The Chaos and the Clutter

sensory bin

Easter Egg Hunt Sensory Bin

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Sensory bins are perfect for interactive play. And when you add in seasonal elements, they’re a fun way to celebrate a holiday with your little ones too. This adorable Easter egg hunt sensory bin is filled with unique ways for your kids to explore using an Easter theme, whether they’re learning at home or in the classroom.

yellow on one side, purple on the other with sparkly eggs and a fluffy chick. Text reads "Easter Egg Hunt Sensory Bin"Using common Easter themed items in your sensory bin is the perfect way to get your kids playing and learning by using their senses. Each item on the bin is designed to help your child learn as they play by engaging at least one of their senses – sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.

Easter Egg Hunt Sensory Bin:

Supplies needed:

yellow and purple with toy sparkly eggs and the letters to spell Easter Egg HuntInstructions:

  1. Spread the yellow and purple Pluffle in the bottom of the bin, placing one colour on each side.
  2. Place the letters in the bin. You can use the letters to spell out words (like Easter Egg Hunt) or simply let your kids play with the letters and spell words on their own. Kids love to spell out their own names and familiar words. 
  3. Spread the sequin eggs and baby chick toys around inside the bin.
  4. Place the magnifying glass on top of the items for the kids to use.

collage of photos of a yellow and purple Easter sensory bin

Easter Sensory Bin Activities

Once you have your sensory bin set up, your kids can explore each item inside the bin as they play. These sensory bin activities are fun ways to encourage your kids to explore:

  • Use the magnifying glass. Move the magnifying glass over each element in the sensory bin and explore the different colours and textures up close. Compare the fluffy chick’s feathers to the smooth letters to see how they are different.child's hand holding a magnifying glass over a sequined egg
  • Touch the different items in the bin. Use your fingers to touch each item in the bin and describe what each one feels like. Which items in the bin are soft? Which are hard?
  • Squish the Pluffle. Use your hands, a spoon, or a scoop to move the Pluffle around. Squish the Pluffle in your hands or combine the colours to see what happens.
  • Sort or spell with the letters. Put the letters in alphabetical order, sort them by colour, or spell Easter words with them inside the sensory bin.
  • Play hide and seek. Hide the eggs or chicks under the Pluffle and dig around in the bin to find them. Or play a game with a friend or sibling by hiding items inside the bin and asking someone else to find the hidden treasures.hand squishes purple and yellow Pluffle

Check out our other Easter sensory ideas:

Nature Inspired Easter Sensory Bin

plush bunny sits by a sensory bin filled with moss, grass, and toy butterflies

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Using nature as inspiration for your sensory bin is a great way to provide your toddler or preschooler with educational interactive fun. And since spring is right around the corner, Easter is the perfect time to create a nature activity for your kids. With this nature inspired Easter sensory bin, your little ones can have some educational fun while exploring nature at home. stuffed bunny, moss, grass, sticks, and toy insects. Text reads "Nature Inspired Easter Sensory Bin"Nature provides your kids with tons of opportunities to explore and meet their sensory needs. From smelling the flowers to touching the soft grass, there are several ways your child can use their senses while playing outside. And that’s why nature is the perfect inspiration for an Easter sensory bin.collage of photos of a hand playing in a Spring sensory bin

Nature Inspired Easter Sensory Bin:

Supplies needed: 

plush bunny sits by a sensory bin filled with moss, grass, and toy butterfliesInstructions: 

  1. Add the Spanish moss to the tray. Add the artificial grass on top. Spread out evenly.
  2. Place the artificial plants, flowers, and mini birch logs around the bin. 
  3. Add the stones, rocks, and gems to the bin. 
  4. Add the butterflies and dragonflies to the bin. 
  5. Set the bunny near the bin. 

collage of photos of creating an Easter sensory bin

Nature Inspired Sensory Bin Activities

Once you have your sensory bin put together, it’s time to let your kids explore.

If you’re looking for ways to encourage your kids to play, try these fun activity suggestions:

  • Play with the bunny in the bin. Encourage pretend play by asking your child to play with the bunny in the bin. They can make the bunny interact with the different elements of the bin and use their imagination as they play.
  • Touch the different elements and compare the textures. Explore their sense of touch by touching each item to see what it feels like. Then, compare the different textures to see which ones are similar, like the rocks and gems, and which ones are different, like the logs and moss.

hand playing in an Easter sensory bin

  • Listen to nature sounds. In addition to invoking your kids’ sense of touch, this nature inspired sensory bin can also let your child use their ears to hear. Figure out what sounds the elements make when rubbed together or moved from spot to spot.
  • Encourage imaginative play. After child plays with the bunny, your child can also use the butterflies and dragonflies for play. Show them how the insects interact with the different elements in the bin, then let them use their imagination to play with the toys.
  • Sort and organize. Practice sorting and organizing the elements in the bin into different categories, like colour, shape, or size.
  • Compare to nature. Take a look at each element in the bin and compare it to items found in nature. Ask your child what each item looks like and then let them guess what it is and where in nature you can find it.

hands holding toy butterflies

Check out some of our other Easter sensory activities for kids:

Easter Fluffy Slime

Eggs and Carrots Easter Sensory Bin

Sensory Sound Eggs

On the Go Christmas Sensory Tub

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The holidays are full of excitement. They also carry with them their fair share of stress, even for kids. It’s with that in mind that we created this On the Go Christmas Sensory Tub.

