This wouldn't work for my 1 1/2 yr olds but our 2 and up kids can definitely sort.
In a large container, or sensory table, put a variety of dry pasta in a plastic container. Sort by type. Curly vs. straight. Different colors. Use the words to describe the piles you are making. Curly, straight, corkscrew, wide, thing, short, long, blue, tan, green, red, etc.
Along the lines of using words to describe things you can also use items of different textures (rough, smooth, bumpy, soft). You could use items with different tastes (sweet, sour, spicy, bitter).
You could also use different scents. Put a variety of different herbs or spices into little cloth sacks (think of potpourri bags). How does that smell? What does that make you think of?
