Bringing the beach home...

As the weather has been so lovely this week, Tom and I have wanted to do 'sunshine' related activities. We have been getting out and about and enjoying the beautiful sunshine, but sometimes it is nice to come home and have a cool down in the shade.

Tom and I have found that a really fun activity to do in this weather is to do a 'deconstructed beach'. This becomes a very sensory activity and a lot of fun, this is also great for those people who find it difficult to access a real beach due to being in a wheelchair.

First I gave Tom the stones. These are very special stones collected by Tom's Oupa from his local beach. Tom's Oupa collected them ecspecially because they are all very smooth. Tom enjoyed playing with the stones, another great thing about them is that they are very cooling on the feet, so they are perfect for this hot weather!

Next I introduced the sand to Tom. We use kinetic sand as it has a lovely texture and is heavy enough for Tom to feel it with his feet. I spent some time pouring the sand over Tom's feet and mixing all of the sand in with the stones. The contrast between the stones and the sand is a great talking point for the little ones you are working with.

Finally I added some cool water, not cold as Tom does not respond well to cold. I wanted Tom to feel the sensation of paddling in the sea. Having the sand and the stones beneath your feet makes it feel as though you are in the ocean. Tom enjoyed the cooler water, and because it wasn't warm he was able to stay more engaged with the activity.

You could do this actiity in many different ways, this is just the way that worked for Tom. Next time I will try to mix it up a little bit to make sure that I keep Tom engaged!

Let me know if you have any 'sunshine' activities yourself.