Satisfying Slime

Activity Overview

Exposure to different types of textures and sensations allows the body to better move through the world and builds our tolerance for frustration. This activity is one that can be difficult for children who are averse to slimy textures, but through practice and continued exposure, will help develop acceptance for new sensations, even the gloopy ones! For those who love tactile input, this activity will not only be very satisfying, but the water brings out the oils in the flax seeds, which means they’ll come away from it with clean hands! Keep in mind this activity can be a little bit messy, so we recommend placing towels on the floor under the bin and having them on hand for when the student is finished playing.

What You Need

• Sensory bin

• One bag of flax seeds (or two if you have a large sensory bin)

• Approximately four cups warm water (or enough to fill your sensory bin about ⅓ of the way up)

• Towels

Steps

1. Place the flax seeds into the sensory bin and add the water until it reaches a “just right” consistency - not too liquidy, not too solid.

2. Remind the student of the Sensory Bin Rules

3. Allow the student to explore the materials on their own for about 5–10 minutes.

4. After they have had a chance to explore, add some tools like spoons or scoops and loose parts, such as stones or shells.

5. This concoction will only last a day or so, so enjoy it! Compost it and make a fresh batch when you are ready to try it again.

Guiding Questions

• How does it feel?

• How does it look?

• How does it smell?

• How does it sound?

• How can we move this material around?

Extensions

• Flax seeds will work well as a sensory material on their own without water. If you’d like to use the material on consecutive days, leave the water out and just put the flax seeds in the bin. Change the loose parts each day, or every two days, so that the student always has the opportunity to go deeper and gain more exposure through new materials in a familiar substance. You can add kitchen utensils, rocks, shells, animal figures, action figures, cars, sticks, gems or anything else that you think the student would like to explore.