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Plastic Straw Sensory Bin

by Angela Thayer Leave a Comment

We recently tried a new sensory bin out and it was LOADS of fun! Usually we use beans, rice, or sand for a sensory bin filler. This time we used plastic drinking straws! It was easy, cheap, and colorful.

Plastic Straw Sensory Bin

All you need for this activity are colorful plastic drinking straws and a bin. I found a HUGE bag on clearance at Target (for around $2). I also gave my preschoolers kid-friendly scissors, rope for threading, cups, and tongs.

Just running your hand through the bin is fun! It feels neat and it makes a unique sound.

straws

Even my 6 month old got in on the fun! He loved splashing his hands in the straws. It was his first sensory bin experience. Since he doesn’t sit on his own, he sat in my lap and I tipped the bin up so he could reach the straws. He loved it!!

baby sensory bin

My three year old enjoyed threading the straws on the rope. To prepare the rope, I tied one end in a knot and the other end I burned with a lighter (ahead of time!) so it wouldn’t fray.

threading

This was great practice for fine motor skills!

threading straws

He loved creating his necklace…then he turned it into a headband! He cracks me up! 🙂

headband

My 5 year old really enjoyed cutting the straws with scissors. I gave him a bunch of long straws to cut into smaller pieces. He thought it was the greatest thing ever!

cutting straws

cutting 2 straws

My 3 year old tried cutting straws, but it was difficult for him. I remember Troy having a hard time with scissors at this age, so it’s awesome to see Troy using scissors so well now.

cutting

We also had fun poking the straw pieces together to make “lightsabers” (as my kids would call them!).

straw collage

As you can see, there are different ways to play with this sensory bin. These were just a few ways we played with it, but there are other ways we can still try out! We’re keeping this one out in the playroom for more fun play!

This was day 23 of the 31 Days of Play Series. To see all the activities, visit here.

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Filed Under: Indoor Activities, Sensory Play Tagged With: 31 days of play, sensory bins, straws

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