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Summer

DIY Terrarium Play with Jumbo Insects

Looking to get your hands dirty, practice completing a project in sequence, and engage your little learner in some high-interest insect play? Bring the garden indoors with this toddler- and preschooler-approved DIY Terrarium activity, paired with Learning Resources Jumbo Insects!

Materials we used:

Depending on the size of your jar and what you have on hand, there are many ways to build the various layers of a terrarium (and the internet is ripe with ideas). We collected the items listed above for our creation and set up a station in the backyard, so our toddler could be engaged in the process without worrying about any mess involved with assembly. 

To provide visual cues about each step of the process, we illustrated our jar and the layers we planned to include on the dry erase side of the Double-Sided Tabletop Easel and referred back to it as needed (see photo). From bottom to top, this included a base layer of sheet moss, followed by layers of stone, activated charcoal, more moss, potting soil, and then our plants. We then topped everything off with decorative shells, stones, and some Jumbo Insect specimens (of course)! Each layer added visual interest when viewed through the clear glass and created a wild small world for our Jumbo Insects, ready to inspire all kinds of storytelling and language development.

When you make your terrarium, you’ll first need to choose a container. Anything clear with a wide enough mouth to add your plants will do! Then you’ll need to select plants that can fit and thrive inside -- ask the staff at your local garden center/nursery for advice on what might work best. Next, you’ll need to gather the materials for the other layers -- namely, the moss, stones, charcoal, which act as the drainage layers -- as well as the potting soil and any decorative elements that will peak interest of your little learner.

By asking our toddler to help us follow step-by-step instructions for filling our terrarium jar, we practiced organizing items and acting on information in sequence -- essential skills for fostering patience, problem-solving, scientific inquiry, and story comprehension. We also gave her the agency to choose and place the final decorative elements, such as the shells, colorful stones, and (above all) the Jumbo Insects, so even a toddler who might balk at having to follow a specific order in creating the overall terrarium would be engaged and invested to the very end.

What’s more, throughout the entire process, she had many opportunities to engage her senses by both smelling and touching the various elements of our jar, from tickly moss and rich soil to smooth stones and bumpy shells. We also had an entry-level discussion of what all plants need to grow and thrive and developed our insect-related vocabulary by observing, describing, and sharing facts about each of the Jumbo Insects (the Activity Guide that comes with the set includes facts for each insect). All-in-all, this project provides so many learning opportunities and leaves us with a beautiful terrarium to enjoy long after.

Are you looking to adapt or extend your play and learning even further? 

  • Counting, Sorting & Imaginary Play: Pair this activity with Learning Resources “In the Garden Critter Counters” for additional opportunities to extend your bug-themed learning, including everything from sensory bins or small world play, to counting or color sorting activities. The possibilities are nearly endless! 
  • Outdoor Bug Hunt: Get inspired by Jumbo Insects and head outdoors to the backyard or neighborhood park for a real insect hunt! Grab a bug net, magnifying glass, or binoculars (ours are made out of cardboard TP rolls!) and get ready for some simple, science-based exploration.
  • Bookish Play: Complement and extend your child’s learning by pairing this activity with bug/insect-themed books. Some of our favorites include:
    • Hank’s Big Day: The Story of a Bug (Evan Kuhlman)
    • The Big Book of Bugs (Yuval Zommer) 
    • Some Bugs (Angela DiTerlizzi)
    • Mrs. Peanuckle’s Bug Alphabet (Illus. Jessie Ford)
    • Pairs! In the Garden (Smriti Prasadam-Halls)
    • Plus any number of Eric Carle picture books! 

DIY Terrarium Play with Jumbo Insects

Looking to get your hands dirty, practice completing a project in sequence, and engage your little learner in some high-interest insect play? Bring the garden indoors with this toddler- and preschooler-approved DIY Terrarium activity, paired with Learning Resources Jumbo Insects!

