Jello Ocean Sensory Exploration | Still Playing School

Jello Ocean Sensory Exploration

Ocean animals live at different depths in salt water. We used animal figures, light, and gelatin to explore this science concept in a hands on sensory activity for kids.

Jello gelatin sensory ocean exploration for kids!


This post contains Amazon affiliate links. 

We used the ocean animals from the Sea Life Mega TOOB to create a sensory exploration on the light table. We started by mixing and coloring unflavored Knoxx gelatin. We used four boxes to fill this huge ocean bowl. Our preschool daughter loved helping with the measuring, mixing, and pouring involved in creating the jello ocean world.


I slightly oiled the bowl so the gelatin ocean would come out easily when it was complete. We placed the animals that would live closest to the ocean's surface in first including the sea turtle and dolphin.


We poured the liquid gelatin around the Safari Ltd. animal figures, let the gelatin firm in the refrigerator, then repeated the process with more sea life animals.


Next came the whales since they come to the surface to breathe air. We continued all the way down to the animals that usually live on the ocean floor such as the octopus and the sting ray.


Creating our sea life bowl took two days but it was well worth the prep. When complete it slide out of the bowl effortlessly. Our daughter was excited with our results but the best was yet to come!



Once we put the gelatin ocean world on our light table we were all impressed with the effect! After a few minutes of admiring our creation and looking at all the creatures swimming within the depths, I let our preschooler dig in, literally.



The unflavored gelatin was the perfect choice for this sensory experience because it's not sticky.  She dug into the gelatin with chopsticks, a spoon, a knife, and her hands.  It was an engaging fine motor activity, too!



As she freed the sea creatures from the "water" we identified them together. Again we discussed where in the ocean we found them: near the surface, in the middle (for the sharks), or on the ocean floor. We studied the animals' details in the glow of the light table and the shimmering blue gelatin.  


Do you already own Safari Ltd. toys or are they new to you? If you are like us, no matter how many of their figures you've collected you always want more!

Safari Ltd. provided us with complimentary products for writing this review but, as always, all words and enthusiasm are 100% our own!

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45 comments :

  1. What an amazing post!! It is so hard to choose out of the amazing Toobs, but I think I would go with the Bundle of Babies toob and the Fruits and Vegetables toob!! :)

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  2. My girls would love the Powhatan Indians and the Ocean!! Love that company!!

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  3. wow that looks so cool on the light table! I love it :)
    I think my boys would like to have the pirates toobs

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  4. Oooh what a fun activity. It simply looks so inviting and fun.

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  5. I love that you put them in gelatin - such a great sensory idea and the light table only makes it more awesome! Okay, I think I would pick the ocean Toob and the jungle animals Toob.

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  6. I would choose the Around the world toob!

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  7. So cool! We would choose the On the Road Toob, and the Baby Sea Life Toob.

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  8. I would pick love something with butterflies and the ponies!

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  9. Ocean And jungle Animals Look Cool!

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  10. I would pick a baby animals or on the road toob.

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  11. Thank you for the giveaway! We love the fruits and vegetable and the on the road TOOB collection - Noreen

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  12. I would pick the Dinos and Planets!

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  13. What a neat idea. I will have to try it with my girls. We would enjoy the Ocean toob and the Baby sea life toob.

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  14. So many to choose from! I'd choose around the world (that I've been wanting to get anyway) and planets (for astronomy next year)

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  15. So fun! We need to make a light table! I honestly can't choose just one :) I love them all. E said he wants the sea turtle- so the ocean toob if I have to choose just one!

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  16. That looks like a super fun learning time!

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  17. I love your pictures on the light table! We are big Safair Limited fans. My son wants Farm Babies and Trees. :)

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  18. I will be featuring the Barefoot Book "A hole in the bottom of the sea" in my music classes soon, so I'd love to have the same set that is featured here - the ocean creatures!

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  19. What a terrific idea! My two and four year old boys would love this.

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  20. This looks like so much fun. My kids will love this! Thank you!

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  21. It is way too hard to choose! :-) I guess first we would love Ocean and Desert and would probably get carried away and pick up a dozen more, hahah! Thanks for an awesome play idea and giveaway opportunity!

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  22. I think that I'd get the Ocean one, because this looks like so much fun! Otherwise the Sue & Friends TOOB, since I have a dino lover.

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  23. Love this! I've used TOOB animals in lots of sensory play, but I never thought to do this with the jello.

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  24. I would love the Baby Sea Life and Rainforest Animals. I love all of them.

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  25. I would have a hard time choosing but we are getting ready to discuss dinosaurs and I love this jello idea with the sea life. My favorite is the bundle of babies since a lot of my kids are going to be big brothers and sisters very soon!

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  26. Backyard Birds and Pets. But it would be a very tough choice--my class of 3-year-olds would love them all!!

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  28. I'd like the sheshells and butterflies. :)

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  29. This ocean idea is amazing! We'd choose the steam trains and fairies toobs! Thanks, Kristen

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  30. I had no idea the variety of Toobs there are out there. I love this idea and since we are getting a new light table, I would like to try out the various ocean toobs.
    Stacey
    sfeehan @ murraycsd . org

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  32. I would chose the ocean toob and the safari animal toob, as well as the dinosaur toob. My son loves all these things!

    Suzanne (underscore) lewis (at) Hotmail (dot) com

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  33. Shame it's only open to U.S residents I love your toobs and would buy lots for my Foundation stage class xx

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  34. We would choose pirates and Jamestown settlers.
    Love this activity! I think we will have to try it out!

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  35. This is a neat idea!

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  36. This sensory project is so cool! I love the figurines! They really make it look awesome.

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  37. Would love the ocean and jungle animal toobs. Looking forward to trying this with my son.

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  38. We love the dinosaur figurines and would love to add the sea animals to our collection.

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  39. How cool! :) I think I'm going to try this out with some bugs.

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  40. Fun idea!! I love the TOOB toys and would love to add the deep sea animals and the petting zoo sets to our growing collection!

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  41. I did a smaller version of this (minus the light table) with my 2 year old today and he loved it. Thanks for the great idea!

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  42. This is really awesome. I love the combination of the light table and jello!

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  43. This is the coolest idea! We just started collecting them for our son. We have the Galapagos, sharks, fish, and turtles. They would be perfect for this!

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