Easy DIY Space Rocks for a Sensory Bin

My eleven year old realized today that we seem to have at least one new bin per week. And let me encourage you that your kids are definitely not too old to play with a sensory bin. I think that there are days that my 9 and 11 year olds play with them more than my 6 and 3 year olds.

It’s a different level of play, but still beneficial.

When my older kids play, they tend toward role-playing and making their own crafts and ideas to add to the bin.

When my younger kids play, it tends toward experimentation with the different objects that are included: exploring the texture, manipulating, and observing.

Space rocks were no different.

My oldest and my youngest daughters help me make them. It was super simple and like most sensory materials we use took less than 5 minutes to throw together.

Here’s how we made our space rocks:

I took the black beans that we used in some other sensory bins. I actually only used half of them, about 1 1/2 pounds for this bin because I didn’t need the filler to be as thick as with the butterfly garden.

Spread them in the bottom of our plastic bin.

Poured just a bit of homemade modge podge (watered down glue) over the beans. You really just need a little bit. Just enough to wet the beans, but not be gloppy.

Mixed the glue onto the beans.

We poured two small vials of glitter into the box.

Mixed it all up!

And set it out on our hot balcony so that it would dry quicker and the littlest lady wouldn’t attack the box before it was ready.

About an hour later, I went out to the balcony to check the space rocks. They were dry but mostly stuck together. (As expected)

A little bit of rustling the beans around in the bin and gently rolling in my hands separated them easily. This is why it’s important to only use a little bit of the modge podge.

Ta da!

Space rocks!

They are great for use with our Solar System Pretend Play Printable.