reptiles

Three Dinosaur Sensory Bins

September 7, 2025 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Dinosaurs are an oh so popular topic among young children, and they absolutely LOVE sensory bins. This post combines the two interests. featuring three dinosaur sensory bins that are bound to captivate your little learners. A bonus is that the activities are super simple and quick to set up.

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Children adore anything dinosaur, so I try to include dinosaur activities in my yearly rotation of themes. It’s not hard to do, as there are thousands of activities to choose from.

Sensory activities are also a favorite of children and offer a host of benefits. They provide multi-sensory learning through play experiences.

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Dinosaur Rice Bin

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The sensory bin for this first activity is a white kitchen bus tub, which accommodates two or three children at a time. If you’ve seen some of my other sensory blog posts, you’ll know that this is one of my favorite choices for bins. An under-the-bed storage tub also works fantastically. It is slightly bigger in size and accommodates more children.

Rice is an economical sensory base and is reusable. Brown rice is the base for this first sensory bin.

Other supplies in the bin include:

large and small dinosaur figurines
glow in the dark dinosaur skeletons
dinosaur skull figurines
marbles
fillable eggs

Exploring rice is a calming activity, and children love to pour it, bury items in it, and create shaker musical instruments using it as a filler.

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In addition to adding rice to the fillable eggs, children eagerly hide smaller dinosaurs and marbles in them.

Larger dinosaur figurines, dinosaur skulls, and glow-in-the-dark dinosaurs contribute to the theme and add excitement to the bin.

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Dinosaur Egg Rice Bin

This second dinosaur sensory bin is simpler and features a few variations.

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White glutinous rice is the base. Its bright white color helps the accessories stand out.

An edged, square metal serving tray is the bin. It is smaller in size than a kitchen bus tub, accommodating one to two children at a time.

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Fillable eggs with dinosaur spikes were the inspiration for this bin, and are a feature supply.

Various sizes of rocks are natural materials in the bin.

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Dinosaur Noodle Bin

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This third sensory invitation is similar to the one above. The only difference is that the base in the bin is thin, yellow noodles. The bright, cut uncooked noodles add a pop of color and novel texture to the bin.

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Benefits of the Dinosaur Sensory Bins

Sensory bin invitations are non-threatening, open-ended activities for children to participate in. There is no right or wrong way to explore them, and that means zero pressure to meet certain standards.

The rice in the first two bins is relaxing for children to touch, sift, and pour. This helps children regulate their emotions.

As children add little dinosaur figurines and marbles to the fillable eggs, they gain hand-eye coordination and fine motor control.

Children take delight in making shaker musical instruments by adding rice to the eggs. This includes a musical component.

When two or more children play in the same bin, they practice sharing and turn-taking. Their discussions during the play enhance social development.

The sensory invitations have a collection of unique accessories that are new to the children. This encourages the little learners to be creative and use their imagination.

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More Sensory Activities

Flower Planting Sensory Play

Flower Potion Sensory Tray

Airplane Rice Sensory Bin

Cozy Gingerbread Sensory Bin

Plaid-themed Christmas Rice Bin

Chinese New Year Chickpea Bin

Easter Bunny Lentil Sensory Bin

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Reptile Pet Store Center

February 7, 2025 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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A reptile pet store is an engaging dramatic play center young children heartedly embrace. It gently introduces children to scaly, cold-blooded wild animals like snakes, lizards, and turtles. The animal-themed center offers many educational benefits.

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Reptile Pet Store Center Supplies

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The following supplies are included in this simple reptile dramatic play center:

snake figurines
turtle figurines
lizard figurines
crocodile figurines
animal carrying cases
storage trays
cash register
gold coin play money
grocery stand play set
storage shelf

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The Reptile Pet Store Center

This super fun reptile pet store dramatic play center is quick and easy to set up.

A grocery stand play set is the feature piece of furniture. It holds the cash register, a tray of gold coins, and bins with snakes and lizards.

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A see-through shelf holds storage trays with snakes, turtles, lizards, and crocodiles.

Animal carrying cases and a tray with frogs and insects (reptile pet food) are also on the shelf.

Signs on the wall show animals featured in the pet store and a price list.

