sensory play

Eyeball Sensory Bin

This sensory bin was most popular with my older kids. In fact, I happened to have it on the counter during a zombie theme party we had for our son and the preteen and teenage guests at the party loved it! Some of those boys spent more than twenty minutes playing in it. Don’t believe anyone who tries to tell you that sensory bins are only for little ones!

Eyeball Sensory Bin...even popular with older kids. To make this eyeball sensory bin, I used purple water beads, water, googly eye stickers, bright coloured eyeball finger puppet rings, and cartoon eye glasses. I began by filling a clear plastic bin with water and the purple water beads to allow them to soak up the water. When the water had been absorbed, I added the other items.

One of the ways the kids played with this bin was to play seek-and-find with the eyeball stickers that were here and there and everywhere.

Eyeball sensory bin with purple water beads The cardboard on the cartoon glasses got wet from the water beads after a few days so we ended up having to take those out, but they were a fun element while they lasted. The kids enjoyed trying them on and laughing at each other! They also liked playing with the ring finger puppets.

This would be a good sensory bin to go along with a Monsters theme unit or for Hallowe’en.

If you are looking for information on making sensory bins, you may be interested in my book.

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Autumn Sensory Bin with Birdseed and Cinnamon

By Sharla Kostelyk

When it comes to sensory bins, I usually make a new one every week and have an easy time coming up with ideas. I have a storage cart that houses sensory supplies so in a pinch, I search through there for inspiration and it only takes me a few minutes to put together a new bin.

This summer was the busiest we have ever had (four different camps between VBS, day camp, horse camp, and mountain bike camp for five of the kids, extended family camping trip, my trip to Virginia to speak at a blogging conference, family road trip to Vancouver Island, out of town wedding in the mountains where my husband was the best man, and various day trips) and trying to get back into the swing of homeschooling this Fall has not gone as smoothly as planned.

Even something as simple as coming up with a new sensory bin can add to the general feeling of overwhelm. That’s where great friends come in! My friend Michelle gifted me this sensory bin in a bag. She was one of the moms that did the sensory bin swap with me last year and since then, we have given each other a few bins-in-a-bag.

Autumn Sensory Bin with birdseed and cinnamon Making a bin-in-a-bag couldn’t be simpler. You take your latest sensory bin and dump the contents into a resealable bag and then pass it along to someone so that their kids can enjoy a new sensory bin experience.

Michelle’s Autumn Sensory Bin contained:

birdseed
cinnamon
bright coloured feathers
fall leaves (plastic)
thin gold rope
two scoops
green pompoms
a rock
a clothespin

Granola Girl said that this bin reminder her of an I-Spy sensory bin. She enjoyed playing with the different textures and she liked the cinnamon scent (though Michelle’s daughter was not a fan of it apparently!). Between the colours and the smell, this sensory experience was a great way to welcome Fall!

Autumn Sensory Bin I’m thankful that I have friends who share their sensory bins with me when I’m in a bit of a creative funk! (Michelle did give me permission to post pictures of her lovely creation).

If you are looking for information on making sensory bins, you may be interested in my book.

Join our free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities and get our Sensory System Behaviours Easy Reference Cards.

Bubble Wrap Body Slam Painting

By Sharla Kostelyk

My kids are not the most sedentary kids…in fact, they are always moving. They enjoy art activities but they like them best when they combine movement with art. This is a GREAT proprioception activity!

I had some packing materials and came up with an idea to re-use the bubble wrap and get the kids moving while they created. Materials needed:

butcher paper (also called packing paper or kraft paper)
bubble wrap
paint
paint brushes (I used foam brushes)
paper plate
packing tape

To create this fun activity, tape the butcher paper to a wall. I strongly suggest that you do this activity outside. If you do try this indoors, be sure to cover the floor in scrap paper or plastic to catch paint splatters.

I wasn’t sure how high up my kids would be able to jump so I taped two sheets of paper, one on top of the other on a wall outside our house.

