In this activity you can listen along to a story about Scott and Terra Nova. We have also provided some suggestions for sensory activities that will help you to imagine a cold atmosphere and the drive to survive the elements. These sensory activities have been developed to support individuals with PMLD, SLD and sensory processing difficulties.
Collect materials from around your home to create a sensory experience.
You will need
This is a guide and will depend which activities you decide to try. You may also want to switch out some of these for other items you have at home.
- Spray bottle
- Water
- Ice cubes (food dye optional)
- Homemade snow / cotton wool / shaving foam
- A fan, or book/magazine, to create wind
- Piece of rope, string, or a shoelace
- Sponge
- Pillowcase
- Shallow dish
Listen along to this story by Olivia Armstrong.
Depending on your child, you could watch the images in the video, just listen along, or even download the transcript and read it for yourself.
Scroll through the activities below and try some of them out as you listen to the story.
Recreate the icy environment
Place some water and ice cubes in your shallow dish. Place your hands in the dish and move them around to create waves and splashes. If you use warm water, you can feel the ice melting and the difference between the cool and warm currents. You could freeze small toys in the ice cubes and see them emerge as the ice melts, or use food dye in the ice to help you see the ice melt.
If you enjoy the cold sensation, try running ice cubes along the hands, arms or cheeks. If this is too cold, try splashing some water on the arm and blowing across it.
Use a fan, or wave a book, to create the feeling of wind. Try spraying water into the fan or above your head to create the feel of wind and rain.
Recreate a snowy landscape
Make your homemade snow and place it in the bottom of the shallow dish. You could also use cotton wool or shaving foam if you prefer a different sensory experience.
Play around with it and create icebergs, crevasses and other Polar landscapes. Try scrunching up paper to create snowballs, does the crunching sound of the paper sound like someone walking on snow?
You can add toys to your landscape if you have them. Or, create some Polar animals using our activity to inspire you
Imagine working on a ship
Play along to help you imagine living on a ship. Use a sponge to pretend to scrub the deck. How does the sponge feel? Try getting the sponge damp and painting with water outside on a wall or patio. What shapes will you make?
Feel the rope, or shoelace. How does it feel? Try tying a knot in it and feel the difference between the knot and the untied string/rope. Imagine being on a ship and having to pull heavy ropes to and fro.
Wave the pillowcase and imagine looking up at a huge white sail. Try to make it billow in the wind, perhaps using the fan.
Did you enjoy the story?
You can listen to this story again and again and try different activities each time.
You could create your own sensory experiences for the story, or perhaps next time you will just listen to the story and watch the pictures. There is no right or wrong way to enjoy this story!
Sensory Activities
Sensory stories and activities created for PMLD, SLD and neurodiverse children
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Stories and Sensory Activities: The Implacable
Listen along to this story of the HMS Implacable and try some sensory activities alongside it.