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Benefits of the Reptile Pet Store Play Center

This reptile pet store center gives young children opportunities to:

sort reptiles by type, size, or color
count animals and play coins
name colors of the reptiles
learn about foods snakes, turtles, and lizards eat
take turns being a shop worker and a customer

Books with information about reptile characteristics, habitats, and life cycles would complement this exotic pet-filled dramatic play center nicely.

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Paper Chain Snake Craft

January 29, 2025 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This paper chain snake craft is a perfect hands-on creative activity. It helps young children develop fine motor skills, recognize colors, practice measurement, and make patterns. The activity suits a reptile, jungle, or Chinese New Year “Year of the Snake” theme.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following basic supplies you probably already have on hand to make this slithery chain-link friend:

light cardstock paper
ruler and pencil
wiggly eyes
scissors
tape
glue stick
glue gun

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Steps to Make a Paper Chain Snake Craft

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To start making a paper chain snake select a sturdy paper in two or more colors. Construction paper or light cardstock is a good choice because it isn’t too heavy to curve into a loop and holds up well for display.

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Next, cut the paper into strips. To make the strips the same-sized width and length, use a pencil and ruler to draw light lines on the paper first. My strips are about 1 ¼ inch wide and 8 ½ inches long. You can make yours shorter and thinner or longer and wider depending on how big you would like the snake to be.

Afterward, form a loop with one paper strip and tape or glue the ends together.

Then add the next link by threading a paper strip through the first loop. Form it into a loop and tape or glue the ends together.

Keep adding paper strips in the same way to make the chain the desired snake body length.

Then draw and cut out a snake head and tail from cardstock. Fold both pieces in half leaving a little section in the middle.

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Afterward, draw a forked tongue on a contrasting color of cardstock and glue it to the bottom of the snake head.

Then glue two wiggly eyes to the head.

Finally, use a glue gun to affix the head to one end of the paper chain snake body and tail to the other.

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Inspired By Chinese Culture

The paper chain snakes in this blog post are inspired by colors spotted in Chinese festivals and artwork. Turquoise, orange, and yellow are hues seen in lion dance performances.

Blue and white color schemes are popular in Chinese ceramics, with flower motifs being common. So as a finishing touch, this next snake is embellished with paper-punched flowers.

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Red and white decorations are feature colors in Chinese New Year celebrations. Red symbolizes celebration and white provides a nice contrast. White paper flowers enhance the snake below too.

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This Chinese New Year signifies “The Year of the Snake“, and the snake craft fits in well with the theme.

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Benefits of The Paper Chain Snake Craft

This slithery snake craft has many benefits for young children. It helps them

develop fine motor control and finger muscle strength as they tape or glue paper strips into loops.
recognize colors and make patterns.
observe and/or help use a glue gun.

The snakes can be measured with a string or a long ruler. They make great pretend pets for little learners.

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More Activities With Snakes

Chinese New Year Chickpea-based Bin

Black Playdough Snakes

Reptile Theme Activities

Reptile Egg Science

String Painting Snake Art

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You may also like:

Unicorn Playdough Tray

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Teacup and Peony Sensory Tray

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Don’t forget to share this post on Pinterest or your favorite social media channel. Sharing is caring!

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Easy DIY Black Playdough

January 25, 2025 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This easy DIY black playdough is sleek, shiny, and oh-so-easy to make. The no-cook recipe pairs perfectly with a snake theme as it is super stretchy. Using it this month also works well with Lunar New Year “Year of the Snake“ activities.

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Easy DIY Black Playdough Ingredients

Gather the following supplies for this black playdough recipe:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp black gel icing color
½ tsp glycerin
large bowl
measuring cup
mixing spoon

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Making the No-Cook Black Playdough

This black playdough recipe can be made quickly. Here are the instructions:

Add two cups of flour to a serving bowl.
Pour in 1 cup of salt.
Add 1 cup of water.
Measure in 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
Drop in 1 tsp black gel icing color.
Add ½ tsp glycerin.
Stir all the ingredients together with a mixing spoon until it becomes thick. Then take the playdough out of the bowl and knead it thoroughly.

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The nice thing about this playdough is that you can play around with the ingredients and it will turn out just fine. If the dough is a little dry, add in a tiny bit more water, glycerin, or oil. If it is a little moist, add a small amount of flour. Kneading the ingredients thoroughly makes it moldable.

