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Skeletons can appear more than a little scary, but bold or subtle artsy touches soften them up and make them fun for little learners to explore. I recently found a gorgeous little folk art wooden skeleton and decided to repurpose it in a painted skeleton sensory bin.
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Skeleton Sensory Bin Supplies
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The following simple supplies were used for the sensory bin:
- wooden skeleton parts
- skeleton figurine
- acrylic paint
- paint palette and brushes
- pom poms
- beads
- wooden flowers
- spider figurines
- white rice
- sensory bin
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The Painted Skeleton Sensory Bin
The sky is the limit regarding accessories suitable for sensory bins, so it is super easy to collect supplies. A beautifully painted folk art skeleton featuring bones attached with jute twine was a find one fall day. Although meant to be a wall hanging, I saw possibilities for sensory play.
The skeleton parts were daintily painted in folk art designs on one side and were white everywhere else. After snipping off the jute connectors, I decided to paint the white sides in matching colors to add interest to the pieces and help them stand out.
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Out came acrylic paints in blue and pink colors along with an artist’s palette and paintbrushes. I mixed the paints into pink and light blue hues and carefully painted the skeleton pieces other than the skull with a few coats of color.
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When the painted wooden bones were dry, I placed them in a rice-filled bin. Then I dropped in pom poms, beads, wooden flowers, and spider figurines in similar colors to add design possibilities.
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Finally, I included a toy skeleton figurine in the bin to model how a complete skeleton looks. A diagram of a skeleton would be a great addition too.
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More Skeleton Activities
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Skeleton and Eyeball Water Play
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