Firefighter / Fire Safety Sensory Bin - Fire Prevention Week October

Sensory bins are the greatest invention for children's learning and play!

Here is another one I made inspired by
Fire Prevention Week in October.

I found much of what I needed at craft and second hand stores.

figures, spoon, cup, rake, shredded paper, pipe cleaners . . . 

The other items I wanted but couldn't find I made!

I painted buildings on both sides of wooden blocks with acrylic paint,

and I 

laminated royalty free clip art images (building and street sign) 

I colored the rice myself and made a mix of red, orange, yellow and white. 

The fire hose is  bit of string, and the fire safety game cards are from 

a natural restaurant chain but really cool!

My son made a Rainbow Loom bracelet to toss in for good fun - the child can wear it while playing
and ta da - the Fire Prevention Week / Fire Fighter / Fire Safety bin is Complete!
 Buy one here at my etsy shop.

How to Dye / Color Rice in a Baggie FAST and Mess Free!

How to Dye / Color Rice

You will need:

rubbing alcohol
sturdy zip lock bags gallon size
mixing spoon
white rice (not instant)
liquid food coloring
cookie sheet / drying tray
storage container or baggie


1. In a gallon sized zip lock bag mix 2 tsp of rubbing alcohol and food coloring.
    5 drops makes a pastel color and 25 makes a dark, deep color.
    Use any amount in between to create your perfect shade!

2. Mix a bit and add 2 cups of White Rice

3. Zip the baggie closed and mix rice inside well until evenly coated.

4. Open the bag and pour from bag onto cookie sheet.

5. Spread out flat to dry.

6. Set in a cool dry place or in the sun. It will dry in 15 - 30 minutes depending.
    ( allow enough time for the alcohol to evaporate to eliminate smell)

                                   25 drops for the darker shade and 5 drops for the lighter shade

Once dry, store in an airtight container.

Ready to use for sensory and art projects!

What Do I Fill My Sensory Bin With?

There are so many fillers for sensory bins that I could not possible make a crazy long list.
What I will do are give some examples that will provoke your thought.
You can leave ideas for each other in the comment section too!

Natural Items are my top choice for fillers.
rice, beans, grains, seeds, water, dirt, mud, snow, leaves, grass, rocks, shells, dry pastas,
oatmeal, legumes, cornmeal, flour, cotton balls, flower petals . . .

Adding scents have a dramatic effect on retaining information and really add to the experience!
You could add things that you have around your home like;
coffee, cinnamon, apple pie spice, Italian or Mexican spice mix, lemon rind.

You can purchase essential oils that can be mixed into dry or wet mixes such as
cornstarch and water goop, slime (hair gel), shaving cream, moon sand, cooked pasta and water.

Dont forget to use food coloring for your sensory bin projects too! (and glitter)

Other Filler ideas are;
Easter grass, shredded paper, wooden beads, tissue paper, aquarium gravel, confetti, strips of fabric, plastic beads, pom poms, cut sponges, marbles or glass beads, water beads, jello . . .

What other great ideas do you have? Share them i the comments :)

How to Use Sensory Bins

Sensory bins are the greatest!
What better way to engage children in a fun activity that has limitless
ways to learn across a wide variety of subjects?

When little learners are exploring sensory bins I love to ask question like:

Can you find items that have something in common?  You never know what brilliant observation a child's mind will find!
Do you see four round items? Something that rhymes with flat? 
How many scoop of rice do you estimate it would take to fill the cup?
How many items can you stack and balance before they fall?
How many objects can you move with the tongs?
Will you tell me a story about these items?
Can you make a pattern?  Copy the pattern I just made?

Sensory boxes are designed to solidify learning through meaningful and stimulating experiences.

Sensory boxes do not get boring. They are engaging for children young and old. T

hey are good for solitary play and group play.

They can be used for home and for classrooms. Children learn through play!

Sensory bins/boxes should contain a mix of items that differ in texture, size, shape and more.

