I started putting this candy cane sensory activity together for Sam when he was two years old. Sam loves sensory bins and had been begging me for a “smell good sensory bin” all week. I’ve finally been feeling well enough to comply, and set this up for them to find.

It’s just baking soda, vinegar, food coloring and peppermint essential oil. I added a couple of plastic candy canes to help them make the association with the peppermint smell.

I gave Timmy a dropper and two small measuring spoons to use. Sam got a dropper and medicine syringe thing-a-ma-jig.

This was Timmy’s first time taking part in this little activity and with the peppermint essential oil smell added to the vinegar it made it a very aromatic experience for all of us. I just sat and watched and enjoyed the aromatherapy. 🙂 The syringe was a huge hit with Sam. It allowed him to really squirt the liquid a little more forcefully giving the explosive effects more pizzazz.

I loved watching them process and experiment. And of course it always ends with getting a little messy! Who doesn’t love a little gooey texture between the fingers every now and then.

They loved it and spent nearly half an hour exploring. I love creating memories with these two boys!