Why Sensory Bins?

[sharlan]

My almost 5 yo had A LOT of sensory issues. He wouldn't touch anything and thought the sole purpose of sand was to throw. I started with colored rice at the kitchen table. I would hide letters, numbers, and insects on the bottom. He played with the rice for hours and we were able to graduate to playdoh.

I use the large foil baking pans and store the rice in a large plastic jug.

[MrsB]

here is my sensory bin

https://www.daycare.com/forum/album.php?albumid=44

I hope it works, the first pictures are my crayon holder and the other pictures are my sensory bin, both things, I made dh make them for me. Right now I have rice in the sensory bin, but I have the water balls to put in them next. The kids love them.

How do you get them to play in the crayons without breaking them? That is so cool! Love the bucket idea.

Wish my husband was crafty and could make me some things. If I equiped him with a saw I'd be afraid he'd have no fingers. LOL. He is really great at doing dishes and playing "horsie" though.

[nannyde]

I've never done a sensory bin. I'm really picky about what toys take up what real estate here. I like all the money for toys to go into toys that can be played with for generations to come. My current group has an amazing toy collection because of this. I can go the rest of my career and never buy another toy.

I think long and hard when I purchase ANYTHING for the child care. The only things I will spend money on now are additional prime pieces for the collections I have. It has to be something that will net great independent (non adult involved) play and can withstand another fifteen years of use. If it meets those two criteria and it's a piece of an already established collection then I will spend money on it.

[Meyou]

I have small sensory bins (Rubbermaid containers with lids) and let the kids use them indivually at the table where I can see and monitor them closely. Keeps the mess contained and still counts toward FCCER's.

Mine are pretty much the same. I use dish basins at the table.

[Meyou]

This is a great blog post about sensory bins.

http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.ca/...-answered.html

[Ariana]

Sensory bins promote divergent thinking which is creativity at it's best. It also promotes math and science skill as well as physical skills that Blackcat mentioned above.

It's important to have "toys" that can be played with in unique ways and not just one way which, again, promotes divergent thinking. My kids will spend up to an hour with a sensory bin playing independantly. I must be a different sort of person but I don't care about the mess! That's what a vacuum is for

[Heidi]

Sensory bins promote divergent thinking which is creativity at it's best. It also promotes math and science skill as well as physical skills that Blackcat mentioned above.

It's important to have "toys" that can be played with in unique ways and not just one way which, again, promotes divergent thinking. My kids will spend up to an hour with a sensory bin playing independantly. I must be a different sort of person but I don't care about the mess! That's what a vacuum is for

Ariana-I mean this in the nicest possible way, so don't take it wrong, ok?

I am honestly and completely the queen of the divergent thinkers. I have 4 divergent thinkers as children. I have a son whose idea of camp-fire talk is to ask "so.....what do you all think about string theory?' I have an 11 yo whose room is FILLED with old small-appliances, cardboard boxes, K'nex, a million Legos, and a crap-load of stuff most of would consider junk. My 14 yo daughter has a black mohawkish thing in a town of some 300 people, and is currently facinated with gay rights, trans-gender people, and politics (as well as really "hot" guys..).

These are my children, though, and have been trained since birth to be independent and responsible. I could have given any one of my access to any kind of art materials at 15 months, and I did, for the most part. They've never colored on a wall or a book or a piece of furniture. They are not perfect, but they do have boundries.

My dc kids are another matter. It's just the way it is. There are just certain things that I will not offer them, but there are a million, trillion things I do.

I don't mean say you are wrong. I just don't think the same thing works for all children in all situations, and I don't want anyone to think that I'm some sort of control freak.

There are tons of sensory experiences in the world, and I seriously do not think these children will grow up denied personal growth because they didn't get to mess with a box of rice or pom poms or water beads every day....

Saying all this smiling in a friendly way!

[Ariana]

Ariana-I mean this in the nicest possible way, so don't take it wrong, ok?

I am honestly and completely the queen of the divergent thinkers. I have 4 divergent thinkers as children. I have a son whose idea of camp-fire talk is to ask "so.....what do you all think about string theory?' I have an 11 yo whose room is FILLED with old small-appliances, cardboard boxes, K'nex, a million Legos, and a crap-load of stuff most of would consider junk. My 14 yo daughter has a black mohawkish thing in a town of some 300 people, and is currently facinated with gay rights, trans-gender people, and politics (as well as really "hot" guys..).

These are my children, though, and have been trained since birth to be independent and responsible. I could have given any one of my access to any kind of art materials at 15 months, and I did, for the most part. They've never colored on a wall or a book or a piece of furniture. They are not perfect, but they do have boundries.

My dc kids are another matter. It's just the way it is. There are just certain things that I will not offer them, but there are a million, trillion things I do.

I don't mean say you are wrong. I just don't think the same thing works for all children in all situations, and I don't want anyone to think that I'm some sort of control freak.

There are tons of sensory experiences in the world, and I seriously do not think these children will grow up denied personal growth because they didn't get to mess with a box of rice or pom poms or water beads every day....

Saying all this smiling in a friendly way!

If you offer things for them to do that promotes divergent thinking than great! You can accomplish this through many things besides sensory bins. I was simply answering the original question about sensory bins specifically

[Heidi]

If you offer things for them to do that promotes divergent thinking than great! You can accomplish this through many things besides sensory bins. I was simply answering the original question about sensory bins specifically

Ok...I see sorry!

