
- 1 piece Shiny metal bowl or tray (household)
- Water (household)
- Peppermint extract
- Food coloring
- Small clear bowls or cups (optional) (household)

## Safety
- The small bells are about the size of a garbanzo bean, which is a choking hazard. Supervise closely, and don't offer them to children who still put things in their mouths.
- Supervise water play at all times, and wipe up spills so no one slips.
- The scented, colored water is not for drinking. An adult adds the peppermint extract, just a few drops, and keeps it away from eyes.
- Don't add salt to the water. The author found the salt messed up the bells.
- Food coloring can stain hands, clothes and surfaces.

## Steps
1. Pour water into a shiny metal bowl or tray.
2. Add a few drops of peppermint extract and some food coloring to scent and color the water.
3. Slowly add the small jingle bells. Watch which ones sink right away and which ones float for a while.
4. Keep adding bells until you have a big pile of colorful bell soup.
5. Mix the bell soup with the tongs and listen to all the jingling.
6. Drop in the larger bells and turn the soup into a pretend restaurant dish.
7. Use the tongs to pick up bells and serve dishes to your customer.
8. Sort the bells into small bowls to make new dishes, like golden cupcakes.

## Tips
- Just remember to use a metal container while creating the soup to have the best time.
- Use peppermint extract and food coloring to color and scent the water. Our peppermint salt messed up the bells.
- Mixing is generally fun for kids, but add sound and it's something they don't want to stop doing.
- Small bells about the size of a garbanzo bean were perfect for our kind of play.
- Watching some bells sink immediately and others float is a chance to think, explore, hypothesize and investigate.
- Leave it to the kids to come up with the best ideas. Ours declared the green, white and gold bells were peppers and made a hot and spicy pepper soup.
- This one was created and run by our 6-year-old.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2014)

While stimulating all the five senses during [**sensory activities for kids**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/sensory-bins/) is important, most of the attention goes to touch and sight. Most children thrive very much on feeling and enjoying the texture of any given sensory materials. Bet it gooey play { **snow goop** anyone?} or running their hands through [**scented rice**](https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-for-kids-tropical-fruits-sensory-rice-recipe/) or [**cornmeal**](https://www.funlittles.com/tag/cornmeal/). { All [**messy play ideas**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/messy-play-2/) here} However the sense of sound hasn't really got any attention here in our household. Today's sensory play idea is yet again a Christmas sensory activity. Best of all - this is created and implemented by by 6 year old. Ooh and it involves jingle bells. Brace yourself for more jingle bell activities { Stop by our [**jingle cups**](https://www.funlittles.com/christmas-crafts-kids-homemade-ornaments-foam-cups/) post}

- **[Jingle Bells](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0062TJGRQ/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Large Snowflake Cutout Jingle Bells](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OYBZZDI/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Tongs](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00359FBCA/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Peppermint Extract](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004166T04/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **Metal Container**
- **Water**

### Sensory Activities for Kids : Jingle Soup -- Process

She started with a shiny bowl of water. Then insisted on adding our [**peppermint salt**](https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-kids-peppermint-writing-tray/) from our writing tray. But I strongly suggest adding peppermint extract and food coloring to color and scent the water. The salt content messed up our bells..  Then she slowly added all the small bells we had purchased. These bells are really small about the size of a garbanzo bean. They were perfect for our kind of play. While adding the bells, she watched how some bells sank immediately and some took time to sink. A few for floating for a longer time. See how sensory activities for kids can be used to think, explore, hypothesize and investigate. { Have you seen our [***P*******l***ayful Learning : Science and Math Activities for kids***](https://www.funlittles.com/category/science-2/) book?}  We ended up adding all the 3 packs of jingle bells we had. 

### I can't stress how gorgeous this entire soup creation experience was. All the colors of the bells mixed along with the peppermint aroma was just screaming "Christmas sensory activity"

Then came the best part. Once all the bells were added she started having tremendous amount of fun "mixing the bell soup" Why was it oh-so-fun? Well because it made insane amount of sound. Generally mixing is fun for kids. But add sound to that, then its something they don't want to stop doing.



Later, she added slightly larger bells because the focus had shifted to "playing restaurant" { Christmas sensory play and **role play**}. Leave it to the kids to come up with the best sensory activity ideas. She declared that the green, white and gold bells were different colored peppers and she was making a hot and spicy pepper soup.

 She really enjoyed using the tongs during play time and started creating some unique dishes for the customer { me of course!}  Golden soup is served.  Then sensory activity morphed into so much more and she started sorting them into several bowls.



These are golden cupcakes by the way. They are very good for your health!  Will you try this simple fun "Jingle Soup" during your next playtime with your kids? *Just remember to use a metal container while creating the soup to have the best time.*  ***Some of our favorite "soup" themed sensory activities*** [**Googly Eyes Soup**](http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/10/colored-water-sensory-bin-googly-eye.html) from Fun At Home With Kids [**Fall Leaves soup**](http://www.andnextcomesl.com/2014/09/fall-leaves-soup-water-sensory-play.html) from Next Comes L

Thanks for reading

More **Sensory activities for kids** can be found here.