We’ve had a lot of fun during Valentine’s theme week. This Valentine’s light table activity was something Liam spent a ton of time doing. To be honest, he hung out here more than the homeschool room Valentine’s Hard + Soft Sensory Bin! I always keep an eye out for anything I can use as manipulatives during homeschool because Liam is more interested and retains more information if it includes something tangible.
How We Played & Learned
You may be able to tell by the picture, there is a LOT of gems. This was actually only about half of what we have too! Not only is the quantity a plus for creating patterns, but notice there are three different gem shapes. There are clear, faceted diamonds; red, faceted hearts; and pink lips. This is perfect for creating endless patterns. Each is the size of my thumbnail, so perfect for little fingers. I found these at Hobby Lobby for 3-4 bucks, regular price!
We could have done this activity on any surface, but we have a light table so I use it whenever possible. Liam spent a lot of time finishing my patterns and creating his own. We counted the gems, sorted them, even made shapes out of them. This activity is super simple to throw together and the gems can be used over and over in other activities. We even used a handful of gems while we sat at the table doing an auditory processing exercise.
Check out Valentine’s Sensory Science Observation Lips for another fun light table activity.