Discovering Gelatin and Colors!

What's in my discovery table?  It's gelatin!

My two children are now in their twenties, but as I was looking through some old papers and photos the other day, I came across a recipe for a fun sensory table activity using gelatin and colored water.  They both enjoyed playing with gelatin and other sensory materials at the co-op preschool they attended.

I thought this would be a fun activity to try with your own young children on a warm summer day!  Or some of you might be brave enough to do this with your class during the school year!

Here's how to do it!

1.  Sprinkle gelatin into cold water and dissolve gelatin by heating up the water over the stove.  You will need 3/4 cup of water for each gelatin envelope.

Here is what I did to determine how much total water I needed.  I chose some plastic food containers that I was going to use as molds.  Then I measured out how much water they would hold.  The total volume was 12 cups.  I divided 12 cups by .75 to determine how many gelatin envelopes I needed - 16.  So I used 12 cups of water and 16 envelopes of gelatin.

2.  Spray containers with cooking spray and pour the warm gelatin liquid into the containers.  I used a ladle.  Refrigerate until it is set.  Overnight works great.

3.  When it is ready, unmold the gelatin by running a butter knife around the edge of each container.  Place in a sensory table or on a tray. 

4.  Make cups of colored water by squeezing food coloring into plastic cups and adding water.  NOTE:  For more intense colors that show up better inside of the gelatin, don't add as much water.  I used primary colors so that other colors could be mixed in the gelatin.

5.  Take it all outside and have fun using the eyedroppers to squeeze the colored liquid into the gelatin.  

After using the colored water, you can turn it into a true sensory experience by exploring with your hands!!!

Enjoy your summer!