Sensory Bottles

Years ago, I went to a preschool seminar with one workshop about using sensory bottles. They used different materials in small plastic water bottles to make different visual and auditory sensory experiences for preschoolers. Use the smooth plastic water bottles- without the ridges- that are around 1/2 liter (the mouth of the bottle has to be big enough to get the items in). Here are some for you to try:

1. The Wave Pool- Fill half the bottle with water and put a few drops of blue food coloring. Fill one quarter of the bottle with baby oil. Drop in a few small plastic ocean animals and seal the lid with packaging tape. Let them shake up the bottle and see the oil and water mix and then separate.

2. The Sand Box- Fill a bottle half way with clean play sand. Drop in a few desert animals and seal with packaging tape.

3. Buttons, Buttons, Buttons- Drop in a bunch of old buttons that are different sizes and colors. Seal the bottle with packaging tape. Let them shake it and hear the noise and see the colors all move around.

4. Gooey Stars- Using a bottle of inexpensive dish soap that is a color. Add in star foil confetti. Seal with packaging tape. Tip this one up and down and watch the stars move slowly through the soap.

There are a lot of options for these sensory activities for preschoolers. Make your own creation and share it with us!

Preschool Sensory Activities

Do you have one of those children that hates to get dirty? Does he hate to have sand on his hands?

NOT MINE! My kids love the sand box. It is one of their favorite things to do...even on the hot days of summer.

Today, Daddy made it even more fun- he let them play in the hose and they "put the fire out" of the play house. Then they climbed into the sand box, which was now a mud pit. They played in the wet sand for almost an hour, then we hosed them off and put them in the bath.

Sand is a great sensory activity in a sand box or a stand up sensory table. If you do not have a back yard but would like to let your child squish things and play in the water and sand, a sensory table is a great idea. It would probably be best for a porch or outside on a landing, but it could work indoors on top of a plastic sheet or old shower curtain.

You probably don't want to let them play in the wet sand in your house! :)