I originally made this Treasure Tub for my son’s two-year birthday party over the summer. He was born close to the 4th of July so I tried to get a bit festive with it. I colored rice all sorts of shades. These images do not do the rice colors justice.
Treasure Sensory Tub
I have made a few Treasure Tubs over the months. One (below) I keep ready to go in our cabinet.
Things to consider including in a Treasure Tub:
Various beads (local bead shop), gems (Amazon) and mineral stones (local Pet Store) as the “treasures” but honestly digging up most things is exciting for kids. In fact we added little animals, dinosaurs and sea creature figurines (Amazon) too.
I created mini “I Spy Bottles“, which you can see in the photo. I bought the bottles at Storables but I am sure there are great finds like these bottles at thrift stores too. They were 99 cents each. In these mini bottles, I added rice and hid all sorts of goodies in them.
One cool fine motor and practical life aspect to this activity is that the mini bottles are for spices generally and have a top with holes. So my son would screw the top off (and on again) and could shake some of the rice out of the bottle if he was having trouble finding the hidden treasure.
Good scoopers and diggers are a must. I added a measuring cup (own), a tablespoon (own), colored popsicle sticks (super cheap on Amazon) and plastic eggs (Super cheap at Target) left over from Easter. The other key item we included is the hand held pasta strainer.
This tool makes for a wonderful rice sifter. Your child will be thrilled to dig around and sift out hidden gems! Oh, and don’t forget a fun little “treasure bag” (I had this bag buried deep in my dresser to hold jewelry) and magnifying glass, both very important items when one goes on a treasure hunt! My son loves finding treasures and adding them to his treasure pouch. The bag is the small black square in this photo.
The joy is endless with Treasure Tubs. There is the hunt, the exploring, and the general sensory goodness. Watch your child go wild over finding treasures and “dig a little deeper” with his imagination!
Thanks for visiting!
Marnie