I obviously feel a little guilty about it, it's supposed to be the "right" thing to do, and I get it in theory, just not in practice with my particular group.

There is just no one-size-fits-all answer, ever, and I resent that some of us are being pushed into a cookie cutter. There are MANY ways to provide really awesome care, and with the pushing of FCCER's in our state, we are getting all getting crammed into the SAME cookie cutter. So, this conversation is more about me not drinking the koolaid than sensory bins, I think.

[MizzCheryl]

do you have any problem with them putting thing in their mouths? I used to have a bean table. One of the GP had a fit cause a dcg had a bean down her shirt when she came home. . Mom just laughed and said she was playing in the bean table. GM gasped, what if she ate it or put it up her nose.
With mixed ageas I think it is hard to have small stuff. How do you guys handle this. Some of mine a notorious for sticking stuff up their nose
Also FCCRS is very strict about food products as craft material. I had a rice bin once when I did FCCRS. They gave no credit to anything. What do they think about sensory bins? Does anyone know?

[Country Kids]

do you have any problem with them putting thing in their mouths? I used to have a bean table. One of the GP had a fit cause a dcg had a bean down her shirt when she came home. . Mom just laughed and said she was playing in the bean table. GM gasped, what if she ate it or put it up her nose.
With mixed ageas I think it is hard to have small stuff. How do you guys handle this. Some of mine a notorious for sticking stuff up their nose

I had a three year old putting things in their ear!!! More the rice then anything. Only one that has ever done it to. If they keep it up they just aren't allowed to play with it.

[Kim]

The purpose of sensory bins is for children to develop their senses. Sensory bins are usually filled with items that not only look cool, but feel and sometimes sound cool as well. Right there is visual, sensual and audible senses.

From toddlers to school aged children, a sensory bin can develop skills such as…
■Fine Motor (placing small objects into small areas, using tongs or tweezers to pick up objects)
■Transferring (moving objects from one container to another, i.e. pouring, scooping)
■Matching (colors, shapes, objects, etc.)
■Patterns (big, small, big, small or flower, butterfly, flower, butterfly, etc.)
■Counting (how many colors, shapes and amounts)
■Sorting and Classifying (into other objects such as ice cube trays, small buckets, egg platters)
■Specific skill recognition & reinforcement (colors, letters, shapes, themes, etc.)

Sensory bins can also just plain be fun! I honestly don't remember a time where I have filled a sensory bin with somehting and NOT had the urge to stick my own hands in and play with the stuff inside!

Sensory bins appeal to a child’s senses in a fun way and on many different levels!

I just went out and spent less than $8 on those water bead thngs Melskids was talking about and OMG! My kiddos cannot stop playing with them! THey absolutely LOVE them! They ask constantly when they can play! I am startign to think I could use it as a reward/consequence....LOL!! Even a couple of my parents could not resist sticking their hands in and playing around for a while.

These are the main reasons I have sensory bins!

Sensory bins are a great tool for children with SPD, and help them theraputically. The other things you mentioned are also great tools! Sensory bins are just another tool.


I do not have any children with SPD, but I use them for one reason:

The kids will play in them quietly for HOURS! Anything that give me hours of quiet time is awesome in my book! ::

But if I'm being completely honest THIS is the #1 reason I have them! ::



I change mine monthly or to go with the season. I get most of the ideas from the Counting Coconuts blog. This is the tub I have right now- spring theme. Most of what I put in the tubs is things I already have lying around so I'm not breaking the bank.

[My3cents]

I love sensory bins. I hope to come up with more.

Scoop and pour

My kiddo's have learned how to use a spoon well, thanks to the sensory table.

I use rice, shredded paper (biggest mess, but tons of fun) water, and more

Anything that fits in the table is a go with me. Messy, yes.........but so what I have to clean anywhooooohappyface

[nannyde]

It's important to have "toys" that can be played with in unique ways and not just one way which, again, promotes divergent thinking. My kids will spend up to an hour with a sensory bin playing independantly.

I like the idea of having lots of toys that can be played with in lots of ways. I just want them to be things the next generation of kids can play with and not require an adult to be involved.

I'm not knocking sensory bins. I've never considered having them but I think they would be a full on blast for the kids. We are just chocked full of toys here for the kids and we couldn't get them thru all of them if we tried.

[Meeko]

I'm with Nannyde on the "I want it to last for years". I have toys in my day care that my sons (now age 30 and 27) played with. They are still in good condition and I expect them to last many more years.

I make sure the kids have plenty of choices and opportunities to touch, create etc. We paint, do crafts, play with water (outside only).

I'm "old school" too and quite honestly don't see the point in sensory tables/boxes/humongous messes. I think my kids explore and learn enough.

I DO have some old soda bottles that I filled with rice and some tiny toys/marbles and then sealed up tight so they can't be spilled. Does that count since they can't touch the contents! I just say 'find the elephant" or whatever, and they turn the bottle all over until it appears.

I think I would go stark raving mad if I had to vacuum up tons of beans/rice/sand etc every day!!!! Not to mention that my kids would try and eat it and/or shove it where the sun don't shine!