Can you see the Sea?

Time

4 3 2 1 Mid-Late Stages

Benefits

What you need

A wicker beach bag
Sounds of the seaside
Shells, pebbles, small rocks, driftwood, seaweed
A small bag of sand
Flip flops and a sun hat
Damp swimming costume (a salty scented one if possible)
A beach ball (deflated)
Towel
Sun cream
Ice cream

Intro

If somebody can’t get to the beach… why not bring it to him or her? With this simple sensory activity, you just fill a wicker beach bag full of things you’ll find on a day trip to the seaside, and then bring it to someone’s room. The idea is that if someone is unable to leave their bed or room, they can still enjoy the delights of the beach, and all the deeply personal memories it might evoke.

We suggest that you take your time with each step, so your day-tripper can make the most of every sensation you create.

The Activity

Arrive at your day-tripper’s room and let them know you’ll be taking them on a virtual day out to the seaside
Put on some background music or seaside sounds, like waves
Hold their hand and maybe sing a few songs, as they might have done as they journeyed to the seaside
Guide their hands over your wicker bag, feeling all the bumps along the way
Place the sun hat on their head, reminding them that it’s to keep the sun away
Take their hand and rub in a little sun cream, encouraging them to gently smell it
Now trickle a little sand over their feet and pop on the flip flops, leaving some sand between their toes
Encourage your day-tripper to feel the pebbles, shells, and even some slimy seaweed that they would have found in the rock pools as children
Why not play a game to see who has enough puff to blow up the beach ball?
Encourage them to feel the shape of the ball and listen to the sound of it being blown up
Place your damp swimming costume in their hands, so they can feel it and then use the towel to dry off their hands as if they’d just come out of the sea
No seaside outing is complete without an ice cream, so serve them up a flavour of their choice!
Once your ice cream is finished, it’s time to pack up and go home – so ask your day-tripper to help you pack everything into your bag, before you both sit quietly and listen to the last sounds of the seaside as your session ends