sensory bottles

It’s easy to create a Thanksgiving sensory bottle for your child. You’ll capture the holiday as well as the fall season all in one bottle. I love the colours at this time of year. I think that’s one of the reasons that I find this bottle so pretty.

A sensory bottle can help kids self-regulate. The calm down type are particularly effective and this is one of those. Kids can watch the glitter and confetti slowly drop and as they focus on that, their breathing begins to regulate. It’s like magic!

Thanksgiving Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

• plastic bottle or empty plastic water bottle
• 5 oz. bottle of Elmer’s clear school Glue
• warm water
• approximately 1 Tbsp. glitter and Thanksgiving confetti
• optional: glass beads in clear, yellow, or orange
• optional: hot glue

Directions:

1. Empty the bottle of glue into bottle.
2. Fill the empty glue bottle about half full with warm water and reseal with the lid. Shake well to combine the remaining glue with the water. Pour into the bottle with glue and shake to combine.
3. Add the glitter and Thanksgiving confetti into the glue mixture.
4. Drop in a few glass beads if you want.
5. Seal the jar and shake well. If the glitter or confetti do not move easily, add more warm water. If the glitter and confetti moves too quickly, add additional glue. You’ll achieve more of a calm down bottle effect if there is more glue.
6. When the contents of the bottle move according to your preference, seal the bottle.
7. Hot glue the lid closed to avoid spills.

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

I like to add the glass beads myself. I like the way they create an auditory component. Because they are heavier, they drop to the bottom right away and create a “plunk” sound. This activity provides visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory input and if using the glass beads, auditory sensory input as well.

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You might also like these Thanksgiving activities:

Thanksgiving Sensory Bin

This fall leaves sensory jar can be for sensory exploration or as an autumn decoration or both. Bring the colour and feel of the season inside.While we normally make sensory bottles in all kinds of themes, I thought a sensory jar might be a nice change. The size allows it to sit nicely on a mantle or counter as a decoration when it’s not being used as a sensory toy.

Fall Leaves Sensory Jar

Supplies:

• 8 oz. plastic storage jar
• 6 oz. bottle Elmer’s yellow glitter glue
• approximately ½ cup warm water
• 1 Tbsp. maple leaf foil confetti
• optional: seasonal cupcake liner, washi tape, duct tape, or pine cones for decoration

Directions:

1. Empty the yellow glitter glue into the jar.
2. Fill the empty glue bottle about half full with warm water (about ¼ cup) and seal with the lid. Shake well to combine the remaining glue with the water. Pour into jar with the glue and stir to combine.
3. Add the maple leaf confetti.
4. Seal the jar and shake well. If the glitter or confetti don’t move easily, you can add more warm water. If the glitter or confetti move too quickly, you can add additional glue.
5. When you’ve got things looking the way you want them to, seal the jar and glue the lid closed to avoid spills.
6. If you want to, you can cover the lid with a cupcake liner, washi tape, seasonal duct tape, or other decoration. If you want to achieve the look of ours, use a hot glue gun to attach pine cones to the lid.

Note that supervision should be used when giving this jar to children as they will be able to get the lid off and that could make quite a mess! You also don’t want kids eating the contents of this jar so be sure to keep an eye on them with it.

You may be interested in some of other Fall themed sensory play activities:

Easy Fall Sensory Bag

Pumpkin Pie Scented Cloud Dough

Fall Leaves Slime

It’s so easy to create this At the Beach Nature Sensory Bottle. It makes a great memento of a tropical or beach vacation too. You can gather the items while on holiday and bring the bottle home with you to remember the trip by.

I love that this discovery bottle uses things found in nature. Just like our Seashell Fossils in Playdough activity, this allows kids to explore using their senses and items they found themselves.

At the Beach Nature Sensory Bottle:

Supplies:

• empty water bottle (I like the look of Voss bottles, but you can also purchase these empty sensory bottles)
• seashells
• sand
• seagull feathers
• seaweed
• optional: super glue to seal the bottle cap

Directions:

1. Take a walk on the beach to collect the items you want to include in the sensory bottle.
2. Wash the items (other than the sand) and lay them out on paper towels to dry. Be sure they are fully dry before adding them.
3. Pour sand into the bottle until it is 1/4 to 1/3 of the way full. You can use a funnel to make this easier.*
4. Drop in small seashells, small sand dollars, seaweed, and feathers. You could also add small driftwood or rocks found on your walk.

*If you are on vacation and don’t have a funnel with you (because who brings a funnel on vacation?!), you can roll up a piece of paper into a funnel and pour the sand through that.

You can keep your creation as a keepsake from your vacation. You can use a permanent marker to write the location and year on the bottle and display it in your home.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

Sensory: This sensory play activity begins with the walk along the beach. The feel of the sand under their feet, the wind on their skin, the sound of the waves, the smell of the sea all engage the senses.

The experience continues with adding the collected items to the bottle. This beach sensory bottle involves the visual and tactile sensory systems and during the walk, the olfactory and auditory systems. Science: This activity encourages children to explore the world as they get up close to the beach. You can expand on what they learn by providing books about sea life and seashells so that they can discover what animals lived in the shells at one time.