If the playdough looks more grey than black measure in more black gel icing color. Note: The playdough will get a little darker over time so it doesn’t need to look all-black immediately.

For additional shine, add a teaspoon more glycerin.

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Little hands will look greenish after making and using the playdough because of the intense black gel color. The gel color is edible, and hands should be their normal hue again after a few washes.

This easy DIY black playdough recipe is super shiny and has a lot of stretch. It becomes a little like slime when reused…how fun!

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Year of the Snake Playdough Invitation

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The homemade black playdough recipe makes a great 2025 Lunar New Year (Year of the Snake) or a reptile-themed activity. Add white beads, small wiggly eyes, and cardstock paper forked tongues. Then invite participants to create beautiful black and white snakes.

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Reusing the Black Playdough

This show-stopping black playdough can be used a few times. When finished playing with it, store it in saran wrap and put it in a sealed container. Place the dough in the fridge if you wish. Keep a little oil and flour on hand to mix in when you pull the shiny black playdough out a second and third time. The dough may be a little moist but will soon be pliable when the two ingredients are kneaded in.

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No Cook Versus Cooked Playdough Recipes

Cooked playdough is long-lasting if stored properly. It is delightful to use, and I love its properties.

When making cooked playdough, take note of the following:

You need a stove to heat up the recipe, or a kettle to heat water.
Most cooked recipes use cream of tartar, a rather expensive ingredient.
The recipe must be made carefully according to the instructions, or it will be too sticky or dry.
It is hard to fix the dough when it is too sticky…I haven’t had much luck with that!

But I love cooked playdough and have made it many times. It is a great choice if you are making a batch ahead of time.

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In the last while I’ve tried more no-cook playdough recipes, selecting ones that do not use boiling water. This is because:

It is easy to include children in making the playdough as there is no need to worry about burns from a hot mixture or stove. And children love helping!
If the ingredients in a recipe are tweaked the playdough will still usually turn out fine. Thorough kneading is key for this.
The recipes do not usually need cream of tartar, which is an additional cost and may not be an ingredient you have on hand.

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Reptile Theme Playdough Tray

September 22, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Living in central Alberta, Canada, reptiles such as snakes and lizards are uncommon for us to see. Unless we visit the local zoo or have access to an animal presentation, we will likely never see one. So it is natural for little learners to be afraid of these creatures. Hands-on activities with reptile figurines help alleviate young children’s fears about snakes and lizards. In addition to offering these exotic animals in a sensory tray, they are interesting accessories to include in a reptile theme playdough tray.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Reptile Theme Playdough Tray Supplies

The following supplies are included in this colorful, unique playdough invitation:

snake and lizard figurines
frog and insect figurines
snake, lizard, and frog playdough molds
rocks and stones
wood slices
refillable eggs
divided compartment serving tray

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The Reptile Theme Playdough Tray

To keep supplies neat, organized, and attractive, one of my go-to methods is to add them to a divided compartment serving tray.

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Although I include many homemade playdough recipes on this blog, I feature store-bought playdough in this modeling dough play invitation. Someone had donated a bunch of different colors to me, and since lizards and snakes come in all kinds of patterns and hues, this activity seemed like the perfect way to start using them.

Miniature snake and lizard figurines and playdough molds allow little learners to create creatures of their own from playdough, and make animal prints. Manipulating the little figurines exposes them to animals they may have a natural fear of.

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Thin wood slices and small rocks and stones in the tray are natural materials found in the habitats snakes and lizards live in.

Frog, insect, and spider figurines represent prey snakes and lizards eat.

Finally, the small refillable eggs are reminders that lizards and most snakes hatch from eggs.

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This reptile theme playdough tray is a perfect beginning activity for learning about snakes and lizards and is superb for working on color recognition, counting, eye-hand coordination, and hand and finger strength.

Adding pictures of real snakes and lizards for little learners to view would provide opportunities to discuss and make patterns and allow for more discussions about the colors these reptiles display.

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More Reptile Activities

Reptile Active World Tray

Reptile Theme Activities

Reptile Egg Science

Sea Turtle Theme Activities

Turtle Pond Sensory Bin

Turtle Christmas Craft

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