I find it easiest to create sensory bins that have some type of theme to them. If there is something that we are studying in homeschooling, a sensory bin along that theme can further reinforce what the kids are learning as well as providing an opportunity for sensory play.
Last week, the kids watched the classic musical “Annie Get Your Gun“. They adored it and are still singing “no, you can’t get a man with a gu-un”! Granola Girl was even singing it through the aisles in the grocery store the other day!
Since they were already so interested and asking lots of questions, I decided to expand their learning and teach them about the history of Annie Oakley, the woman the movie is based on and about that time in history. I happened to have a Wild West TOOB which had an Annie Oakley figurine in it (I hadn’t even noticed that when I bought it!) so I used that to create a sensory bin that would allow the kids to play and expand on the story they had watched in the movie.
For the base of the bin, I used dry white beans in one section, aquarium rocks that we had left over from a science experiment we had done the week before in another section and I finished it off with an area of moss. Then I added the Wild West TOOB figures and let the kids play.
I know that my sensory bin may not be completely historically accurate, but the point of it is to get the kids more interested in history and its characters by letting them explore. They loved that there was an Annie Oakley figure and had such fun reenacting scenes from the movie.
You can create a history sensory bin to go with any period in history (think Ancient Greece or Ancient Egypt) or that is centred on a specific historical figure (think inventors, artists, politicians or heroes).
For hundreds of other sensory bin ideas, you can also follow my Sensory Bins board on Pinterest.
Follow Sharla Kostelyk’s board Sensory Bins on Pinterest.
If you are looking for information on making sensory bins, you may be interested in my book. 
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Can I just say thank you! I am a mom of 5. Two have graduated with honors but my middle child that was captain of the volleyball team was injured in volleyball that turned into a life long illness. So home school seems so much easier for her with 3 Dr’s appts a week. Not to mention my 7 yr old missed 30 days of school because the old building was killing his asthma. Long story short my kids have always took everything they could from school & this has been one of the hardest decisions as a mom to make & this post helped so much to let me know we will be just fine. So here’s to my 1st yr with a 6,7,& 14 yr old. Please pray for us & everyone that knows us. lol My older two may change their mind about living on campus. 🙂 Thanks again I came across you at the right time for a reason.
Vickie, I will pray for you and your kids. It seems like this is really the right decision for your family and I think you’ll find your groove. It’s been a challenge homeschooling with all the appointments we have to plan around with our kids, but we have found a way to make it work and you will too.