Spring Sensory Bottles

Ask anyone what makes them think of spring and I bet they will say flowers. All of the beautiful greenery comes back to life and brings with it a rainbow of beautiful colours. To get the kids excited about the arrival of Spring, I made a few sensory bottles full of spring-like goodies.

Floating Flower Jar

• Fake flowers
• Water

Gotta love a dollar store craft! Grab a small bouquet or a few stems of fake flowers from your local dollar store and snip the buds off. Be sure to leave a little bit of stem so the flowers stay in tact. Toss them in a jar and fill it up with water. Seal the lid to keep it from leaking. Twist and swirl the jar, watching the flowers float around. This is a great tool to talk about the different things that plants need in order to grow. When the kids are done playing with it, display it on your mantel!

Calming Flower Sequins

• Baby oil
• Flower sequins

Add a variety of flower-shaped sequins to a jar or container. I used every colour of the rainbow and then some! You will end up needing more sequins than you think. Fill the container most of the way with baby oil and watch the sequins float around. Before you seal the lid, make sure you’re happy with the quantity of sequins. Sitting in the grass with the sun shining, watching the little flowers float down while you are surrounded by wafting blades of grass is sure to help lull your little one to dreamland.

Bugs in a Jar

• Rice or beans
• Bug-shaped buttons

Put your buttons in the jar, top it off with rice and seal the lid. Leave a little bit of room at the top so everything inside can move around for a fun game of I Spy! This is a cute way to introduce your child to the world of insects in a non-frightening manner. I Spy jars are also a great way to pass the time. Before you load up the jar, snap a picture of each button with your phone. Create a simple little document for your child with the little pictures and tell them they have to twist and turn to find all of the bugs.

Flower Shaker Jar

• Flower-shaped buttons
• Empty container

Toss a bunch of flower buttons into a jar and you have your very own maraca! The buttons sound different in every type of container. They make a fun “plink-plink” noise in the glass jar but that may not be the safest for tiny hands. Create a world of magical noise with buttons inside a plastic bottle. Be sure to seal the cap with hot glue or super glue to keep curious little hands from discovering the fun that is chewing buttons. Use this style of spring sensory bottle to talk about the different colours they can see. My buttons are a variety of sizes which is also useful for learning about big and small. Once you’re done exploring the contents, get shaking!

 

Check out more of our spring crafts for kids.

Learn how to make a fairy garden.