• SHOP PRODUCTS
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Laughing Kids Learn

Where learning is made fun

  • Disclosure and Privacy Policy

Aussie scented sensory rice

January 17, 2014 by Kate 22 Comments

Australia Sensory Rice play for kids
Australia Day is my national day of celebration and it takes place on  26th January of every year. It is on this day that many ‘Aussies’ get together with friends and family, usually over a friendly BBQ or casual game of backyard cricket, to reflect on what they love about our country and show their pride by displaying Australian flags.

Aussie sensory rice play for kids
I couldn’t resist making some fun play activities for the toddlers based on Australia Day. The green and gold are Australia’s national colours.

You will need

  • Uncooked rice (or another grain or seed)
  • Food colouring in yellow and green
  • Vinegar
  • Eucalyptus oil
  • Australiana figurines or flags (optional)

What to do

I’ve previously described the technique of colouring rice, which you can find here. Once you’ve done that, add a tablespoon of vinegar and two drops of eucalyptus oil to each bag before shaking it again. Spread the rice on a board or plate and allow to dry completely (after about 2 hours).

 Adding characters to australia day sensory rice

It has been very hot temperatures here in Melbourne and so we did our rice play indoors. Some people can be quite put off to allow their child to engage in messy play, however, any mess was easily cleaned up in a matter of a few minutes.

I found a little kangaroo toy that Possum loved pouring the rice over and making it bounce into the rice. It also created an opportunity to teach her what I knew about kangaroos and make her point out particular features, for example, “Where is its long tail?”.

We also discussed the colours that she could see. By only having two colours it created a stronger teaching moment because there was less to learn and more opportunity to consolidate her understanding of those colours.

Smelling the eucalyptus Australia Day sensory rice

Eucalyptus comes from the eucalyptus tree and it’s leaves are the diet of our adorable koala. By adding the eucalyptus drops give the rice a gorgeous earthy scent. Possum just loved it and it really added another level to her sensory play experience.

Scented sensory rice

I personally like to not overload a sensory activity with anything and everything. Keeping it simple promotes creativity and it’s amazing what ideas children come up with that you wouldn’t have thought of yourself!

Australia Day sensory play for kids

Of course it’s always tempting to include your toes!

Taking the learning experience further

If you did wish to add more to such a sensory experience you may consider going on a scavenger hunt to find some Australian native plants around your area and add them to the sensory rice. Of course, even with the eucalyptus oil, always be sure they are safe for touching and children will not be temped to eat any part of it.

You might also like to track down some Australian books from the library or consider adding them to your book collection. Jackie from My Little Bookcase has a wonderful post on lots of fabulous Australian books and their details.

Now what?

Once we had enjoyed our sensory rice experience we decided to put some aside to play with on another day and the remaining was added to a recycled container and gave it as a gift to Possum’s little friend to enjoy too.

How do you like to celebrate Australia Day? 

For more fun Australia Day activities look here –

Week 1
Monday January 13th
The Craft Train
Cockatoo Pencil Tins (you are here now)Tuesday January 14th
Laughing Kids Learn
Aboriginal Clapping Sticks

Wednesday January 15th
Danya Banya
Australian Flag with washi tape & glitter

Friday January 17th
My Little Bookcase
Possum Magic Themed Party

Week 2
Monday January 20th
One Perfect Day Tuesday January 21st
Racheous – Lovable Learning

Wednesday January 22nd
Wildlife Fun 4 Kids

Thursday January 23rd
Childhood 101
Cooking with Kids: Mini lamington cupcakes

Friday January 24th
Final Round up!

Wait! Are you following me on Pinterest or Facebook?

Filed Under: 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, Celebrate, featured, Sensory Play, Uncategorized Tagged With: Aussie, Australia Day, sensory play

Comments

  1. Jackie says

    January 17, 2014 at 10:02 am

    Oh, Eucaplyptus and Lemon Myrtle are two of my favourite Aussie scents. 🙂

    Thanks for linking to our book lists. I’m so proud of the picture books that Australia produces.

    Reply
  2. Kate - The Craft Train says

    January 17, 2014 at 10:31 am

    Looks like so much fun. I’ve never tried this type of thing with my girls but I’m pretty sure my four year old would love it!

    Reply
  3. Christie - Childhood 101 says

    January 17, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    My girls both love rice play and I love the idea of adding eucalyptus to scent the rice, fabulous!

    Reply
  4. Debs says

    January 18, 2014 at 11:02 pm

    What fun! Awesome to also play with when you have a blocked nose! haha. I love those scents too and little Possum looks like she enjoyed the experience. 🙂 Pinned!

    Reply
  5. Ness - One Perfect Day says

    January 19, 2014 at 12:58 pm

    R loves rice play – it feels so silky. This looks irresistible.

