Kids can work on their visual perception while playing with this I Spy Birds Sensory Bottle. It is simple to create at home or for the classroom. 
This sensory bottle creates opportunity for kids to use their tactile, visual, and proprioceptive sensory systems. Sensory input is an important part of child development and emotional regulation.
I Spy Birds Sensory Bottle:
Supplies needed:
-
- 16.9 oz. bottle (you can use a sensory bottle or Voss type water bottle)
- white rice
- funnel
- bird buttons
- optional: hot glue
Directions:
- Using a funnel, add a small amount of rice to the bottom of the bottle.
- Place a bird button inside the bottle.
- Repeat the above steps until all the birds are placed inside the bottle. By layering the rice and birds, you can ensure they won’t all be in the same place.
- Fill the remainder of the bottle with rice, but leave some space for the rice to move around. You can empty out rice if you feel the rice doesn’t move enough to allow the animals to be seen.
- Replace the lid on the bottle.
- If you want to secure the bottle, you can secure the lid with a hot glue gun.
- Give the sensory bottle to your child or students to explore.
- If you want, you can write a list of the birds for them to find.
Allow the child to move and shake the rice around until they find all of the birds. They can even expand the activity by researching what type of birds they are.
This activity would go well with a unit study on birds.
Expanding your study on birds:
- Go for a nature walk to observe birds and listen to their songs.
- Create bird notebooking pages.
- Set out books on birds.
- Make a bird feeder and watch as birds come to eat.
- Complete some bird worksheets.
- Play the Birds of North America game.
As with all sensory play activities, adult supervision should be used at all times. Even if you have secured the lid with glue, it is still possible to get it open and the bottle contains small parts which are choking hazards for children.
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Check out some of our other sensory bottles:
Whenever you can add a sensory activity into learning, it increases the amount of information children can retain. Sensory bins are a simple way to do this and as kids discover through their senses, they can ask questions which will increase their learning.
Instructions:
This sensory bin contains small parts. Adult supervision should always be used when kids play.
Kids will engage their visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems by playing in this sensory bin. You can also add something for the olfactory (smell) system by scenting the rice using essential oil.
Enter your email below to download the free February Emotions Printables. You can use this with your child at home or print it off to use with your students in the classroom. 
Kitchen science experiments are a great way for kids to learn. They are using materials that are familiar to them. This experiment uses celery, food colouring, and water which are all things that are familiar to most kids.
The colour will climb up the celery stalk through the capillaries which shows how plants pull up the water and nutrients. This is a great visual explanation. The results are more noticeable if you leave the leafy part on the celery. 
This is such an easy science experiment to do and a great visual aid for kids learning about plants and osmosis!
When I started homeschooling and began to incorporate hands-on science fun into our days, it made me wish that I had had the opportunity to do more of that kind of learning when I was in school. I know that many schools now recognize the importance of this and are doing experiments in the classrooms. Learning by doing is learning that lasts. 
This recipe makes great messy fun for kids. It can be used at home or in the classroom for a fun sensory activity. Because it’s taste safe, it can even be used with toddlers or preschoolers.
Important notes: Make your oobleck on the day you want to play with it as it doesn’t keep longer than a day or two. NEVER dispose of oobleck down the drain as it will clog your drain. Allow it to dry uncovered and then scoop it into the garbage.
Directions:
When not in use, store in an airtight container or resealable bag. Adult supervision should be used for this and all sensory play. Be sure to wash hands well after handling slime. 