Sensory play can be very calming for kids. Being able to take something like this with them to events or in the vehicle can help your child better manage their emotions. It would also make a good addition to their Christmas Calm Down Kit. red and white sand with green jingle bells and clear gems with text "On the Go Christmas Sensory Tub"The items for this portable sensory activity were all purchased at the Dollar Store, so it is very inexpensive to create.

The red and white sand swirled together gives a bit of a candy cane look. The jingle bells add a sound element as well as giving a nice contrast of colour.

On the Go Christmas Sensory Tub:

Supplies needed:

Directions:

  1. In a bowl, mix together the red and white sand.
  2. Toss in the other materials. Mix together.
  3. Transfer into portable containers with lids.

As with all sensory activities, adult supervision should be used at all times.

Helpful tip: If you’re wanting to use this in the vehicle and are worried about mess or spills, you can transfer the contents to a resealable bag and seal to create a Christmas Sensory Bag.

This on the go Christmas Sensory Tub engages the visual, tactile, and auditory (because of the jingle bells) sensory systems.

Check out these other holiday sensory activities:

Fill an Ornament Sensory Bag

Deconstructed Christmas Tree Sensory Bottle

Christmas Gifts Sensory Bin

Insect Sensory Bin with Pasta

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This Insect Sensory Bin is a great addition to a preschool unit on insects or Spring. It has a variety of textures and colours. This adds to both the visual and tactile sensory experiences.

Insect Sensory Bin #sensory #sensoryplay #sensorybins #sensoryscienceWe used this sensory bin while studying insects in our homeschool. The kids enjoyed playing in it. The green rice looks like grass and made us look forward to Spring.

My kids were quite surprised that there was a pasta shaped like insects! We used some of the pasta for the sensory bin and cooked the rest for lunch. This created a gustatory (taste) sensory experience for them as well.This particular sensory bin was one of the ones we had made in our sensory bin swap. That meant that when the kids and I got to the insect unit in our science, I could easily just dump the contents of the bag into a bin and voila!

Insect Sensory Bin:

*you can find a tutorial on how to dye rice for sensory play here.

Bug Shaped PastaBug Shaped PastaBug Shaped PastaStretchy BugsStretchy BugsStretchy BugsPlastic Bugs and ArachnidsPlastic Bugs and ArachnidsPlastic Bugs and Arachnids

A note about the dyed rice:

When you’re finished using this sensory bin, you can store the green rice in a resealable plastic bag. The green rice makes a nice sensory bin base for a lot of different themes because it looks like grass. You can also use it inside sensory bottles or bags.

Spiders are not insects:

Yes, I know that spiders are not an insect. The kids wanted to add them and we actually used it as a compare and contrast science lesson on why they are not an insect. If you prefer to have this be an authentic insect sensory bin, simply leave the spiders out!

Ideas to expand the learning:

  • Add magnifying glasses to the sensory bin.
  • Set out books about insects and let the kids try to match them up.
  • Add scoops, small cups, and tweezers for fine motor skill practise.

You may also be interested in checking out these sensory bins:

Frog Sensory Bin Frog Sensory Bin Play

Spring Sensory Bin 

Winter Sensory Bins

a collage of different winter themed sensory bins and the words "Winter Sensory Bins"

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It’s that time of year again. The snow is falling, temperatures are dropping, and kids are starting to go stir crazy! These winter sensory bins are a great way to bring the outdoors indoors without bringing the cold in with it.

Sensory play is an important part of development for all kids, particularly those who have sensory issues. The additional sensory input meets their needs and helps with emotional regulation and mood.

