Happy Birthday Sensory Bin

It was George’s Birthday over the weekend! George turned 2! This Happy Birthday Sensory Bin, that No Twiddle Twaddle is sharing today, would have been a perfect activity during the party, and may just be something we do for the fun of it this week to extend his birthday!

Hi! I’m Bethany from the kid lit and play blog No Twiddle Twaddle, and I’m excited that Jamie is letting me share with you today my Happy Birthday Sensory Bin.

One of my closest friends’ Elisabeth recently invited our family to her preschool daughter’s birthday party. Elisabeth often tells me that she wishes that she had time to put together some of the activities that I create and write about. Actually, all my activities are incredibly simple [otherwise I would never do them myself], but I understand that the thought of dying pasta and assembling a sensory activity might be overwhelming to a mom who has never tried it before. So, I decided that I would make a special Happy Birthday themed activity as a gift for Elisabeth’s little girl.

I filled the bin with a variety of brightly colored objects to reflect the happy spirit of a child’s birthday.

Some of the objects were chosen for their fun textures and colors:

• colored pasta
• feathers
• small balls
• pipe-cleaners
• pom-poms

But, I also added birthday themed items:

• candles
• curling ribbon
• bows
• birthday-themed confetti

To add an extra level of fun to the box, I put a in:

• plastic cupcake tin
• a measuring cup
• plastic spoon in the box

Every preschooler loves to make pretend cupcakes!

I packaged the whole sensory activity in an inexpensive plastic tub with a lid that I found at a dollar store. Elisabeth’s kid is a huge fan of Dora the Explorer, so I made sure to give her a package of Dora stickers to decorate her bin with.

The kids immediately all gathered around the bin when Elisabeth’s daughter opened our gift and started playing with it at the party. Fortunately, no one dumped out the whole bin! If I were to make it again, I would seal all of the sensory objects in a clear plastic bag and tape it shut.

This sensory activity not only makes a great gift but also would be a great bin to put together and bring out as a special treat on birthdays in a school or home setting.

If you enjoyed this sensory bin, you may also enjoy my other sensory bins and bottles:

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Sensory Bin [Guest post on Make and Takes]
• Old Bear Four Seasons Sensory Bin and Bottles
• Chrysanthemum Flower Sensory Bottles
• Fireworks in a Bottle

I would love to hear what you think.

Have you ever made a special birthday activity for a child?

 Bethany started No Twiddle Twaddle in January, 2012, to create a kid lit and play blog that combines love for great literature with a down to earth perspective of a mom with small children. When she’s not writing (or folding the never-ending stack of laundry), you might find her killing dragons in the backyard, joining a mission to Mars, or if lucky curled up on the couch reading to her kids.

Not only does Bethany write about fun sensory activities, but she also writes a daily list of the best free kids’ eBooks, reviews children’s books, and creates literary activities for parents and teachers.