Sensory storytelling is a magical way to immerse Reception children in a narrative. By recreating the habitats from We're Going on a Bear Hunt in a tuff tray, children not only retell the story but also engage in early science by exploring the properties of water, soil, and foam. Prepare for a wonderfully messy learning experience!

Materials Needed

A Tuff Tray (or shallow plastic under-bed storage boxes)
Real grass or hay
Water (in a shallow tub to represent the river)
Mud (soil mixed with water, or cocoa powder and water)
Shaving foam (or flour/cotton wool) for the snowstorm
Plastic bear and people figures

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Set Up the Habitats

Fill the tuff tray with different sensory zones from the story: grass, water, soil mud, and shaving foam (or flour) for snow. Leave a small cardboard box at the end for the cave. Keep towels handy!

2. Read and Anticipate

Gather around the tray and begin reading the story. Encourage the children to join in with the repetitive refrains. "We can't go over it, we can't go under it... Oh no! We've got to go through it!"

3. Explore the Textures

Hand out plastic figures and let the children walk them through the tray as you read. Ask them to describe what they feel. "Is the mud sticky? Does the water feel cold?" Encourage rich vocabulary.

4. Observe the Changes

Watch what happens when the materials start to mix. Ask open questions: "What happens to the soil when the water from the river gets into it?" This is a great introduction to material changes.

5. Clean Up Together

Sensory play is messy! Turn tidying into part of the activity. Give the children warm soapy water and sponges to 'give the bears a bath' and wash the plastic figures, developing their life skills.

Classroom Adaptations

Large class?

If you only have one tray, put the children into groups of 4 to visit the tray while others draw their own bear hunt maps.

Limited resources?

Use individual plastic tubs or even zip-lock bags for each material if you don't have a large tray; children can squish the bags.

EAL learners?

Emphasise the onomatopoeia (swish, splash, squelch) — these sound words are universally fun and easy to mimic.

High ability?

Encourage them to sequence the materials in the correct order of the story before the figures start their journey.

Sensory Bear Hunt: Senses and Materials Science Activity for World Book Day