Winter Sensory Bins:

Winter Wonderland Sensory Bin from here on The Chaos and The Clutter

Winter Sensory Tray from here on The Chaos and The Clutter

Arctic Animals Sensory Bin at Teaching Mama

Snowman Sensory Bin at Every Star is Different

Snow Sensory Tub from Simple Fun for Kids

Animals Hibernating in Winter ~ Sensory Bins for Preschoolers from The Natural Homeschool

Winter Counting Sensory Table from The Imagination Tree

Arctic Sensory Bin from Adventures and Play

Frozen Oobleck Sensory Bin on Messy Little Monster

Pretend Snow Snowman Sensory Bin from Housing a Forest

Pretend Snow Sensory Bin from Mommy’s Bundle

Exploring Ice in the Sensory Table at Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds

Winter Diorama Ideas: Animals that Adapt in Winter from The Natural Homeschool

Mini Polar Sensory Bin from Mom Inspired Life

Figure Skating Sensory Bin from Every Star is Different

Pretend Snow Sensory Play with Trains from Play Trains

Winter Wonderland Small World Play from Buggy and Buddy

Snow Sensory Activity with Shaving Cream from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Snow Slope Imaginary Play over at Picklebums

Bring the snow inside with this Real Snow Sensory Bin from Messy Little Monster

Simple Snowman Sensory Bin from Living Life and Learning

Snowball Water Play Winter Activity at Fantastic Fun and Learning

Winter Preschool Treasure Hunt Bin from Brain Power Boy

Winter Sensory Bin from Paper and Glue

Penguin Sensory Bins:

Penguin Sensory Bin from here on The Chaos and The Clutter

Penguin Sensory Bin from Adventures and Play

Make a Penguin Sensory Bin at Mama Smiles

Penguin Pretend Play from Nurture Store

Penguin Ice Play for Toddlers at Messy Little Monsters

Penguin Sensory Play from Fantastic Fun and Learning

As you can probably tell from these examples, sensory bins are simple to create. You likely have most of the supplies in your home today to make a sensory bin that your child would love. If you are looking for more in-depth information on creating sensory bins including filler ideas, sensory recipes, storage, and money saving ideas, you can find those in my ebook on Sensory Bins. Sensory Bins ebook Get 175 sensory activity ideas in convenient printable lists which are ideal for using in the home, classroom or in a therapeutic setting.

How To Make Kinetic Sand At Home

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

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Kinetic sand is such a neat sensory experience for kids. It is fun to play with, sparks creativity, and offers great sensory input. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but the kinetic sand in stores is expensive.

Once your kids play with the kinetic sand for a while (particularly if it’s in a classroom or day care and multiple children have their hands in it), it can get dirty. That means it needs to be thrown out. Which means you need to buy more. That’s why homemade kinetic sand is such a great option. You won’t believe how easy this recipe is to make!

Homemade Kinetic Sand #sensoryplay #sensoryplayrecipes #kineticsand

What is Kinetic Sand?

Kinetic sand is sand that has had ingredients added to it so that it becomes mouldable like clay. It continues to have the grainy properties of sand, creating an interesting texture experience.

Yet it sticks to itself, much like wet sand at the beach. When you are on the shore making sand castles or sand sculptures, you need to add water to keep the structures from becoming too dry and crumbling. This is essentially the idea behind kinetic sand.

DIY Kinetic Sand Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups sand
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil

How To Make Kinetic Sand:

  1. Measure out the sand and flour and add to a large bowl.
  2. Mix the sand and flour together.
  3. Stir in the oil. Combine well.

Now you have your own homemade kinetic sand to play with!

This recipe is included in our Sensory Play Recipes eBook. It includes more than 25 easy to make recipes for awesome sensory activity options. If you’d like a sample that includes 5 recipes from the book, just pop your email into the box below.

Does Kinetic Sand Dry Out?

If the sand begins to dry out after a few weeks, you can mix in a few drops more of vegetable oil and give it a good stir.   

Homemade kinetic sand is wonderful for playing with and such an easy recipe to make. You can buy enough sand to make large quantities of your own kinetic sand for the same cost as one pack of store bought variety.

You can also purchase sand in cool colours. This allows you to make coloured kinetic sand.

I put the kinetic sand in a sensory bin and added some small construction vehicles and a scoop. This created a sensory bin that encouraged imaginative play. Even my teens enjoyed playing with this one. They especially liked packing it into small cups and creating mounds and then pushing them over with the toy steamroller.

One of my sons couldn’t seem to get enough of squishing this in his fists and then releasing it to feel it fall through his fingers.

how to make your own kinetic sand

Other Play Ideas

You could also use this play material to create a beach sensory bin with seashells, small sand toys, glass beads, and rocks.

Or you could simply dump it in a kinetic sand tray and let your child’s imagination lead the way. They can stamp in this sensory play material with cookie cutters or stamps. Kids can experiment with creating shapes. They can add small toys to create a small world. There are so many options.

For therapists, this is an interesting material to use in sand trays. The proprioceptive sensory feedback kids receive from squishing and squeezing the sand can create a calming effect. You can still have the child add toys and play out scenes.

Once you know how to make kinetic sand at home and realize how easy it is, you’ll never need to buy it again!

Click here for more easy sensory play ideas:

Snow Playdough

Milky Slime Recipe

Unique Types of Slime

The Mega List of Sensory Bottles