Horses need excellent nutrition to stay strong and healthy for a steeplechase. This 'Sensory Stable' tuff tray uses inexpensive porridge oats to help children explore volume, capacity, and the natural world while caring for their toy horses.

Materials Needed

Large tuff tray or plastic sensory bin
Inexpensive rolled porridge oats (dry) — check for gluten intolerances or coeliac disease before using oats; sand or shredded paper are safe alternatives
Small plastic or real apples
Assorted measuring cups, jugs, and spoons
Small bowls of different sizes
Plastic toy horses (small-world animals or cardboard horse cut-outs work as substitutes)

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Prepare the Trough

Fill the tuff tray or sensory bin with a generous layer of dry porridge oats. Hide a few small apples or toy horses inside the oats for the children to discover.

2. Introduce the Tools

Add measuring cups, large spoons, and small bowls. Explain to the children that they are the stable managers preparing breakfast for the Grand National horses.

3. Explore and Pour

Allow children to freely scoop, pour, and transfer the oats between containers. Use vocabulary like full, empty, half-full, heavy, and light as they experiment.

4. Feed the Horses

Bring in the toy horses. Ask: "How many scoops does your horse need today? Which bowl holds the most food?" Encourage them to count the scoops as they fill the bowls.

5. Tidy and Sweep

Oats will inevitably spill! Provide child-sized dustpans and brushes nearby. Sweeping up is a fantastic practical life skill that develops gross motor control.

Classroom Adaptations

Large class?

Place the tray on the floor rather than a stand so more children can easily access it at once.

Limited resources?

If oats aren't an option, use dry autumn leaves, shredded newspaper, or sand to represent hay.

EAL learners?

Emphasize key words clearly with actions: say 'full' while pointing to a full cup, and 'empty' for an empty one.

High ability?

Challenge them to estimate how many small spoons of oats it takes to fill the largest jug.

Sensory Stable: Capacity and Volume Science Activity for Grand National