Gravel Play!

As part of a current fishy interest, we visited the fish section in a local garden centre (thought the £30+ to visit Blue Reef was a touch on the expensive side).  Here I spotted fish tank gravel which I thought would be great in our sensory tray.  The children enjoy this type of play and I thought the gravel would bring a slightly different element to play, being considerably heavier than the normal materials we use, such as pasta and rice.
Initially the children explored the gravel with very few resources, giving the opportunity to find out about its properties such as such as mass and texture.

They then added the resources of their choosing from the box.  I purposefully do not pre-select the resources to be used, as I think children learn more effectively what resources and tools work better with different materials if they have the chance to explore and experiment.

It took a while for J to fill up this clear plastic tube.....

......and careful coordinated actions to pour it into the plastic container.

Here the focus of play was transporting the gravel onto the red dish......

...and then play progressed to filling and emptying the containers.

As we played we talked about whether the containers were full or empty, whether there was space for any more, which were the heaviest / lightest etc.  The gravel also helped develop coordination and strengthen muscles in arms and hands.
Links to EYFS:
CLL: Handwriting (showing control of the use of tools and equipment)
PSRN: Shape, Spaces and Measures (discussing weight and related vocabulary)
PD: Using Equipment and Materials