Next, wrap your kids in bubble wrap and secure the bubble wrap with a piece of packing tape. I only had enough bubble wrap to do their torsos. Paint the bubble wrap using paintbrushes, sponges or foam brushes. It works best if you put the paint on a paper plate or paint tray first.

I globbed several colours onto each of my girls and then let them loose on the wall. They body slammed themselves into the wall, laughing. They tried different techniques like jumping up to hit a higher place on the paper and different smear methods.

They were laughing through most of the activity, so I think it’s safe to say this was an active art project they very much enjoyed!

I also painted their backs (well, the bubble wrap on their backs!) afterwards and they gave that a try. One of them actually found it easier that way.

I would suggest that you used your child’s height to eyeball what level to tape up the paper. Our finished results would have looked better had they been on one paper instead of two but regardless of how the final artwork turned out, the kids had a great time and got in some good exercise!

This kids’ activity is great for sensory work, but Granola Girl did need to have her bubble wrap put lower down because having it up near her face was not something that she could handle with her type of sensory needs. Thankfully, my kids are all really good at expressing what their sensory needs are so it wasn’t an issue. She also wanted to be wrapped up tightly and loved the feeling of that.

This bubble paint body slam art is still hanging outside with the girls being quite proud of their work!

Bubble wrap body slam painting incorporates the tactile, visual, and proprioceptive sensory systems.

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Frozen Sensory Bin

By Sharla Kostelyk

There’s a Disney movie you may have heard of called Frozen. I am probably one of the few people in North America who has not seen it. I heard little snippets of it once when the kid had friends over who had brought the movie with them and they were all watching it in the other room while I made supper, but I have never sat down and watched it.

I can deduce though given the amount of references to the movie, the frequency of times I’ve been subjected to listen to “Let it Go” sung by my tone deaf daughter, and what I see in stores that this movie is a big deal, in particular to children of a certain age. In this case, given that I haven’t seen the movie, I guess you could say that I was inspired by the movie’s popularity to make a Frozen sensory bin.

For the base, I used salt, but you could also use sugar (which I don’t recommend because it may be too tempting for kids to eat it!) or epsom salt. I added reusable plastic ice cubes in purple and various shades of blue. I froze these to begin with to add another sensory element to the bin of having something cold.

I added fuzzy pompoms in blue and white, glass beads in blue and clear, a tiny Elsa figurine, and some larger Frozen characters, Olaf, Kristof, Anna, and Hans or Sven ( I don’t know which is which!).

This Frozen sensory bin is a simple one but it combines several textures and opens itself up to imaginative play with the addition of the characters.

For hundreds of other sensory bin ideas, you can also follow my Sensory Bins board on Pinterest.

Follow Sharla Kostelyk’s board Sensory Bins on Pinterest.

If you are looking for information on making sensory bins, you may be interested in my book.

Join our free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities and get our Sensory System Behaviours Easy Reference Cards.

Maple Scented Canada Day Playdough

By Sharla Kostelyk

Homemade playdough is the best. I don’t think there is anyone that would dispute that when compared to store-bought, it is softer and less crumbly and messy and lasts longer. But I used to hate making homemade playdough because it made my arms sore to stir it for so long as it thickened!

I have finally discovered the secret to making homemade playdough without getting sore arms! The answer to my playdough-making-problem was sitting on my kitchen counter right under my nose…my KitchenAid!

Homemade Playdough that won't make your arms sore I got the KitchenAid as my Christmas gift last year and honestly, I have only used it a handful of times, but I noticed it sitting there on the counter and an idea began to form…what if it could do the work for me? I put the flat beater attachment on and began to add the ingredients for the playdough.

I let it mix the dry ingredients first before adding the oil and then the boiling water. I could not believe how well it worked. I kept it on the two lowest settings and it was done in no time at all.

It took less than five minutes to have soft playdough ready for my kids to use! My arms did not have to get a workout and the clean-up was easy. I will be making playdough in my KitchenAid from now on!

Of course, I also went outside and told my husband immediately that I had found a purpose for the gift he had bought me and it would get plenty of use now!

