Dyed beans, rice, salt, pasta…
Rainbow salt!
What’s the benefit of sensory bins for kids?
Sensory play can be relaxing. Scooping and pouring build fine motor and bimanual skills. Bimanual skills are things that involve using each side of the body separately - like holding a cup in one hand while the other scoops beans into it. Hand-eye coordination skills can be worked on if you offer a jar or container with a small opening. Sensory play also offers opportunities for pretend play (creativity!) and social skills. In a class setting like ours, kids are learning to take turns with materials, share space and interact with each other.
How to make dyed chickpeas:
Get 2-4 16 oz bags of dry chickpeas at the grocery store
Pour chickpeas into a gallon ziplock bag
Add food coloring or liquid watercolor. I don’t measure! Just a big 3 second squeeze of coloring. I would guess a 1/2 tsp of color per 2 bags of chickpeas? (Maybe I shouldn’t be doing a tutorial LOL)
You can add a capful of rubbing alcohol to speed up the drying and help hold the color but it’s not super necessary.
Close and shake the bag until all the beans are colored. You can add more color if you need.
Dump into a shallow container or sheet pan to dry for at least 30 min before playing.
What else can I dye with this method?
rice
dry lima beans
salt (don’t add rubbing alcohol)
Uncooked pasta (all the fun shapes!)
Dying a huge batch of rice for a class. Adding green over previously dyed rice because I love to reuse what I have!
How long will these keep?
Forever?? As long as everything is totally dry, put it back into the ziplock and store for a really long time!
What to do with your dyed sensory materials?
Dump into a bin, add some spoons, bowls, jars, cups, etc and let them have at it!
Dollar tree has some great tools in the kitchen sections - kid sized silicone whisks, tongs, spoons, spatulas, measuring cups
Add toy cars or animals
Add a tea set or kid-sized pots and pans.
I avoid buying kid-specific “sensory tools” because they’re usually plastic and break easily. Real kitchen tools that are metal, silicone or wood are much more durable!
These tea infusers are a hit and help build hand strength
Add magnetic letters or numbers if you’re working on those skills.
Silicone cupcake liners are one of my fav things to add to a bin.
How to contain the mess?
If playing inside, throw down a big sheet first to make clean up a little easier. I honestly have a hard time tolerating indoor sensory play so we always do it outside! I use canvas drop cloths under the bins. If you play with beans outside, you can expect little beans sprouts to pop up after a few weeks :)
Do I need to make sensory bins for my child?
If a sensory bin with beans and rice everywhere isn’t your jam - don’t worry. Sensory play is also just playing outside - digging in dirt, picking flowers, walking in the park, riding a scooter. Even taking a bath or helping to wash dishes is sensory play.
Or just drop-in for a stay and play class and I’ll take care of the mess :)