Sensory bins/boxes should stimulate language, mathematics, higher level thinking, social/emotional skills and more. 
Sensory bins should be filled with age and developmentally appropriate objects.
(i.e., no choking hazards for young children, objects that inspire higher level thinking)

Looking at these sensory bins below, what questions can you think to engage your child?

Leave them in the comment section to help other parents and educators. 

DIY Engaging PURPLE Sensory Bin for Little Learners

Creating a sensory bin is really fun because you get to make something
wonderful for your child to be excited about!
Even better,  you can tailor it specifically to your child's individual learning needs!

This bin is not for children to learn the color purple, rather it is to stimulate and hold your older child's attention with a beautiful monochromatic theme so that learning can take place! Wouldn't your child LOVE to have their favorite color Sensory box?

DIY  PURPLE Sensory Box

You have a multitude of fillers to use for your box:
purple shredded paper
purple grains or pasta
moon sand
dyed rice . . .

     I like to hand dye my own at home!

You are going to have Purple items so why not make your filler a natural color by using:
sand,
beans,
oatmeal,
rock,
cornmeal . . .

TIP : I like to mix sensory fillers so that there is more to explore, and because bigger fillers
such as shredded paper, can be easily separated from smaller ones such as rice!

Once you have decided on your filler you are now ready for your items!

Try to get a collection of natural items too!

TIP : You can color wash natural items such as wood, rock and shells to make the colors you need.

Get something to scoop with (spoon) and something to scoop into and our (cup).
If you can, get tongs for pincer strength while sorting small objects.
Add small lids (from water bottles) or ice cube trays to sort and hold small objects.

Now, add the PURPLE items.
The secret is to get multiple items with various textures, shapes, sizes and amounts.
You want your child to be able to find and create patters (big, bigger, biggest, for example)
and have the sensory box sustain their attention.

You can get items from around your house in the "junk" drawer and at the bottom of the toy chest.
Children get many small items from gumball machines, school, party favors and more...find those!

Craft Stores and Party Stores are the BEST places to find items!

You can go to second hand stores and find little objects (usually in bags of mismatched stuff).
You can paint objects that are a different color with spray paint or acrylics.
Flash Cards, Letter Magnets, Geometric Shape Pieces and other learning materials
Books, laminated pictures / words
Cookie cutters are fantastic because they encourage children to crunch down into the filler and experiment with making shapes, using pressure and more!

Use scented items or spices in small jars (berries, grape,etc.) that are associated with the color. 

TIP : to tailor the experience to your child, you can paint numbers, shapes, letters and words on wood blocks or rocks!

TIP : Keep your items and fillers separated in plastic bags or containers, then you can use one big bin / tub for your various themes and mix and match items and fillers as you create new ones!

Want to get one fast?? You can buy or order one here at my etsy shop!

DIY - Create a BLUE Sensory Bin for Your Little Learner

Creating a sensory bin is really fun because you get to make something
wonderful for your child to be excited about!
Even better,  you can tailor it specifically to your child's individual learning needs!

This bin is not created for children to learn the color blue, rather it is to stimulate and hold your child's attention with a beautiful monochromatic theme so that learning can take place!

Sensory boxes are for year round use, indoors and out, in any weather.
But, now that the weather here in Chicago is turning cold, I am thinking ahead
about the much longer hours children will be staying indoors in the winter.
I created this bright and warm sensory bins to keep little ones
happy, engaged and learning through this upcoming winter!

DIY  BLUE Sensory Box

You have a multitude of fillers to use for your box:
blue shredded paper
blue corn
moon sand
dyed rice . . .

     I like to hand dye my own at home!

If you dont want to use Blue as your filler because the items are already blue,
let the backdrop could be whatever neutral color you want by using;
sand,
beans,
pasta,
oatmeal,
rock,
cornmeal . . .

TIP : I like to mix sensory fillers so that there is more to explore, and because bigger fillers
such as shredded paper, can be easily separated from smaller ones such as rice!

Once you have decided on your filler you are now ready for your items!

Try to get a collection of natural items too!

TIP : You can color wash natural items such as wood, rock and shells to make the colors you need.


Get something to scoop with (spoon) and something to scoop into and our (cup).
If you can, get tongs for pincer strength while sorting small objects.
Add small lids (from water bottles) or ice cube trays to sort and hold small objects.

