Six Sensory Toys for Autumn

By Anna Hazard

Introduction

Here are a selection of tutorials for various types of sensory toys with explicit autumn themes. These crafts are easy to do for seniors, kids, and whole families and use a variety of common and inexpensive base materials including fresh fall materials such as leaves, twigs, acorns, autumn berries, nuts, and pinecones that can be gathered in outside excursions for further exercise.
 
In addition to acting as normal fall decor, sensory toys can be used as stress relief toys for adults, hand therapy for those with arthritis or other hand strength or dexterity issues, or sensory play which is especially good for kids, people confined to beds, or those in later stages of dementia & Alzheimer's. 

Craft Tutorials

Kinetic Sand

• Also popularly known as Moon Sand, this type of sensory toy is usually takes the form of normal sand that has been coated with a polymer (such as polydimethylsiloxane when it comes to factory produced sand which is often substituted by corn starch in hand made varieties). Other bases such as flour can also be subbed in. Ingredients for Kinetic Sand can commonly be found within normal kitchens such as cooking or vegetable oil, water, and various spices. Kinetic sand coloring can be dyed via food coloring, non-toxic paints, or through the judicious use of brightly colored fruit or vegetable juices for all natural recipes. These tutorials mostly focus on pumpkin & apple flavored varieties, but also include more general fall themed zen gardens & sand writing trays.
• Growing a Jeweled Rose [1, 2, 3] | Parenting Chaos | Healthy Mama Info | Little Bins for Little Hands | Stir the Wonder | The Imagination Tree

Play Dough

• One of the most popular varieties of sensory toys is play doughs which are also particularly helpful when it comes to hand therapy and strengthening exercises. Many variations of recipes exist both cooked & uncooked, all natural, with differing textures and elasticity depending upon the exact ratio of ingredients being used. The most common ingredients used within these types of doughs are found within most kitchens including flour, water, salt, corn starch, baking soda, cream of tartar, and vegetable oil. Various spices will also be needed to give the doughs a more autumn themed scent with food coloring, non-toxic paints, or fruit & vegetables juices & sauces used for coloring. The fall flavors of dough include pumpkin, autumn spice, cloves, apple, cranberries, and cinnamon. Acorns, nuts, berries, and other autumn themed items can be hidden inside the dough for a more mixed tactile experience.
• Mommy Evolution [1, 2, 3] | Emma Owl [1, 2, 3] | Learning Play Imagine | Clares Little Tots | There's Just One Mommy | Natural Beach Living | Small Friendly

Fluff

• Fluffs range from a softer variety of dough to a more thicker-bodied variation of slime, but in general are some of the easiest types of sensory toys to manipulate for those who may have more extreme hand strength issues. Depending upon the exact recipe and ratio being uses, some types of fluffs may be more likely to leave residue behind when being handled. The most common materials used for fluffs are common household items such as shaving cream, glue, baking soda, and starch with spices added for more autumnal scents. Food coloring and fruit/vegetable juices, sauces, or purees are used to give fluffs their general color. These tutorials mostly focus on variations of pumpkin (regular, spiced, marshmallow), but also include candy corn, apple, and cinnamon varieties.
• Teaching Mama | Little Bins for Little Hands [1, 2] | Housing a Forest | I Heart Arts n Crafts [1, 2] | Schooling a Monkey | The Imagination Tree

Slime

• Slimes (along with doughs) are some of the most ubiquitous of the sensory toys, especially when it comes to do-it-yourself homemade varieties. There are many different types that can be made that use a wide range of materials including glue (preferably clear), liquid starch, water, baking soda, saline, borax, or laundry detergent. A few varieties are available that are made with all natural ingredients such as cornstarch & fruit sauces. Additional components such as glitter, food coloring, confetti, scented spices or fragrance oil, rhinestones, and other small fall themed ornaments can be added for greater visual, tactile, and olfactory sensory input. Similar to fluffs, depending upon the exact ingredients being used (ie borax tends to make a less messy, firmer jiggly slime), homemade slimes can sometimes leave a residue behind during their use. Flavors for fall themed sensory & stress relief slimes include apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, candycorn, and also a selection of non-scented fall foliage themed slimes.
• Little Bins for Little Hands [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] | Steam Powered Family | Craftulate | Kimspired DIY | Growing a Jeweled Rose | Teaching Mama | Natural Beach Living

Sensory Bottles

• These types of sensory toys are particularly suited for stress relief or calming anxieties much in the same way that lava lamps and other liquid motion stress relievers. They also can pull double duty as brightly themed autumnal decor inside the house or wherever a bit of tension relief may be required. The included tutorials use both fresh materials (such as leaves, berries, acorns, twigs and other natural items that can be gathered outside as another fun fall activity) or artificial craft supplies in the shape of natural items (which will inevitably extend the life of the sensory bottles beyond their all natural versions). The containers can be jars, water bottles (Voss is a particularly favorite brand due to its unique shape), or any other suitable transparent, water-proof vessel. Besides the decorations, sensory bottles can use water, glycerin (which is longer lasting but must be purchased from hobby or craft stores ), lamp oil (another special purchase), or corn syrup as its base.
• The Soccer Mom Blog | Teaching Mama [1, 2, 3] | Rhythms of Play | Kids Craft Room | Little Bins for Little Hands | The Chaos and the Clutter

Sensory Bags

• A more tactile, if less decorative, variation on sensory bottles, these sensory bags can be crafted from easy-to-find & inexpensive materials. Ziplock, freezer, or other water-tight sealable bags are the most common base material with clear hair gel added for extra tactile squishiness. A variation of cooking oil or corn syrup can be subbed in for a more natural sensory bag. Decorative materials can be gathered fresh from the outdoors as part of a fun autumnal scavenger hunt or artificial craft items can be subbed in for more durable, longer lasting bags. As opposed to items collected for sensory bottles, decorations should be flat enough to fit easily within the confines of the bag (such as many types of real & artifical leaves) and should have an interesting texture to be a more stimulating tactile experience (kernels, acorns, seeds, and squishy pumpkin innards are particular favorites).
• Views from a Step Stool | Fantastic Fun & Learning [1, 2] | My Unentitled Life | Parenting Chaos | Kids Craft Room | Fun Littles