What’s in the tub:
Two plush guinea pigs,
Guinea pig food,
Bowl,
Measuring cup,
Water bottle,
ABC blocks,
Yogurt treats,
Chewable ice cream cone,
Plush carrot,
Shavings,
Paper bag,
Eye droppers,
Plastic syringe with no needle of course,
Empty medicine bottles,
Nail file,
Cotton pads.
Keep in mind that this would be best for preschoolers and kids that you’d trust not to put these things in their mouths.
I’ve included almost everything you’d need to care for a guinea pig, but for this tub, I added some stuff that could be used for dramatic play as well. They can use only the things in the sensory tub or pretend they are vets and care for the guinea pigs. Since we have one guinea pig that always goes to the vet, I thought it was a good idea. Some people don’t know that you should take your guinea pig for a checkup once per year. Some people think of critters as disposable animals and don’t take them to the vet even when they get sick. I think the best way to fix that is by educating our kids about the importance of living things even if they are small and don’t live as long as other types of pets.
The two plush guinea pigs are custom made by Morumoto. She makes custom plush guinea pigs and other critters and does a great job! I sent her pictures of our pet guinea pigs and she made exact replicas of them. I also included the little plush carrot she made for us as an extra.
All the other supplies are actual pet supplies. The ice cream cone was an extra one that we had. When we gave it to the pigs, they didn’t want to eat it so I didn’t have a use for the extra until I made this tub. On the other hand, they love the strawberry yogurt treats. I included these in the tub because they smell so good. The measuring cup is for scooping and pouring the food, shavings or treats. There are some little wooden chew treats as well as blocks. There are a lot of textures in this tub. They can burry things in the shavings as well. The tub is an actual guinea pig carrier.
The syringe as I said above has no needle with it. Syringes are used a lot with critters to give them their medicine. We use a nail file a lot on our guinea pigs because they don’t like their nails cut and filing them down is much easier. I mostly included it for the texture and having another object to explore. A lot of the children that I’ve known have had guinea pigs as pets and I know a lot of centers keep them too. This idea might be fun for centers who have guinea pigs since they can’t always be handled by so many children. This way children can experiment without harming or scaring the guinea pig.
We can teach children about guinea pig care, but ultimately, it’s the adult’s responsibility. Children should be supervised at all times while handling a guinea pig.
Guinea Pig board book
What Bounces? Guinea Pig Board Books
Guinea pig coloring page
Guinea pig facts
Kids and Guinea Pigs
Information for parents about guinea pig care and possible rules for children to follow while interacting with guinea pigs.
