sensory play

I find inspiration for sensory activities at the strangest places. Looking through my cupboards, standing in line at the grocery store glancing at magazine covers, walking the aisles of the craft or dollar or hardware store, or even being outside can lead to an idea. They don’t always work out the way I envision they will, but this spring sensory bottle came together nicely.

Spring Sensory Bottle:

I love the fresh colours of spring. That and a package of cute buttons were the inspiration behind this discovery bottle.

Materials needed:

• water bottle (I used a small Voss bottle)
• 147 mL (5 oz.) bottle clear school glue
• pink glitter
• small ladybug, caterpillar, butterfly, and flower buttons
• small gel flowers
• butterfly Toob

To make this spring sensory bottle, pour the bottle of glue into an empty water bottle. Add warm water to almost the top of the bottle, put the lid on and shake well to mix. I added a bottle and a half of glue but it was a bit too much glue and the glitter stuck together, so I would recommend using only one bottle of glue.

Safari Ltd Butterflies TOOBVOSS Water Plastic BottlesElmer’s Clear Glue

Once the water and glue are well mixed, take the lid off and add the glitter. Drop the small buttons and flowers into the bottle. The butterflies from the butterfly Toob are a bit too big to fit but if you bend the wings in, they go in easily and then their wings will open when they are past the smaller opening of the bottle.

Twist the lid back on and give the bottle a shake. The items and glitter will fall slowly because of the glue in the bottle which makes it a good calm down bottle.

If you have little ones and are worried about the small parts being a choking hazard, you can secure the lid with a hot glue gun.

If you are looking for other sensory ideas, join me for a free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities (just pop your email into the box below) and get a printable list of 175 Great Sensory Ideas.

Ocean Sensory Bottle

Rainbow Rainfall Sensory Bottle

This Rainbow Rainfall Sensory Bottle costs very little to make and is so colourful. There is something cheerful about it. It also has an auditory sensory element to it with the beads falling in between the pieces of straw, creating a rainfall effect.

Rainbow Rainfall Sensory Bottle:

I was inspired to make this sensory bottle because of the cheerful colours of the plastic straws we had in the cupboard. All of the materials I used were ones we already had in the house which makes for a very inexpensive project.

Materials needed:

• water bottle (I used a Voss bottle)
• scissors
• rainbow coloured plastic straws
• small multi-coloured beads

VOSS Water BottleAssorted Bright Colors StrawsPony Bead Multicolor

To create this rainbow rainfall discovery bottle, cut the coloured straws with scissors and add them into the empty water bottle haphazardly. Don’t add all of one colour and then all of another colour unless you want to create a layered look because once they are in there, they won’t mix very much.

About halfway through adding your straw bits, you can add a few of the small beads and once your bottle is almost full of the straw pieces, you can add more of the beads and top with another few plastic straw pieces to finish off before putting the lid back on.

If you leave enough space at the top, the beads and straws will create a rainfall effect when the discovery bottle is tipped upside down.

Please note: The beads can create a choking hazard for young children, so supervision is recommended or you can use a hot glue gun to secure the lid in place.

If you are looking for other sensory ideas, sign up for our free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities (just pop your email into the box below) and get a printable list of 175 Great Sensory Ideas.

Weighted Space Sensory Bottle

Ocean Sensory Bottle

After several years of creating sensory bins, bags, bottles, and activities, my brain sees possibilities for sensory play everywhere I go! This ocean sensory bottle came about as a result of me seeing a bottle of blue body wash at the grocery store and thinking “I bet I could make a really cool sensory activity with that.” It worked out exactly as I was hoping it would, with the items staying suspended within the blue gel that looks like water.

