The Despicable Me movies are close to our hearts as an adoptive family and as fans of laughter. They are such cute stories so I thought I would create some sensory play opportunities for the kids. This Despicable Me Minions sensory bottle was simple to make. I later used the same items to make a Minions sensory bag.
I often use a clear glue and water mixture in my sensory bottles but due to the recent slime craze, it has been more challenging to find clear glue so I have switched most of my sensory bottles over to liquid hand soap as the main filler.
Materials needed:
- water bottle (I used a Voss bottle)
- Despicable Me mini figures
- liquid hand soap
- Goo Be Gone (optional)
To make this Minions sensory bottle, empty the water out of the water bottle either by drinking it or pouring it into another container. Next, peel off the labels. If you end up with residue from the labels on the bottle, you can use Goo Be Gone to remove it. Add a bit of liquid hand soap to the bottle and then drop in a mini figure. Add more liquid hand soap and then another mini figure. Continue to layer them.
One trick I have is to use a long bamboo skewer to move the mini figures in the bottle so that they are facing the way I want them to.
Fill the bottle to the top with the liquid hand soap and screw on the lid. If you are using this sensory bottle with younger children, you will want to secure the lid in place using hot glue.
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One Year of Sensory Bottles:
If you’re looking for more ideas, my friend Angela has compiled a 
My girls liked listening to the beads and watching the gems and confetti sink down. They also liked how pretty this sensory bottle was.
Pour out about a quarter of the water in a water bottle. Place the 
Once all the items are in, add the lid back onto the bottle and your arctic sensory bottle is ready to use for play. If you have younger children, you may want to hot glue the lid in place so that they can’t open it. As with all sensory and exploration activities for kids, adult supervision is of course recommended.
When I set out this year to create a new sensory bottle every month, I worried that I would run out of ideas, but they always come from some inspiration or another.
Add the lid back on and your melted snowman sensory bottle is ready to use for play. If you have younger children, you may want to hot glue the lid in place so they can’t open it. As with all sensory and exploration activities for kids, adult supervision is of course recommended.
After I made this sensory bottle, I was trying to take pictures of it inside where I normally take photos and my daughter Granola Girl insisted that Sky sensory bottles needed to be played with (and therefore photographed) outside! Granola Girl loves to be barefoot, loves to be outside and feel the grass between her toes. I never think to bring our sensory activities outdoors so it’s nice to have her to remind me to expand my way of thinking.
She was absolutely right about the sky sensory bottle belonging in the great outdoors! She practised her hand modelling skills while I took the pictures and then she ran off to explore with the sensory bottle, holding it up to the sky to see what it looked like with the sun shining through it. I’m so glad she has such a free spirit and reminds me of the beauty in simple things.
