Sensory Solutions

Sensory bins. Have you heard of such a thing? I was very confused when our first home-visiting speech therapist suggested a sensory bin to me. I researched and asked him questions at every session making sure I was doing it right. Turns out, there are not many ways you can do them wrong.

He suggested that the bin was deep enough for the kiddo to be able to be elbow-deep in whatever the bin was filled with. I have found that those do work great especially with beans, lentils, flax seeds, rice and sand…not all in one bucket though.

You could also have a softer bin filled with ribbons, soap suds, moon dough, shaving cream, kinetic sand, water beads or floam.

Some kiddos have some tactile sensory issues so a slime bin may not work for one kiddo but is a miracle for another. Find what works for you and your kiddo!

We have a shelf in our garage full of those plastic shoebox-sized plastic buckets, probably about 20 or so sensory bins, and a stack of empty containers for the impromptu bins.

Dyed rice, sea shells, and flat marbles for an ocean themed bin

Hop on over to our Facebook page to see a video on how we dye rice. Fast and easy!

To add a homeschool element to our sensory bins, I will read a themed book that goes along with the bin we are playing in. Our favorites for this bin are: Bubble Guppies A Friend at The Zoo, Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz, Shark Kiss, Octopus Hug by Lynn Rowe Reed, and Curious Critters Ocean by Davis FitzSimmons. Great to build vocabulary and imagination talking about what might be in the bin…it might be an octopus wanting a hug!

One of our impromptu bins: fill with water and pool/beach/bath toys. I would suggest to put a towel down before the play begins.

Water buckets are probably a favorite of my girls…maybe save them for a nice day and put it outside to play in, it can become a slip-n-slide in the house if excitement level rises.

Another ocean themed bin…and another messy one!

This is a super nice sensory bin, the suds are almost soft and very relaxing to play in….yes I have joined in the fun. I am quality control. This sensory bin is particularly awesome if you put it on a light table in a dark-ish room!

I will be posing a how-to video on making these suds on our Facebook page so check back for that!

 

Water beads

Water beads are a new to us phenomenon, and seem to be very popular and yet I could not find any store near us that carried them. I finally broke down and ordered some in a 5lb container on Amazon. Worth it! We have put light up balls in these and scoops, but they are awesome by themselves!

Oh the rice bin, our favorite and messiest bin.

This rice bin has been our longest standing bin. I add the last few beans from our bag or the last bit of rice or lentils so I don’t waste them. I even threw in some noodles which my girls love. This bin though, somehow those beans do not like to stay in there and the floor is always covered in beans and rice and lentils after they are done playing in it. Still worth it.

Rice bin: just add toys

Rice bins are my personal favorite to make. I love making the colored rice with my girls, and I love mixing colors or making rows of them in a rainbow for the girls to combine. This particular rice bin has a bunch of alphabet toys in it, ABC magnets that have lost a bunch of mates, foam letters from a friend that were duplicates of ones we had, foam letters etc. We are loving reading P is For Princess by Disney, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault, and LMNOpeas by Keith Baker.

Rice Bins are so versatile, throw in some toys, some rocks, shells, marbles, or just leave it rice!

Kinetic sand, an awesome sensory experience!

Kinetic sand and Moon dough are both very relaxing. Sand is heavy if your kiddo needs pressure but doesn’t want to be elbow-deep in a bucket. Cover their hands and up their arms a little.

Sensory bins can be very relaxing and soothing for a kiddo who needs a sensory input, especially during, because of, or after a meltdown. That bean bucket has saved us from a level 5 meltdown many times. I pulled that out and physically put Bug’s arms and hands into the bucket and within seconds I saw her face relax and her breathing come back down to normal. Bug also loves being swaddles or burrito-ed in a blanket during or after a meltdown because she is a fan of the pressure. Tight squeezes and joint compression are also great to ease their sensory needs.

I wish you luck in your sensory bin endeavors. I will share more specific bins and themes at a later date!

M