Sometimes even I surprise myself with the crazy creative ideas that I come up with for my children. This bobbing for stars sensory bin is one of those activities where I knew it would be fun, but I seriously underestimated how much fun my boys would have with it. Or how much fun I would have trying it!
The main inspiration for this activity is the fact that my oldest son is an oral sensory seeker. He constantly chews on everything, so I'm constantly seeking new and fun ways to give him that input that he seeks. So yes, this activity is completed hands-off, but 100% mouth-on. It is a great oral motor workout and it is actually a lot more challenging than it looks!
This post isn't sponsored (we just had so much fun that I had to blog about it!), but thank you to Canadian DIY Supply for supplying us with the wonderful beads that you see in this sensory bin. You can read more about their beads here, plus get a coupon code! This post contains affiliate links.
This bobbing for stars sensory bin is super simple to put together, but I guarantee that it will keep the kids busy for a long time! Here's what we used:
- Faceted star silicone beads - You can find similar star beads on Amazon as well.
- Water
- Waterproof splat mat or shower curtain
In a large plastic container, add just enough water to cover the bottom of the container. Then add the colorful stars. When we do sensory bins indoors, I always lay out a shower curtain on the floor underneath the sensory bin. I recommend doing so since things will get really wet with this sensory bin!
You should have seen my boys' expressions when I told them that they weren't allowed to use hands in this sensory bin. They thought I was crazy when I suggested that they try to pick up the stars using only their mouths. Four year old K was tentative at first until I told him to try collecting the black stars. Black is his favorite color and was motivated to try it once I suggested picking up his favorite colored stars.
Six year old J, on the other hand, was totally into it! He is the oral sensory seeker so the activity was designed specifically with him in mind. I'm just glad he was so enthusiastic about it! J caught onto it right away. He would pick up the stars and place them on the shower curtain.
Naturally there were lots of giggles. And even my husband and myself gave it a whirl. It was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be! Anyway, time for some close up shots of the action!
As if I need to convince you further of this activity's awesomeness, but here's a video of this sensory bin in action just in case:
Once you're done playing with the stars, turn them into DIY chewable zipper pulls with this tutorial.