Children can use the books or the internet as a reference for reading about how sand is made, the benefits of eating seaweed, or any other questions they have about the beach or the ocean. Here are some books that would fit well:

The Beachcomber’s CompanionSeashells, Crabs and Sea StarsShells Handbook

Communication: Kids can expand their vocabulary as they learn about the ocean, sea life, and the beach on their walk. They can further that discussion when filling the bottle and exploring it afterwards. This gives them the opportunity to ask questions and to talk about their discoveries.

Other sensory play ideas using things found in nature:

Seashell Fossils in Playdough

Nature Sensory Bottle

Outdoor Sensory Scavenger Hunt

Nature Weaving

 

Celebrate Shark Week with this Shark Week Sensory Bottle. Kids are fascinated by sharks. They will enjoy the discovery using this sensory activity.

We have made several shark sensory play opportunities over the years including our shark sensory bag and edible shark slime.

What is Shark Week?

Shark Week has become so much more than TV shows on Discovery Channel. It originally began on July 17, 1988 and has grown increasingly in popularity since. It is designed to expand knowledge about sharks and therefore, lead to conservation efforts.

Shark Week is now celebrated through TV specials and activities. It has become so popular in fact that a hospital in Cincinnati began dressing its newborns in Baby Shark onesies in honour of Shark Week!

There are worksheets, crafts, themed camps, parties, recipes, and sensory activities. It seems that many countries have embraced the opportunity to learn about this animal. We decided to get in on this ourselves with this sensory bottle.

When is Shark Week?

Shark Week generally starts on a Sunday and takes place at the end of July or beginning of August. This year, it begins on July 28, 2019.

Shark Week Sensory Bottle:

Supplies:

• empty water bottle (I like the look of Voss bottles, but you can also purchase these empty sensory bottles)
• clear dish soap (I prefer Dawn or LemiShine because they are very thick)
• shark figurines (these ones are from Dollar Tree and are stretchy)
• green and yellow glitter
• yellow sequins
• green and teal small elastics (use those leftover rainbow loom ones!)
• optional: super glue to seal the bottle cap

Directions:

1. Pour clear dish soap into the container until it’s about 2/3 full.
2. Add beads, sequins, glitter, mini elastic bands, and shark figurines.
3. Fill the remaining space with water.
4. If you’re going to be using this sensory bottle with small children, I suggest that you secure the lid by using Super Glue and allowing it to dry before allowing a child to play with it.

Small parts are contained in this bottle, so even if you secure the lid with glue, use adult supervision at all times.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

This sensory bottle is a great way for kids to become interested in learning more about sharks. They can watch the sharks “swim” and observe the different characteristics that they have.

Set out books about sharks for kids to further their interest. This will enable them to learn and ask questions.

Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the DeepThe Ultimate Book of Sharks (National Geographic Kids)How to Draw Incredible Sharks and Other Ocean Giants

This would correspond well with a shark or ocean themed unit in your classroom or homeschool.

Visual sensory input occurs while your child uses their eyes to explore what is in the bottle and the way that it moves. They also engage their tactile sensory system in holding the bottle, shaking it, and tipping it upside down.

Check out these other shark sensory activities!

Squishy Shark Sensory Bag

Taste Safe Shark Fluffy Slime

This bugs sensory bottle is almost too beautiful to play with! The colours are very inviting. Kids are generally fascinated with insects. This is a great vehicle for that.

Bugs Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

• Voss style empty water bottle
• clear dish soap*
• small plastic bugs
• spider ring
• yellow and green glitter
• various types of yellow, white, and blue beads
• green mini rubber bands
• super glue
• magnifying glass

*any dish soap will do, but I like the thickness of Dawn

Instructions:

1. Pour clear dish soap into the bottle until it’s about 2/3 of the way full.
2. Add in the plastic bugs and the spider ring.
3. Sprinkle the beads in.
4. Next, drop the small rubber bands in. This is a great way to make use of all those leftover rainbow loom elastics that are floating around your house!
5. Pour the glitter into the bottle.
6. Fill any remaining space with water.
7. Super glue the lid in place and allow to dry before handing it over to your child to play with.
8. Set out a magnifying glass so that kids can explore all the different insects in the bottle.

This sensory bottle contains small parts. Even though the lid is glued in place, kids are determined little creatures and they may be able to find a way to get it open. As with all sensory activities, adult supervision is required at all times.

Learning and sensory benefits:

Unit study – This discovery bottle can be used in a bug/insect unit study. Students can jot down their observations of the different bugs such as number of legs, antennae, and other visual characteristics.

Sensory – This activity provides visual and proprioceptive sensory input. The use of the magnifying glass adds more of a visual element. The complimentary colours are pleasant to look at and will encourage kids to explore what they can find. Math – Your child can count how many of a certain coloured bead there are or how many bugs are in the bottle. They can also guess if there are more green beads or blue beads etc.

Science – You can set out books about bugs to encourage children to do their own research and learning.

Bugs GaloreThe Bug BookSome BugsThe Very Hungry CaterpillarThe Big Bug Book: A Pop-up CelebrationThe Ants Go Marching: A Count-and-Sing Book

Communication – Vocabulary and communication skills are encouraged by kids asking questions and talking about their observations. They can talk about how quickly the glitter falls, what they feel and see, what types of bugs are included, what colours they observe, and any other things they notice.

Check out these other sensory bottles:

ABC I Spy Sensory Bottle

At the Beach Sensory Bottle