How to Create an “Under the Sea” Sensory Bin
The sea is a mysterious, magical place with amazing creatures and beautiful shells and rocks of all sizes! Let’s explore how to make an “Under the Sea” sensory bin to bring the beauty of the sea to your home.
The items you collect for this activity could vary greatly, depending on what you already have in your home and what you would like to have in the bin. You could chose items from nature or from a store for this bin. If you chose shells, rocks, etc, make sure to clean them well before introducing to the bin, and assure that they won’t be choking hazards to your little ones. Here are some ideas:
A bin of any size, depending how large you would like your sea to be!
Scoops for water play
Small or large sea creature toys
Seashells
Pebbles and rocks (make sure they aren’t going to be a choking hazard to your little ones)
Water beads (can be found on Amazon.com)
Sand (could be fine or coarse)
“Seagrass” (grass from outside), palm trees, other flora found by the sea
Food coloring or other dye added to water to make water look like the color of the sea
Essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, or a multitude of other scents could be added
Underwater submersible LED lights
I chose water beads and small sea creature toys to explore in my bin. I also added a component where I can freeze the smallest sea creatures into ice cube molds, so they can “escape” out of their ice cubes when placed in the “sea!”
“Under the Sea” bin and our senses
Visual (sight) - your sensory bin colors could be calming and muted or vibrant and exciting. Your child can also grow their visual motor skills by sorting colors, or “catching fish” from the water with small tongs.
Auditory (sound) - the gentle sound of water is calming
Tactile (touch) - cold or warm water, bumpy items, smooth items, squishy items, cold ice cubes
Olfactory (smell) - essential oils could be added to facilitate calm or alert feelings
Stereognosis (recognizing an object without seeing, hearing, smelling, or tasting it) - you could challenge your child to find the plastic sea creatures amongst the water beads with his/her eyes closed. This activity would also target find motor skills.
Enjoy your creative new “Under the Sea” bin!