Arctic Animals: A Sensory Writing Activity
Pinterest did me in. I love all of the ideas I see on Pinterest. Some turn out. Some… let’s just go with not so much. I keep seeing all of these sensory bins, and it inspired me to create my own for our lesson on arctic animals.
I’m super excited about how this Arctic animal sensory bin came out. Since my older daughter is in 3rd grade now, I really wanted to tie it into an academic lesson. So, I decided to combine some science and some language arts with the activity.
Before we got to the Arctic animal sensory play, we watched National Geographic’s video, “Really Wild Animals.” I gave my daughter a clipboard so she could take notes. After the movie, we discussed the difference between the Arctic Circle and Antarctica.
Arctic Animals Sensory Bin
Finally, I broke out the Arctic animal sensory bin. The sensory bin had water beads, ice, fake snow, and 10 plastic toys from the Arctic Toob. The toys were a harp seal, husky, caribou, arctic rabbit, killer whale, walrus, arctic fox, igloo, and polar bear.
Arctic Animal Fact Cards With QR Codes
As each toy was found, I had my daughter use my phone to scan the QR code on a card with the matching picture to go to a website to learn about it. She really got into reading about each animal. Grab the Arctic animal fact cards I made below.
Once she had scanned all of the cards and checked out the websites, I gave her a little bit of time to play in the sensory bin and think about what she might see if we were to travel to the Arctic Circle.
Once she had gathered her ideas, it was time to write. I asked her to tell me about an adventure in the Arctic Circle, and then I had her write about an adventure in the Arctic Circle. By this point, she had plenty of background knowledge to draw from.
The whole activity lesson was a hit! We will be finishing the writing and adding some art next week. I can’t wait to see the final product.
I’d love to hear how you are incorporating sensory activities, play, and art in the classroom. What ideas do you have for getting your kids engaged?
