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Plain Vanilla Mom

Fall Harvest Sensory Bin

in fall, sensory play, toddler play on 10/11/13

I have a confession to make. I love sensory bins. Mr. C however, can often take them or leave them. Sometimes what I think is sure to be a great hit, he will look at briefly, play with for 5 seconds and then move on. This happens with sensory bins more than I would like to admit. So Mom, if this story sounds familiar rest assured you are not alone (nor are you doing anything wrong). I am going to share one thing with you in this post though that changed it for us.

Fall Harvest Sensory Bin

Recently, I stumbled onto something that worked. Once I started putting our sensory materials in a bin large enough for Mr. C to actually get himself into (literally), he began to play with them longer and longer.  He’s a very active little guy and the activities he seems to enjoy the best right now are the ones that he can get his whole self into.  For example, he has spent ample amounts of time just burying is feet in a big ‘ol bucket of plain white rice.

Fall Harvest Sensory Bin - Get into it

I wanted to take this big bucket of rice concept and make it a little more of a seasonal sensory bin though.  I decided to color the rice in some festive fall colors. We did red, orange, yellow and brown. There are many ways to color rice but I like to do ours with a few pumps of  hand sanitizer and some gel food coloring. You can read more about how we color rice in this post. The colors are amazingly vibrant and this color combination did not dissappoint. It was beautiful when I laid it out in the bin.  It was even more beautiful once it got all mixed up. It just looked like fall!

Fall Harvest Sensory Bin

Fall Harvest Sensory Bin

I put the colored rice along with some pumpkin table scatter (from Michaels), some wooden acorns (from MamaMayI) and his beloved diggers in the biggest bin I could find that we had lying around the house. I also tossed in a few little wooden buckets and scoops too. Mr. C loves these little wooden toys better than most in his sensory bins, and so do I!

Fall Harvest Sensory Bin

We had a hit. He could get in the bin! He could get his feet in the rice. And, he could combine that with some of his favorite toys…his diggers.  The first couple of days I had it out he played with it off and on all day.

fall harvest sensory bin Fall Harvest Sensory Bin

Over time he’s added a few more toys to the bin like different trucks and more bottles for scooping and pouring.  I’ve kept it out for about a week now and he’s still playing with it a little every day. Once he goes a couple of days without showing any further interest in it I’ll dismantle it and we’ll move onto something else.

How about your little ones. Are they a fan of sensory bins?

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9 Comments

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Comments

  1. Samantha @Stir the Wonder says

    November 11, 2013 at 1:25 am

    haha! I love it! He is literally in the bin! How fun! Smart move to give him a deep bin- no mess!
    Samantha @Stir the Wonder recently posted…Soda Bottle Turkey {Fine Motor Friday}My Profile

    Reply
  2. Amanda says

    November 11, 2013 at 1:38 pm

    My two youngest would adore this bin!
    Amanda recently posted…Veterans Day Activities for Kids {After School Linky Party}My Profile

    Reply
  3. Jill says

    November 11, 2013 at 5:45 pm

    I think any little one would love this colorful sensory bin. I had to chuckle when I was reading your article and saw your little guy actually in the sensory bin. Too precious! Thank you for linking up and sharing this week on the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop!

    Reply
  4. Katie @ Gift of Curiosity says

    November 11, 2013 at 9:20 pm

    Your colored rice turned out gorgeous! So vibrant!
    Katie @ Gift of Curiosity recently posted…Straw rocketsMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Jess from Tot School Journey says

    November 12, 2013 at 4:37 pm

    I love this! The added element of getting ‘IN’ the bn is a great idea and adds so much extra sensory fun! What a wonderful idea, and that bin is so pleasing to the eye! Love it!
    Jess from Tot School Journey recently posted…Simple ActivitiesMy Profile

    Reply
    • Jennifer Haas says

      November 12, 2013 at 6:58 pm

      Thanks Jess! Glad you liked it. It sure was a hit here.

      Reply
  6. Ann @ My Nearest and Dearest says

    November 23, 2013 at 3:55 pm

    I love sensory bins too! This one is fantastic. What a great idea to make it big enough for your little one to climb into. I can definitely see how that would really engage him. Must try that!
    Ann @ My Nearest and Dearest recently posted…Making the Most of Winter with KidsMy Profile

    Reply
  7. Katy says

    July 23, 2015 at 5:39 pm

    I LOVE this!! Fall is my favorite season, and it’s right around the corner, again! I’ve been looking around for different things to do with my daughter, and this looks SO fun!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Haas says

      August 4, 2015 at 12:28 pm

      Thanks Katy! Fall is my favorite too! I love coming up with fall activities. So glad you like this one!

      Reply

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Hi There!

Welcome! I'm Jen, just your average well caffeinated, camera wielding, multitasking, plain vanilla mom to three boys. I love photography & am addicted to Instagram (oh & Starbucks). So, grab a cup of coffee and take a minute to peruse the pages here. I look forward to getting to know you better! Read More…

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