The Sensory Table

One of my favorite centers is the water table (AKA sensory table).  I had one in both my preschool and kindergarten classrooms.  This was always the center that EVERYONE wanted to be at.

This is what a good sensory table looks like:

http://amzn.to/pLdlXj

It's standing so children don't have to be stooped over it.  There is a cover for when that center is closed for the day, or part of the day, or for whatever reason you are closing it (we had to close it for kids fighting over it).  Also, there are two sections, which means more kids can be at it at one time. 

Some things I have put in the sensory table:

• Soapy water and things to wash (dishes, babies)
• Water with glitter in it
• Water and toys (boats, turkey basters, small nets and plastic fish)
• Baby oil and buckets
• Wood shavings or sawdust
• Felt pieces/ fabric pieces
• Feathers
• Sand with shovels, pails, plastic bugs, seashells, toy trucks
• Snow (make sure they wear their mittens!)
• Dried peas, beans, pasta, popcorn kernals, or any kind of seed (be careful of grass seed-grass can grow anywhere!) with measuring cups, big spoons, pots
• Aquarium gravel
• Cotton balls with large tweezers to pick up them up
• Hay with toy horses
• Sugar or salt with kitchen items or plastic animal toys
• Leaves, acorns, twigs, pinecones
• Plastic eggs and Easter grass
• Shaving cream!
• Birdseed and toy birds
• Packing peanuts (very messy) hide items in there for them to find
• Large beads and string
• Buttons
• Oatmeal (not cooked)
• Pom-poms with ice cream scoops and cups or fake ice cream cones
• Marbles with melon scoops (the scoop you use to make your melon pieces into balls)
• Magnets and metal objects
• Coffee grounds
• Potato flakes

Really, I could go on and on...Hopefully this is a good starter list for you.