There is definitely way more to Shavuot than dairy and ice cream, but activities with ice cream always bring excitement to the people in our house so I really looked forward to sharing this Shavuot Cloud Dough Ice Cream Sensory Bin with my littles today. And it did not disappoint!
Cloud dough is such a fun sensory texture. We are so used to playing with playdough that it’s really great to explore different textures every now and then.
It’s also super easy to talk about the connection of dairy to Shavuot while playing with this sensory bin. Meaningful learning experiences while having fun is always how I like my kids to experience Judaism!
What You’ll Need
- Thin bendable cardboard
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Flour
- Vegetable oil
- Sprinkles
- Ice cream scoop and/or spoons
Putting It Together
- Make your cardboard ice cream cones by cutting rectangles from your cardboard, then bending and twisting them into the cone shape. Staple them into place and cut off any excess.
- Make your sprinkle cloud dough by combining the flour, oil and sprinkles. I did not use a recipe for our usage today and just eyeballed then tested it with my hands. But check out this recipe from Tinkerlab if you want more guidance.
- Add the sprinkle cloud dough to a sensory bin or tray.
- Set out the DIY cardboard cones, ice cream scoop and spoons.
- Invite your child to explore the Shavuot Cloud Dough Ice Cream Sensory Bin (scooping up the dough and filling up the cones might be a fun experience to try).
Finished & Loving It!
This was such a fun sensory experience! At first the kids thought the cloud dough was real ice cream which made me pretty proud. I did caution them not to eat it! But instead, to create their own fun ice cream cones. They especially loved the sprinkles!
The kids were also impressed by the DIY cardboard ice cream cones. Yay! They were so easy to make. There are definitely plastic ones available at places like Walmart, but I loved the idea of making our own and using recycled materials.
As always, I loved observing the kids in their play. They started using the ice cream scoop and spoons and filling up the cones. Then they discovered that the cloud dough can mold together to form balls in their hands. So fun! And finally, there was some full hand and arm pushing and scooping action. It’s really incredible the versatility of sensory fillers and the creativity of the children playing with them.
I designed a few other ice cream sensory bins for the preschool so plan to do them with my own kiddos too. The scooping and pouring are practical life skills and such a fun way to practice concentration, focus and spatial awareness. And, like I said, it’s also a simple way to remind the kiddos that on Shavuot we traditionally eat dairy foods to remind us that the Torah is sweet like milk and honey. Yum!
If you want to see these kiddos playing with the Shavuot Cloud Dough Ice Cream Sensory Bin, check out our reel on Instagram!
We have a whole page dedicated to Shavuot, our Shavuot Hub. Check it out! It will include some of the Shavuot activities we do this year, as well as the activities we’ve done in previous years.
And don’t forget our Shavuot Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards, and our Shavuot Activity Pack, a wonderful way to introduce the holiday!
Check out our recommended Shavuot books from our Bookshop.org Shop!
The following sites are amazing resources for learning more about this holiday:
Chag Sameach!!
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[…] you want more Shavuot ice cream sensory bin fun, check out the Shavuot Cloud Dough Ice Cream Sensory Bin we explored earlier in the week! Later this week we will set up a Shavuot Cotton Ball Ice Cream […]