The Chaos and the Clutter

Sensory

Dinosaur Sensory Bottle

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I love this Dinosaur Sensory Bottle. I know it’s a gender stereotype to say that pink is for girls, but the reality is that it still is generally thought to be more of a feminine colour. So what I love about this is that it takes what is typically thought to be a boy interest (dinosaurs) and pairs it with colours typically associated with girls.

What is created is a sensory experience perfect for boys and girls. liquid filled bottle on a round pink mat with text that reads "Dinosaur Sensory Bottle"

Dinosaur 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)
  • brightly coloured dinosaur figurines
  • orange and gold glitter
  • orange, white, blue, and peach pony beads and smaller beads
  • green mini rubber bands (like the Rainbow Loom elastics you probably have laying around the house!)
  • optional: Superglue or hot glue to seal the bottle cap

Directions:

  1. Pour enough clear dish soap into the bottle to make it 2/3 full.
  2. Add the glitter, mini rubber bands, dinosaur toys, and coloured beads.
  3. Fill the rest of the container with water.
  4. Put the lid back on. If you’re going to be using this sensory bottle with young children, then I suggest that you superglue the lid in place or use hot glue to secure. Be sure to let the glue dry before giving it to your child to play with.

Adult supervision should be used at all times when kids are playing with this activity. Even if you glue the lid in place, it can come off especially over time. The bottle contains small parts which are choking hazards.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

The visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems and engaged when using the dinosaur sensory bottle.

This sensory bottle can be used for a dinosaur unit study at home or in the classroom. Here are some other suggestions for interactive sensory learning about dinosaurs:

Dinosaur Fossils in Playdough

Dinosaur Sensory Bin

Dinosaur Slime

Gross Motor Dinosaur Action Cube

Are you wanting more 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.

Valentine’s Day Playdough Station

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Create a sensory station at home or in your classroom with this open-ended Valentine’s Day playdough invitation to create. Kids are free to explore and use their imaginations as they engage their senses.

hand presses heart cookie cutter in red playdough. Text reads "Valentine's Playdough"

One year to celebrate Valentine’s Day, we made Chocolate and Strawberry Playdough for the kids to create with, but this year, we stuck to something a bit more basic.

Valentine’s Day Playdough Recipe:

Supplies:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
  • 1 Tbsp. oil
  • pink food gel
  • 1 cup water (boiling if making with KitchenAid)
  • red glitter
  • optional: a few drops of essential oil in rose or lavender*

*a note about choosing scents: Some scents are calming while others are alerting. If you want this activity to be a calming one, be sure to choose a calming scent as opposed to choosing a more alerting scent if you are wanting to create an activity that helps keeps kids focused.

KitchenAid Directions:

  1. Put the dry ingredients in a KitchenAid mixer.
  2. Add the oil and colour and begin mixing with the flat beater.
  3. As it is mixing on the lowest setting, pour in the boiling water.
  4. Add in the red glitter. If you want to scent the playdough, add a few drops of essential oils. Mix until the playdough texture you want is achieved.
  5. Store in an airtight container or resealable bag when not being played with.

Stovetop Directions:

  1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a pot and stir in the oil, water and the food colouring.
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, being sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pot.
  3. Cook until the dough forms a ball. Remove from heat.
  4. Place it on a piece of wax paper. Knead. Add glitter in at this point and if you want, a few drops of essential oils for scent.
  5. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container or in a resealable bag.

Valentine’s Playdough Sensory Station:

Supplies:

  • tray with separated compartments
  • playdough (recipe above)
  • plastic hearts of various sizes
  • pink Easter grass
  • heart confetti
  • heart shaped erasers
  • cookie cutters in various sized hearts
  • small plastic heart containers

I found most of my supplies at the Dollar Store.

Directions:

  1. Set the playdough in the center of the tray.
  2. Place the other items in the compartments all around it.
  3. Invite your child to use their imagination to explore and play.

When kids interact with this playdough station, they engage their visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems as they push, knead, gather, roll, squish, and pull. If you use essential oils in the recipe, then their olfactory (smell) system is also involved.

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

You may want to see some of our most popular playdough recipes:

Frozen Inspired Microwave Elsa Playdough

White Snow PlaydoughSnow Playdough and invitation to play

Calming Lavender Scented Playdough

Valentine’s Day Fluffy Slime

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If you’re looking for an easy sensory play activity for February, you’re in luck. This Valentine’s Day Fluffy Slime recipe is simple to make and provides hours of fun. puffy pink slime with red hearts. Text reads "Valentine's Day Fluffy Slime"

What is fluffy slime?

