Sharla Kostelyk

Valentine’s Calm Down Bottle

It’s amazing how simple it is to make a Valentine’s Calm Down Bottle. Using common items, you can create a Valentine themed sensory bottle that provides calming feedback.

Valentine’s Calm Down Bottle:

Supplies needed:

empty plastic water bottle (I prefer the look of either the craft store sensory bottles or the Voss water bottles)
Elmer’s Clear School Glue
warm water
heart confetti
mini heart pink glitter
red glitter
optional: hot glue or Superglue

Directions:

Fill the water bottle about half full with glue.
Add warm water until the bottle is more than three quarters full and seal with the lid. Shake well to combine the glue with the water.
Add the glitter and confetti to the bottle.
Seal the jar again and shake well. If the confetti and glitter don’t move as easily as you want them to, you can add more warm water. If the glitter or confetti move too quickly, then add additional glue. When the contents of the sensory bottle move the way you want them to, seal the bottle.
If you’re going to be handing the bottle to young children, you’ll want to use hot glue or Superglue to secure the lid. Allow the glue to fully dry before they begin play.

Even if you have secured the lid with glue, adult supervision should be used with this or any other sensory activities.

As the glitter and heart confetti move slowly through the liquid, it can be quite mesmerizing to watch. Kids (or adults) who watch the falling colour usually experience a slowing of their heart rate and the effect of helping regulate their emotions.

Combine that with the sensory benefits of tactile, visual, and proprioceptive input and this really does become a calm down bottle.

Are you looking for more easy sensory play ideas? Join me for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out some of our other Valentines sensory activities:

Heart Shaped Valentine’s Sensory Bin

Valentine’s Sensory Bottle

Scented Valentine’s Sensory Bin

By Sharla Kostelyk

When it comes to sensory activities for home or the classroom, it doesn’t have to be complicated. This simple scented Valentine’s sensory bin encourages hands-on play. Because of the scent, this activity is reminiscent of cinnamon hearts which are of course a Valentine’s Day staple.

Scented Valentine’s Sensory Bin:

Supplies needed:

white rice
white vinegar
red food colouring
cinnamon essential oil
heart gems
heart shaped container (can often be found at the Dollar Store) or sensory bin
optional: scoops or spoons for play

Directions:

Add 2 cups of rice to a gallon sized resealable plastic bag.
Drop 2 tsp. of vinegar to the rice.
Add 20-30 drops of red food colouring. (more drops = deeper colour)
Put in 3-7 drops of cinnamon essential oil (depending on how strong you want the smell to be).
Seal the bag and shake. Mix well until the rice is evenly coloured.
Line a baking sheet with paper towel.
Pour the coloured rice onto paper towel, spread out evenly, and allow the rice to dry. (I usually leave mine overnight.)
Once dry, add one cup of white rice and mix. The mix will look red, white, and pink.
Pour the rice into a heart shaped tray.
Add hearts for sensory play.
When the bin is no longer being played with, you can store the rice and hearts in a clear glass or plastic jar or bottle as decoration.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

Kids playing in this Valentine’s sensory bin engage their olfactory (smell), tactile (touch), visual (sight), and proprioceptive sensory systems.

You can expand this activity by creating a seek and find in the rice with sight words related to Valentine’s or by having kids count the number of red or pink hearts and discuss which one there are more of.

Are you looking for other easy sensory play ideas for kids? Join us for a free five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Some of our other Valentine’s sensory activities:

Valentine’s Playdough Station

Valentine’s Sensory Bottle

Lego Sensory Bottle

By Sharla Kostelyk

If you’re a parent, chances are, you’ve got access to Lego. Maybe you’ve even experienced the universal pain of stepping on a piece! If you’ve already got the supplies, this Lego Sensory Bottle is easy and inexpensive to make.

It can be a great calm down tool for kids as they sit and watch, mesmerized by the movement of the slow falling glitter, green bits, and Lego.

This sensory bottle also makes a cute decoration for a playroom or bedroom. And if you’re hosting a Lego themed birthday party, making these as a group is a fun activity. You can then allow guests to take their creations home as a party favour.

Lego Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

empty water bottle (I prefer the look of Voss bottles or craft store sensory bottles)
clear dish soap (Dawn or LemiShine are good because they are thicker)
Lego figurines (also called mini figs)
white and blue Lego blocks
small green rubber bands (like the kind you may have leftover from the Rainbow Loom craze!)
silver glitter
optional: Super glue to seal the bottle cap

Directions:

Pour clear dish soap into the container until it’s 2/3 full.
Add the glitter, mini rubber bands, figurines, and Lego pieces.
Fill the remaining space with water.
Replace the lid. If you’re going to be using with younger kids, then I recommend that you super glue the lid in place and allow the glue to dry before giving it to your child to play with.