Ocean Sensory Bottle:

Materials needed:

• water bottle (I used a small Voss bottle)
• blue body wash (I used Softsoap Citrus Splash & Berry Fusion Body Wash)
• sea glass
• glass beads
• Good Luck Minis glow-in-the-dark pufferfish, jellyfish and starfish
• seashells

VOSS Water BottleSoftsoap Body Wash Citrus Splash & Berry FusionGood Luck Minis Glow-in-the-Dark Pufferfish, Jellyfish, Starfish

Squeeze some of the body wash into the water bottle and add the sea glass. Fill a bit more of the body wash and add the glass beads. After adding another layer of body wash, add the mini glow-in-the-dark ocean creatures. When adding sea shells, you will need to choose smaller ones that will fit through the opening of the water bottle.

By layering the body wash and the other items, you are able to suspend the lighter items such as the sea creatures in the blue “water”. The heavier items will eventually sink to the bottom, but when flipped over, they will move slowly through the gel.

If you have young children who may choke on the smaller items or try to eat the body wash, you can seal the lid on the ocean sensory bottle with a hot glue gun.

My kids really enjoyed this ocean discovery bottle, especially the glow in the dark bits and how slowly the items moved through the gel. It also looks really neat when shining a light into it.

Looking for more awesome sensory ideas? Join me for a free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities (just pop your email into the box below) and get a printable list of 175 Great Sensory Ideas.

Weighted Space Sensory Bottle

I’m on a mission to make a different sensory bottle every month this year and I thought it would be appropriate to make a St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bottle for the month of March. I have to admit that this one is actually my second attempt because the items I planned to put in my first concept were too large to fit through the opening at the top of the bottle.

For this successful St. Patty’s Day discovery bottle, I added items that could fit through the opening in the water bottle. I also used a combination of glue and water so that the items move differently through the bottle.

Materials needed:

• empty water bottle (I used a Voss water bottle because I like the look of the lid and the shape of the bottle)
• 147 mL (5 oz.) bottle clear school glue
• green glitter
• hot water
• shamrock confetti
• pennies

Adding the glue to this sensory bottle helps suspend the items as they travel more slowly through the liquid. In order to achieve this, start with adding the glue to the bottle and filling it almost the rest of the way full with hot water and shaking it to combine.

VOSS Water BottleGreen GlitterClear Glue

Once the water and glue are combined, add the glitter, shamrocks and coins or pennies to the bottle. Replace the lid and give it a good shake.

This St. Patrick’s Day sensory bottle does contain small parts, so if younger children are going to play with it, you may want to secure the lid by gluing it in place with a hot glue gun.

If you are looking for other sensory ideas, join me for a free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities (just pop your email into the box below) and get a printable list of 175 Great Sensory Ideas.

You can see all of our easy-to-make sensory bottles here.

We are currently doing a Solar System unit in our homeschooling. It has been a really fun science unit to work on because there are so many fun hands-on activities that can go along with it. I created a glow-in-the-dark solar system sensory bin for the kids to play with and also made them this Space sensory bottle.

One of the great things about this particular sensory bottle is that it is naturally weighted because of the rocks. This adds an extra sensory element and some children (and adults!) can find this particularly calming.

Outer Space Sensory Bottle:

Materials needed:

• empty water bottle (I used a Voss water bottle because I like the look of the lid and the shape of the bottle)
• black gravel or black sand as fill
• black decorative rocks
• Space Toob

Safari Space TOOBVOSS Water BottleBlack Aquarium Gravel

I created this discovery bottle in layers because I didn’t want for the figures to all get stuck at the top and it turns out that was the right call. I put a layer of fill, then half a handful of the decorative rocks, then a space shuttle or satellite or astronaut or two and then repeated the process a few more times. Layering the fill and rocks created pockets for the objects from the Space Toob to sit in.

This also created an I-Spy type of element to the space sensory bottle as well. The kids could search for the space crafts and astronauts (and their favourite character, the monkey in space) and find them by turning the bottle different ways.

There is also an auditory feedback element to this sensory bottle as it gets tipped back and forth during play.

This does contain small parts, so if younger children are going to play with it, you may want to secure the lid by gluing it in place with a hot glue gun.

If you are looking for other sensory ideas, you may want to sign up for our free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities (just pop your email into the box below) and get a printable list of 175 Great Sensory Ideas.