My Garden Bird Seed Sensory Bin

My Garden  Bird Seed Sensory Bin

What we used:

plastic, under the bed storage container from walmart

BIRD SEED

wooden birdhouse from joann fabric

stones from dollar tree

lego flower found among the morning toys on the floor

garden gnomes from walmart

plastic insects and reptiles from dollar tree

scoops from target

trucks from the yard

and the fun printable flowers we made

What to do with all your supplies:

First things first.  Pour bird seed into the bin.  

Now take the insects and reptiles and bury them a little. The kids loved searching for them in the bird seed, and finding them one by one.  We called out what each one was as they found them.  You can add a little learning in almost any play activity with your kids.  

Now to place in the garden gnome and bird house.  I put these on opposite corners to balance out the look of the bin and leave the middle open for playing.

I then added the stones and plastic flower to the bin.  The last item was the printable flowers I made for them.  It would not be a very good garden without flowers.  

I left the scoops and trucks out of the bin so it was not too cluttered.  I love simple when it comes to sensory bins most often.  This also gave the kids time to explore what was in the bird seed bin before adding the other items.

They could not wait to start playing.  Hands on fun for the kids and great way to explore sight and touch.  This is a open ended activity. The kids come in and take over.  Learning through play works for us.  

As you can see above the kids had the trucks and scoops out after the initial investigation of the sensory bin.   Scooping is great for gross motors skills.

Once they went to watch dad cut the grass, baby brother slid over to get an up close view of the sensory bin.  This was not his first time playing with bird seed but it was his first time playing in this bin.  He played in bird seed in the water table before but that was not the same. I truly enjoyed every moment I sat there beside him and watched as he took this new experience in.

I can imagine he was thinking “oh, this is what all the fuss was about!” as he grabbed his first handful of seed.

He sat quietly as he examined the tiny pieces in his palm.

It was a priceless moment to watch his amazement and excitement during playtime.

It did not take long before he climbed right inside the bin.  

I love that he lost a shoes and he even got to feel the seed with his foot because of it.

All in and he could not get enough of this stuff.  Scooping and pouring and pushing the trucks.  Having 2 older brothers he is a pro at big boy play.

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury.  Play is a necessity~ Kay Redfield Jamison

 More sensory play posts to check out:

Ultimate Sensory Dough Play Recipes

Simple Water Play Ideas for Kids

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Bird Seed Posts from Us:

Bird Seed Sensory Bin

Fall Sensory Table