sensory bin

Paint Pour Ice Cake Sensory Play

January 31, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Drip cakes are a popular trend at the moment. After seeing a fascinating drip cake-decorating video online, I thought it would be fun to try a similar technique with tempera paint and a three-tier ice cake. It turned out to be a paint pour ice cake sensory play invitation, and the icy activity was a huge success. I highly recommend giving it a try.

It is winter in my part of the world right now, and this paint pour sensory activity fits the season. But it would work any time of the year indoors or outdoors using of-the-moment seasonal colors.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

To set up a paint pour ice cake sensory activity, gather the following supplies:

sensory tub
small square coffee table
waterproof tablecloth
tarp
round food storage containers in various sizes
a variety of ice cube trays
tempera paints in turquoise, pink, light purple, and white hues
small soda or water bottles
shovels
toy dinosaurs

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Setting Up The Paint Pour Ice Cake Activity

This sensory invitation is easy from start to finish. The first thing to do is collect round food storage containers and gather all the ice cube trays you can find. Freeze water in them outdoors on a cold day or in a freezer to make ice. This will take about 24 to 48 hours.

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Next, pour tempera paint in turquoise, pink, light purple, and white hues into clear bottles with narrow spouts. Small milk or soda bottles are perfect for this activity. Mix a little water into the paint colors to make them easy to pour.

Then cover an area of the floor with a tarp or large round waterproof tablecloth and set down a small coffee table.

Cover the table with a waterproof tablecloth and place a sensory tub on it. For the featured activity, I used an inexpensive saucer sled. It is just the right size to fit four to six little learners around it. An active world tray would be a fine alternative.

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When the ice shapes are frozen, stack the large cylindrical ones into a three-tier cake in the middle of the tub. Spread ice cubes in various sizes and shapes around the ice cake.

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Paint Pour Ice Cake Sensory Play

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When the ice cake sensory play invitation is all set up, invite little learners to gather around.

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Have your little charges take turns pouring paint from a bottle on top of the cake. The children will be enthralled by the dripping hues.

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After all the paint has been poured, include shovels and dinosaurs in the tub for added sensory play opportunities.

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The paint colors will eventually tone down and blend, allowing little learners to experience a color-changing science experiment.

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More Winter Sensory Play Activities

Polar Animal Sensory Play

Winter-themed Treasure Blocks

Winter Playdough Recipe

Kid’s Winter Wonderland Tablescape

LLama-Inspired Winter Sensory Bin

Snowy Owl Sensory Bin

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Snowy Owl Sensory Bin

January 13, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This snowy owl sensory bin is a fun way to teach about predators and prey and can be set up in minutes. There are plenty of mice in the hide-and-seek bin, but there’s nothing to be afraid of in this winter play invitation.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Snowy Owls and Mice

Snowy owls live in polar regions, but some make their way further south. The majestic birds have excellent vision and exceptional hearing ability and can detect mice and other rodents traveling through tunnels beneath snow in winter. Hunting by day or night, they can dive through the snow, grab a mouse with their talons, and then swallow it whole.

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Snowy Owl Sensory Bin Supplies

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Just a few supplies are in this cheeky snowy owl sensory bin:

cotton balls
paper towel rolls
toy mice
owl figurine
rocks
small logs

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The Snowy Owl Sensory Bin

A round saucer sled works well as a bin for this winter white sensory activity. It is big enough to hold a variety of supplies, but small enough to be easy to fill.

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A large snowy owl figurine is the main character in the bin. A stuffed animal owl would be an awesome alternative.

Cotton balls spread out in the bin represent snow.

Paper towel rolls cut to shorter lengths or left whole serve as tunnels. The paper rolls signify how mice dig tunnels in the snow and travel through them to find food on the ground to eat during the snowy months. The scurrying mice also use them to get to their underground burrows.

Mice come in a variety of colors, such as white, brown, or grey. In this sensory setup, steel grey rubber mice are the snowy owl prey.

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Many snowy owls live far north above the tree line and never see a tree during their lifetime. Some snowy owls venture further south, still choosing open areas to live in. Perched on a high vantage post such as a tree or fencepost, they scan the surrounding area for prey such as mice to eat. Thus a few rocks and logs are added to this second sensory bin.

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Snowy Owl Sensory Bin Learning Opportunities

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This snowy owl sensory bin play invitation is perfect for learning facts about snowy owls and mice, and learning about predators and prey. Discussing hard and soft, long and short, and heavy and light items facilitates language. Practice in counting mice and developing eye-hand coordination when taking mice in and out of their tunnels are other educational benefits.

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More Polar Animal Activities

Winter-themed Treasure Blocks

Igloo Camping Pretend Play

Polar Bear Small World

Winter Sensory Trays

Winter Wreath Paper Plate Craft

Scissor Skill Snow Cutting Activities

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New Year’s Rice Bin

December 27, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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A sensory bin is one of the easiest ways to usher in a new theme, and this new year’s rice bin does just that. I have this gold and silver-laden bin waiting for my preschoolers to explore when they return from their Christmas break next week.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies In The Bin

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The following supplies are in the glitzy bin:

gold and silver wrapped foam mini presents
silver star-shaped dessert cups
tiny gold trophies
gold play coins
silver beads
gold clip tree decorations
gold spoon
silver bell ornament

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New Year’s Rice Bin

As with many of my sensory activities on the blog, a white bus tub is the bin of choice. It is large enough for two or three children to explore comfortably and doesn’t require an exorbitant amount of sensory base.

