A [Not So] Spooky Halloween Sensory Bin

We’ve been having a great time playing with our new Halloween sensory bin!

We love sensory bins and with Halloween right around the corner I figured it’s time for a Halloween themed sensory bin! I wanted something Halloween-y but not too scary as one of my kiddos is easily spooked by most things Halloween. This Halloween sensory bin is a happy medium and everyone has been enjoying it!

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A [Not Too] Spooky Halloween Sensory Bin

Halloween Sensory Bin:

• Black beans
• Lima beans
• Colored Lima beans (see below)
• Multi-colored spider rings & Halloween themed items
• Tools for scooping/dumping/exploring
• Small pumpkins/gourds

I got all my Halloween items (the spiders and skeletons) at Walmart in the $1 area of their Halloween section. It’s where they keep the Halloween party favors, like plastic spider rings and such.  The spiders are actually the spider rings but I simply cut the ring part off the back, leaving me with just the spiders.

I dyed some of the beans orange to add a bit of color.  I had originally intended to add the pumpkin seeds from our recent carving adventures but they ended up cooked and eaten! Yummy! Here’s how we died the beans for this sensory play activity.

How to Dye Beans:

• Add food coloring to a plastic bag (I didn’t have any but I think the gel food coloring would work best)
• Add 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar to bag (vinegar or rubbing alcohol helps the color from wiping off on little hands)
• Add Beans
• Mix thoroughly
• Spread on wax paper to dry

I dropped mine in the oven for about 10 mins @ 175 because I wanted them dry by the end of nap.

Once they were dried I mixed all the beans, gourds and Halloween trinkets together in a shallow Tupperware container. Add in a few tools for scooping and you’re ready to go!

The girls love mixing and playing with the beans.  I didn’t get many picture of them in action because they weren’t feeling the camera but they had a blast with this!

In addition to scooping and playing we’ve also done a few different sorting activities with this bin. They don’t have to be overly complicated. Just give kids a few shallow dishes and they can sort by size, color, materials and more!  It’s a great way to learn colors or work on fine motor skills.

The daycare kids and my daughter love using the magnifying glass with this Halloween sensory bin! They search out the spiders and examine the beans with theme. The coloring on the beans gives them some unique things to observe about the texture of the beans.

What Halloween crafts are you doing this Halloween?

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