Materials we used:

Depending on the size of your jar and what you have on hand, there are many ways to build the various layers of a terrarium (and the internet is ripe with ideas). We collected the items listed above for our creation and set up a station in the backyard, so our toddler could be engaged in the process without worrying about any mess involved with assembly. 

To provide visual cues about each step of the process, we illustrated our jar and the layers we planned to include on the dry erase side of the Double-Sided Tabletop Easel and referred back to it as needed (see photo). From bottom to top, this included a base layer of sheet moss, followed by layers of stone, activated charcoal, more moss, potting soil, and then our plants. We then topped everything off with decorative shells, stones, and some Jumbo Insect specimens (of course)! Each layer added visual interest when viewed through the clear glass and created a wild small world for our Jumbo Insects, ready to inspire all kinds of storytelling and language development.

When you make your terrarium, you’ll first need to choose a container. Anything clear with a wide enough mouth to add your plants will do! Then you’ll need to select plants that can fit and thrive inside -- ask the staff at your local garden center/nursery for advice on what might work best. Next, you’ll need to gather the materials for the other layers -- namely, the moss, stones, charcoal, which act as the drainage layers -- as well as the potting soil and any decorative elements that will peak interest of your little learner.

By asking our toddler to help us follow step-by-step instructions for filling our terrarium jar, we practiced organizing items and acting on information in sequence -- essential skills for fostering patience, problem-solving, scientific inquiry, and story comprehension. We also gave her the agency to choose and place the final decorative elements, such as the shells, colorful stones, and (above all) the Jumbo Insects, so even a toddler who might balk at having to follow a specific order in creating the overall terrarium would be engaged and invested to the very end.

What’s more, throughout the entire process, she had many opportunities to engage her senses by both smelling and touching the various elements of our jar, from tickly moss and rich soil to smooth stones and bumpy shells. We also had an entry-level discussion of what all plants need to grow and thrive and developed our insect-related vocabulary by observing, describing, and sharing facts about each of the Jumbo Insects (the Activity Guide that comes with the set includes facts for each insect). All-in-all, this project provides so many learning opportunities and leaves us with a beautiful terrarium to enjoy long after.

Are you looking to adapt or extend your play and learning even further? 

  • Counting, Sorting & Imaginary Play: Pair this activity with Learning Resources “In the Garden Critter Counters” for additional opportunities to extend your bug-themed learning, including everything from sensory bins or small world play, to counting or color sorting activities. The possibilities are nearly endless! 
  • Outdoor Bug Hunt: Get inspired by Jumbo Insects and head outdoors to the backyard or neighborhood park for a real insect hunt! Grab a bug net, magnifying glass, or binoculars (ours are made out of cardboard TP rolls!) and get ready for some simple, science-based exploration.
  • Bookish Play: Complement and extend your child’s learning by pairing this activity with bug/insect-themed books. Some of our favorites include:
    • Hank’s Big Day: The Story of a Bug (Evan Kuhlman)
    • The Big Book of Bugs (Yuval Zommer) 
    • Some Bugs (Angela DiTerlizzi)
    • Mrs. Peanuckle’s Bug Alphabet (Illus. Jessie Ford)
    • Pairs! In the Garden (Smriti Prasadam-Halls)
    • Plus any number of Eric Carle picture books! 

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Grow It! Garden Sensory Play - Two Ways!

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Grow It! Garden Sensory Play - Two Ways!

In our neighborhood, the snow has melted and the sun is shining, so we have spring-themed sensory and pretend play on the brain! For this activity, we combined our Learning Resources New Sprouts Grow It! gardening set with two simple sensory bin set-ups: one made up of dry sensory materials and relatively easy to clean up, the other wet, messier, and requiring a bit more prep work. Depending on the amount of time you have and the sensory experience you want to provide, both are great ways to engage your toddler in some seasonal learning fun!

