The holiday season is full of amazing scents and colors, and this cranberry orange sensory bin brings them all together in one fun and hands-on activity. My kids absolutely loved scooping and stirring while smelling the fresh citrus and pine. It was like a little festive science experiment that kept them entertained for ages. The bright red cranberries, cheerful orange slices, and vibrant green pine sprigs make this bin visually stunning, and the water adds an extra sensory element that kids can’t resist.
This sensory bin combines the festive scents of cranberries, oranges, and pine with hands-on exploration. Kids can scoop, strain, pour, and pretend to “cook” while improving their fine motor skills and sparking their imaginations. It’s a multi-sensory activity that’s perfect for getting into the holiday spirit.
Why You’ll Love This Christmas Sensory Bin
You’ll love this sensory bin because it’s simple to set up, affordable, and feels like a little slice of holiday magic. It’s a fantastic way to engage kids in sensory play, develop fine motor skills, and even explore pretend cooking or sorting games. Plus, the natural materials make it smell as wonderful as it looks, creating a calming, festive atmosphere while they play.
Materials You’ll Need:
- A sensory bin or shallow container
- Fresh cranberries
- Orange slices (real or fake)
- Pine sprigs
- Water
- Bowls, an ice cube tray, or a toy pot
- Strainer
- Scoopers and spoons
How to Set Up the Cranberry Orange Sensory Bin
1. Prepare the Sensory Bin
Fill your sensory bin with a few inches of water. Add the cranberries, orange slices, and pine sprigs to the bin, spreading them out for easy access. The cranberries will float, creating a fun and dynamic element for kids to explore.
2. Add Tools for Play
Place a variety of tools like bowls, an ice cube tray, a toy pot, a strainer, and scoops nearby. These will give kids plenty of options for pouring, sorting, and pretend cooking.
3. Set the Scene
Invite your child to explore the materials. They can scoop the floating cranberries, strain out the pine sprigs, or use the orange slices as pretend ingredients for a “holiday soup.” Encourage them to use their imagination and experiment with the different tools.
How My Kids Played
My kids immediately started scooping the cranberries and pretending they were cooking a Christmas feast. They loved “stirring” their pot with the pine sprigs and adding orange slices to their imaginary recipes. They also discovered that the cranberries floated while the oranges sank, which turned into a little science lesson about buoyancy. The strainer was another favorite—they enjoyed fishing out the cranberries and watching the water drain away.
This cranberry orange sensory bin is a wonderful way to combine sensory play with holiday cheer. It’s engaging, educational, and smells amazing, making it a win for both kids and parents. Give it a try and watch your little ones dive into hours of festive fun!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
