We have a slight penguin obsession in our house. Since creating our penguin story stones and penguin finger puppets we have been after ways to incorporate them into our play, especially when we are out and about.
When I discovered the Sistema Lunch Cube I knew I had the perfect excuse to create a portable penguin small world.
The Sistema Lunch Cube is a great size. It is small enough to fit in my bag, yet large enough to house several penguins. What is more, it has three compartments with an additional lid inside, meaning that resources can be placed into three sections without them touching each other.
You can buy this lunch cube pretty cheaply on Amazon, and could re-use it for all kinds of portable small worlds.
I used the three sections to create three habitats for our penguin story stones. In the largest compartment I placed baking soda. This fine substance feels like snow. In the smaller section I placed blue and clear glass pebbles to represent the sea. Finally, in the last compartment I added mini marshmallows.
As soon as I opened the portable penguin small world my son gravitated to the baking soda. He realised that he could create penguin footprints in the snow.
The penguins moved between each habitat. They had marshmallow snowball fights, made a bed within the marshmallows and even used the lid as a slide.
After a while my son asked if the penguins could go swimming in real water. We poured a small amount of water on top of the glass pebbles. I wouldn’t recommend this addition if you are out and about or if you have created your own penguin stones. As our penguins were coated in PVA glue to protect them the varnish reacted with the water. Plastic penguins would work well in water though.
As we were in the experimenting mood, we decided to see what would happen if we added a small amount of water to the baking soda. To restrict the amount of water, I gave my son a syringe. He squirted in 5ml. This made the baking soda malleable and the penguins created their own snowmen.
At the end of the playtime I poured out the water, placed the lid on top of the baking soda snow and closed the Sistema Lunch Cube. Our portable penguin small world was ready to play again at a moments notice.
More Small Worlds
Winter Small World Wooden Train Play
On The Farm Small World and Sensory Play
More Polar Animals
Polar Animals Fact Sheets and Games to Play with Them
Arctic Animals Colouring Pages
Polar Bear Handprint Winter Craft
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Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.