Recipe for Maple Scented Playdough

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup salt
2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
1 Tbsp. oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. maple flavouring
1 cup boiling water

maple shaped candy sprinkles (edible confetti)

Put dry ingredients in KitchenAid mixer. Add oil and maple flavouring and begin mixing with the flat beater. As it is mixing on the lowest setting, add the boiling water. Mix until desired playdough texture is achieved.

Take the dough out of the mixer and allow it to cool before adding some maple leaf shaped candy sprinkles. If you add the sprinkles before the dough is cool, they will melt.

*Note that the candy sprinkles will melt anyway while your kids play with the dough but waiting until the dough is cool will allow them to retain their shape initially.

Canada Day maple scented playdough I set the dough out with some play maple leaves and leaf shaped cookie cutters to encourage imaginative play. My kids really like playdough as part of their sensory play.

If you are looking for more playdough ideas and recipes, you may want to follow my Playing with Playdough board on Pinterest.

Follow Sharla Kostelyk’s board Playing with Playdough on Pinterest.

Join our free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities and get our Sensory System Behaviours Easy Reference Cards.

Ghost Hands Campfire Fun

By Sharla Kostelyk

I’m not sure if moms and dads out there are going to hate me or thank me for introducing them to ghost hands! I’m not sure if I should thank my friend Christie for introducing it to my kids but I’m paying it forward by introducing it to the world!

Ghost Hands - the most fun you can have around a campfire! I warn you now. It’s messy. Sticky and messy. And yuck. But fun. So much fun!

We were over at our friends’ (and neighbours) house. It was the first warm Sunday afternoon of the Spring and we were enjoying a visit by the campfire after an outdoor spaghetti dinner. The sounds of approaching summer could be heard over the sound of the dirt bikes and quads the kids took turns riding. Later, the kids made s’mores while the adults visited.

Christie asked my kids if they had ever heard of “ghost hands”. They had not and she kindly decided to teach them. I wasn’t too thrilled with that at first since it’s so messy but it turned into the most fun our family has had in a long while.

The kids weren’t the only ones who were laughing! If you can get past the messy factor, you’re going to love this one! I know there will never be another campfire where my kids don’t ask to do ghost hands!

ghost hands…the most fun that can be had around a campfire! Ghost hands are about as cheap and easy as family entertainment gets!

You only need one item, marshmallows. You could of course do it anywhere but I would HIGHLY recommend you only do this outside!

This doesn’t have to be a campfire activity, but it does make sense to have it be because then everyone is already outside, having fun, and there are often marshmallows on hand to roast over the fire or to make s’mores with.

The ghost hands process is very straightforward. Take one large marshmallow and start to work it between your hands. Work it until it is squishy and just keep smooshing it. It will eventually get to a point where when you pull your hands apart, strings of ooey-gooey marshmallow mush will connect the hands. That’s when you know you have achieved Ghost Hands!

Now it’s up to you what you do with your ghost hands. You can play with the mess you’ve created and enjoy the sensory experience or you can chase your parents, siblings and friends around the yard, pretending that you are going to touch their hair with your ghost hands if you catch them!

You can put your hands down on the grass and the grass will stick to them, creating a sea creature hands type of effect. You can try to catch mosquitos in the white web you’ve created. There’s no end to the fun that can be had with just that one marshmallow! If you want to, you can even lick your hands (eww)!

Ghost Hands Fun These pictures were taken before the kids got the idea to chase the adults around the yard, gooey hands outstretched, reaching for our hair! You can see Christie’s delight though in having taught my kids something that will surely be creating messes for me for years to come!

Note to parents:

This washes off easily. Just bring out a basin of warm, soapy water and your kids will lose their ghost hands and you won’t have to worry about them making sticky handprints in the house!

I wasn’t sure how this one would go over with some of our SPD (sensory processing disorder) kids but they loved it and there were no issues.

Join our free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities and get our Sensory System Behaviours Easy Reference Cards.
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