I seem to go in phases when it comes to slime. I’m currently in a bit of a fluffy slime craze. Fluffy slime is just basically regular slime with shaving cream added. I like the texture and the stretch of it. If you like your slime fluffier, you can simply add more shaving cream.

Valentine’s Day Fluffy Slime:

Ingredients:

Directions:
  1. Add glue to a bowl.
  2. Mix in water and baking soda.
  3. Add shaving cream and mix.
  4. Stir in food colour.
  5. Slowly add contact solution. Mix.
  6. Knead.
  7. If it’s still too sticky, add a drop more of contact solution and knead some more.

Fluffy Slime Troubleshooting Tips:

You’ll need to use contact solution as the activator to create your slime. Otherwise, the glue and shaving cream will just be a blob of goo.

If your slime isn’t fluffy enough, fold in some additional shaving cream. When the slime isn’t stretchy after a few days of play, you can add a bit of hot tap water or a small amount of lotion.

If the slime is too sticky, add a drop or two more contact solution or a small bit of baby oil and knead.

Looking for more easy sensory play recipes to inspire creativity? Join us 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 be interested in these other Valentine’s activities:

Valentine’s Emotion Game for Kids

Valentine’s Pluffle Sensory Bin

Valentine’s Day Sensory Bottle

Valentine’s Day Slime

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Create this Valentine’s Day Slime for your friends, child, or classroom. It’s super stretchy. This contact solution recipe is an easy one to master. little hands stretch out slime with hearts. Text reads "Valentine's Day Slime"If you’re looking for a homemade Valentine’s gift, this slime recipe and/or our Valentine’s Fluffy Slime recipe can be put in a small container or resealable bag.

Valentine’s Day Slime:

Supplies needed:

  • 1 cup Elmer’s Clear School glue
  • 2-3 Tbsp. contact lens saline solution
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • unicorn glitter
  • heart confetti
  • small plastic hearts
  • optional: heart shaped cookie cutters and plastic heart containers for extended play

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, hearts, 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.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

Set out heart shaped cookies cutters, additional plastic hearts, and plastic heart containers to allow your child the chance to engage in imaginative sensory play. You can also set up a sensory station in your classroom with this as one of the activities.

The visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems are involved during slime play.

Looking for more great sensory play recipes to inspire imagination? 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 other sensory play opportunities for February:

Valentine’s Day Fluffy Slime

Chocolate and Strawberry Playdough Station

Scented Valentine’s Sensory Bin

Astronaut Sensory Bottle

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Awww, this activity is so fun and so cute! Kids can explore their interest in outer space with this Astronaut Sensory Bottle. It engages the senses and the mind.

hand holds a bottle filled with liquid, glitter, and beads with text that reads "Astronaut Sensory Bottle"

Astronaut Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

Directions:

  1. Pour clear dish soap into the bottle to 2/3 of the way full.
  2. Add the glitter, mini rubber bands, space erasers, and ceiling stars.
  3. Fill up to the top with water.
  4. Put the lid back on. If you’re going to use with younger kids, then it’s best to superglue the lid in place or secure with hot glue. Be sure to allow the glue time to dry before giving it to a child to play with.

As with all of our sensory activities, adult supervision should be used. Even if you have glued the lid in place, it can still come off. The bottle contains small parts which are choking hazards so always use caution.

This activity has an added bonus. Because of the ceiling stars, it is glow-in-the-dark. Just be sure to leave it in the light long enough to charge and then the sensory bottle will glow. Some kids may be comforted by bringing their glowing bottle into their room with them at night.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

This Astronaut Sensory Bottle engages the visual, tactile, and the proprioceptive sensory systems.

If you’re doing a unit study on the Solar System, you can set out this Astronaut Sensory Bottle as a hands-on addition to your studies. When kids incorporate their senses into their learning, they show better retention. You can set up an entire Space Sensory Station at home or in your classroom to encourage learning.

Here are some other activities that would work well at your Space Sensory Station:

Glow in the Dark Solar System Sensory BinSolar System sensory bin glows in the dark

Space Sensory BottleThis Space sensory bottle is naturally weighted. Kids can also use it as an I-Spy activity.

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

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