Christmas Sensory Activity – How to Make Candy Cane Oobleck
Candy Cane Oobleck is such a fun Christmas sensory activity. Plus, add tongs to pick out candy canes to strengthen hand muscles! Keep on reading to find out how to make it yourself in minutes!
Sensory Play During Holiday Time!
Oobleck is fun to play with anytime of year, but there is something extra special when you add some holiday twists!
By making the oobleck look like candy cane colors, adding a peppermint scent, and small candy canes to be plucked out, this combination is sensory packed and great for fine motor skills too!
For more info about oobleck, check out this article where we share everything you need to know about it!
All activities should be supervised by an adult. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.
Watch How to Make and Play With This Christmas Sensory Activity
It is super simple to make oobleck! At the very least, you just need corn starch and water. Mixing it together and then placing it in a tray will take all of a few minutes to do!
In the video, you’ll see how my kiddos loved exploring the texture, picking out the little candy canes, and then mixing up the white and red colors to make pink!
Watch How to Make and Play With This Christmas Sensory Activity
It is super simple to make oobleck! At the very least, you just need corn starch and water. Mixing it together and then placing it in a tray will take all of a few minutes to do!
In the video, you’ll see how my kiddos loved exploring the texture, picking out the little candy canes, and then mixing up the white and red colors to make pink!
Tips to Make the Most of This Christmas Sensory Activity
A Bowl of Water. Have one nearby! Even kids who love to get messy will want to wash their hands off from time to time and this will really extend the play longer!
Tongs. Add some tongs to the set up to strengthen fine motor skills! Make sure you have a thin layer of oobleck, so that the candy canes don’t fully sink inside it! The texture of the oobleck when resting is hard, so this is a great challenge for kids to remove them using tongs or tweezers!
Add a scent! Peppermint makes the most sense for this set up! It really adds so much more to the sensory experience.
Dilute Before Disposing. When playtime is over, you can either dump the oobleck mixture straight into a trash can, or you can dilute it fully first with water and then flush it down the drain or throw it in the garden!
Materials
- Corn Starch
- Water
- Food Coloring
- Peppermint Extract
- Candy Canes
- Tongs
- Corn Starch
- Water
- Food Coloring
- Peppermint Extract
- Candy Canes
- Tongs
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
White Oobleck: Combine 2 cups cornstarch with 1 cup water and a 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint flavoring.
Step 2
Red Oobleck: Same as the white oobleck, just add a nice squeeze of red food coloring.
Step 3
Add a little bit of each color to a bin, alternating colors. Oobleck spreads quickly, so keep that in mind.
Optional: drop mini candy canes on top for an added fine motor challenge.
Step 1
White Oobleck: Combine 2 cups cornstarch with 1 cup water and a 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint flavoring.
Step 2
Red Oobleck: Same as the white oobleck, just add a nice squeeze of red food coloring.
Step 3
Add a little bit of each color to a bin, alternating colors. Oobleck spreads quickly, so keep that in mind.
Optional: drop mini candy canes on top for an added fine motor challenge.
More Holiday Themed Activities!
This Christmas Activity booklet includes 18 playful learning activities to promote early childhood skills including, alphabet recognition, color recognition, scissor skills, early math, writing, and so much more!
It is a fun bundle to have during the holiday break to keep the kiddos busy, learning, and having fun!
For more printable resources be sure to check out our full collection of worksheets!
More Holiday Themed Activities!
This Christmas Activity booklet includes 18 playful learning activities to promote early childhood skills including, alphabet recognition, color recognition, scissor skills, early math, writing, and so much more!
It is a fun bundle to have during the holiday break to keep the kiddos busy, learning, and having fun!
For more printable resources be sure to check out our full collection of worksheets!
More Sensory Bins to Explore
Here are my top picks for sensory bins, toys, and books you can buy.
Build Your Own Sensory Bin Bundle
This fun bundle allows you to choose between different compounds, figurines and other accessories.
Pre-Made Sensory Bins
Whether you want to explore the ocean, dinosaurs, ice cream shop and more. These pre-made kits make set up easy!
Monster Truck Arena
This sensory-play item is perfect for the monster truck fan! It comes with 2 pounds of monster dirt and a monster truck!
Sensory-Based Book
Sensory play doesn’t have to be messy! This fabric book is full of hands-on sensory-based activities!
What’s Next?
Counting to 5 – Hands-On Number Recognition Activity
Unlock the fun of counting to 5 with our engaging and budget friendly number recognition and counting activity!
Color Mixing for Kids – Hands on Learning
Discover the magic of color mixing for kids using Oobleck. This is a great hands on way to discover primary and secondary colors!
Color Matching Activities for Preschoolers
Explore these engaging color matching activities for preschoolers that use pom poms and household materials like bottle caps and paper tubes!