Now, add the BLUE items.
The secret is to get multiple items with various textures, shapes, sizes and amounts.
You want your child to be able to find and create patters (big, bigger, biggest, for example)
and have the sensory box sustain their attention.

You can get items from around the house, like the "junk" drawer and the bottom of the toy chest.
Children get many small items from gumball machines, school, party favors and more...find those!
You can go to second hand stores and find little objects (usually in bags of mismatched stuff).
You can paint objects that are a different color with spray paint or acrylics.
Flash Cards, Letter Magnets, Geometric Shape Pieces and other learning materials
Books, laminated pictures / words
Cookie cutters are fantastic because they encourage children to crunch down into the filler and experiment with making shapes, using pressure and more!

Use scented items or spices in small jars (berries, ocean, etc.) that are associated with the color. 

TIP : to tailor the experience to your child, you can paint numbers, shapes, letters and words on wood blocks or rocks!

TIP : Keep your items and fillers separated in plastic bags or containers, then you can use one big bin / tub for your various themes and mix and match items and fillers as you create new ones!

Want to get one fast? Visit my etsy shop and buy or order one NOW!

DIY GREEN Sensory Box - Monochromatic FUN for Your Little One

Creating a sensory bin is so fun because you are making something
wonderful for your child to be excited about!
It is also Perfect because you can tailor it specifically to your child's learning needs!
This bin is not created for your child to learn the color green but rather to stimulate and hold your child's attention with a monochromatic theme so that learning can take place!

Sensory boxes are for year round use, indoors and out, in any weather.
But, now that the weather here in Chicago is turning cold, I am thinking ahead
about the much longer hours children will be staying indoors in the winter.
I created this bright and warm sensory bins to keep little ones
happy, engaged and learning through this upcoming winter!

DIY  GREEN Sensory Box

You have many fillers to choose from to use in your box:
green shredded paper or Easter Grass
dried split peas
green vegetable pasta
dyed rice . . .

   I like to hand dye my own at home and mix it with white so there is contrast for the items!

But you certainly dont have to use green as your filler,
so the backdrop could be whatever neutral color you want such as;
sand,
beans,
pasta,
oatmeal,
rock,
cornmeal . . .

TIP : I like to mix sensory fillers so that there is more to explore, and because bigger fillers
such as shredded paper, can be easily separated from smaller ones such as rice!

Once you have decided on your filler you are now ready for your items!

Try to get a collection of natural items like;
rocks, wood, fabric, twigs, pine cones, shells, leaves, grass, seeds . . .

TIP : You can color wash natural items such as wood, rock and shells to make the colors you need.

Get something to scoop with (spoon) and something to scoop into and our (cup).
If you can, get tongs for pincer strength while sorting small objects.
Add small lids (from water bottles) or ice cube trays to sort and hold small objects.

Now, add the GREEN  items.
The secret is to get multiple items with various textures, shapes, sizes and amounts.
You want your child to be able to find and create patters (big, bigger, biggest, for example)
and have the sensory box sustain their attention.

You can get found items from around the house, like in the "junk" drawer and at the bottom of the toy chest.
Children get many small items from gumball machines, school store, party favors and more...find those!
You can go to second hand stores and find little objects (usually in bags of mismatched stuff).
You can get colored items at the party store too!
You can paint objects that are a different color with spray paint or acrylics.
Flash Cards, Letter Tiles, Magnetic Numbers and other learning materials
Books, laminated pictures and words

Cookie cutters are fantastic because they encourage children to crunch down into the filler and experiment with making shapes, using pressure and more!

Use scented items or spices in small jars (lime, green apple, fresh cut grass, pickles, herbs) that are associated with the color. 

TIP : to tailor the experience to your child, you can paint numbers, shapes, letters and words on wood blocks or rocks!

TIP : Keep your items and fillers separated in plastic bags or containers, then you can use one big bin / tub for your various themes and mix and match items and fillers as you create new ones!

Want to get one fast? Visit my etsy shop and buy or order one NOW!