Spring Sensory Bottle
This activity is a great way to explore your senses using your eyes, hands, and ears while creating something fun. By using materials you probably already have at home, you get to make your own sensory bottle to remind you of spring! This activity is perfect for preschool-aged children and provides many benefits; it allows you to use your imagination, practice your fine motor skills, and is calming. Use this bottle when you are feeling sad or angry or just want to have some fun! There are so many fun colors and items to look at in the bottle, and this can help distract you from whatever is making you feel sad or angry!
Supplies:
1 clear plastic bottle
Warm water
Measuring cup
Funnel
Glitter (any color(s))
Freshly picked or fake flowers (any kind)
Spring-related sequins, gems or buttons (ladybugs, bumblebees, caterpillars, butterflies, etc.)
Duct tape
Activity Steps:
Step 1: First, gather all of your materials. Most of these items you might already have at home, but if not, take a fun trip to the craft store! You might need to get glitter, sequins, gems, or buttons. You will also need flowers. There are a couple of different options for how you can get flowers for your sensory bottle. One option is you can pick fresh flowers from outside. A fun way to do this is to go on a nature walk! Some flowers that are easy to find and safe to pick are daisies, daffodils, and lilies. Another option is you can buy fake flowers at the craft store. This is a great option if you don’t have fresh flowers close to your house to pick from or if you are allergic to flowers. At the craft store there are so many options to choose from. Pick out your favorite type of flower or flowers that are your favorite color! After you gather all of your materials, lay them out on a flat, clean workspace.
Step 2: Now it’s time to get started! Grab your empty, plastic bottle and make sure the label is taken off. The bottle should look clear and you should be able to see inside the bottle. I am using an empty water bottle, but you can use any type of clear, plastic bottle.
Trick: To avoid the bottle being sticky after you peel the label off, first soak the bottle in warm, soapy water for about 10 minutes before taking the label off. If your bottle still feels sticky after you take the label off, you can use a sponge with nail polish remover, coconut oil, or baby oil on it to wipe the bottle so it’s no longer sticky. Have an adult help you with this.
Step 3: Next, take the cap off of your bottle. It’s time to jazz up the inside of your bottle! First, take your flowers that you will be putting into your bottle to help it look like spring, and cut the stems off of them using scissors. Make sure you have an adult with you when you are cutting. If you are using fake flowers you may need to use a wire cutter to cut the stems. If you need to use a wire cutter, have an adult cut the stems for you. It’s okay if there is a little bit of stem showing. Then, put some flowers into your bottle. I am putting 9 flowers in. I am using blue, orange, and pink flowers, but you can use any color flowers that you like! Did you pick your favorite type of flower? Or maybe a flower that is your favorite color?
Step 4: Next, pour some glitter into your bottle. It’s helpful to use a funnel to pour the glitter into your bottle so that you don’t make a big mess.
I am using blue, green, and yellow glitter, but you can use any colors that you’d like! I am pouring 1 scoop of each color into my bottle.
Step 5: After you pour some glitter into your bottle, pour in your spring-related sequins, gems and buttons. I am using ladybug buttons, bumblebee buttons, and flower shaped sequins, but you can use any sequins, gems or buttons that remind you of spring! I am pouring 1 handful of each item into my bottle, but you can add as much of each item as you want!
Also, if you don’t have all of these items, that’s okay! This is your bottle so be creative! You might choose to add rocks, leaves or grass into your bottle! Next, put a few more flowers into your bottle. I am putting 6 more flowers in.
Tip: You can always add more flowers, glitter, buttons, sequins, or gems later on!
Step 6: Then, take your measuring cup and fill it with warm water. Pour the water into your bottle until the water reaches just below the bottle cap.
There should be about ½ an inch of space between where the water is filled up to and the bottle cap. This is about the size of your thumb.
You don’t want the water to reach the very top of the bottle or it will be hard to shake it. Ask an adult for help if you need help pouring.
Tip: It might be helpful to use a funnel to pour the water into the plastic bottle.
Step 7: Last, use duct tape to tape the cap of the plastic bottle to make sure it is closed and secure. You can use clear or colored tape. You might even choose to use tape with a spring design on it! It’s your choice!
Step 8: Now your spring sensory bottle is all done! Shake it up to see all of the materials swirl around! What happens when you shake the bottle a second time? What happens when you turn the bottle upside down? Do you see how things settle in a different place each time you shake or turn the bottle upside down? Do the flowers move? It’s pretty cool to see all of the colors mix together!
Use this bottle whenever you want to have some fun or need to feel calm by shaking it or turning it around to see all of the items move around in the bottle. Watching the items slowly move up and down will help you focus on something else and slow your breathing, allowing you to feel calm if you are angry or upset. Lastly, show a friend or maybe bring your sensory bottle in for Show-and-Tell!
Even though your spring sensory bottle is all done, you can make other bottles that are a different theme using different materials to create a winter, summer or fall sensory bottle. Have fun with it!
~ Made By: Nicole S.