What You'll Need to Get Started

Materials we used for both activity set-ups:

Additional materials we used for the dry sensory set-up:

  • Black and/or brown beans (to represent dirt or plant seeds)
  • Green and brown shredded paper (to represent grass)

Additional materials we used for the wet sensory set-up:

  • Water
  • Cocoa Oobleck (to represent mud)
  • Vegetable scrub brush
  • Measuring cup/spoon

The New Sprouts Grow It! gardening set includes three small pots, mix-and-match flowers and vegetables to ‘plant’ inside, a small shovel, and a watering can -- all bright, colorful, and easy to clean!

Setting up our dry sensory bin was very easy -- we simply poured black and brown beans into our bin and added some shredded paper for grass-like textures before introducing our Grow It! set to the mix.

For the wet sensory bin activity, we added the New Sprouts Grow It! set to a larger storage tupperware tub and then placed two smaller bins inside to help contain the mess. Even still, we recommend keeping wet wipes nearby and/or throwing down a towel around the play area to make clean-up even easier. We set ours up in the bathroom, so we could transition right to bath time immediately after our messy sensory play! 

Inside the two smaller tubs, we included (1) water and (2) cocoa ‘mud’ oobleck. To make the cocoa oobleck, simply use a rubber spatula or your hands to mix cornstarch (about 1.5 cups), water (about 1 cup), and cocoa powder (for mud-like color, about 3 tablespoons) together until you reach the desired consistency. 

Both sensory activity set-ups gave our toddler the opportunity to independently role play gardening -- just like she saw her parents do in her backyard last year when she wasn’t nearly as independently mobile! 

There are so many learning benefits to simple, playful set-ups like these sensory bins. Tactile, open-ended imaginary and sensory play helps to foster fine motor development and confidence with posting, scooping, and pouring skills. We also worked on our social skills by sharing and taking turns with each of the gardening tools and toys

Further, while pretending to plant and water each flower or vegetable, we tried out new garden-themed vocabulary -- ‘petals,’ ‘stem,’ ‘soil,’ ‘dig,’ ‘scoop,’ and ‘pour,’ etc. -- which presented valuable, contextualized opportunities for her overall language development. There were also ample opportunities to practice color recognition by identifying the hue of each pot, veggie, flower and sensory bin material. 

In the dry sensory bin, we made early math skills fun by counting the ‘dirt’ beans or seeds, as well as the petals and leaves on each plant. The wet sensory bin fillers allowed our budding gardener to practice pouring water from the set’s toy watering can and mimic rinsing and scrubbing off mud-streaked root vegetables from a springy, rain-soaked garden. Real gardening is rarely a tidy activity, after all!

All in all, the New Sprouts Grow It! set is a win in our book. We can’t wait to bring it outside this summer and let her explore it in the real mud kitchen! No matter how we present it to our child, we know it will build her curiosity and confidence and prepare her to assist in our backyard garden. 

Looking to adapt or extend your garden-themed play and learning even further? 

  • Explore and discuss what real plants need to grow (water, sunlight, soil, etc.).
  • Get out the paper and crayons and plot out your own future or imaginary garden. What vegetables or herbs would your child want to grow? Where would they plant them?
  • Compare the pretend garden pieces in the Grow It! set with examples from fiction and non-fiction picture books. Diverse, inclusive and engaging titles we enjoyed reading this week to complement our imaginary play and reinforce our learning included:
    • Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn (picture book)
    • If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson (picture book)
    • Errol’s Garden by Gillian Hibbs (picture book)
    • My Garden by Kevin Henkes (picture book)
    • Mrs. Peanuckle's Vegetable Alphabet and Flower Alphabet (board books)
Grow It! Garden Sensory Play - Two Ways!

Join our email list for more free activities!

Grow It! Garden Sensory Play - Two Ways!