As with all sensory activities, adult supervision should be used at all times. Even if you have glued the lid in place, it can come off and the bottle contains small parts which are choking hazards.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

This Lego Sensory Bottle incorporates the visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems.

Using this visual, kids can work on concepts like colours and counting. They can also work on the math concept of guestimating by guessing how many small elastics there may be in the whole bottle by counting the amount in one section and multiplying that by the number of sections of that size that there are.

As the liquid allows items to move through more slowly than they would through water, kids can focus on the slow falling items to help them regulate their breathing. It creates a calming experience.Are you looking for other easy sensory play ideas? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out some of our other fun sensory bottles for kids:

Football Mini Sensory Bottle

Shark Sensory Bottle

ABC I-Spy Sensory Bottle

Kinetic Sand Sensory Bins

By Sharla Kostelyk

Kinetic sand is such a versatile sensory play material. I wanted to demonstrate just some of the many easy ways you can create a sensory bin using kinetic sand. Store bought kinetic sand can be expensive, so I usually make my own using this homemade kinetic sand recipe.

I wanted to show how easily you could create an interactive sensory experience using only kinetic sand and a few items that you may already have around your house. So for this, I used one package of purchased kinetic sand.

Kinetic Sand Sensory Bins:

The possibilities really are endless. You can reuse the same base over and over and create a new experience each time by changing what you fill it with. I also used a few different bin options including one with a lid so that it is a portable sensory bin. Plus if you have cats, the lid keeps them from thinking it’s a litter box!

Kinetic sand looks similar to regular sand but acts more like wet sand as it can be moulded and can hold shapes. Those properties make it an ideal tool for sensory play.

Bring the Beach Home Sensory Bin:

This one is especially appealing at the moment given the temperature outside! Create your own mini beach scene at home no matter how far you live from the beach.
Supplies needed:

kinetic sand
shells
glass beads
small wood slices
rocks

Sandcastle Building Sensory Bin:

Recreate the feeling of playing in the sand while at home. Dig, build sandcastles, create moats.

Supplies needed:

Sea Turtle Sensory Bin:

Explore the life cycle of green sea turtles with this kinetic sand bin.

Supplies needed:

Cars Sensory Bin:

Use characters from the Cars movie or any toy cars you have on hand.

Supplies needed:

kinetic sand
toy cars

Rainforest Animals Sensory Bin:

Create an interactive learning station at home or in a classroom.

Supplies needed:

kinetic sand
Rainforest animals Toob
optional: sticks or leaves

Construction Sensory Bin:

This theme is especially popular with boys! They can dig, scoop, move, build, and imagine.

Supplies needed:

kinetic sand
small construction vehicles
construction mini erasers
small wooden blocks

Dinosaur Sensory Bin:

This activity can be just for fun or to pair with a dinosaur learning unit.

Supplies needed:

kinetic sand
plastic dinosaurs
optional: leaves or sticks or small toy trees

Alphabet Sensory Bin:

It’s amazing how much you can do with just a set of alphabet letters and kinetic sand!

Supplies needed:

With this sensory activity, here are some things you can do to help kids work on their letter recognition, reading, and spelling:

have kids spell out words of their choosing
have them recreate words from a spelling list
allow them to seek out and read words that you make in the sand
have them match a letter with its imprint and say the name of the letter
imprint the letters of the word and take the letters out of the bin and have your child find the corresponding letter that matches the imprint like a puzzle.

Looking for more easy sensory play ideas? Join for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

You might also want to read:

DIY Kinetic Sand Recipe

Kinetic Sand Activities

Stretchy Butterfly Slime

By Sharla Kostelyk

This easy butterfly slime is just a clear slime recipe using contact lens solution as the base with some added pizzazz. It is a nice sensory play recipe for Spring or for when you wish Spring would come soon. As I type this, it is -40° outside when I live up in Canada. Yes, that’s -40° in both Fahrenheit and Celsius! Now this temperature is cold even for us seasoned Canadians so this is exactly the kind of day that has me dreaming of Spring. I’ve been thinking about flowers and butterflies and green grass as I stay bundled inside and look out at the snow.

You can use this slime just for play or in a unit on Spring or butterflies. If using it as part of a unit, you can also create a Butterfly Sensory Bin and Butterfly Sensory Bag.

Butterfly Slime Recipe:

Supplies needed:

1 cup Elmer’s Clear School glue
2-3 Tbsp. contact lens saline solution
1/2 tsp. baking soda
unicorn glitter
butterfly confetti
optional: butterfly toys for extended play

Directions:

Pour the glue into a large mixing bowl and stir the baking soda into it.
Begin to add the contact lens solution a few drops at a time as you stir.
When you find that the mixture begins to pull away from the bowl, it’s time to begin kneading.
Add the glitter and confetti. Continue kneading.
If the slime is still too sticky to play with, add one or two more drops of contact solution and knead.

