Creating a sensory bin is really fun because you get to make something wonderful for your child to be excited about!
Even better, you can tailor it specifically to your child’s individual learning needs!
This bin is not created for children to learn the color blue, rather it is to stimulate and hold your child’s attention with a beautiful monochromatic theme so that learning can take place! Sensory boxes are for year round use, indoors and out.
DIY BLUE Sensory Box
You have a multitude of fillers to use for your box:
blue shredded paper, blue corn, moon sand, dyed rice . . .
I like to hand dye my own at home! Learn how here.
If you dont want to use Blue as your filler because the items are already blue, let the backdrop could be whatever neutral color you want by using; sand, beans, pasta, oatmeal, rocks, cornmeal . . .
TIP : I like to mix sensory fillers so that there is more to explore, and because bigger fillers
such as shredded paper, can be easily separated from smaller ones such as rice!
Once you have decided on your filler you are now ready for your items!
TIP : You can color wash natural items such as wood, rock and shells to make the colors you need.
Get something to scoop with (spoon) and something to scoop into and our (cup).
If you can, get tongs for pincer strength while sorting small objects.
Get containers that are good for filling, pouring and sorting.
You can get items from around the house, like the “junk” drawer and the bottom of the toy chest.
Go to hobby stores and party stores. You can go to second hand stores and find little objects (usually in bags of mismatched stuff).
You can change the color of objects that are a different color with blue paint.
Flash Cards, Letter Magnets, Geometric Shape Pieces and other learning materials are great! You can laminate pictures and words from books too.
Use scented items or spices in small jars (berries, ocean, etc.) that are associated with the color.
TIP : to tailor the experience to your child, you can paint numbers, shapes, letters and words on wood blocks or rocks!
TIP : Keep your items and fillers separated in plastic bags or containers, then you can use one big bin / tub for your various themes and mix and match items and fillers as you create new ones!
