Vegetable Patch 

Around 21 months old my daughter used to love playing with her vegetable and fruit set by Djeco so I picked a few vegetables from the set and made this vegetable patch sensory activity. 

To make the soil I used chocolate cloud dough (cacao with a few spoons of oil) and mixed in a little bit of black rice for an extra sensory layer. 

This activity offers a great opportunity to talk about how vegetables grow (there were seeds in the little packages which I showed to her), and their need for water and sunlight.

After playing with the soil and the vegetables for a little while, A picked them into a small bowl, we took them to her kitchen and washed them to “make” soup.

In addition to providing opportunities to improve fine motor skills and practice practical life skills such as scooping and washing, this activity also helps develop language and build concentration.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

Bringing play to life:

• How about engaging your child into making a real vegetable soup or fruit salad with you?
• How about getting some real soil for this activity?
• How about growing your own vegetables or herbs?