Autumn
Holidays
SensoryToddlers20 Comments
Dig into fun fall-themed sensory fun with a great DIY pumpkin scented rice sensory bin for older toddlers and preschoolers.
What’s more “fall” than pumpkins!?! I loved the idea of mixing one of my favorite fall things with an easy sensory activity.
Make a DIY Pumpkin Scented Rice Bin for Simple Fall Play
A pumpkin scented rice sensory bin is so much fun! Dig into all things fall like pinecones, nuts, and whole spices.
To make your own pumpkin scented sensory rice bin, you’ll need:
- white rice
- liquid food coloring: orange, red, yellow, brown (think: fall colors)
- hand sanitizer
- a plastic container (think: Tupperware) at least 1 liter big
- pumpkin spice: ginger, cloves, star anise, nutmeg (and cinnamon if you’d like)
Make Pumpkin Scented Colored Rice
First, color your rice. You’ll need to do this in a few batches to make the different colors of rice.
Add a good dollop of one food color to your container. Mix in 2-3 pumps of hand sanitizer into the food color.
The hand sanitizer will thin out the liquid food coloring. Plus, it will make it easier to coat the rice evenly.
Next, add in the dry rice. Fill your container about 2/3 full.
Add in 1 tbs. of pumpkin spice flavorings. You can use the pre-mixed blend or make your own using our spice suggestions.
Now, cover your container and shake away! Invite your child to shake the rice with you.
Sing a little song while you shake!
Once the rice is evenly coated, spread it out on a baking sheet to dry. Wash out the container thoroughly, then repeat these steps with another color.
Build Your DIY Pumpkin Scented Sensory Rice Bin
Once your rice is nice and dry, dump it all into a big bin.
Add fall things like pine cones, cinnamon sticks, whole star anise, acorns, and whole nuts still in their shells to your bin of rice.
Mix everything together and store it in a covered bin, like a Tupperware container.
Playing with Your Sensory Pumpkin Rice
This is such a fun sensory bin for fall! Not only does it smell amazing, but your autumn items are also really unique and unusual.
For extra fun, give them some bowls, cups, ladles, or spoons. You might also consider adding in thick yarn or pipe cleaners for stringing.
The sky is the limit when it comes to adding tools and toys to your sensory bin!
Build autumn cupcakes in plastic cups, then top with pinecones and cinnamon sticks. Make a fall necklace by stringing cinnamon sticks and star anise into a pretty pattern.
Invite your child to sort the fall items by type, color, or scent. Or go on a treasure hunt for certain items.
You and your children will have lots of fun smelling, exploring, and creating with this tried and true sensory activity.
How do you add seasonal sensory fun to your play time? Share your favorite sensory activities!
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Silvia Scotti says
I love the activities that you send out. I don’t have my own kids but I hss as ve been watching my nieces kids. They love crafts.
I enjoy exploring with them.
Paulette says
Thank you for the rice sensory idea for pumpkins and fall. I am going to use this.
Racheal says
What book can you use with this activity?
Pamela Ashwort says
This was a great hit at preschool .Thank you for the inspiration!
Meg says
I am hoping to make a lot of your pumpkin scented rice to use as vase fillers at an early October family reunion. My first batch smells only like hand sanitizer, which isn’t very appealing! What did I do wrong? Is there a brand of sanitizer you use that is low-scent?
Also, when I first dyed the rice, it was a rather garish orange. After I added the pumpkin spice, the color is lovely, but I’m not sure how all the colors will not just turn out orange after adding the pumpkin spice. Should I let the dyed rice dry completely before adding the spice? Another idea was to just add the spice to the orange rice, and hope there is enough scent to make up for the no-scent other colors.
Thoughts?
Catherine M says
There is mention of a jar in the directions. What size jar is recommended?
Amy Lee says
Hi Catherine! This is Amy from The Connection We Share. I used a 1L mason jar and filled it 2/3 – 3/4 full. You’re welcome to use any size jar depending on how much rice you want to dye. Also, depending on the age of your child, a plastic jar or plastic container might be safer than a mason jar.