Sensory Play with Peanut Shells

Over the summer my kids discovered a love of peanuts (just the ones in their shells, mind you).  I think they really just like to try to crush the shells and make a bit of a mess, which is why I decided to start saving our peanut shells for some sensory play.  (Please keep in mind that children who are allergic to peanuts should not use the shells or any form of a peanut in sensory play!)

Once we had a nice collection of shells, I brought out our sensory bin, poured in the peanut shells and added a few of the trucks we sometimes use with our sensory bins.  I also sat out some of our play dishes, figuring they might spend time filling cups and bowls with the shells.

Like I expected, they both had fun crushing the shells into smaller bits with their fingers.  They also loaded up the mini dump trucks and eventually started filling the plastic cups to overflowing point.

That’s when I suggested we add something to our peanut shells.

My son’s first reaction was, “Shaving cream!”  While shaving cream is always fun, I just didn’t think it would mix well with the shells…

Sand on the other hand?  That sounded like a treasure hunt in the making!

While they continued exploring the peanut shells, I grabbed a small bucket of sand and a cup of trinkets I had stored away for a rainy day.

They watched while I spread the trinkets in with the shells and then covered the whole thing with sand.

Armed with some mini strainers, they started sifting through the sand, leaving just shells and the occasional trinket in their strainers.

They had a blast searching for their buried treasure!  In fact, once they found all the items, they asked me to hide them twice more.  

What unusual things have you used for sensory play?  Have you held a mini treasure hunt yet?    (We actually had a bigger treasure hunt last year on pirate day.)

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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