A space sensory bin invites children to engage and explore. There are wonderful materials and items to use. We chose soap foam, bright colors, and stars. It was sensory for both touch and visual.
In photos, the Milky Way looks like white swirls. When doing the dishes, Big Sister thought the soap foam looked like the Milky Way so, of course, we had to make more. A blender is really the best way to make big amounts but we tried a straw too. The soapy bubbles were like colors dancing across space but a straw doesn’t make lots. We mixed 3 batches of soap foam and poured them into a big, clear plastic bin.
Little Sister liked feeling the soap foam and stirring it with a wooden spoon. There were no swirls like the Milky Way until we started to add a few drops of food coloring. Then, the colors really did look like a swirling galaxy. This was so easy and the kids loved watching the colors appear. The drops would just disappear into the foam until the kids used the wooden spoon to stir them around in the foam. After lots and lots of stirring the colors did blend to look more like a grey brown soup but this happened quite slowly. In the meantime, it was fascinating to observe.
When the soap foam looked dark like outer space, the kids added some plastic stars. The stars didn’t float so they had to use their fingers to find them in the foam. Only by feel could they get out the stars. They didn’t spend as long on this part. We carefully emptied out the bin and made sure no stars got poured down the sink. After spraying off the soap, Little Sister played with the stars in the clear water in the sink.
Yes, you can make amazing sensory bins for your child. You can also make a pretty ordinary space sensory bin with soap foam. Either way, kids get to play. Have you tried one?
