Fall is HERE and I have a great sensory bin idea for you! This simple sensory bin is fun for kids and encourages learning through the senses and using dramatic play. Materials for Fall Sensory Bin: plastic bin popcorn kernels (or another sensory base like dried corn, pom poms, rice, or dried beans) mini hay bales (Hobby Lobby) leaves (Hobby Lobby) mini pumpkins (Hobby Lobby) mini squirrels (Hobby Lobby) scarecrow figurines (Hobby Lobby) I love Hobby Lobby for … [Read more...]
St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin
March is around the corner, so it's the perfect time to start making a St. Patrick's Day sensory bin! We made one this week and it's simple, yet so fun. I'm also sharing an easy math activity using plastic gold coins. Materials for St. Patrick's Day Sensory Bin dried split peas white rice gold paint Ziplock bag tray lined with wax paper plastic gold coins (found at Hobby Lobby) large bin little cauldrons (found at Target) I first colored the rice. All I did … [Read more...]
Winter Sensory Bin
Winter is in full swing! Brrr! The temperatures here are absolutely freezing this week. I realized we've never made a winter sensory bin, so I decided it was time! I love how it turned out. We used a few different items from the kitchen and the colors are beautiful and icy blue. Winter Sensory Bin Supplies: large plastic bin (this one works well!) blue and silver paint (we used acrylic and washable paint) rice star-shaped pasta (found at Target) short cylinder pasta (found … [Read more...]
Spring and Summer Sensory Bins
We love sensory bins at our house! It's such a great way to engage the senses, allow children be imaginative, gives them freedom to explore new materials, and it's an overall fun activity! Today I'm sharing with you some super sensory bins for spring and summer! Why are sensory bins important? Using sensory bins is a type of play that is very beneficial for children. Starting at birth, babies begin to explore the world around them using their five senses. As children grow, their senses … [Read more...]
Ocean Sensory Bin
I keep thinking that a trip to the ocean would be so lovey right now! As I write this post, it's cold and rainy out. Oh what I would give to be at the ocean and beach right now. The next best thing is creating an ocean sensory bin for my little one to play with and to keep him busy! This is super simple to set up and was very fun! Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. Here's what you need for the ocean sensory bin: 1 cup chia seeds (I used white ones) 4 cups … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving Sensory Bin
Happy November! I can't believe Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. I like to create sensory bins each month for my kids to play with, so today I'm sharing with you our Thanksgiving sensory bin. It's very easy to make and you only need a few supplies. But trust me, your kids will play with it for hours! Sensory bins are a great way for children to use their senses to explore. Most of the time sensory bins are used for the sense of touch, but you can also incorporate hearing and … [Read more...]
Plastic Straw Sensory Bin
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. 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 … [Read more...]
All You Need to Know About Sensory Bins
*This post contains affiliate links. One of my dear friends, Sharla, has written a wonderful ebook all about sensory bins! If you've ever wondered about sensory bins, then this is the book for you! Sensory bins are all over Pinterest and I'll admit that I didn't know what they were before Pinterest! I'm so glad I learned about them and implemented them into our daily activities. This ebook would've been so helpful when I was first learning about them. I'm so excited to share a little bit more … [Read more...]
4th of July Sensory Bin
We made a 4th of July sensory bin and it has been so much fun to play with! Here's how we made it... For this bin, I used rice and star noodles. I hadn't seen these star noodles before, but when I was at the grocery store last week I saw these and knew they would be fun to add in our sensory bin. So first, I took the star noodles and colored them blue. To do this, I put them in a gallon Ziploc bag (actually 2 because it started leaking!) and then poured rubbing alcohol in it. I didn't … [Read more...]