So I was sitting at home and getting ready for the preschool classroom and thought that others might be interested in the sensory bin I’ll be bringing in. I love to use sensory bins. There are so many opportunities to comment, describe, request and build vocabulary. I have used it to expand sentences and following directions. Seen as Halloween is right around the corner, it’s a great activity to do with your students.
The basics for this bin are water beads and shaving cream. You can add other objects if you like. In the past, I’ve added some objects to help with artic. During Halloween, we have added bats, spiders and pumpkins. This time we’ll have kitchen utensils out to help make potions.
I usually soak the water beads over night in water. They normally take about an hour to fully absorb the water. I then drain the excess water.
After this I get the kids to help make the “potion.” I have the children take turns squirting out the shaving cream then pour the water beads into the pot or vice versa. The children then mix up the potion and it is ready. This is great for helping children follow directions. I usually make a couple of bowls so that more children can play at once.
This sensory bin is great for describing. You can talk about
- the feeling of the mixture (slimy or sticky),
- their hands/objects being clean or dirty,
- if they like the feel,
- if they like the smell of the shaving cream
- what they made with the potion.
- how they are making the potion.
This is always a hit. This is a messy activity and should be closely supervised by an adult. I also keep a towel close by to help clean the children off when they are done.
