INSIDE: Love Potions Sensory Bin is a fun and easy Valentine’s Day STEM sensory bin for kids of all ages. Create love
Looking for more Fun Valentine’s Day Crafts or Activities? Check out these fun ideas:
- Valentine’s Day Cards Toddlers & Preschoolers Can Create
- 15+ Valentine’s Day Crafts for Toddlers
- 30+ Valentine’s Day Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers
- Valentine’s Day Activities & Craf using Contact Paper
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.
Love Potions Sensory Bin: Valentine’s Day STEAM
This sensory bin was a lot of fun for all of my kids. They only downside it that it can get a little messy so here are my tips for reducing the mess.
Dress your kids in clothes that you are ok with getting dirty. There is food colouring involved in this activity and despite my kids best efforts some still got out of the sensory bin. Dress them in a long old t-shirt or a smock or old pajamas.
Next, place a shower curtain liner under the sensory bin or even a garbage bag. Make sure that it is plastic so that it won’t get stained as they play.
Finally, just remind your kids of the rules. I wasn’t too far while they played with this sensory bin and reminded then occasionally to pour and scoop all their materials for their love potions inside the bin.
That aside my kids really really really loved this activity. It is super simple to set up and uses materials you can easily find in your home.
Setting Up the Love Potion Sensory Bin
Place the baking soda in a bowl or container and add some spoons. This will allow they to scoop and pour the main ingredient to their love potions themselves.
Next, grab some containers to pour the vinegar into. I used toy test tubes that I purchased. I have had my eye on these for years and never pulled the trigger. My kids aren’t getting any younger and these just looked like so much fun to play with so I got them. They are great for sensory bins and I foresee using them again lots. That being said you don’t need to buy test tubes for this activity to be fun. You can also use popsicle molds. They are long and thin like test tubes and usually come with a stand.
Add some eye droppers so that they can add the vinegar slowly and watch the reactions over and over again. Eye droppers are also wonderful tools to work on fine motor skills.
Fill whatever container you are using with vinegar and add a drop of red, purple and pink food colouring in each. I also added some water into some of them so that they could experiement with which colour produced them best potion (or fizzy reaction).
Finally, I added some other containers such as beakers and Erlenmeyer flasks(oh wow just saying that brings me back to my science undergrad years!) to make them feel like real scientists. You can also use bowls, plastic measuring cups, ice cube trays or plastic cups.
Invite your little ones to mix the baking soda and coloured vinegar mixtures to create love potions. Ask them what they think will happen!
I also added some red and pink artificial rose petals and heart confetti.
Science Behind Love Potions
What’s the science behind this simple kitchen experiment? When you combing an acid, in this case vinegar with a base – baking soda, it creates a gas – carbon dioxide bubbles. The bubbles will be pink and purple and red – the colours of Valentine’s Day and thus love. So your little one can pretend they are scientists testing out the best ingredients for the perfect love potions!
Age Suitability for Love Potions Sensory Bin: Valentine’s Day STEAM
This activity is great for kids 3 years and up. My kids are 3.5, 3.5, and 7.5 year old.
Supplies for Love Potions Sensory Bin: Valentine’s Day STEAM
(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)
- Sensory Bins
- Science Kit and test tubes
- Red, pink and purple food colouring
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Eye Droppers
- Various container such as ice cube tray, bowls, plastic measuring cups
Make quiet time their favourite time!
Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.
My Sensory Play Kits are a fun and easy way to keep your child engaged while at the same time capitalizing on the benefits of sensory play to nurture their mind!
Shop my ready made sensory play kits here.
STEAM Activity Book
Looking for a fun activity book for your preschooler this summer? Check out my new book Super STEAM Activity Book: Launch Learning with Fun Mazes, Dot-to-Dots, Search-the-Page Puzzles, and More! ! Click here to learn more or order it now!
WILL YOU MAKE THIS LOVE POTIONS SENSORY BIN FOR YOUR CHILD? PIN IT FOR LATER!
