I used to teach Preschool and 1st grade. I LOVED making sensory bins for my students to enjoy learning, to discover and play. I loved to integrate these into center time, and also coordinate the bins with holidays, seasons, and different themes throughout the year. This DIY summer sensory bin is fun to make for summertime, and I love the ocean and sea creature theme I’ve put together. The kids will love the different colors, textures, and sea life creatures.
First, we added the 5 lbs of sand. I love the smooth and thin blue sand.
Next, we added the sea creatures, clamrose shells, sand dollars, and seashell assortment. You can add little or a lot. We mixed them up with mini shovels.
This “hands on” experience is so beneficial to children. They get to use their senses to explore all while playing. It really is therapeutic for their bodies and minds. I even love to run my fingers through the soft sand!
A couple of our favorite ways we like to play with our sensory bins: I SPY- We take a turn giving clues and look for the item or creature hiding in the sand. Sorting-We choose items and place them into groups by color, size, shape, etc. The fun is endless! And these are so easy and fun to create!
These sensory bins help stimulate fine motor skills, language development (as you talk about the items inside together), focus, play/senses based learning and more!