This edible ocean sensory play tray was a total hit with both my kids, ages 18 months and 3 years old.
It’s pretty easy to put together and looks quite stunning.
The hardest part is waiting for the gelatin to set!
What’s so great about this animal rescue activity is:
🖐It’s great for fine motor development.
⭐️It’s awesome for sensory play.
🗣Toddlers can learn tons of new vocab words (animal names, describing the gelatin, etc.).
👅It’s edible.
👶🏻Using bigger toys and omitting the little pieces makes it perfect for baby play.
Whew! I feel like that’s just the tip of the iceberg… let’s get started making this play tray while I think of more things to love about this activity.
How to Make a Jello Animal Rescue Play Tray
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For the gelatin part, you’ll need:
- unflavored gelatin powder
- water
- food coloring
- heat-safe container (something you can pour boiling water into)
Make the gelatin according to package directions. Add a bit of food coloring if you want.
Let the mixture cool slightly before moving on.
Transfer the mixture to the play container you’re using and add in the ocean toys.
I used:
- ocean animal toys (ours are this baby sea life set by TOOB; also Terra makes a good mini set)
- rocks or seashells
- mixed blue and clear gems
- plastic sea plants (like the aquarium kind)
Refrigerate the whole shebang until firm. Mine took 4 hours.
Lastly, add a bowl and some tongs, and you’re good to go!
Elena (age 3) used tongs to rescue the animals initially. She requested a towel to clean them off with, but ended up just washing the toy animals in the sink later to get them really clean.
Once the animals were out, there was nothing left to do but PLAY WITH THE JELLO.
I made a separate tray for Lia (age 18 months). It’s a good idea to make separate ones for siblings if you can.
I want them to learn to share, but I also want to keep my own sanity, you know?
She successfully used the tongs once… aaaannnd then switched to hands because it was just more fun.
Here’s a before and after of Lia’s play tray!
You can see she got quite a few things out, but left most of the stuff in and just explored the gelatin.
I probably didn’t need to have quite so much stuff for her in there as she was most fascinated by the gelatin.
Your Turn To Make This Play Tray
No matter how your kids end up playing with this, I guarantee it’ll be a messy good time.
There’s so many things that they will be learning and working on from playing this game: strengthening fine motor muscles, using senses, learning animal names, and even using their imagination.
I hope you’ll give this activity a try!
Below is a printable recipe for the activity.
Jello Animal Play Tray
Supplies
- 2 packets unflavored gelatin powder (about 3 tsp)
- 1 cup cold water
- 3 cups boiling water
- food coloring (optional)
- small plastic animals
- rocks, shells, gems, fake plants (optional)
Instructions
- In a sensory tray or small heat-proof container, pour a cup of cold water and mix with two packets of unflavored gelatin powder until dissolved.
- Pour in boiling water and add food coloring (if using). Stir for one minute.
- Allow mixture to cool slightly before adding animals, rocks, shells, gems, and plants.
- Refrigerate the play tray for 4 hours or until the gelatin has firmed up.
- Remove from the fridge. Use tongs or spoons to dig the animals out and play.
Notes
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