The Chaos and the Clutter

Sharla Kostelyk

Mermaid Calm Down Bottle

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This Mermaid Calm Down Bottle is so pretty. Children are mesmerized as they watch items slowly drift down towards the bottom which helps them to regulate their breathing and regain focus when upset.

little brown haired girl looking at a bottle filled with pink liquid with sequins and glitter.

Mermaid Calm Down Bottle:

Supplies needed:

  • empty water bottle (I prefer the look of Voss bottles or sensory bottles from the craft store)
  • clear dish soap (Dawn or LemiShine are good because they are thicker)
  • small mermaid figures (I used stretchy ones from the Dollar Store)
  • white and pink glitter
  • teal sequins
  • pink, purple, teal, and white pony beads
  • optional: Superglue to seal the bottle top

Directions:

  1. Pour clear dish soap into the container until it’s 2/3 full.
  2. Add the glitter, beads, sequins, and mermaid toys.
  3. Fill the leftover space with water.
  4. Replace the lid. If younger kids will be playing with the bottle, then I recommend that you use Superglue or hot glue to secure the lid in place.  Allow the glue to dry before giving it to your child to play with.

As with all sensory activities for kids, adult supervision is required 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 Mermaid Calm Down Bottle allows children to explore through the visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems.

While this bottle can be used as a tool for improving communication and discussing colours, it’s main purpose is to serve as sensory input and as a calming tool. The thick dish soap allows the glitter, sequins, beads, and mermaid toys to fall more slowly through the bottle than they would in water. It really is quite calming to watch  (even for adults!).

As your child watches the items travel through the bottle, encourage them to slow down their breathing. This often happens naturally. Give them simple verbal reminders such as “in through your nose, out through your mouth” or sit nearby and slow down your own breathing to model it for them.

I use this tool when I see one of my kids struggling to regulate their emotions or behaviour. I will often just wordlessly shake up the bottle and set it in front of my child. They begin watching it automatically and I can see their breathing begin to slow almost immediately. It’s a bit like magic actually!Looking for more 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.

Find ideas for other calm down bottles:

Lego Sensory Bottle

Glow in the Dark Sensory Bottle

Spring Sensory Bottle

Valentine’s Calm Down Bottle

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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.

strings of red and pink beads in back with a clear plastic bottle with heart confetti and pink glitter with text that reads "Valentine's Calm Down Bottle"

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:

  1. Fill the water bottle about half full with glue.
  2. 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.
  3. Add the glitter and confetti to the bottle.
  4. 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.
  5. 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 BottleValentines Sensory Bottle whose contents can be turned into a Valentines sensory bin.

Scented Valentine’s Sensory Bin

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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.red heart shaped tray with pink, white and red rice and pink and red plastic hearts and text that reads "Scented Valentine's Sensory Bin" 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:

  1. Add 2 cups of rice to a gallon sized resealable plastic bag.
  2. Drop 2 tsp. of vinegar to the rice.
  3. Add 20-30 drops of red food colouring. (more drops = deeper colour)
  4. Put in 3-7 drops of cinnamon essential oil (depending on how strong you want the smell to be).
  5. Seal the bag and shake. Mix well until the rice is evenly coloured.
  6. Line a baking sheet with paper towel.
  7. Pour the coloured rice onto paper towel, spread out evenly, and allow the rice to dry. (I usually leave mine overnight.)
  8. Once dry, add one cup of white rice and mix. The mix will look red, white, and pink.
  9. Pour the rice into a heart shaped tray.
  10. Add hearts for sensory play.
  11. 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 StationStrawberry and Chocolate Playdough Valentines invitation to play #sensoryplay #chocolateplaydough #playdoughinvitationtoplay #playdough

Valentine’s Sensory BottleValentines Sensory Bottle whose contents can be turned into a Valentines sensory bin.

Lego Sensory Bottle

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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.

blue, green, and white building bricks in liquid in a bottle with text that reads "Lego Sensory Bottle"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:

  1. Pour clear dish soap into the container until it’s 2/3 full.
  2. Add the glitter, mini rubber bands, figurines, and Lego pieces.
  3. Fill the remaining space with water.
  4. 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 BottleA closeup picture of a sensory bottle filled with bright colours of alphabet beads and bright coloured tinsel.

Kinetic Sand Sensory Bins

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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. collage of photos of many types of sensory play experiences with the same base and text that reads "Kinetic Sand Sensory Bins"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:

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:

Rainforest Animals Sensory Bin:

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

Supplies needed:

Construction Sensory Bin:

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

Supplies needed:

Dinosaur Sensory Bin:

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

Supplies needed:

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 Recipea white bin filled with kinetic sand also contains 3 small construction vehicle toys that are yellow and black in colour.

Kinetic Sand Activities

Stretchy Butterfly Slime

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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. stretched out clear slime with specks and multicoloured butterflies with text that reads "Glittery Butterfly Slime"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:

Directions:

  1. Pour the glue into a large mixing bowl and stir the baking soda into it.
  2. Begin to add the contact lens solution a few drops at a time as you stir.
  3. When you find that the mixture begins to pull away from the bowl, it’s time to begin kneading.
  4. Add the glitter and confetti. Continue kneading.
  5. 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.

Looking for more easy sensory play recipes to inspire creativity? Join us for a free five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out these other Spring sensory activities for kids:

Butterfly Sensory BinButterfly Sensory Bag

Spring Sensory Bottle