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White glutinous rice is the base for the bin, another one of my favorite sensory supplies.

Scooping and pouring rice using the tiny gold trophies and silver star-shaped dessert cups develops eye-hand coordination.

Little learners can gather and count the gold coins.

Gold clip tree decorations and silver beads (cut from a garland) add glitz to the bin.

Spoons are a basic accessory my preschoolers always want to be included in a sensory bin.

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The silver bell is not just a plain bell. It is shaped like an octopus. To see how it is made, view my blog post Octopus Christmas Craft. There is a free template to download should you decide to make an octopus-themed bell to help ring in the new year.

Happy New Year!

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More New Year’s Activities

New Year’s Eve Sensory Tray

New Year’s All Gold Sensory Activity

New Year’s Countdown Activities

New Year’s Crafts

New Year’s Sensory Tray

New Year’s Art and Math Activities

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Christmas Peppermint Sensory Bin

December 10, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This Christmas peppermint sensory bin was inspired by a gorgeous miniature red, pink, and white-striped peppermint tree. The eye-catching tree was one of these “gotta have it” Christmas decorations for me, as it is festive and unique. A quick search in stores around my neighborhood led to finding complementary accessories for the tree. Loose parts round out the supplies in the inviting sensory bin your little learners will absolutely LOVE.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Christmas Peppermint Sensory Bin Supplies

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The following supplies were gathered for this sweet candy-themed bin:

peppermint candy Christmas tree
candy cane ornaments
candy ornaments
peppermint candy erasers
toy peppermint candies
peppermint candy-themed metal buckets
red, pink, and white buttons
pink, red, and white pom poms
wooden peg people
red spoons
red, pink, and white acrylic paints
small paintbrushes
spoons

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The Christmas Peppermint Candy Sensory Bin

The unexpected bin of choice for this peppermint candy sensory bin is a red saucer sled. It is an economical purchase and accommodates three or four children nicely at a time.

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The base is white glutinous rice, often my go-to for sensory bins. It is low on the mess, and the white color lets the festive supplies in the bin shine.

Wooden peg dolls painted with red, pink, or white acrylic paint match the color theme.

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Peppermint candy-themed metal buckets hold candy cane ornaments and the other sensory supplies nicely.

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Spoons are always a requested item for my sensory bins, and red ones fit the bill.

Red, pink, and white pom poms and buttons round out the sensory supplies.

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The Christmas peppermint theme for the bin is a way for little learners to play with Christmas peppermint candy without the sugar fix.

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Benefits Of The Christmas Peppermint Sensory Bin

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Aside from adding joy to the holiday season, this Christmas peppermint candy sensory bin allows children to:

count candy canes, candies, and other supplies
notice red and white, and pink, red, and white striped patterns
discuss the words hard (candies and buttons) and soft (pom poms)
label pink, red, and white colors
develop eye-hand coordination while using the sensory supplies
share whether they like the taste of candy canes and other Christmas candy

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More Christmas Sensory Bins

Plaid-themed Christmas Rice Bin

Ugly Christmas Sweater Rice Bin

Christmas Sensory Play

Llama Christmas Sensory Bin

Santa Claus Sensory Bin

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Skeleton Sunflower Seed Bin

October 30, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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If you need an easy sensory bin idea for a skeleton theme, this skeleton sunflower seed bin is for you. Set it up in minutes, and you’ll have a super engaging sensory invitation your little learners will be happy to explore.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

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The following supplies are in the sunflower seed sensory bin:

sunflower seeds
skeleton figurines
skeleton arm scoops
toy bones
skull reusable ice cubes
toy eyeballs in different colors
skull treat holders
skull cups
clear non-breakable jars
silver bowls and serving spoons

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The Skeleton Sunflower Seed Bin

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Striped sunflower seeds are the base for this seedy skeleton bin. They are economical to buy and provide a unique sensory experience. In my active world tray, two large bags of seeds work nicely. For a smaller bin such as a bus tub or saucer sled, one large bag would be enough.

The sunflower seeds bring plenty of color, so there is no need to dye anything. This saves a lot of preparation time.

The toy skeletons, skulls, and bones are supplies easily scooped up at dollar and party stores, or the seasonal section of a big box store.

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It’s always nice to see the excited look of children when they discover a new sensory bin invitation, and their reaction to this bin did not disappoint. There was lots of imaginative and creative play.

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Skeleton Lentil Bin Sensory Play

To keep the interest in skeleton sensory play going, offer the same supplies in a lentil-based bin. The red lentils are another base ingredient that brings its own color to the sensory invitation.

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More Sunflower Seed Sensory Play

After children have had plenty of time to explore the skeleton-themed accessories, swap them out for a pumpkin or sunflower and dinosaur-themed bin using the same striped sunflower seeds as a base.

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