In our neighborhood, the snow has melted and the sun is shining, so we have spring-themed sensory and pretend play on the brain! For this activity, we combined our Learning Resources New Sprouts Grow It! gardening set with two simple sensory bin set-ups: one made up of dry sensory materials and relatively easy to clean up, the other wet, messier, and requiring a bit more prep work. Depending on the amount of time you have and the sensory experience you want to provide, both are great ways to engage your toddler in some seasonal learning fun!

What You'll Need to Get Started

Materials we used for both activity set-ups:

Additional materials we used for the dry sensory set-up:

  • Black and/or brown beans (to represent dirt or plant seeds)
  • Green and brown shredded paper (to represent grass)

Additional materials we used for the wet sensory set-up:

  • Water
  • Cocoa Oobleck (to represent mud)
  • Vegetable scrub brush
  • Measuring cup/spoon

The New Sprouts Grow It! gardening set includes three small pots, mix-and-match flowers and vegetables to ‘plant’ inside, a small shovel, and a watering can -- all bright, colorful, and easy to clean!

Setting up our dry sensory bin was very easy -- we simply poured black and brown beans into our bin and added some shredded paper for grass-like textures before introducing our Grow It! set to the mix.

For the wet sensory bin activity, we added the New Sprouts Grow It! set to a larger storage tupperware tub and then placed two smaller bins inside to help contain the mess. Even still, we recommend keeping wet wipes nearby and/or throwing down a towel around the play area to make clean-up even easier. We set ours up in the bathroom, so we could transition right to bath time immediately after our messy sensory play! 

Inside the two smaller tubs, we included (1) water and (2) cocoa ‘mud’ oobleck. To make the cocoa oobleck, simply use a rubber spatula or your hands to mix cornstarch (about 1.5 cups), water (about 1 cup), and cocoa powder (for mud-like color, about 3 tablespoons) together until you reach the desired consistency. 

Both sensory activity set-ups gave our toddler the opportunity to independently role play gardening -- just like she saw her parents do in her backyard last year when she wasn’t nearly as independently mobile! 

There are so many learning benefits to simple, playful set-ups like these sensory bins. Tactile, open-ended imaginary and sensory play helps to foster fine motor development and confidence with posting, scooping, and pouring skills. We also worked on our social skills by sharing and taking turns with each of the gardening tools and toys

Further, while pretending to plant and water each flower or vegetable, we tried out new garden-themed vocabulary -- ‘petals,’ ‘stem,’ ‘soil,’ ‘dig,’ ‘scoop,’ and ‘pour,’ etc. -- which presented valuable, contextualized opportunities for her overall language development. There were also ample opportunities to practice color recognition by identifying the hue of each pot, veggie, flower and sensory bin material. 

In the dry sensory bin, we made early math skills fun by counting the ‘dirt’ beans or seeds, as well as the petals and leaves on each plant. The wet sensory bin fillers allowed our budding gardener to practice pouring water from the set’s toy watering can and mimic rinsing and scrubbing off mud-streaked root vegetables from a springy, rain-soaked garden. Real gardening is rarely a tidy activity, after all!

All in all, the New Sprouts Grow It! set is a win in our book. We can’t wait to bring it outside this summer and let her explore it in the real mud kitchen! No matter how we present it to our child, we know it will build her curiosity and confidence and prepare her to assist in our backyard garden. 

Looking to adapt or extend your garden-themed play and learning even further? 

  • Explore and discuss what real plants need to grow (water, sunlight, soil, etc.).
  • Get out the paper and crayons and plot out your own future or imaginary garden. What vegetables or herbs would your child want to grow? Where would they plant them?
  • Compare the pretend garden pieces in the Grow It! set with examples from fiction and non-fiction picture books. Diverse, inclusive and engaging titles we enjoyed reading this week to complement our imaginary play and reinforce our learning included:
    • Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn (picture book)
    • If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson (picture book)
    • Errol’s Garden by Gillian Hibbs (picture book)
    • My Garden by Kevin Henkes (picture book)
    • Mrs. Peanuckle's Vegetable Alphabet and Flower Alphabet (board books)
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