During the Halloween Baby Play Lab, a variety of spooky-themed sensory and fine motor activities were set up to promote curiosity, exploration, and creativity:
- Halloween Rice Tuff Tray – A tray filled with orange and black coloured rice, small spiders, and pumpkin cutouts encouraged children to explore textures and sounds. Babies scooped, poured, and let rice fall through their fingers. Some searched for hidden cutouts and pumpkins, smiling and showing excitement when they found them.
- Vinegar and Bicarbonate Soda Experiment – Educators modelled how the mixture fizzes and bubbles. Children used droppers or spoons to pour vinegar over coloured baking soda. They watched the reaction with fascination, pointing and vocalising as bubbles formed. Some children reached to touch the foam, showing curiosity and wonder.
- Spider Web Tuff Tray – A web made of masking tape was stretched across a tray filled with toy spiders. Children used tweezers (or fingers) to find and pick up spiders. This activity encouraged concentration, hand–eye coordination, and fine motor control.
- Threading Pasta onto Spider Legs – Black pipe cleaners represented spider legs, and children were supported to thread pasta pieces onto them. This task supported early fine motor skills and bilateral coordination. Children focused intently, some attempting to copy educators’ actions, while others enjoyed simply feeling and shaking the pasta.
Throughout the activities, children were highly engaged, exploring at their own pace. They expressed joy, curiosity, and occasional surprise. Educators extended play by using descriptive language (“bubbly potion,” “sticky web,” “orange rice”) and offering encouragement.