Sensory bottles are a fun and easy activity that is suitable for both toddlers and preschoolers. Not only are they fun to build they are also a great calming activity your little one can play with during quiet time.

Making an ocean sensory bottle can be a great way to add some creativity to an ocean learning unit at school or just for fun at home.

Here’s how to to create your own Ocean Sensory Bottle

Locating where you can find Voss water bottles is the first and most difficult item to acquire for this activity. If you don’t have a local store that sells them you can use the link above to purchase them from Amazon. When you find a store that sells them, do what I do and buy them all! Or at least five so that you have them for future use.

Decorating the Bottle

Once you have the bottles the next big thing are stickers. If you want to do this activity today and don’t have time to get ocean stickers no worries you can also use glass markers or liquid chalk markers to decorate the bottle.

Use the stickers to decorate the outside of the bottle. Use fish, sea creatures, waves and bubbles to decorate and enhance you ocean sensory bottle.

For preschoolers or if you don’t have ocean stickers handy you can decorate the outside of your mini aquariums using glass markers or liquid chalk markers.

Draw waves, fish, colourful coral, bubbles and fun sea creatures on the outside of the bottle.

Filling the Bottle

Next, it’s time to add more sea creatures. We used three Voss bottles because I had a ton of sea creatures and my little one wanted to use them all. If you have sea shells be sure to pull them out and all them as well!

Voss bottles are great because they have such a wide opening making them ideal choices for sensory bottles.

As you add the sea creatures take this opportunity to talk about each one with your little one. Remember activities like this aren’t just fun to do they are also a great way to build your child’s vocabulary.

Big Waves

Now it’s time to add the water. Fill the water bottle 2/3 with water.

For preschoolers you can have them fill the bottles using a funnel and small jug.

Add one small drop of blue food colouring.

Fill the rest of the bottle with baby oil. Baby oil will create a wave like effect when your little one shakes the bottle back and forth.

Seal and Play

Place the lid on the bottle and close it tightly so that there is no leaking or spilling and so that your little one cannot open it. If you are concerned that they still might be able to open the bottle cover the top of the bottle with tape.

Fun for Toddlers and Preschoolers!

Have your little one shake and move around the sea creatures inside the bottle along the waves in the bottle!

This activity is truly perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. I first did this activity with my daughter when she was two and then again when she was four and she loved doing it both times!

Supplies:

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• Voss 500 ml Plastic Bottles
• Ocean stickers
• Underwater Sea Animals and Deep Sea Creatures
• Liquid Chalk Board Window Markers
• Water
• Blue food colouring
• Baby oil
• Sea shells
• Funnel and measuring cup (for preschoolers who can fill the bottle themselves)