Spring Sensory Bin & Art Center Fun!

Ah, Spring is in the air... It kind of makes you feel like getting your hands nice and dirty and digging into some good ol' fashioned gardening! Whether your ground is fully thawed or still covered in snow, we've got you covered with some sensory bin fun you can enjoy indoors or out. But first, here's a peek at a unique addition to our art center shelves.

Many times when we think of art, we think of permanent creations. Perhaps a picture you can hang up or a sculpture that can be displayed. However, a great portion of art work is the creative process that goes into it, particularly when it comes to children. We enjoy a lot of product oriented art here using many mediums. We also enjoy exploring the use of loose parts in art work in a variety of ways. The inclusion of options like tape, glue, even clay or playdough can encourage a way to preserve artwork and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. It can, however, be limiting to budding artists and shift the focus from process-oriented to product-driven. When loose parts are provided in an art center or area, young artists are encouraged to create and design repeatedly--to revisit the process in a new way and to really tap into their creative work as opposed to the constraints of producing something permanent. Floral arranging is one way to create art and with the use of artificial flowers and plastic colanders, little (even quite little) ones can practice the art and fine motor skills of floral arranging again and again, in a variety of ways.
Alternatively you could provide glass vases (with older children) or use floral foam (as pictured below) or even clay/playdough for "planting" and arranging flowers. You could also pick wild flowers or use cut flowers for this activity.

Floral foam is such a unique material! Sometimes the exploration of it in and of itself is half the fun!

Our Little Gardener's Sensory Bin

 Meanwhile in the kitchen...it was time for a sensory table update! How cute is this Little Gardener's Sensory Bin? I used a few bags of dried beans as our base filler. I love that in addition to being a fabulous sensory material, it is also a seed and therefore theme related. If you prefer not to use food fillers, you can substitute in some paper shreds or even leftover plastic grass from the recent spring holidays. I included some plastic planting pots, plastic gardening tools, a couple of sets of gardening gloves and a selection of artificial flowers. I opted to use things I already had at home or even outside and you could get creative with this. Perhaps a watering can might be fun or if you prefer "real" gardening tools, add in some of those.


This sensory bin is a great one to use indoors or outside. You could even use actual soil as filler or used/dried coffee grounds as "soil." You could swap out the flowers for some creepier crawlier options like toy bugs, butterflies and worms (below). If your little ones are too young to appreciate sensory play in a bin, try out the adorable Tiny Seed Sensory Bottles in this story stretcher post.

It's not quite warm enough outside for planting in the ground. I am eager to start some seeds indoors in the weeks to come and just as eager to dig in outside when the time and temperature are right. But until then, some Spring themed sensory play will have to tide us over...

Looking for some more seasonal fun? Check out our other Spring themed posts, gardening themed posts and flower themed posts!


We will be back for more Spring themed fun... Until then, enjoy all the season has to offer and happy playing!