You can set out some butterfly toys and silk flowers alongside the slime to encourage imaginative play.

This slime provides visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory feedback. Kids who help with the kneading when making the recipe will get more proprioceptive input.

Check out these other Spring sensory activities for kids:

Butterfly Sensory Bin Butterfly Sensory Bag

Spring Sensory Bottle

Sensory Beds for Kids

By Sharla Kostelyk

It is common for children who have sensory issues to have trouble with sleep. For some, it’s trouble falling asleep (this is more common) while for others, it’s trouble staying asleep. Making changes in your child’s bedroom can make a big change. Sometimes, they may need a special sensory bed to help them sleep.

As a mom of kids with sensory challenges myself, I can tell you that improving their sleep has made a HUGE difference. Healthy sleep patterns lead to improved concentration and cognition, better moods, reduced stress, and better overall mental and physical health. Over the years, we’ve discovered some sleep solutions for sensory needs that truly work.

There are changes that can be made to bedtime routine, the sensory environment, and diet that positively impact a child’s ability to sleep even with sensory issues. You can read those suggestions here. If you have made those changes to your child’s room and nighttime routine and are still not seeing improvements, it may be time to resort to more drastic measures such as changing your child’s bed.

Begin by taking a look at their room and seeing if there are simpler changes you can make. Declutter, minimize visual and auditory distractions, and ensure that there isn’t anything bothering them in their room from a sensory standpoint.

Look for things such as:

shadows or lights
areas of clutter
unusual textures
smells
sounds
cold drafts or heat coming up through a vent

I like the suggestion here of playing a version of I-Spy with your child in their room so that you can better understand what they see and what may be affecting their ability to sleep.

When it comes to bedding, avoid busy patterns, rough or scratchy fabric, or tags.

Some children are very sensitive to any light whereas others need some light. There are some soothing night light options or you can string coloured LED lights along their ceiling (two of our kids have opted for this option and LOVE it). For kids who usually prefer the dark but are sometimes afraid, use glow sticks. They are inexpensive and give off a soft light.

Sensory Beds:

Once you’ve made the room as conducive as you can to sleep, if your child is still struggling at night, consider if making a change to their bed may be helpful. Start with the minimum which is the sheets and blankets before switching out the actual bed.

Bed Sheets:

Many kids respond well to the feeling of pressure (proprioception) that a Lycra sheet provides. You can purchase one or make your own. These stretchy sensory sheets help kids feel more secure and enable them to get their proprioceptive needs met. For many kids, this means a better night sleep.

Blankets:

In much the same way as the Lycra sheet provides proprioceptive feedback, weighted blankets can help children (and adults for that matter!) to get a better night’s sleep. I suggest trying the sheet first as weighted blankets can be expensive and are not recommended for use with very young children.

Before investing in an “official” weighted blanket, you may want to have your child try sleeping under heavier blankets that you have or borrow from friends.

My aunt made my boys thick quilts out of old jeans with another fabric on the back. Between the denim, quilting batting, and the other thick fabric, they are very heavy blankets. These worked well for us to test out which kids would benefit from having a weighted blanket.

Generally, experts recommend that a weighted blanket be 10 percent of a child’s body weight plus one pound. Always consult with your child’s doctor before using a weighted blanket. They should NEVER be used with babies or toddlers under the age of 2.

Privacy Tents:

There are many types of privacy bed tents. Some are designed for fun or play, but many are designed with sensory struggles in mind. When a child is inside a bed tent, they are able to shut out other distractions. It provides a feeling of security as well as eliminating a lot of the extraneous sensory input in the room.

If presented as a fun “campout at home” option, kids are usually excited to give the bed tent a try. Even for those who don’t like confined spaces they can work as there are some types that offer the option of keeping one side open.

Hammock or Swing:

While the thought of swinging or swaying while I sleep makes me feel nauseous, for sensory seekers, it can be just what is needed. Be sure to consult your child paediatrician before allowing your child to sleep in a swing nest or hammock.

Privacy Pop Bed Tent (Twin)Privacy Pop Up Warm Breathable PitchBlack Kids Dream Bed Tent Space Adventure Bed Canopy Hanging Swing Nest with Pillow Cotton Hammock Sensory Bed Sheet for Kids Weighted Blanket

If you’re looking for more practical strategies that work for your child’s everyday sensory needs for things like picky eating, clothing issues, difficulty regulating emotions, meltdowns, and challenging behaviours, you’ll want to read Sensory Processing Explained.
Join me for a free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities (just pop your email into the box below) and get a printable list of 175 Great Sensory Ideas.

You may also be interested in reading:

Sleep Solutions for Kids with Sensory Needs

Does my Child have Sensory Processing Disorder?

Hair Care: Tips for Kids with Sensory Struggles