    Reply
  6. Pauline says

    January 19, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    You come up with the most fun ideas Kate. Whenever Mr 3 smells eucalyptus oil, he thinks of lollies (those yummy eucalyptus drops he gets when he has a sore throat). Such a comforting scent 🙂 xo P

    Reply
  7. Sue says

    January 20, 2014 at 3:35 am

    Looks fantastic! I found you via the Aussie KBN pinterest board and was wondering if you could tell me if it’s possible to join/how to join the Australian Kids Blogger Network? Thanks!

    Reply
  8. Rachel | Racheous - Lovable Learning says

    January 21, 2014 at 10:51 am

    Oooh, I need to make scented rice! We just made scented sand and it was a big hit. Thank you for the inspiration! Your pictures are so sweet 🙂

    Reply
  9. Amanda says

    January 24, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    Great idea! My son is 7 months old. Do you think it is okay to do scented and coloured rice with him. He still puts everything in his mouth!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 27, 2014 at 6:02 pm

      Fabulous question Amanda! I personally believe that if you are actively supervising children who are still wanting to eat everything then it’s not a bad to get them involved. Just be sure to be right there and ready to stop them if needed. Best wishes with it and thanks for your question. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Irene Heidenreich says

    December 13, 2015 at 8:48 am

    Australia Day is also one of my favourites. I love your ideas and activities.. Cant wait to try them out. Cheers Irene

    Reply
    • Kate says

      December 13, 2015 at 9:28 am

      Oh Irene, you have made my day. Thank you so kindly.
      I have a heap more Australia type activities coming up so be sure to pop back and have a look. You might like to subscribe too!
      🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Learning about States & Territories of Australia - Laughing Kids Learn says:
    January 29, 2014 at 10:09 am

    […] Aussie scented sensory play […]

    Reply
  2. Australia Day for Kids Blog Hop Recap says:
    March 15, 2014 at 6:16 am

    […] We made Cockatoo pencil tins here at The Craft Train Laughing Kids Learn did some Aussie Scented Sensory Play Danya Banya made a Stick, Glue and Sprinkle Aussie Flag My Little Bookcase threw a […]

    Reply
  3. Australia Day for Kids Blog Hop – Cockatoo Pencil TIns says:
    March 15, 2014 at 6:17 am

    […] 1Monday January 13thThe Craft TrainCockatoo Pencil Tins Tuesday January 14thLaughing Kids LearnAussie Scented Sensory RiceWednesday January 15thDanya BanyaAustralian Flag with washi tape & […]

    Reply
  4. Australia Day Fun and Crafts for Kids says:
    January 21, 2015 at 7:40 pm

    […] 13. Aussie Scented Sensory Rice  from Laughing Kids Learn […]

    Reply
  5. Australia Unit - Playful Matters says:
    January 26, 2015 at 10:01 am

    […] Aussie Scented Sensory Rice (Laughing Kids Learn) […]

    Reply
  6. 33 Rice Sensory Play Ideas for Kids - Best Toys 4 Toddlers says:
    January 16, 2016 at 6:46 am

    […] Mix up and play with rice in the colors of your nation. […]

    Reply
  7. Australia Activities for Kids: Crafts, Books, and Fun - Creative Family Fun says:
    May 31, 2017 at 3:28 am

    […] You can also explore the scent of eucalyptus with this colorful and scented sensory rice play idea from Laughing Kids Learn. […]

    Reply
  8. Learn About Australia in Your Homeschool - peanut butter fish lessons says:
    October 31, 2020 at 11:05 pm

    […] Make eucalyptus play dough or eucalpytus scented rice for sensory play. […]

    Reply
  9. 24 Amazing Australia Day Crafts for Kids - HAPPY TODDLER PLAYTIME says:
    December 28, 2020 at 8:07 am

    […] Aussie scented sensory rice – Laughing Kids Learn […]

    Reply
  10. 33 Rice Sensory Play Ideas for Kids - Best Toys 4 Toddlers says:
    January 26, 2021 at 1:35 am

    […] up and play with rice in the colors of your nation. We have Australia as a sample with green and gold, plus she added an eucalyptus […]

    Reply

Please Leave a Comment: Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome
Hello and welcome!
My name is Kate and I am a mum to two little girls, Possum and Boo. We have lots of fun together learning with play at home and are pleased to share some of what we do with you.
Read my about page to find out more.

facebookpinteresttwitterinstagramgoogle plusyoutube

Search

Find More Great Ideas Here:

sesnory play
art and craft
nummeracy
literacy
Science
recipes
videos

Join the Tribe!

Subscribe



Find Activities by Age

  • 0 – 12 months
  • 1 – 3 years
  • 3 – 5 years
  • 5 – 10 years

Find Activities by Celebration

  • Christmas
  • SHOP PRODUCTS

Privacy Policy

  • Disclosure and Privacy Policy

Find posts by month

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in