Winter Wonderland Small World Sensory Play

I've been collecting materials for months now to make L (4yrs) a Winter Wonderland Small World Setup. L loves small world play and we've made many, including our Tiny Village,  Pond,  Fairy Garden,  Ocean, Dinosaur Land, Apple Picking, and River Habitat. Our small worlds are a way to expand their imagination, explore different sensory materials, and can be educational as well!

Our Winter Wonderland was probably MY favorite so far! Seriously, they are just as much fun to set up as they are for the boys to play with. :) 

I used our train table as the base and laid some white sheets across it. I put some plastic bowls underneath a few parts to make the terrain a bit more interesting. 

Winter Wonderland "Ingredients"

The small snowballs are styrofoam balls that you can easily find at most craft stores, and super centers such as Walmart. Flora Craft BA6H Styrofoam Ball 6" 1/Pkg (Google Affiliate Ad). 

The large "snowballs" are actually candles that I found at Goodwill. 

Our frozen lakes are blue craft foam disks I bought in a pack at Hobby Lobby. 

I added some blue floral gems to sparkle up the "water" a bit. Darice 472647 Glass Gems 16 Ounces-Ocean Blue (Google Affiliate Ad). 

I bought the large acrylic fake ice cubes on Amazon. See HERE.

I found the smaller acrylic fake crushed ice at Goodwill, but you can find them on Amazon HERE.

I used our acrylic fake diamonds for added sparkle. I find these in the floral section of Walmart. 

I sprinkled half a bag of fake snow across the table.

I added a small bag of snowflake confetti which I also found at Hobby Lobby. 

Lastly, I added our set of Arctic animals which I also bought on Amazon. See HERE.

The polar bears were a big hit with L. 

Love this little penguin family.

I let my oldest son explore the Winter Wonderland on his own for a few hours while my youngest napped.

After my 18 mo old awoke, the setup became more of a sensory table as he pretty much destroyed the setup but he explored all the materials on the table.

Caution

Always use proper vigilance and precaution when younger children are exploring with this sensory material, and use your parental discretion when deciding if this or any activity is right for your child based on their age and developmental abilites.

Have you ever created a Small World Setup? 

I'd love to hear about it!

Here are some other amazing Winter Small World Setups i've found around the web...

Artic/Winter Small World Scene at Mum Central

Antarctica: Learning Through Small World Play with Penguins in the Bath, by In Lieu of Preschool

Our Winter Scene by Sarah Dean at Montessori Alliance

Arctic Small World Play in a Suitcase by The Imagination Tree

To see ALL of our Sensory Bins and Small World Setups, 

click the picture below!

More Ways to Follow the Fun!