DIY Ocean Animal Sensory Bottle for Preschoolers

I love studying the ocean. And teaching it to children is so much fun because it’s almost like teaching them about a whole other world! It typically doesn’t take much to get students engaged in the ocean, ocean animals, beaches, tides, and all of the wonders of the sea. This DIY Ocean Animal Sensory Bottle for Preschoolers is made with the simplest ingredients. I love that this ocean sensory bottle can be so many things: a fun craft, a review of ocean animals, a calming sensory experience, or maybe just an ocean themed review of letters (depending on what you fill the bottle with)!

Sensory Activities for Preschoolers

OCEAN IN A BOTTLE

SENSORY BOTTLES AND SENSORY BAGS PROVIDE A WIDE RANGE OF LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES REGARDLESS OF THE THEME YOU CHOOSE.

Sensory activities for kids allow their brains to make deeper connections with the concepts they are exploring. One of the great things about sensory activities for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners is that you can easily adapt the content, skill, or theme.

I like to make this DIY ocean sensory bottle with children first, and then let them use it for exploration later. Going through the step-by-step directions is a science project in itself! Watch out for choking hazards when adding small beads to the water bottle if you are working with toddlers.

The preschool ocean sensory bottle can be used to learn names of ocean animals, or you can add letters or numbers to the bottle to make it more about literacy or math skills.

Once you make the ocean themed sensory bottle there are lots of types of play your child can engage in.

As your child is playing or exploring the ocean sensory activity, encourage thought by asking questions:

• How did you make the ocean sensory bottle?
• What kind of liquid did you put in the sensory bottle?
• Did you add solids to the liquid?
• What colors/animals/letters do you see?
• Can you find a ….(animal/letter/number)?
• Why did you put glue in the sensory bottle?
• How did you stop the sensory water bottle from leaking?

What Can Preschoolers Learn from Sensory Bottles?

BENEFITS OF SENSORY PLAY

SENSORY PLAY OFFERS A TON OF BENEFITS FOR A CHILD’S BRAIN, VOCABULARY, LANGUAGE, AND SKILLS.

Whether children explore in an ocean sensory bin, bottle, bag, or something else, sensory activities are important:

• Learn specific subject matter
• Increase vocabulary
• Stimulate language development
• Improve fine/gross motor skills
• Calming effect

How To Make the DIY Ocean Animal Sensory Bottle

SUPPLIES:

• Plastic Bottle
• Clear Glue
• Sea Life Beads
• Bright Beads
• Water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pour the bottle of glue into the plastic bottle.
2. Add the beads to the bottle.
3. Fill the remainder of the bottle with water, leaving a small amount of space at the top.  Do not overfill.
4. Close the bottle and shake well.

NOTE: If you notice the bottle bubbling up, you can skim the bubbles off with a spoon and discard. Warm water mixes best with the glue.

Optional substitutions for glue include: baby oil, corn syrup

You can also add drops of food coloring or additional beads.