Sensory
SpringToddlers40 Comments
Explore spring, and build a fun suncatcher, when you make a DIY nature sensory bag with your kids!
I love making simple sensory bags for the kids, this nature sensory bag is no exception.
They’re easy to make, super fast, and gives the kids something to explore in a fun way. I find them super entertaining for toddlers.
We’ve recently done learning sensory bags for the older boys, making them ‘I Spy’ sensory bags to find letters and math equations (for my first grader).
But my favorite one we’ve done in the past was so simple, just some googly eyes to explore. (It was during the Halloween season).
We needed to explore something for other seasons, right?
This is perfect for Spring with all the little bits of nature peeking up now.
Here are 48 ways to explore with sensory bags!
Make Your Own DIY Nature Sensory Bag
The boys did their part to help me make this nature sensory bag.
They went outside to collect flowers and leaves (make it a scavenger hunt!) to add to the sensory bag while I added hair gel to a gallon-size baggy.
I buy the cheapest hair gel I can possibly find (affiliate link, this was L.A. Looks which brought back funny memories). This gel was blue in the bottle. I didn’t have a lot left, maybe half a bottle, but it was enough!
I love that it didn’t end up looking too blue either.
It took them a while because we don’t have many flowers yet in our yard, so they had to head to Grandpa’s yard to find gorgeous flowers (he gave them the okay to pick them).
Once the boys got back with their nature finds, I added them to the bag of gel.
I decided on a front side of the sensory bag and tried my best to lay the flowers flat facing that side.
I didn’t double bag it, but you could if you’re worried about holes or it leaking.
Explore the Nature Sensory Bag
I taped the nature sensory bag to our front door that’s a full glass window to make it a suncatcher too! It looked so pretty with the light shining through.
Another project! Make a nature suncatcher.
Louis explored the flowers with his fingers. He tried to move them around a little, squishing it.
The older boys were playing outside when they saw Louis in the door with his sensory bag and decided they needed to play with it too!
Louis also thought it was time for him to go outside at the same time because he saw the older boys. So they literally swapped places and then Louis realized he wanted to be inside when he saw them playing with the sensory bag.
Oh, the fun of a toddler!
You can find a week of simple activities for a 2 year old here!
Henry thought he could spot pairs of flowers and match them together by moving them in the sensory bag. He didn’t have very good luck moving them though, the flowers kept breaking apart (but that leads me to an idea for a puzzle sensory bag some time!).
My one big tip with sensory bags that I failed at this time is to make sure you get all the air out of the baggy.
After putting the flowers in the bag full of gel, I forgot to squeeze it out until later. While Henry was trying to move the flowers around, some started falling to the bottom of the bag as the gel was beginning to settle.
If I had sucked the air out it wouldn’t have happened, at least not as soon as it did.
Here’s another version of our sensory bag:
WANT TO SAVE THIS ACTIVITY?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox so you can access this activity later! Plus, you'll get simple activities from us every week!
Pamela says
I would love to make these for my grandkids. I have seen on a few other sites that they mix hair gel with water in the bags. Was wondering what you feel is the best way to go? Thanks
Tabitha Lightfoot says
Hi Pamela! Great question! Adding water to the hair gel would make it easier to move the nature around. If you are going to hang it on a window, the nature may not stay as well and slide down to the bottom though.
Ashley says
Do you think I can replace the hair gel with baby oil gel ? It’s what I have during this self isolation. Same with on another sensory bag I saw that you make with baby oil can you substitute that with vegetable oil or olive oil?
Tabitha Lightfoot says
Hi Ashley! Yes, that should work just fine!
Karen says
We added colorful confetti to our flowery sensory bag and it really added sparkle! Thanks for the great idea!
Marie Langer says
This is fantastic.
Lois Brewer says
I truly appreciate the activities and ideas you share. My granddaughter and I made a Halloween sensory bag over a year ago complete with googly eyes, small plastic bugs and any other creepy crawly things we could find in our stash of craft supplies (or at the bottom of her toy bin). That bag was not doubled, though I used decorative duct tape to seal it and it has never leaked….not even after being tossed into the bottom of a box of toys! It will be fun to make a nature sensory bag with her…as soon as the snow melts! We live in northern Michigan and another winter storm is heading our way.
Spring will come though, eventually! Thank you for sharing your talent, ideas and family with us! Blessings,
Lois in MI
Teri Robertson says
I found a large bottle of clear hair get at the Dollar Store.
Mel @ Adventures of Mel says
Love this! It’s so bright and pretty for spring too. Thanks for sharing at Inspire Me Wednesday. Featuring you in this week’s issue.
Helen @ Peakle Pie says
Thank you for linking up with the #frugalfamilylinky – you have been featured on this week’s linky via Peakle Pie. We hope to see you joining in again soon!
Sar says
We love sensory bags at our house, but I’ve never thought to add flowers! Thanks for sharing with Good Tips Tuesday. We’ll be featuring this.
Meghan @ PlaygroundParkbench says
Love these – and so beautiful and springy in the window too! I get big bottles of hair gel at the Dollar Store, and can usually get 2 bags from each bottle! Thanks for sharing at #WeLoveWeekends!
Gude @HodgePodgeCraft says
What a fantastic activity! And looks gorgeous too… :)
#Pintorials